A Kingdom of Stars and Shadows

2.5 stars

This could have been amazing if there was just a few chapters at the start with some world building and some character description but no, we are plonked in the most non-descript world with absolutely no explanation of anyone or anywhere. I literally could not tell you a description of a single character apart from the ‘magic marks' on Adara, and even then we have no idea what they look like or how she got them.

I think the writing was good and the story compelling but because of the above, it felt totally surface level and I had very little connection to it. I really wanted to love this.

A Kingdom of Stars and Shadows contained 272 pages which made it the perfect size and a quick read. It was equally scandalous, exciting and climactic. I love a strong female lead and the main character Adara was nothing short of that. This book fits right in with current story trends sharing some similarities as other novels but author Holly Renee added their own unique twists that I adored which set this story apart from others.They just released the third book of this series which is on my tbr for this month! Definitely check this author out. 4 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wowza. I am genuinely surprised by this book. From the beginning I fell in love with Adara's love interest. I mean c'mon he's the embodiment of the ‘touch her and you (literally) die' troupe. Not to mention the scene in the library in chapter 11??? Flawless.

The only gripe I have is the lack of description in the action scenes. Most of the time I couldn't tell what was happening because it was all happening so quickly with very little detail. Other than that, this was a great read and I can't wait to pick up the sequel when it releases. 4.5/5 stars