Beneath These Cursed Stars by Lexi Ryan
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Web ID: 18496870This Book Resonates With My Soul
Have you ever read one of those stories that just draw you in so completely that it feels like you’re personally invested in the characters’ journey? A story so compelling that you can’t draw yourself away. That’s what this book was like for me. I felt such a connection with Jasalyn and Felicity in this book. I honestly don’t know how to explain it. There was so much trauma and hurt in Jasalyn’s life from her time as Mordeus’ prisoner. And being able to feel that pain through the author’s words is indescribable. The to feel both Jas and Felicity’s isolation and inner struggle with the things in their lives beyond their control. This book truly broke my heart over and over. There were times throughout the story I was so angry for them and the cards they were dealt. YES, I KNOW THIS IS FICTION, but it was so well written that it truly didn’t seem that way. Beneath These Cursed Stars is a spin off of the These Hollow Vows series and takes place three years after These Twisted Bonds Ends, but this book has darker undertones than either of the other two books. It is fast paced and captivating in its entirety; absolutely phenomenal. I would strongly recommend reading These Hollow vows before starting this book though. There is so much backstory that is necessary to grasp the full measure of Jasalyn’s story. Even though this book focuses on different characters, you need the entire history for the most impact. Tropes in this book include: Princess & The Pauper Vibes Trauma Prophecy Found Family Betrayal Forbidden Love Forced Proximity Revenge
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Great sequel series that could be read by itself
I received an arc copy of this book. This was actually my first time reading Lexi Ryan and I really enjoyed her writing. Without having the background of These Hollow Vows, I think she did an amazing job conducting this book as a standalone. I never felt confused about the world or characters, just motivation to learn more about them and wanting to read her other series. The characters were all very likeable and the plot was intriguing. The cliffhanger though was brutal, I need the next book immediately. I’ll definitely be reading more by her.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Magical
I’ve loved this series so far. Suspense, drama, and romance—yes, please. This book’s cliffhanger has me chomping at the bit for the 4th book! I’m anxious to see how this is all going to play out. Lexi Ryan has created a magical world, and I am here for it. Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the early copy! All opinions are my own.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Flawed, but I enjoyed the ride
I hadn't read the other two books in the series before I read this one. After I finished it, I went back and read the other two and I think that changed my opinions on this one. The fact that I went back and read the first two after reading this meant that I enjoyed it. However, I thought less of it after I finished the first two. There’s a lot about the world I was picking up on without reading the first books, so I assumed those would fill in when I read the other books. That’s true to an extent. Because a few years have passed since the events of the first two books, there’s a lot that has happened that wasn’t in the other books. There’s a lot of background that we don’t fully get explained. Why is Misha Brie’s best friend, for example, and has he really liked Jas for a while? And if he liked Jas and trained her closely, why wouldn’t he notice that the girl he was with wasn’t her? There’s a lot of unanswered questions and it feels like being thrown into something without a lot of information. This book is also darker than the others, with a lot of mentions of PTSD and torture. Because of her trauma, sometimes Jas doesn’t make a lot of sense. She’s somehow both trusting and naive and absolutely hates everything about the fae. While Brie has a lot of hatred for the fae in the first book and the reasons for both of their feelings make sense, but it’s frustrating. Jas is so reluctant to change her mind about things — even with her own sister being a fae and living around fae for the last few years — that she’s making decisions that have horrific consequences. It makes it hard to like her or root for her, even as traumatized as she is. I also found myself frequently frustrated with Hale, especially when we learn more about his motivations. Because of this, I like Felicity a lot better, even though I had a difficult time understanding her backstory and felt like there was a lot that was left out. I also found myself rooting for her relationship with Misha a lot more than I cared about Jas and Hale. The big reveals were… disappointing. The biggest problem was it felt like the characters all should have realized these things a lot sooner, and I found myself frustrated with everyone. After reading the other two books, I started to have a few additional complaints. It seems like all the male love interests are essentially the same. They’re obsessed with the female main characters (sometimes for very unclear reasons) and are somehow always perfectly understanding, lovely, snarky, and flirting. There’s not a ton of variety between them. The book ends in a cliffhanger, or even a double cliffhanger for both POV characters. I don’t mind cliffhangers if it feels like a plot wraps up to some level as a book. This I didn’t feel like that was satisfactory, so I found the cliffhanger more annoying than a reason to read the next one. I will gladly read the next one when it comes out because I did enjoy the overall experience and I want to see what happens with the characters, but I do think there are a lot of things about the book that aren’t as strong as they could have been. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the free copy in exchange for my honest review. The opinions are my own and were not influenced by receiving a copy.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
