Official Synopsis: “His Imperial Majesty King Zarek requests your presence as his esteemed guest.”
When the gold-dusted court invitation arrives at Suraya Saab’s forge, she believes it’s a joke. Nobles might seek her skills as a bladesmith—one of few who can imbue her work with precious jadu, the last source of magic in the realm—but she has no qualifications as a potential bride for the crown prince. Still, the invitation is the chance at adventure, and the means to finally visit the capital city her late mother loved.
But what awaits her in Kaldari is nothing she could have imagined—and fraught with danger. It’s not the crown prince, but his impossibly handsome, illegitimate half-brother, Roshan, who captures her interest…and her ire. The invitation isn’t a quest to find a suitable bride, but a veiled hunt for the Starkeeper—a girl rumored to hold the magic of the stars in her blood. And across the city, unrest is brewing between the noble houses and the rebel militia.
When the rebels attack, Suraya and Roshan find themselves on the run, trying to deny their simmering attraction and the knowledge that Suraya herself might be the Starkeeper. But Roshan is guarding secrets of his own. And with no control over the power stirring within her, Suraya has drawn the attention of a dark god, an immortal whose interest might be the biggest threat of all.
I've been waiting for a while for another romantasy to shock me, or at least make me feel like I'm reading the same thing over and over. Though there are the 'normal' tropes for romantasy, I think this book still made them unique enough. I liked the magic that manifested in this story, with Suraya having the power of the stars, a blessing or a curse really, who is picked to compete for the hand of the future king. But when you learn the girls that were chosen were picked because they might have magic, you start to see the future king and his mother are up to more than they are letting on. There were a lot of twists and turns within the plot I really liked, and I still have some bets on who Roshan fully is when it comes to the next books (which was hinted at).
I was excited when I initially thought this book was a standalone but I'm not disappointed that it isn't. The way the book ended doesn't leave you desperately waiting for more (I'm looking at you Iron Flame) but it does lead into there being 'more to the story'. Though, I will still note that I am desperate for a standalone fantasy/romantasy novel to hit the shelves, please.
This book, like most of the genre, does have a few spicy scenes that make it more for an adult audience at times, though overall I'd give it like a 2.5 on the spice scale, they happen, but you could easily skip them if that is not your thing. There are a decent amount of politics and secrets, which I do love in fantasy. Roshan has a lot hidden, and its hinted at from early on in the story and that manifests in a lot of ways throughout the story. As the bastard son of the king, he knows a lot about the kingdom, but definitely has been working on some plans of his own. Suraya falls into that 'not like other girls' a bit, working in a forge while her best friend makes clothes, dyes her hair and loves boys. Though I did enjoy Suraya, at the beginning of the story you are sort of rolling your eyes on her when it comes to being in the run to become the bride of the king.
Overall, I really did like this book, and the cover is beautiful. The magic made it unique in the world of romantasy, that is definitely becoming a bit oversaturated. I know Amalie Howard has some other books in the historical romance genre, and haven't not read those, I did really enjoy how this book was written and the care taken to explain the magics and other parts of the world.
As my first read of 2025 and my first ARC of 2025, we are starting out the year strong.
I rated this book 4 out of 5 stars.
The Starlight Heir is scheduled to come out January 7, 2025.
Comentários