DNF @ 60%

A lot of reviewers seem to love A Dark and Hollow Star but I struggled to read as much as I did and I was relieved when I finally decided to give up. This sounded so good and I loved the idea of a murder mystery set within a Fae/Urban fantasy setting especially as the publisher notes referenced City of Bones and The Cruel Prince. Unfortunately I found the book to be very poorly written and I could not get into the story at all as much as I tried. I didn’t like any of the characters plus there were just too many of them and too many inane conversations between them. Thank you anyway to the publishers and netgalley for giving me the chance to read and review this book.

Can’t believe I’ve played myself yet again by getting invested in a series.

First of all, I want to mention the author’s note at the beginning and the inclusion of in-depth content warnings. I knew I could trust the story and the author after seeing it and I wish more traditionally pubbed works did this.

Where to even start?! It’s very gay. The main characters, the villains, the inbetweeners – all incredibly queer. Which for me was the main draw as I don’t tend to read a lot of YA fantasy these days. Also the cover. God, that cover is so beautiful. Shoutout to Christophe Young for the super hot illustration of Nausicaä and Laura Eckes for the design.

The world building is super interesting and I kinda ping ponged between liking it a lot and finding it a bit heavy handed. It’s a mix of the classic Seelie/Unseelie fae stuff, Greek myth and a sprinkling of Christian myth. The way everything was integrated felt very seamless, but because it’s so complex, a lot of time was spent explaining the world.

The characters really make this book. We’ve got 4 POVs which can be a lot, but they’re well balanced. Nausicaä, my fave, is a tall ex-Fury who wears lots of leather and is really into her chaotic anger. Did I mention she’s tall because she is. And has lots of muscles. Arlo is an ironborn fae dealing with insecurities concerning her place in the world. She has super pretty red hair and does a lot of badass impulsive things. She’s also hyper-aware of Nausicaä’s henchness whenever they’re close which is just great.

Vehan is that classic super charming and beautiful royal who is actually hiding a lot of hurt. Will jokes and quips heal his pain? No, but he will Try. Aurelian is his kinda bodyguard and kinda friend – it’s complicated. He’s super pretty and has lots of tattoos and piercings and growls a lot. All of them finally meet pretty late in the book, but once they do, the vibes are wonderful. I’m hoping for way more kissing in the next book and I don’t even much mind who kisses who.

Other details I really liked: neo-pronouns and they/them used for characters as a totally normal thing; Arlo and this Hunter person have a very Sarah/Jareth dynamic which I loved way too much; it’s funny and has an incredible Twilight reference; everybody’s clothes are described in loving detail – I wish more books did this!; Toronto as the main location fighting against that US centrism babey.

Now, my gripes are small but they exist. It’s very long. And I felt it every step of the way. It’s obviously a set-up book for the character dynamics and the world, but god sometimes I just stared at the % sign in the corner and despaired a little. My second gripe happens pretty far into the book so mild spoilers: an antagonist gains big, visible scars on their face. Now, that’s such a classic [bad] move, having someone’s rotten character shown through disability or deformity and it could have easily been scrapped. I found it really disappointing.

All in all, a fun and solid ride!

A very confusing start became a very captivating and unputdownable book! I loved it and I need the sequel asap because all the pining and the slow burn is making me suffer!

The characters were all different and all very likable. The story is from 4 pov even if not all had the same amount of chapters. Arlo had the most chapters and she seems to be the key of the story, with mystery and twists just waiting to happen.

I want more High Prince Celadon page time because he seems just so sweet and funny, and I liked him a lot. And it seems everyone just like him, and I totally see why.

Aurelian and Vehan storyline is the most mysterious and painful of them all, with all the pining and the secrets and I just wanted to lock them in a room and tell them YOU SHOULD TALK. What's with all these uncommunicative characters? I need communication. Communication is key! If they talk, they will get love, I just know that. But after that ending? Mmmh, okay, I feel like I should be more optimistic so that's how I'm going to be!

Arlo and Nausicaa were just so cute! It was still very slow burn, less slow than Aurelian and Vehan, but still quite slow and maybe we get to see them together in the sequel? That's it, if everyone lives because with how things are getting, nothing is guaranteed!

