I wanted to really like this book. Set in an alternate world where the Roman Empire never fell, sign me up. Secrets of the Starcrossed started out with so much potential. The first third of the book did a good job setting up the world, the characters, and the major plot points, but by halfway through the book it starts to get frustrating. There are only so many times a plot point can be reused before it starts to feel sloppy. Every decision made in the book is wavered on 5-6 times, and each time adds nothing of real value to the development of the plot other than extending the length of the novel.
I am giving this three stars because I really do see the potential for this story, and the characters have potential. Since this is a trilogy I'm hoping the first book only dragged itself out in order to set up the rest of the series.

SYNOPSIS:
Magic, science, and a seemingly perfect society are the ingredients in Clara O’Connor’s first book in the Once and Future Queen Series. Set in an alternate future where the Roman Empire never fell, Cassandra lives her life according to the Code. This is what every citizen abides by in order to keep the peace and promote the success of the Empire. An interaction between her and Devyn, a strange young man she has in one of her classes, challenges everything Cassandra believes to be true about the Code and the society she lives in.

REVIEW:
What immediately caught my attention about this book is the alternate future that is the setting for this really well-written fantasy! I loved this world! The Roman Empire never fell, which is a really fascinating concept for someone like me, who has always been really intrigued by history. I stayed engaged and wanted to finish this book as soon as I picked it up. I only put it down to get some much-needed sleep!

The world that has been created is complex, merging technology and magic. Two things that are often considered opposites but O’Connor did a great job bringing them together. The advancements in technology have made it easier to control society, which added to the futuristic aspect of this story. It felt so different from what we know in our own reality but yet seemed completely plausible giving it validity.

Cassandra as a character was frustrating at times, especially in the beginning. As someone living within the Empire subject to the Code, she is ignorant of the realities that Devyn shares with her, challenging, and resisting what he has to say. Devyn, on the other hand, is a rebel, who seems to hold all the answers to Cassandra’s questions and has full knowledge of how the Empire seeks to control its citizens. I really loved his character and it doesn’t hurt that he has those bad boy vibes! Despite my frustrations, as the story progressed, Cassandra’s growth from ignorant citizen to an autonomous thinker with Devyn’s help was appreciated. She matures throughout the story and by the end is not the same ignorant, sheltered character she was at the beginning.

Who doesn’t love twists and turns in a book! I was never quite sure how something would happen because I knew there could be a twist that I wasn’t expecting. I was surprised in quite a few places and I am looking forward to seeing how the second book answers some of my questions and adds to the suspense. This book isn’t without romance, another well-done aspect of the story!

This is a fantastic start to a series! I am 100% invested and want to know what happens next! Hopefully, the second installment comes soon! Another great fantasy read especially for those who liked The Hunger Games and Divergent series.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins One More Chapter for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a very fun introduction to what feels like it will be an exciting series! I have to admit that the early chapters in which we are introduced to Cassandra put me off (her 'normal' personality isn't very attractive, and the book felt rather juvenile at that point). I am glad I stuck with it though. It is rare that I read a book and immediately think of it being made into a movie, but I would absolutely sign up to see this on a big screen (I envision it as a blend of Bridgerton and Hunger Games). Excited for the next book!

In a world where disobeying The Code means forfeiting your life to the judgement of the citizens, Cassandra is the perfect resident. Only after truly meeting fellow classmate, Devyn, does her life change.
I really loved a lot of aspects of this book-- I thought Devyn and Cassandra had great chemistry, and there was so much mystery surrounding them. The world-building was immense and sometimes a little overwhelming, but as the author gave more and more information on the universe, I found the most interesting details to be the ones she specifically kept from us, as it gave me more incentive to keep reading and learn more.
However, I think there were a lot of elements squished into the book that didn't really get their chance to bloom. I imagine this will be rectified in the rest of the series, but as the first novel it was hard to keep track of all the moving parts. Magic, Shadowers, latents, griffins-- these are only a few things that I sort of understand in this world, but not really. I think the author has an incredibly detailed outline for the world, that much is very clear. I just think that it didn't totally translate onto the page.
I also found a lot of the novel to be a bit repetitive, specifically how often Devyn allowed Cassandra close only to push her away again. I know the point the author was trying to make with this, but I think less is more sometimes. The situation is clear to the reader after it happens once or twice, but any more than that becomes a little frustrating. The same thing goes for how many times Cass tries to run away, only to be caught.
I am a firm believer that the last few pages can make or break a book and I was NOT disappointed with this one. I loved the trial scene in the beginning and the 360 right back there in the end was absolutely killer.

Thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK and One More Chapter for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Secrets of the Starcrossed follows Cassandra, a young women living in a Britain where the Romans were never pushed out of the country and where magic within the walls is forbidden. There is a strict code to abide by and failure to do so sees your crimes publicly exposed for citizens to pass judgement.

Cassandra is promised to Marcus, the senator’s son and the most eligible man in the city, that is until Cassandra start to wonder about fellow student Devyn.

I did enjoy this and am happy that books 2 and 3 are also releasing this year to get some more idea about what is going on. The couple of points I didn’t like were Devyn’s constant hot-cold-hot attitude towards Cassandra. I also reached the end of the book and really am none the wiser about the title of the trilogy The Once and Future Queen - who is/was this queen and if it turns out to be Cassandra in Book 2 there is going to have to be a lot of information that is imparted to the audience. I also feel that we really barely scratched the surface of the world in this book and to be honest, not a lot of information is given and not a lot really happens. The story is intriguing and I will pick up the second book.

*ARC provided by HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter via Netgalley!*

Thank you for NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, for this arc in exchange for an honest review! These thoughts and words are my own.

Whew, I am SO happy the next book release is later this year. I NEED more!

In Secrets of the Starcrossed by Clara O'Connor, Cassandra, or Cass, is anxiously waiting until the day she marries the most eligible bachelor she was matched with as a child. Needless to say, everyone envies her and her life is watched with a close eye. Being brought up in a world that strictly abides by The Code, she finds herself playing a dangerous game when it’s revealed that her society, as perfect as everyone raves it to be, may not be all what it seems.

Cassandra is a young adult who is, for a lack of a better word, naive. Who could blame her though? In the society she lives in, the Roman Empire never fell but she finds herself falling head first into the exciting new world with magic, secrets, and a boy with midnight eyes.

The romance alone is enough to keep me going but many of the characters felt very irritable and I found myself screaming at them while turning the pages. Cassandra is very reckless, Devyn is very brooding, and Marcus is set on keeping his own interests above the rest. I wouldn’t necessarily say there is a love triangle, but this novel definitely gave me hardcore The Selection vibes.

As the book progressed, I could hardly tear myself away from it. The world building alone will have me gladly pick up the next installment. Everything felt so real and I was on the edge of my seat, wondering if danger was just a page flip away. But that ending- THAT ENDING- yeah I’ll be the first in line to grab that sequel when it is released.

I do have to say that I wish the main character Cass had a friend she could lean on because it was tough seeing her internalize all her feelings of inadequacy and loneliness when everyone around her treated her like a delicate flower in need of protection. I’m hoping for more character development on her part, more magic, and perhaps seeing what exactly is behind those walls.

What a great start to a series! #omcreads

Thank you to the HarperCollins UK One More Chapter team for providing this digital ARC for review!

What immediately caught my eye when reading the description for this book was how it was recommended for fans of The Hunger Games, the Grishaverse, and Marie Lu, among others, and I was so happy while reading to find out that that was completely right.

If there is a way to start a series, this is it. Every page turn had me wanting to find out more as the story progressed—I was completely enthralled by the story’s world-building within an alternate dystopian Roman Empire and the forbidden relationship between Cassandra and Devyn. Before this book, I had never read anything having to do with Celtic legends and myths and I found myself so interested as Cassandra finds herself deciding between the life she’s always known, the perfect daughter of a wealthy merchant in a world with a strong moral code, and the life that Devyn introduces her to that might have been hers all along.

The book had plenty of plot twists and turns throughout that kept me reading, and while Cassandra’s character sometimes fell flat, it eventually grew into something more as she learned about the truth of the world within the walls that she’s always known and the world outside that has always been off-limits. The fact that the main character was around my age (early twenties) was something I really liked as most YA fantasy novels have a much younger set of characters. This also allowed for more mature themes at times throughout the exploration of Cass and Devyn’s forbidden relationship.

I truly cannot wait to get my hands on the rest of Clara O’Connor’s 'The Once and Future Queen' series—especially after that cliffhanger! #omcreads

This book has so many interesting things going for it, unfortunately, I think it’s trying too hard. There are far too many things going on. I think this story could have greatly benefitted from losing half of the crap going on. I feel like every possible plot was thrown into this book and it's just not necessary.


Also, I am still confused as to if I missed something or not because I cannot figure out if they are grown-ass adults, why are they in class with lockers? Honestly, I had a hard time reading this one. The characters lacked chemistry, as well as maturity. It just was not my kind of romance/fantasy book.


*Thank you Netgalley for my advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

"Secrets of the Starcrossed" had all of the potential to be an amazing book - alternate history, magic, surprise twists - but unfortunately it did not live up to this potential. The characters were annoying - Devyn was condescending in every interaction with Cassandra. Cassandra, on the other hand, seemed naive and indecisive. Apparently the characters were meant to be in their 20s, but they acted like teenagers. The world-building was interesting, but not fully developed either - some changes to location names, mentions of the different places of worship, etc. but no real understanding of how this new world worked.