INCREDIBLE
5 Stars Consider me obsessed! I haven't been sucked into a fantasy romance so quickly and now I'm over here BEGGING for the next book to come out ASAP. I haven't read the original duology in this series, but I dove straight into this story and now have These Hollow Vows jumping straight to the top of my TBR. The two different romances and the overall world building are exceptional and I need more RIGHT MEOW.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Creative & Fun Fantasy
4 1/2 Stars When I started this book, I didn't realize it was the third one in the series. Fortunately it was still enjoyable and didn't seem to matter that I was hopping into the middle of a series. That said, I still plan to go to the beginning and read the other two because I enjoy the storyline and the world it's set in. This was a fantasy that was well thought out and had some originality to it. The characters felt original and were easy to connect with. This book had a good blend of fantasy elements while still having a storyline that carried an emotional pull. It was a solid read and is a series I look forward to continuing since I'm quite invested in the characters now. Thank you to NetGalley for the early copy.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
engaging YA fantasy
BENEATH THESE CURSED STARS is a lush and engaging YA fantasy read. Jasalyn, the Shadow Princess, is still suffering from the time she spent being tortured by Mordeus and his followers. The memories plague her with nightmares, and she feels the fear always. To regain some of her power, she traded her immortal life to a witch who gave her a ring that takes away those feelings and also gives her death's kiss, which she uses to get rid of the guards who tortured her. Her sister fears for her and her psychological health, so when rumors begin swirling that Mordeus is coming back, she decides to send Jas away to stay with the Wild Fae King, Misha. Jas does not want to go and when she heads out to enact more revenge, she is captured by some humans who have their own plots for her. As she realizes their goals align, she agrees to join them, and Felicity, who has a powerful magic of being able to take on another person's appearance and scents, takes her place. Felicity has her own task of getting close to Misha to find a portal they will need. As they both travel closer to their goals, they find themselves falling in love with the men they are getting close to and unraveling an untold number of secrets along the way. What I loved: This was a fast-paced and fascinating story that keeps the reader hooked with little reveals and secrets along the way. Themes of fear, trauma, power, and healing are all really strong throughout, as Felicity and Jas are navigating the things that have harmed them in the past while trying to move forward. The romance was really strong, and each had an element of forbidden romance, but also another layer of uncertainty due to secrets being kept. For instance, Felicity was pretending to be Jas, completely taking over her identity - so how could Misha actually love her and not Jas? She circled this moral question and problematic feelings resulting her growing love towards Misha throughout. Jas's story is complicated by secrets being kept, and by knowing what the future holds for her. Her paramour has his own agenda and complications, so Jas and the reader are kept wondering whether he is using her for his plans or whether he has actual fondness for her as herself. They have a history that is colored by the time that makes things both more intense and more complex. The story flips between Felicity and Jas, but it was easy to keep track of each perspective and the characters therein. While there were a lot of people, the scope ended up feeling pretty limited as their interactions were generally with only a few. This made the book read faster and it was easy to keep up with the plot. The quest for power and healing is complicated by trauma and reactions to it, including a desire to take back that power in revenge. Magic makes this even more twisty as the story continues. The reader gets windows into what Jas has suffered and why she feels the way she does through nightmarish scenes along the way, and this really pulled the reader into her character and helped to empathize with the (sometimes poor, though understandable) decisions she is making. The end is a huge cliffhanger, and it will be tough to wait for the next book. Things are just coming to a head and huge reveals happen - but then the reader finds out there is no more! This will be a very tough wait to the next book, and I cannot wait to see what will happen next. Final verdict: BENEATH THESE CURSED STARS is a lush and engaging YA fantasy about trauma, revenge, and love that will leave readers begging for the next in the series. Please note that I received an ARC. All opinions are my own.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com