Maybe it could've been a tad shorter, but all in all, it worked and I really enjoyed it.

i massively enjoyed this one!! i loved getting to know arlo, nos, aurelian and vehan, plus the many varied and wonderful side characters (love you celadon) and their connections to each other. i thought the plot was really good and gripping, and i found myself really looking forward to when i would have another chance to pick this up. most importantly, i absolutely adored the inclusivity of this book; every single main character being queer is such a novelty in fantasy books, let alone fantasy series, and it really did add a special layer to this novel. and no spoilers but i LOVED arlo and nausicaä's relationship development... those are my babies.

my only reason for 4 stars and not 5 is that i did find the beginning a bit confusing, particularly trying to learn all of these characters, 3 out of 5 of which had names that began with the same letter!!! i would have liked perhaps a little more world-building, as it took me a good chunk of the book to fully understand the different fae factions/courts, the different mythical creatures in the book, etc. also purely on a selfish note, i wanted more vehan and aurelian chapters!!!!

now for the long wait for the second book, which i will be picking up immediately after that ending!

This book is the start of something special. I knew this from the very first page and the feeling never once faded across 500 pages of action, banter, magic and pining. Following four queer teens caught up in a series of brutal, ritualistic murders and forced to work together to solve them, A Dark and Hollow Star brings a startling humanity to the ancient faerie courts and breathes new life into the YA urban fantasy genre.

Why is it always so difficult to review a book you loved? I wish I could leave this review as ‘Absolutely incredible, can’t wait to see where this series goes, loved everything about it. Also, I’ve completely fallen in love with Nausicaä Kraken and am the proud founder of the simping-for-nausicaä club hmu if you want in.’ But apparently that’s not ‘professional’ or even really a ‘review’ so allow me to attempt to write something more coherent.

I loved so many things about this book: the plot and mystery, the worldbuilding, the writing, the casual LGBTQ+ and mental illness rep, the characters and their relationships with each other – whether romantic, platonic, familial or barely able to stand each other but forced to form an alliance to save the world. Everything about this book felt like it was written just for me, combining some of the elements I love most into one gorgeous book (both inside and out).

The worldbuilding was a particular strong point and I can’t wait to explore more of this world in the sequel. The combination of a vibrant modern Toronto setting and all the technology and pop culture of the 21st century with ancient fairy tales and legend created a rich urban fantasy setting. I really enjoyed this interpretation of how the courts of fae could function in our world while still retaining their wildness and magic. The world is expertly fleshed out and developed and I found learning about the different creatures and peoples of faerie, the Seelie and Unseelie courts, the deities and the magic system all really interesting.

Ashley Shuttleworth’s writing was spectacular, both in its ability to gently ease you into this world, giving information where necessary but not overwhelming, and in the authentic dialogue, humour and feelings of the characters. I thought the action scenes were written really well and the tension throughout left me unable to put the book down. The multiple perspectives worked really well with the story and I loved how the different dynamics and pieces of the mystery were explored through them. I also found reading from the antagonist’s perspective really interesting and thought it had the perfect balance of creating understanding of their motivation and even sympathy for them, while also establishing them as the enemy. The main mystery of the murders came together really effectively which created a satisfying conclusion, even as other plotlines opened up and left me desperate for more.

In terms of characters, I loved all four of our main perspectives and really enjoyed reading from them all. I particularly loved Arlo and Nausicaä, who we spent slightly more time with, as I felt I got a chance to know them better but I hope to be able to say the same for Vehan and Aurelian as the series progresses. The character dynamics were so much fun and definitely my favourite part of the story. I loved the banter between them all, as they went from reluctant allies to friends, as well as the blossoming relationships – particularly between Nausicaä and Arlo, who had the sweetest dynamic, even if they started out with a murder accusation. And just because I love them so much, here’s a wee bit about each of their characters:


‘“What if I don’t want to be a hero?”’

Arlo Jarsdel is an ironborn: part human, part fae and not particularly blessed in the magic department. She’s gentle and sweet and quite content with a regular – or as regular as possible when you’re part fae and best friends / cousins with a prince – life, she’s loveably naïve and awkward at times and struggles with feeling useless in a society where magical ability is everything. I adored her character right from the start and found her easy to root for and relate to and loved seeing her character grow and develop during the book as she realised her worth.

“Nausicaä was still gorgeous without her glamour, but the nine rings of hell couldn’t come up with anything more terrible than the way her grin split across her face like razor wire catching skin and tearing it apart.”

