Scan barcode
A review by the_ya_assassin
A Dark and Hollow Star by Ashley Shuttleworth
5.0
*4.5 stars*
OMG this was an amazing book! There were only two reasons I didn't give it 5 stars, but I'll get to those after fangirling how great a book this was!
First of all, props to [a:Ashley Shuttleworth|18851463|Ashley Shuttleworth|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1598964974p2/18851463.jpg] as they did an amazing job at writing an LGBTQ+ fantasy in our world! It took a LOT of planning on their part, as the world was very detailed and I felt like I could walk right into it. It was interesting to see/ hear the different views each Fae territory had on the High King. It felt kind of similar to the [b:A Court of Thorns and Roses|16096824|A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #1)|Sarah J. Maas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1546406962l/16096824._SY75_.jpg|21905102] by [a:Sarah J. Maas|3433047|Sarah J. Maas|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1582137198p2/3433047.jpg], but even better (at least in the worldbuilding portion). Also, I loved the LGBTQ+ romances in this book - I usually don't. HOWEVER these were not overdone or overpowering and I actually rooted for them!!
The multiple POVs were also done EXCELLENTLY. I was super surprised considering this was Ashley's debut. This was a DREAM team - stubborn redhead Arlo, bad*ss Fury Nausicaä (Alecto), kind prince Vehan, and observational guardian Aurelian (I loved Celadon too) - and I could tell each POV WITHOUT having to look at the chapter titles (most of the time).
[b:A Dark and Hollow Star|53341666|A Dark and Hollow Star (A Dark and Hollow Star, #1)|Ashley Shuttleworth|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1612105440l/53341666._SY75_.jpg|68235186]'s plot was also fantastic! In addition to the main conflict with the MCs trying to find out the who-dun-it (while the readers KNOW who-dun-it too. I loved the dramatic irony with this), Ashley also included tiny subplots that had me guessing the whole time (even now, I'm still wondering and starting the countdown timer for [b:A Cruel and Fated Light|43911532|A Cruel and Fated Light (A Dark and Hollow Star, #2)|Ashley Shuttleworth|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|68332328]
OMG this was an amazing book! There were only two reasons I didn't give it 5 stars, but I'll get to those after fangirling how great a book this was!
First of all, props to [a:Ashley Shuttleworth|18851463|Ashley Shuttleworth|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1598964974p2/18851463.jpg] as they did an amazing job at writing an LGBTQ+ fantasy in our world! It took a LOT of planning on their part, as the world was very detailed and I felt like I could walk right into it. It was interesting to see/ hear the different views each Fae territory had on the High King. It felt kind of similar to the [b:A Court of Thorns and Roses|16096824|A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #1)|Sarah J. Maas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1546406962l/16096824._SY75_.jpg|21905102] by [a:Sarah J. Maas|3433047|Sarah J. Maas|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1582137198p2/3433047.jpg], but even better (at least in the worldbuilding portion). Also, I loved the LGBTQ+ romances in this book - I usually don't. HOWEVER these were not overdone or overpowering and I actually rooted for them!!
The multiple POVs were also done EXCELLENTLY. I was super surprised considering this was Ashley's debut. This was a DREAM team - stubborn redhead Arlo, bad*ss Fury Nausicaä (Alecto), kind prince Vehan, and observational guardian Aurelian (I loved Celadon too) - and I could tell each POV WITHOUT having to look at the chapter titles (most of the time).
[b:A Dark and Hollow Star|53341666|A Dark and Hollow Star (A Dark and Hollow Star, #1)|Ashley Shuttleworth|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1612105440l/53341666._SY75_.jpg|68235186]'s plot was also fantastic! In addition to the main conflict with the MCs trying to find out the who-dun-it (while the readers KNOW who-dun-it too. I loved the dramatic irony with this), Ashley also included tiny subplots that had me guessing the whole time (even now, I'm still wondering and starting the countdown timer for [b:A Cruel and Fated Light|43911532|A Cruel and Fated Light (A Dark and Hollow Star, #2)|Ashley Shuttleworth|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|68332328]