Interesting world building but I jut didn’t connect with the characters. A romance first reader would probably enjoy this in the sense that its romance with an alt historical/ fantasy trim, and its quite true to the expected tropes of the genre. Not really for me I’m afraid.

I was really pleasantly surprised by this book! The blurb sounded good, but I wasn't expecting to be so completely engrossed.

Cass is a lucky member of the Elite in an Alt-History version of London ruled by the Roman Empire where technology is master and magic is outlawed.

The world building in the book is fantastic - I loved the little nods to British history and would love to read all about the different events of this timeline!

The action was full on and kept me hooked from the beginning. I did find the ending a little disappointing since it felt like it was dragging slightly with nothing properly happening for the last 10-15% of the book. However, this didn't detract from the fact that I'm desperate for the next book in the series!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The bad thing about reading ARC is loving the book so much and not having people to share it with!!! Not to mention waiting for publication day and then waiting for next book’s release date!!

This was such a great read. I had a bit of hard time getting into it, especially when Cassandra goes over the history of the Empire. Once she becomes fixated on Devyn, that’s when the fun starts. Throw Marcus into the mix and it’s shaping up to be such a great series.

The story gave me Matched by Allie Condie vibes. Government dictating who to marry, what to buy, what to do, where to go and anyone who deviates from that is a rebel. And of course, there always has to be a rebel group against said government.

Cass is such a great character. She falls for her guy and does just about anything to have him and also keep him safe. Devyn can be a little frustrating but such an interesting setup. Marcus was a curveball. Kind of reminds me of Xander from Matched, perfect boy in the eyes of the government but that’s not really who he is.

I really wanted to enjoy this one, and for the most part I did. While I did find it a bit predictable and the plot didn't move exactly the way I like, I found the characters were engaging and the setting was plausible. Overall, I Like the book, but it definitely didn't hit where I thought it was going to for me.

In a world where the Roman empire never fell, two star crossed lovers must walk the delicate path between destiny and expectation as the city of Londinium is thrown into chaos by a deadly sickness.

I loved the original concept of this. Roman history is chock full of lore and legend, rich in stories of magic and heroes so I was excited to read a YA fantasy that manages to channel some of this history into a new story. Unfortunately I was left a little disappointed. There's nothing really new here, with recycled YA characters I've seen many times over and a plot that is predictable. We seem to skim over a lot of the Roman and Celtic elements that could have made this stand out, instead focusing on tired tropes and a romance that felt a little instant and convenient.

I also think this lacked any depth to its world building. We get glimpses of how Britain interacts with the rest of the world, but I thought more could have been to describe and integrate this interesting world into the plot. Information we do get is thrown in, often in long paragraphs, that make the writing feel clunky instead of organic. That said, I did like the atmosphere the author created of a corrupt city built on political intrigue and machinations. I just wish it had been expanded more.

I also wasn't keen on any of the characters. Cass is a very typical YA protagonist, naive and sheltered from the corruption of the world who is forced into making tough decisions. She's very weak willed, with no real back bone, letting decisions be made for her while mooning over boys. She's not particularly well developed, and I don't think she had enough of a personality to carry the story. The make characters follow a similar vein, and I couldn't find myself interested in anything that happened to them.

Wonderful ideas with hints of intrigue, but this fell a little short for me in execution.

Secrets of the Starcrossed is the first novel in The Once and Future Queen series. The world is one in which the Roman Empire never fell, which completely caught my attention! I love a good alternative historical fiction/fantasy book. The summary had me so freaking pumped and I was so excited to see where this went. Unfortunately, I was sorely disappointed with this book.

I felt the whole love story and love interests were just super cringe and not believable. I feel if maybe there was more attention to the details to the book, such as the magic, world-building, and characters given more dimension, then maybe it would be a better read. Unfortunately, this just completely missed the mark for me completely. It wasn't a horrible read, but definitely not a series I will continue.

