Honestly the second book can't come sooner I truly need it. Some people may find that this book doesn't have the action that we had in these twisted bonds but I feel this book is a great set up towards the following book. We've already experienced the world so there wasn't as much worldbuilding and honestly I love that it drags you into the book so much quicker. I loved most of the characters they were complex and well thought out in my opinion. I truly think this is another masterpiece from Lexi and I can't wait to return to Faerie and Elora.

I was given an eARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

<i>Beneath These Cursed Stars</i> is the start of a new <i>These Hollow Vows</i> spin-off series. As someone who did not read the original duology, I thought that Ryan reminded the reader of enough world-building to understand what was going on, but it wasn’t very fleshed out.

The story itself is dual POV between Jasalyn and Felicity. They both undergo missions that risk their lives as well as their hearts (that’s right, we get two romances!). The romances themselves were fun. The book is focused on the romances, making it dialogue heavy and slow-paced. The heaps of secrets in this book really slowed down the plot as well. Only the reader has all the details at once, as no one wanted to truly work together and share information. I personally prefer a bit more external motivation and action sequences, compared to character-driven narratives like this one. 

Felicity, I was unfortunately not a fan of. It was weird to watch her shapeshift into Jasalyn’s body and then fall in love in that body that is not her own. Her romantic interest is falling in love with Jasalyn yet is going to find out about the shapeshifting eventually. It was hard to be sympathetic. The most interesting part of Felicity’s storyline wasn’t even about her as a character but was when she was reliving Jasalyn’s memories of Mordeus’s dungeons.

That being said, I enjoyed Jasalyn’s emotional journey in this book. She starts off riddled with anxiety and depression and trades her life for a magical ring that grants her emotional stability and death’s kiss. Over the course of the novel, she questions her fear, anger, and prejudice and realizes that maybe she traded away her future too quickly. Healing from trauma is a major theme, which I enjoyed.

I think if you’re a romance fan and love slow burns that you’ll love this book, but I was expecting something a bit faster paced.

I really enjoyed the These Hollow Vows duopoly and was so excited to read Beneath These Cursed Stars, it is the logical and sequential follow up from the perspective of Jasalyn.  But this story is dual perspective, we also see events from the perspective of Felicity, who has taken on Jasalyn’s form and is posing as her.  The set up of this story is genuinely delightful and I feel like I scored big at a two for one sale, two fleshed out protagonists who feel a large spectrum of emotions, including inner strength but also crippling fear.  Two for one adventure in a world I was already pretty familiar with (so there was less set up in the realm of world building, I was genuinely surprised at how much I remembered, it all came rushing back to me as I read) and two for one slow burn romance.

At first I was a little disappointed with the concept of the return of Mordeus, I was hoping for a villain not yet explored or someone who could have stepped into the power vacuum he would have left.  However, it was really well done and integral to the plot and the characterisation, my initial reaction was way off!  The characterisation of Jasalyn and Felicity was spot on, I particularly liked how Felicity would remind herself of how exactly Jasalyn would act or what she would say, it gave the story another layer of legitimacy.  I did find certain elements in the relationship capacity a little predictable, but other parts of the plot completely smacked me in the face, I had no idea it was coming.  The writing was accessible and had a good flow, it was an easier read for a fantasy genre whilst still really descriptive and immersive.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Australia & New Zealand for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review, I had a great time and these thoughts are all my own.