When Stars Become Shadows

I was lucky enough to get to be an eARC reader for this book, and I'm glad I was! 

This is a pirate-y based dark fantasy. The author does a good job of leading right off with a content warning, I've said before that I don't see this very often, but I like it every time I see it. This novel goes pretty deeply into things, plus there is strong sexual content. With a beautiful cover and intriguing plot, it's bound to be picked up by a wide assortment of people! 

The world made me think of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End but with a darker, more tense atmosphere. It also follows the gods of the sea and Davy Jones idea, but in its own way that the author has made her own. The magic is also incredibly underhanded in a way I liked. We're never quite sure what it is or why and it adds some overall mystery. 

The novel follows a badass female main character. The author does a great job of giving them depth: they are cunning, smart, snarky, and confident in their own. For me this was nice to see as the MC is riddled with grief, regret, and pain linked to trauma, and I feel that oftentimes writers can miss that fine line where the character can't or doesn't exist outside of the trauma making them exist. This is not that. She has trauma, she deals with trauma, and she also stands alongside it. 

Only real thing I disliked is the sexual content. Smut is just not for me. I'm not the audience, I do no like it. I'm sure it's written well, so if you are a fan, here's just one more reason to read it! 

This novel ends with an absolute banger of a cliffhanger. I was so stoked. I feel like I constantly read books that nicely button up at the end, even when another one is coming. This novel gives you a third of a final page and then says BAM, see you in book two. Personally a 4/5* for me. Absolutely worth picking up! Compulsively readable.