DNF at 25%.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the ARC.

This book has a very interesting concept in which the Roman Empire never fell, but it’s still set in (what I assume to be) our time. There’s a lot of interesting details put into this story like names, places etc. that still carry that Roman feel. The world building in this book is quite fantastic, and I’m very curious to see where the author will take it in the sequel.

The main character in this book is Cassandra and her world is turned upside down in this book. From learning more about her own identity to discovering secrets and conspiracies run by the gouvernment, it’s a whole new world opening up to her.

I did have some trouble getting into this book. I think it’s because it needs quite a bit of build-up to make sure the reader knows the world, the characters and the dynamics of the city. It does work as the second part of the book is very quick-faced and you’re just fully emersed. To make it more obvious, it took me about a quarter of the time it took me to read the first half as it took me to read the second.

All in all, I definitely recommend this book and am curious to see where this story will go.

Wow! What a way to start a trilogy. Secrets of the Starcrossed is a modern retelling of an Arthurian tale with lots of twists and turns on the original tale! I love Arthurian retellings. This one has modern twists and a major alternative history.

If the Roman Empire never fell, magic was real and technology was highly advanced, this setting is what you would have gotten. Londinium, the walled Roman city, had to develop upwards, not outwards. Not to mention that it is one of the last Roman strongholds in Britannia due to the 1776 Treaty between the Britons and the Romans. The tech in this novel is advanced, the government monitors and controls everything.

Our main character POV is Cass. A young woman finishing her schooling (think university) before getting her citizenship and marrying her intended, Marcus Courtenay. Cass is the daughter of a wealthy merchant. She lives a very privileged life and is very typical of an elite member of the society. She follows the Code, meets her parents' standards and never does anything that could affect her future. That is until Devyn and her lives cross and her eyes are opened to how the world is for those less fortunate than her. All this before she learns of a disease that raging through the "lower class" and her intended, Marcus, throwing himself into finding a cure.

The plot line, events and tension in the story all are excellent. You become fully engrossed in the plot extremely quickly. This is a book where nothing is as it seems, you never know who Cass should be trusting (including herself). There's a slow burn romance, a potential love triangle, as well as the idea "perfectly matched" mates and soulmates.

The mix of Roman empire with the hints of history from Celtic and English history is well planned and thought out. You could actually believe that this is what the world could be if the Roman Empire prevailed. The world building is exceptional and well paced. The twists and turns will keep you engaged throughout the whole novel. I do know I will definitely be reading Curse of the Celts and no doubt Legend of the Lakes, as I am fully invested in this complicated, and amazing story.

I would like to thank NetGalley, One More Chapter (Harper Collins) and Clara O'Connor for sending me a free copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Firstly, I want to say thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC of this book, I really appreciate the opportunity.

I loved the idea of this book, as soon as I saw it had been announced I knew that I needed to read it as soon as possible. I was so chuffed to get myself an early copy. I wasn't quite expecting it to be about what it was, I feel like a lot was kept away from the synopsis which definitely isn't a bad thing.

I found the writing style very easy to read, it was one of those books that you could pick up and not want to put down. It was one that I literally flew through every time I picked it up. I say every time I picked it up, I ended up reading it in two sittings. The plot for this definitely did intrigue me, and in parts I did struggle to put it down. But at other times it fell flat.

I really liked the characters in this book, I found them easy to connect to however at times they did irritate me. I really didn't like the romance though, it had a trope in it i really don't get on with and romance just isn't my favourite anyway. I think if I was a romance lover I would have liked this book more.

I didn't love this book but I definitely didn't hate it. The ending has me on edge and I definitely need the next one.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Alternative histories (especially sci-fi/fantasy ones) are one of my favourite genres - I love to imagine what might have been different. O'Connor does a great job here of staying true to her source material while imagining a new path for British history if the Romans had never left, particularly what this might mean for a young woman. The characters are vivid and believable and the plot never lets up, with some satisfying twists and a very annoying cliff-hanger ending! I can'twait for the next installment.

I am so very looking forward to this series. I loved the cliffhanger. The Arthurian Legend is something that's not new to literature, but this series seems to take it in its own unique way that I'm excited to follow.