Nausicaä Kraken (what a name!) was once a terrifying, powerful fury, before her powers were stripped and she was banished to the mortal world. She’s the grumpy to Arlo’s sunshine, the tall to her small, the sword-weilding lesbian of my dreams and determined to wreak havoc. She’s simultaneously the sarcastic, badass, leather-clad typical YA love interest (finally I understand the appeal!) and a lonely young woman struggling with grief and depression who would do anything for those she loves. She’s the type to nickname her friends (and, well, everyone, whether they like it or not), drink unicorn frappuccinos and know all of Arlo’s nerdy references (and even make some of her own). Just look at her on the cover and tell me you’re not already a little in love!

As much as I loved this book, I want to bring attention to the lack of racial diversity by linking this review. Toronto is such a diverse, multi-cultural city and unfortunately A Dark and Hollow Star didn’t fully capture this. This is my main criticism of the book and something I’d love to see improved, especially as the LGBTQ+ and mental health representation were so well done: the four main characters were all queer, there were queer and trans side characters, including one who uses neo pronouns and their identities were never a point of conflict. I also particularly admired Nausicaä being open about having depression and going to therapy.

As I’m sure you can tell from this review, I adored A Dark and Hollow Star. This was a fresh and unique take on YA urban fantasy and faerie stories with queer characters at its forefront. A fun and gritty story, packed full of action and authentic characters, A Dark and Hollow Star has become a new favourite and reminded me why I love fantasy. I can’t wait to see where the story takes us next! (The things I would do to get my hands on the sequel…) And honestly, you need to read this if only to understand why the title makes me feral – it’s so gay guys, so fucking gay.

I received an E-ARC of A Dark & Hollow Star by Ashley Shuttleworth for free on NetGalley by Hodder & Stoughton in exchange for an honest review! Thank you so much Ashley, Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for this early copy! This review is also available on Book, Blog & Candle!

I need to start off this review by saying WOW what a book! I've seen it all over Twitter for the last couple of months and knew it would be something I would like, so I was so excited when NetGalley accepted my request. I had a feeling that this book was going to be fantastic and it did not disappoint!

In A Dark & Hollow Star we follow our four protagonists Nausicaa, Arlo, Vehan and Aurelian.

Nausicaa, previously known as Alecto, was one of the Fates until she was demoted from her title and forced to live among the humans for eternity. Displeased with this outcome, she fashioned herself a new life and is determined to cause as much chaos as possible. One of my favourite things about Nausicaa is that she has a hard exterior and pretends she doesn't care about anything but deep down she's really a big softie - especially when it comes to Arlo!

Arlo comes from the Royal Fae family, but as half of her heritage is human her eligibility to remain in the fae world is being called into question. She's stuck between not being magical enough for the Fae world and not human enough for the human world. Not sure of where she belongs and feeling pretty unremarkable, Arlo is about to discover that she is far more special than she first thought.

Vehan is the young crown prince of one of the Fae courts and is hopelessly in love with his friend and bodyguard Aurelian. Although he is naive due to his mother hiding him as much as possible from the world, he is deeply worried about the iron born children and is determined to get to the bottom of what is going on, even if he has to do it alone.

Aurelian is the bodyguard of the prince and not a fan of the Queen. He is tasked with trying to keep Vehan safe but the young prince doesn't make it easy.
A stroke of fate brings all of them together as they investigate the mysterious killings and kidnappings of iron born children around Toronto.

I loved all of these characters so much and the fact that the main couples were f/f and m/m was just amazing!! The group work so well together, plus Arlo & Vehan are sweet cinnamon rolls who can do no wrong and no one change my mind!

Additionally, the worldbuilding throughout this book was absolutely extraordinary! Worldbuilding is one of my favourite elements when it comes to reading especially when it goes into as much rich detail like A Dark and Hollow Star did! I felt fully immersed into the story and I loved the blend between the human world and the fae world, especially all of the supernatural creatures that were also mentioned. The amount of thought that has gone into this book is sensational and you can really feel the love that has been poured into every part of this book!

There were so many great ideas that came together amazingly, I loved every page! A Dark & Hollow Star is an amazing blend of fairytale, mythology and fantasy that everyone should read!

Thank you so much Ashley Shuttleworth, Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for this copy, I enjoyed every minute of it!!

I had high hopes for this book, I did. What ended up happening is that I struggled with it, not a lot, but enough to not give it four stars.

I like that the book is different from others that are coming out these days. Not just rep wise, but the whole vibe of it is pretty cool. I didn't really see the other books it was compared to in it though? Might just be me.

The characters are the best part. Even so, I think Arlo's should've been the only P.O.V. she's the most relatable of the bunch and - shockingly - the least annoying and most surprising.