I was able to receive an ARC from NetGalley with approval from 'Once More Chapter' an imprint of HarperCollins UK.

To quote the book, 'I felt nothing'.

When I read the description for 'The Once and Future Queen' I was pumped to get a fun fantasy romp with English, Celtic, Welsh, and Irish mythology. What I got was another run of the mill YA dystopia with 'adult' characters. This book reads like a YA but the characters are too old to be in the category. Devyn is 26, and Cassandra is 22. They're full-fledged adults but they both act like teenagers.

I had hoped that this world would have some interesting world-building, giving English myths their own chance to shine. Instead, it felt like a copy and paste of a number of other books that have been out on an already saturated market.

It took me a long time to get into the book, and I never really got attached to anyone. I think the pacing issues stem from the fact that Cassandra has no reason to be doing all the things she does. Her only reason is she has a 'feeling' about Devyn and even then he tells her not to join him but she still does because... 'reasons'. Cassandra gets pulled along and in the end, I just didn't care about anything that was happening.

If this is your first attempt to read a dystopian or an older YA Fantasy novel, I would say read the Grishavers, Six of Crows, or Hunger Games and leave this book alone. I hope the writer can continue to grow and learn a bit more about stakes and pacing for the next book of the series, but I myself won't be giving it a shot.

3,75/5

First of all I would like to thank Netgalley and One More Chapter for the opportunity to read the first book of the Once and Future Queen series written by Clara O’Connor.

I was quickly drawn into the narrative and it definitely felt like a (digital) page turner for me which is why I gave this a high rating despite some issues I had with it.

We follow Cassandra in her journey of getting to know herself and her origins together with her realisation of the world she is living in, exposing and unraveling some aspects that she no clue about before the day the story begins.

I enjoyed the writing style and the main character’s depiction of inner struggles of identity and taking sides.

Spoilers ahead.

Some things that annoyed me;
I did not really understand the world and the magic around it. It was a not thoroughly explained whatsoever and it felt like it tried too hard to mix a lot of real world history but ending up being messy in my opinion.
I did not understand the dialogue sometimes with as it felt unrealistic and at times repetitive. ‘No you are not read to know about..’ ‘but yes, I am. Why don’t you jest talk to me?’ I did not care for that vibe at all.

That being said, I am curious to find out what happens and I would like to continue with the series nonetheless as this is a debut novel for the author and the second book might shed some light on all the above that irritated me at times.

DNF'ed...

It was very underwhelming, the beginning is just a lot of info-dumping which I struggled to make sense. Slow pace. The setting of this Roman history with technology wasn’t credible. I didn’t like Cassandra and the love interest was just too cheesy, the insta-love scene made me laugh and cringe at the same time.

I wish this was not compared to Grishaverse or Marie Lu as this book is too focused on the romance and not on the fantasy element. It's poor marketing and it makes a disservice to the writer as I see this book having more success with fans of J.L. Armentrout.

I will not add a rating on my review in Goodreads,

I really enjoyed that this book is basically a what if story. I love when authors try to rewrite history but sadly this one fell a little short. I don't regret reading it but I probably won't finish the series. The world building was confusing and the love story just wasn't something that I enjoyed. It definitely made the story worse in my opinion because of how over the top it was.

Thank you NetGalley for a digital ARC in return for an honest review. I had really high hopes for this book after reading the description. The idea behind the book and the alternate history was very intriguing but it fell a bit flat for me. The historical aspects on which the book is based on was at times very confusing and seemed to jump around. I am a fan of English history and am in no way an expert so I was able to connect the dots but anyone who does not have any idea about the history, will find themselves pretty lost, I found myself having to reread previous pages because I was getting lost from one page to another.

I did not really feel connected to any of the characters and found myself very frustrated with Cassandra. The insta-love was a bit too much and felt forced along with the potential love triangle. Honestly, I found myself not really caring about who she ends up with.