The book follows the life of a young gill in Londonium, a city in the Roman Empire in this alternative histroy young adult novel. She is the member of the elite in the society, bethrothed to the most elligible bachelor in the city. She is also a very rule abiding young woman who is ready to become a full member of the society. However, one day she helps a young boy in her class by helping him hide a piece of forbidden tech, and thus breaking the Code. From then on her life takes unexpected and unplanned for turns.
The book has a very interesting premise - Roman empire had never fallen, people still live in that Roman culture. Roman empire is surrounded by pagan barbarian areas. All elements which would otherwise guarantee a very interesting novel. This however suffers from the standard problems of first time authors - inconsistency of tone, endless repetition of facts (which are sometimes confused and confusing) and the bane of all YA novels - forced and inconsistent angst.
I hope that in the following books of this series the author irons out these issues and that we get more from her truly interesting imagination.

GREAT PREMISE BUT THAT'S ABOUT IT

Actual rating: 2.5 ⭐

Honestly, this was not a bad book. It really wasn't. It just wasn't all that it could have been. It really had potential to be good. It started out as something that was going to be good. But it lost momentum about halfway through and it didn't pick up again in my opinion.

👍 What I Liked 👍

Premise: A world were the Roman empire never collapsed on itself. It persisted all the way up to our present day and further. That's the premise of this book and that really appealed to me. It was a thought provoking premise that could have been turned into something really good.

👎 What I Disliked 👎

Inaccurate: If there's one thing I absolutely loathe and cannot discount it is something inaccurate. And I found such a thing in this book. This is a proposed Roman society. And yet... the people in this world say "to Hades"! Hades is a Greek god. The Romans would have said "to Pluto".

Pace: At first I didn't mind the pace because I was enjoying the world building. But soon the world building failed and so did the pace. It was just too slow and drawn out.

World building: Again, at first the world building was intriguing and interesting. But that didn't last. It's obvious that O'Connor has built a very wide and complex universe in her mind. But I really don't think she did a good enough job of explaining and laying down her world. It got confusing.

Romance: Devyn and Cassandra are drawn to each other. And then they are not. And then they are. And then they are not. And then they are. And then they are not. Must I continue?

I ended up skipping through this book since it was so boring. I wasn't expecting the future setting at all and it really threw me off. I will not be reading the rest of the series and I hated the first-person point of view.

3.5*

While there are many elements in this book that I enjoyed such as the Celtic mythology and a forbidden romance, it also lacked in so,e areas. The pace and how the plot unraveled didn’t flow as nicely as I look for in my fantasy romance. While I enjoyed reading it I do not plan on continuing in the series

I received an E-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affects my rating or review.

From the very beginning this book was impossible to put down. The author starts out by putting you in the middle of some unknown conflict, and that is just the smartest thing an author can do to me. Two pages in and I'm invested. Heart pounding, swiping pages. I need to know how we got there. The characters also kept my attention so there isn't one bad thing I can say about this. I'm really looking forward to this continuation and seeing where the author takes the story.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins Uk (One More Chapter) for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review!

Cassandra has expend her whole life trying to be perfect, the perfect daughter, the perfect student, the perfect citizens... but everything changes when she sees herself involved in a revolution she doesn't want to do anything about. Or will she?

"Secrets of the Starcrossed" is a book that had made me go back to my younger-self, readying books such as Matched or Divergent. With Cassandra, you see how not everything is what it seems and that following your heart can be hard but sometimes is the only option, and that we have to be able to fight against those who want to control us.

The characters were well structured, Cassandra was too innocent and easy to manipulate but I found her evolution was great, how she started fighting against everything she knows to achieve her objectives and show the world she is more than a simple girl. Devyn was quite exasperating, I don't think I get him yet, it is like he is hiding too many things and there is so much more about him behind what we have seen in this book, also the way he treats Cassandra... sometimes it feels like he is playing with her, and finally Marcus, I don't know if I hate the guy or I love him... I am still skeptical so I don't have a clear opinion of what is happening with him, he was a secondary character during half of the book and suddenly he was not anymore. I know everything Marcus does is because he feels is the right thing to do but I swear there were moments I wanted to kill him.

I loved the way this book combined dystopia with magic and how every little detail was studied to perfection and has a reason to be. The twists were great although I hated them (in a good way). Although the romance made me get dizzy with all the yes-no-yes-no, really enjoyed the way the characters interact with each other.

Saying all of this, I have to say that this book got a bad thing (maybe not a bad thing for everyone but it was for me) which is the ending. There was an objective throughout the whole book and the book ends like this... I won't spoil anything. But this ending without having the second part next to me killed me.

To sum up, I enjoyed the book a lot, I think that it is easy and quick to read and the twists and the story were great. For people who are thinking to read it, it has nothing to do with the Grishaverse or Cassandra Clare, it has maybe a little bit of the Hunger Games, but I feel that a better comparison would be Matched by Ally Condie and Divergent by Veronica Roth (as I said before). I think is a good comeback of the classical dystopia story that we all loved with some new touches.