This doesn't mean I wasn't annoyed by her, I definitely was. She has her whiney moments, but it's nothing like Nos. Nos is supposed to be really old. She may be considered a teenager by immortal terms, but she's so immature. She's been alive for centuries and yet she acts like she was born yesterday. Okay, maybe not YESTERDAY...but you know what I mean.

If the book really needed an extra P.O.V. it should've been Celadon. He's the best. I really want to know what he's doing when he's not with Arlo.

Another character whose head I'd love to peek into is Lethe. Imagine this story with him as the main character. Just imagine.

The plot is where it gets confusing. Actually it's not the plot itself, that's not so bad. It's all the descriptions that were inserted into the plot. I don't need (or want) to know what every single character I'm never going to see again looks like or is wearing. And I don't need to know about every room in excessive detail.

The world building was okay. I love the mish mash of all the different creatures. That's how I imagine our world would look like if mythical/supernatural creatures walked among us. They'd all exist and probably wouldn't keep to themselves like cliques. What I didn't like that much is court politics. I just didn't care.

The magic system has potential and I'm looking forward to learning more about alchemy.

The villain wasn't the best, but I will say I wasn't expecting them to be who they are. Their ending was a bit anticlimactic / predictable.

The romance was barely there. I don't mind? What I do mind is that *MINI SPOILER AHEAD, DON'T READ THE NEXT LINE* one couple got a kiss and the other didn't *SPOILER OVER, YOU CAN READ NOW*. To me that other couple had a lot more angst and "deserved" it more. I can understand why it didn't happen in this book. But in the next one? Pretty please?

And finally, I have some of my own confusion too. The release date on NetGalley said the 25th. On here it says the 23rd. I should've posted this earlier just in case, totally my mistake.

*Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Author: Ashley Shuttleworth 
Genre: Fantasy
Age Range: Young Adult
Format: E-Book Advanced Reader Copy
Published: 25th February 2021 (UK)
Pages: 499 (E-Book)
Rating: 4 Stars

Goodreads Synopsis

Choose your player.

The “ironborn” half-fae outcast of her royal fae family.
A tempestuous Fury, exiled to earth from the Immortal Realm and hellbent on revenge.
A dutiful fae prince, determined to earn his place on the throne.
The prince’s brooding guardian, burdened with a terrible secret.

For centuries, the Eight Courts of Folk have lived among us, concealed by magic and bound by law to do no harm to humans. This arrangement has long kept peace in the Courts—until a series of gruesome and ritualistic murders rocks the city of Toronto and threatens to expose faeries to the human world.

Four queer teens, each who hold a key piece of the truth behind these murders, must form a tenuous alliance in their effort to track down the mysterious killer behind these crimes. If they fail, they risk the destruction of the faerie and human worlds alike. If that’s not bad enough, there’s a war brewing between the Mortal and Immortal Realms, and one of these teens is destined to tip the scales. The only question is: which way?

Wish them luck. They’re going to need it.

CAWPILE

Characters – 9
Atmosphere – 7
Writing Style – 7
Plot – 8
Intrigue – 8
Logic – 9
Enjoyment – 8

Overall: 8

Review

Trigger Warnings: Death of a sibling, Murder, Suicide, Depression, Death, Gore, and Blood.

This review contains spoilers.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, Hodder, and Stoughton, however, this in no way influenced my opinion. Thank you to Hodder and Stoughton for providing me with a copy.

I was so excited to receive an ARC of this as it’s one of my most anticipated releases and I’m so happy to say that it lived up to my expectations and I thoroughly enjoyed it. In the beginning, I was a little confused about what was going on but once I got further into the story and things were explained I loved it. The world-building was great and really well developed, I especially enjoyed learning about the different types of fae. My favourite aspect of this novel was the characters, we follow four queer teens; Arlo, Aurelian, Nausicaä, and Vehan. I feel so attached to them now and I just want to protect them at all costs, honestly, I don’t even think I can pick a favourite. Arlo was such an intriguing character, her determination to figure out what was going on what really admirable. Nausicaä is such a complex character who I just loved. I’m looking forward to seeing how their relationship develops in the sequel. Aurelian is such a sweet character and Vehan is another interesting character that I can’t wait to find out more about in the next installment. The angst between Vehan and Aurelian was so good and they deserve to happy so I can’t wait to see what happens next with them. After that ending, I need the sequel ASAP and I have so many questions like what actually are Arlo’s powers and why does she remember her father teaching her about alchemy.