This book does end in a cliffhanger so I am interested in reading the second book to see what happens but overall this was a 3 star book for me. Not my new favorite book but I am interested enough to finish the series.

Secrets of the Starcrossed is the first book in The Once and Future Queen Trilogy by Clara O'Connor and what a fantastic start it is. The world building is phenomenal and the characters are fully formed and engaging from the outset. In a world where magic is banned and feared, and punishable by death, technology and the code is what keeps the people safe. Cassandra has lived by the code all her life and believes in everything it stands for until she meets Devyn and breaks more rules than she ever has before. Matched with Marcus, the most eligible bachelor in the city, Cassandra is set to lead a life abiding by the code. Unfortunately, things are not as straight forward as they seem. For one she's adopted and she is drawn to Devyn and his quest to find a girl with magic in her blood.

The tension in the story builds as the author takes the reader on a journey where nothing is as it seems and for any readers worried about a love triangle, let me just assure you that this is not what this story contains. It's a story about finding out who you are and who you can trust.

I loved the mix of Roman empire and London along with the hints of history from the Celts to the Tudors. The world building is exceptional and there are plenty of twists and turns in the plot that will keep you reading well into the night. The cliffhanger ending was the only thing to disappoint but I do know I will definitely be reading book 2 and no doubt book 3 in this trilogy as I am fully invested in Cassandra and Devyn's story and want to know what happens next.

This was a pretty cool book! I don't typically read any books that are roman inspired so that was a pretty interesting aspect of the book. I will say that the synopsis saying that this is "panem meets grishaverse" isn't the best description of it. While this book is more of a dystopian type fantasy with the government watching their citizens, so yes like the hunger games, I wouldn't really say it gave me grishaverse vibes at all. Honestly, this book mostly reminded me of the "Uglies" series by Scott Westerfield or the "Delirium" series by Lauren Oliver, simply because a lot of this book takes place inside basically a "wall" where the government can watch all its citizens, and it follows with another character that comes outside of that wall.
The "magic" that Cassandra apparently has also really isn't that evident as it should be, as well.
Overall this was a decent book, and I hope the sequel really gives more insight on the world beyond the wall.

First and foremost, let me say that I love mythology, magic, and most things involving those subjects, so I really wanted to like this novel, but the stark contrast between the historical setting blended with modern or futuristic tech was too much for me.

The writing was okay, but it did nothing to really hold my attention and the pacing felt warped, both too fast and too slow all at once.

Like I said, I really wanted to like this, but unfortunately it just wasn't for me.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I wanted to love this book much more than I did. The title and description gave me high hopes/expectations.

The cliche romance and cliche main character just really detracted from the book so much. I think i spent more time shaking my head and really questioning why instead of enjoying this book.

There's not much more I can say because I am honestly just left feeling blah and I don't want to ruin the book with spoilers for those that might actually enjoy this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins One More Chapter for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Set against the backdrop of an alternate history where the Roman Empire never fell, Secrets of the Starcrossed follows the story of soon-to-graduate and secret fiancé of the most-eligible-bachelor-in-the-city Cassandra, a girl who was brought up with the Code and who must now face, for the first time, the knowledge that not all is as it seems.

Right off the bat, this world where modern technology is adapted to the customs of ancient Rome while also coexisting with Celtic magic and traditions sucked me in completely. The setting is so complex, with its weaving in also of elements of Tudor history and Arthurian legend that it is impossible not to be utterly fascinated and want to know more.

Which brings me to the only aspect of the book that made me dock a star from my rating, that is the rather stringent description thereof. As someone who rather likes that bit of infodumping at the beginning of a fantasy novel, since it helps me to really get into the story by knowing a little bit more about the surroundings and history of the place, I was a little disappointed when discovering that here such pieces of information were rather rare, which contributed to the frustration of the main character just as much as it did mine.