Overall this was a fantastic YA Fantasy novel with amazing and complex characters, a gripping plot, and fantastic world-building. I highly recommend picking this one up if enjoy or want to read more urban fantasy.

A Dark and Hollow Star by Ashley Shuttleworth is a new YA Urban Fantasy novel full of Fae and many other interesting creatures.

The book features the POV of several characters including a half Fae, an exiled Fury, a Prince, and the Prince’s Guard who all want to stop whoever is behind the gruesome murders within the magical community. After beginning their investigations separately they eventually realise that working together might be the only way.

This book had so many great things going for it: a murder mystery, slow burn LGBTQ+ romance, political intrigue, great world building, and strong female leads in Arlo and Nausicaä. If you’re a fan of Shadowhunters you’ll probably really enjoy this one.

Thank you @hodderscape for giving me a free copy of this book through @netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I gave A Dark and Hollow Star 4/5🌟 and will definitely read it again! #ADarkAndHollowStar

I absolutely loved this queer urban fantasy novel, it was such a treat to read and I was sucked in from the very first page.
I loved all of the POV characters, Arlo and Nausicaa especially, and I loved all of the relationships. I really enjoyed the banter too! CHARACTER GROWTH. What a magical concept! Amazing. The representation in this book is almost enough to satisfy me until next year, there are so many different identities represented and I loved that!
I also really enjoyed the murder mystery portion of the story, even though I'm generally not really a crime fan, but it was well done and really intriguing.
All in all, a really enjoyable read.

In this ambitious debut by Ashley Shuttleworth, A DARK AND HOLLOW STAR injects magic into modern day Toronto with the existence of secret magical communities partitioned away from regular humans, but still nestled alongside them. That choice gives the book a unique feel as most stories about fae portray them in a separate world altogether, but keeping mundane mortals in the mix adds higher stakes, more complicated politics and a bunch of fun pop culture references.

My favorite part of this book is that all four main characters are queer. Normally I hope in vain that an author will have just ONE character with LGBT+ rep and my cup overrunneth with joy at the f/f and m/m ships we’re treated to here!

Alecto is the exiled Fury who takes on the name Nausicaä as she sets about causing as much mischief and chaos as possible to distract herself from her grief and depression after the loss of her sister. She’s a sarcastic badass who acts arrogantly aloof, but secretly has a heart of gold, and I love how she’s a twist on the Bad Boy trope, only BETTER!

Arlo is a more typical YA protagonist with one foot in both the human and magical societies, feeling like an outcast who doesn’t truly belong anywhere and desperate to prove she’s good enough to join the fae society. Instead, she’s dangerously close to being deemed unworthy and banished. Their interactions are the highlight of the book for me, I absolutely adore the tension and chemistry between them, and the incredibly slow-burn romance is a thing of beauty!

The boys take more of a backseat in this book, which is fine by me as I’m all about the ladies, but I know a lot of readers will be crushing hard on Vehan, who is an earnestly wholesome little cinnamon roll, too precious for this world. He’s noble and principled, understands his privilege as the High Prince and works hard to do right by everyone and not let anybody down. Vehan is the complete opposite of the arrogant alpha fae prince stereotype we often encounter, and I love that for him.

Aurelian was his childhood friend, later selected to become his bodyguard, and he’s moody, broody and wrestling with deep, dark secrets. The two of them are completely head-over-heels for each other and Because of Reasons, the boys haven’t had the opportunity to confess their mutual affection so while they are always together, they may as well be a thousand miles apart emotionally and so there is ALL THE YEARNING. I’m primarily here for the sapphics, but this is a pretty tasty trope I’m glad the author is exploring!

Obviously I really loved the characters, but the plot was fantastic as well! Fae are popular in YA right now, but the author takes this trend and makes it her own with a unique blend of mythology and intriguing world-building that feels solid and lived in. The political and social dynamics feel real and believable, and I admire the way we’re introduced to all this new society with so much going on but it’s doled out in manageable chunks to keep from overwhelming us. While it would’ve been fun for all the main characters to meet up earlier in the story so we could enjoy the team dynamic, it makes sense to build them up individually first; the second half of the book becomes much more exciting and adrenaline-packed once they start working together!

Pick up this fabulous fantasy for the endearing queer characters, delicious slow-burn romances, creative blend of fairy folklore with modern human society and settle in to enjoy the ride!

Thank you for letting me read this book, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The world building set in Canada made me want to visit and eat Timbits too.
The character development was well written, I enjoyed reading about a mean ex fury who becomes a little less mean over time, she had a good arc. The storyline was interesting and kept me captivated the whole way through.
Will review on Goodreads and my blog.
Thanks again.

☆☆☆¾

This book was so cool, the world building was interesting and I loved all the different beings and powers. I’m super excited for the next book and to see how it plays out.

This book is fabulous and the characters are so *chef's kiss*. Arlo, Nos, Vehan and Aurelian are really the stars of the show, and so relatable, though Arlo, with her love of anime and reluctance to be a hero was really my favourite. Set in modern Toronto, the premise of this YA urban fantasy is the the fae, with their Seelie and UnSeelie courts, have been living alongside humans all along, protected by their glamour.

I found the worldbuilding really fascinating and well done, and it was great to have an urban fantasy not set in the USA or London. I really enjoyed the different dynamics between all the teens and their different drivers - it made for great character interactions and balanced out the mystery of the plot. Definitely a recommended read from me, and I'll be reading the sequel coming out in 2022 for sure.

A DARK AND HOLLOW STAR has so much going on and was absolutely nothing like what I was expecting. Not that I'm really sure what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn't this wild ride. We've got rival Fae courts, all sorts of faery creatures, a Goblin Market and grumpy fallen gods right alongside a urban fantasy amateur detective mystery, D&D inspired magic system (and it's only one of the magic systems in play) and what's basically a coffee shop AU.

I loved how Shuttleworth handled setting and place. There's lots of fantasy locations -- different fae courts and homes, a tricky Goblin Market, traitorous woods and a slightly sleazy faery nightclub -- and all of them feel vivid and as well imagined as the human world, Arlo's Starbuck in Toronto. I've never been to Toronto, but I really felt like I was completely there alongside Arlo and Nausicaä.

Having four POV characters -- five? -- I was a bit worried I'd get confused or have a favourite. All the main characters felt well-rounded with their own strengths, weaknesses and personalities. I really enjoyed getting to know them all, along with all the secondary characters each POV brings in (I want more of Arlo's cousins in the next book). It takes a little while for the two duos paths to cross but the dynamics within the group are great (and hilarious) and I'm excited to see how the gang plays off each other as the series continues.

A Dark and Hollow Star was one of my most anticipated reads of 2021. The blurb promised queer teenagers set in Toronto with serial killers and I was ecstatic when I got approved for the ARC. Unfortunately, it did fall short in terms of world-building and pacing.

I have to acknowledge how wonderful the queer rep was. All the main characters were part of the LBGTQ+ community and their orientation was accepted in the courts. This was so refreshing because not a lot of fantasy books integrate LGBTQ+ rep into the books.

In terms of the world-building, it was confusing and riddled with many info dumps. Despite the influx of information, I still could not understand the magic system and I spent a portion of the book confused. A glossary would have definitely helped in this situation. However, I appreciated the nod to Greek mythology. It was fresh and new.

Plot-wise, it was slow-moving. It took a long time for the characters to finally meet and by then, I was not engaging with the content. The ending, however, was action-packed and I enjoyed it.

The characters were the strongest parts of the novel. A Dark and Hollow star was told in 4 POVs - Arlo, Nausicaä, Aurelian and Vehan. I appreciated that Shuttleworth took the time to flesh out each character, so by the end of the book, they all felt like one of my best friends. There was one gripe I had, some of the dialogue felt forced between the characters. Nausicaä would bring up random pop culture that felt a little random. It came off as an adult hanging out with the kids.

Overall, this was a solid first installment! The world-building was a bit shaky but hopefully, that will be resolved in the sequel.

A Dark and Hollow Star is a book that features my two big loves in life: queers and faeries. It’s as if Ashley Shuttleworth heard me shout “we need more queer faerie books!” and answered my call. This book was so much fun. With rich, complex world-building and entertaining, well-rounded characters, I couldn’t get enough. I’m always so excited for books that feature both sapphic and achillean rep, and I loved the casual queer acceptance in A Dark and Hollow Star. If faeries, fantasy, and gays sound like your kind of book, I’d recommend this one!