On the other hand, a lot of time was dedicated to Cassandra’s own moral dilemmas and pining over her love interest, resulting in a bit of an unbalance between the two aspects. Had the narration been in third person, I feel this might not have been such an issue, but maybe it’s just me.

Nevertheless, the constant internal monologue of Cassandra allowed for a very well-developed internal growth, as the change from frivolous superficial and law-abiding citizen to a more self-aware and independent woman was made even more believable because of its rather slow progression.

Likewise, I really enjoyed her dynamic with the two other main characters, Marcus and Devyn, and I am really looking forward to learning more about them in the next couple of books.

All in all, it really was a good and highly enjoyable read, jam-packed of cleverly placed twists and turns, culminating with a cliffhanger that has me wishing I had the second instalment right now!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter for providing me with an E-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

It's very rare that I give a book 2 days. I could not get into his book at all and had to force myself through it. The storyline didn't interest me at all and the MC seemed to lack maturity despite being an adult. The dialogue seemed forced and so I was not able to relate to the characters or imagine what they would sound like. The plot could have done with a lot more work before being written. It just didn't flow the way I expected it to.

The concept of the story was good, by the story itself, not so much.

Well, this book took me on a bit of a ride. I had pretty lukewarm feelings for this book for about half of it. The characters were a little flat at first for me, the worldbuilding felt a bit like info-dumping. The way the information about how their government worked and what was really going on was presented through the MC talking to another character who starts the main conflict didn't really sound very organic to me.
The characters were the biggest issue for me. They are in their early 20's but read like teenagers. I was honestly shocked when I found out the MC was 21, and the "boy" was 26. They come across more like 15/17-ish, so the synopsis calling him a boy is a little weird. Both describe a male, but boy give the connotation of someone who is very young. Both Cass and Devyn, Cass being the MC and Devyn being the love interest, took some time becoming interesting characters. But once they did I was far more invested in the story. It did come across a little like instalove, but once things were revealed it made more sense at how attracted they were to each other as quickly as they were.

This might get called at having a "love triangle", but it doesn't really. She's not really all that attracted to the guy she's betrothed to and he's not that interested in her beyond friendship. Although that was an odd aspect to the story, and it wasn't mentioned if every betrothal is treated like theirs, where they meet once when they're first paired, and then don't see each other again until they are closer to getting married. I just feel like it would have made more sense if they saw each other like... once a year during their whole betrothal. But theirs has some shenanigans attached to it that would disrupt the plot, which is what makes me wonder if theirs was different in more than one way.

The last third of this book was by far my favorite part. There was a lot of action and some of that spy work that's mentioned, and I really enjoyed that.

One thing I would have liked to see in this book is some of it from Devyn's POV. He's a character who holds a lot of secrets and I would think some of the world building had it been told from his perspective would have helped those moments seem more organic.

There's a pretty intense cliffhanger, that makes me really excited for the sequel.

Author O'Connor had great ideas, for an altered history, an arranged marriage, and forbidden love involving the main character's soulmate. Some may really enjoy the way she brought everything together here.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When I first heard about this book I was totally interested. With star-crossed lovers, ancient magic, and the world on the brink of war- I had high hopes. The plot sounded great and this was a brand new author for me too, so I was equally excited about that.

This book was a classic run-of-the-mill YA Fantasy. I've seen this plot recycled many, many times and this didn't bring anything new to the table for me. The pacing was slow and it had a little too much info dumping for my taste. I wish there was a little bit more development with the world & magic itself in Londinium overall. Some of the history I didn't find relevant and it was confusing to sort through.

Cassandra was a decent MC but her decisions sometimes got the best of her. I also wish there was more maturity since she is in her 20's. I was very wary of the love triangle aspect because it's one of my least favorite tropes. Unfortunately, I just didn't connect with or care about either love interest. I found myself more interested in Cassandra and her own journey instead.

The cliff-hanger ending sets up book 2 to be filled with more action, and that's what a lot of this book was missing for me. This book had potential, and I'm disappointed it never got there.