If you know anything about me, you’ve got to know that I’m always on the hunt for impressive world-building. That’s one of the reasons I enjoy faerie books; you get to keep that urban fantasy element alongside a more magical world. There are so many different types of faeries, and I love books that make sure to include a wide variety of them, rather than just the hot humanoid ones. I’m happy to say A Dark and Hollow Star goes above and beyond with this. It combines so many different folklores and myths to create a faerie world very different from those I’ve seen before. It combines both the seelie and unseelie courts with the seasonal, and mixes in the immortal creatures of the wild-hunt, big powers like Fate and Luck themselves, and even some Greek mythology in the form of the Furies! You can tell how much time and detail Ashley Shuttleworth put into this world.

On that note, it did take a little while to understand what was going on. The book can slip into info-dumping on occasion, and although it was fascinating to learn about the little details, it did slow the pace. I’m generally a fan of slow books, especially when they’re part of a series, but I could see other people getting bogged down. I’m hoping the sequel(s) will pick up a bit faster now that we’ve been introduced to the world.

Without a doubt, my favourite part of this book was the characters. I loved all of the characters so much; they were all engaging and unique. Nausicaä was my favourite, the way she uses cruelty and anger as a coping mechanism to hide her desire to be understood? It’s top tier. I loved her dynamic with Arlo; I’m a sucker for the grumpy x cinnamon roll trope, and Arlo’s general loveliness melting Nausicaä’s hard-exterior was a delight to read.

Arlo herself is an intriguing character. What Ashley Shuttleworth does well is take commonly used tropes, such as the ‘chosen one’ and turn them on their head. There’s something special about Arlo, but the way she gained and used her agency was something I hadn’t seen before. I can’t say more though, no spoilers!

I also can’t get away without mentioning Vehan and Aurelian. I loved them a lot, and the trope of childhood friends to unrequited (but actually requited) love is fantastic. I can tell their relationship is going to bring me a lot of pain, and I can’t wait to see how the major conflict keeping them apart plays out.

A Dark and Hollow Star is a dark fantasy book, and there are heavier themes within it. It depicts topics such as mental health, suicide, drug use, and violence but handles them in a sensitive way that suits the world that it occurs in. I’m excited to see how these themes will continue in the next book. I also thought there was a perfect mix between these dark themes and light-hearted times. This isn’t a book that’ll bring your mood down, even if it’s not exactly a happy one either.

Finally, I loved how geeky this book is. All the references to games, anime, and D&D were so much fun; it’s just perfect geeky goodness that I’ll always love.

Overall, A Dark and Hollow Star is an exciting new dark fantasy series, filled with engaging characters, and unique worldbuilding.

A Dark and Hollow Star is how I love my Urban Fantasy. The whole idea that humans live beside Fae/Faries/Folk and just don’t know it has always been massively appealing to me, it makes my inner child hopeful and giddy. So straight away I knew I was going to love this book but oh boy did I not expect to love it this much!

Plot and World building: What I loved about the plot of this book is that I never knew where it was taking me, it was constantly surprising and impressing me. As I’m sure we’re all aware Urban Fantasy and Fae are hugely in right now but this book not only has the perfect mix of the faerie and modern world but it also mixes different kinds of mythology and deities giving this book a different take on the usual Urban Fantasy and Fae novels making for a unique experience.

I really enjoyed the way the world was built throughout A Dark and Hollow Star, it was done so organically and smoothly, giving you just little bits at a time and only ever letting you know what you need in the moment that you never feel like you don’t know what’s going on or that you’re getting an info dump. In my opinion the perfect way to build a world.

Characters: There are 4 main characters Arlo, Nausicaä, Aurelian and Vehan and they all have a major role to play. Before I get to our main characters I’d like to take a second to talk about my favourite character Celadon. He’s everything I love my male Fae characters to be; funny, charming, witty, gorgeous and kind. I’d love a book just about him! Arlo was so easy to relate to, she was so unsure of herself and constantly felt on the outside looking in and that she doesn’t belong anywhere. I could easily see myself in her, plus she loves games, manga and books and also has red hair, an easy insert for me. Unlike Arlo, Nausicaä was harder for me to relate to with her confidence, her bravery and going after what she wants but boy did I want to be her and not only because she’s badass and can kickass, she also kind of reminded me of Buffy and I’ve always wanted to be her.

The next 2 main characters weren’t the focus of book 1 (hopefully we get more in book 2!) but were just as important and gave us a different perspective and important information. Vehan wasn’t your typical mean cruel Prince, he was kind and considerate and constantly wanted to help and protect others, it was refreshing. Last but not least we have Aurelian, Vehan’s friend and Guardian. For me he was the most mysterious throughout until we learn his terrible secret. He was brooding and dramatic and obsessed with a certain someone and honestly it was really adorable.

Overall: I’m honestly very impressed with this debut. It felt fast paced, steady and never a dull moment. I loved the mixture of mythology, folklore and deities. The way Ashley mixed them together was done really well and felt seamless. The story was brilliant and woven through the novel very cleverly. I loved this book and cannot wait for the second.

DRC provided by Hodder & Stoughton via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Representation: queer protagonist, lesbian deuteragonist, bi deuteragonist, gay deuteragonist, gender-fluid tertiary character, queer tertiary characters, Black tertiary character, non-binary tertiary character.

Content Warning: depression, death (graphic), elitism, HP references, violence.

A Dark and Hollow Star by Ashley Shuttleworth is an extremely queer fae urban fantasy, with an extremely queer cast consisting of a badass immortal, a clever ironborn girl, a kind-hearted fae prince and his grumpy “bodyguard”.

Ironborn children, hybrid spawn of humans and faes, are being murdered, their bodies butchered and emptied out. Believing the culprit to be the infamous Dark Star, the fae authorities are focusing their already very narrow attention on her instead of pursuing other routes. An unexpected team is formed by three enterprising, clever and talented teenagers and one badass ex-Fury.

I enjoyed the book and its characters a lot. I loved how the members of the Courts’ reigning families each has a name that reminds of a colour nuance, an element, etc… What I found anti-climactic though was the final “boss battle”. Nonetheless, I am very excited about the second book and the evolution of the story.

I think Nausicaä is one of my favourite characters across all the characters from all the books I ever read. She is this super badass (I know I used this word three times already, but there are no other words that can do justice to her badassery), morally-grey, lesbian ex-Fury with a penchant for chaos and I am really looking forward to discover even more about her and what Ashley has in store for her. I really liked Arlo, Vehan and Aurelian too, but Nausicaä is the best! I am also very intrigued by the gender-fluid deity Luck and their role in the story. Also, also, I loved Ashley’s decision to state that all not deities find themselves inside the gender binary and their inclusion of a non-binary character who uses neo-pronouns.

Side-note:
Please, please stop with the HP references. I know this book was drafted a couple of years ago and I am not attacking it. It was just general thought that I hope reaches every author on Earth.

A Dark and Hollow Star was one of my highly anticipated books for February and after reading it, I’ left with so many thoughts and a slight feeling the hype behind it let me down.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Hodder for allowing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review

Plot summary:
Follow four very different beings as a battle that’s been brewing for years comes to life. The Half Fae outcast, an exiled Fury, a prince with a duty to his throne and his brooding guardian.

The Fae courts are currently at peace, but when a string of iron-born deaths shock the community and the current court in power keeps the investigation close to closed it takes four brave “Heroes” investigating to find out what kind of dark magic is currently plaguing the fae world before the human world sees the truth.

Review:
Plot wise- It was definitely something different and not the kind of book I was expecting. There were moments of gasp and shock but the initial start to the book as quite slow and very overarching and lacking some details that would have helped to bring me into the world; it took me a while to truly get into the story. The pop culture references were also much appreciated.
Split character chapters is a writing style I personally do not enjoy but I kept on and for this story it made sense and worked quite well overall.

I did feel like some of the chapters where too short- or not as in depth as they could have been to keep the plot going but used purely as an information dump for world building which really detracted me from the story.
Pacing wise– It varied throughout which was a pleasant surprise I enjoyed. The only thing that maybe could detract is some of the plot points went by so fast I had to reread previous chapters to ensure I had not missed anything.

Character wise- The leading stars of the show all had some great development as this story goes on- particularly Arlo and Nausicaä.
Now when it comes to Vehan and Aurelian I will be honest I didn’t really read much into them as characters- they didn’t make much impact when they first appeared- so it took me a while to understand their significance to the story. However I did enjoy how their plotlines intersected and enjoyed the pay-off when it arrived.

Also would like to give an honourable mention the amazing representation of the LGBTQIA+ Characters- it was spot on and a delight to read and everyone should read this book purely for the fantastic representation it gives.

A lot of the smaller side characters read as well imagined and fleshed out development wise which is also a huge bonus.

World building- this story was built upon a hidden community in the centre of Toronto and overall it was well designed. However the entire set up felt like such an information minefield I really struggled to keep up.

Final Thoughts:
An interesting fantasy that has a lot of potential to grow. A really good debut from the author who is fantastic at creating representative queer characters- I’m just sad the hype may let some people-like myself-down.