Fab book and I would have enjoyed it more if I had the read the authors books These Hollow Vows pre to this one due to the references but still a good read but I wish there had been more world building and the pace was a bit slow for me. High fantasy it isn’t but still a light hearted read. Just don’t compare with others,

4/5 stars! I love the artist that does these covers, and the books aren't half bad either :) This is a companion novel to These Hollowed Vows with a brief time jump of 2 years into the future. It works as a standalone but was improved by reading the first two books. It reminded me quite a bit to Mary Pearson's Dance of Thieves. An enjoyable romantasy.

I read an advance copy of “Beneath These Cursed Stars” by Lexi Ryan and found it to be a very solid romantic fantasy. The story follows two girls, Jasalyn and Felicity, and I found it very interesting how their narratives intertwine. I particularly liked the immersive construction of the magical world created by the author.

However, it's important to note that this is a book more focused on the characters and their relationships than on constant action. If you're looking for non-stop adventure, this might not be the book for you. But if you enjoy getting to know the characters and their dynamics in depth, you probably will.

One thing to bear in mind is that the book has links to the author's other series, “These Hollow Vows”. In my case, I haven't read that series yet, but I still managed to absorb the story of “Beneath These Cursed Stars” without too much difficulty. If you haven't read "These Hollow Vows", you might feel a little lost in some parts

All in all, I think it's a good read for anyone who likes romantic fantasy with strong female characters. Just don't expect a book full of explosions and sword fights.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

I started this book off with extremely low expectations. This was my first by Lexi Ryan, and for a book that is not a sequel, there was little to no world building. The entire premise of the world is dependent on knowing it from the previous series, and in my confusion I thought there was no way I would enjoy this book after that first chapter or two.

BUT.

My jaw is literally on the floor. Perhaps I am just slow or sleep deprived, but the twists in this book had me gasping every single one of the last 30 pages. Never before in my life have I been so confused and genuinely furious (in a good way) to see the word "acknowledgments."

On the rest of the book, I found the romances absolutely adorable. Misha might be one of my top book boyfriends now, and that is saying something. The relationships (romantic and platonic) did move fast, but I think I just poured through the book so quickly that I didn't give it a chance to sink in. The plot was not super action heavy, but for a girl who loves some fluff and some trauma, I was satisfied and flew through this book. It's currently 2:00 AM, and for me, this is staying up way too late. I should have gone to bed half a book ago, but here we are!!

Loved this book, after the first two books this tells the story of her younger sister who hares the fae and has a secret. A great romance set in the world of humans and fairy.

I have to premise this by saying I adore Lexi Ryan’s writing. I adored her previous duology so I was excited for this one.
I found the story quite predictable but still found myself needing to read the next chapter. I enjoyed the dual POV and although it was predictable I still want to read the next book given the cliffhanger at the end!
All in all an enjoyable read.

I did like it but the writing was a little slow. The characters were loveable though, I liked their dynamic

I would like to express my gratitude to NetGalley for providing me with a reader's copy of this novel. As I began reading, I found myself completely engrossed, and I simply could not set it down. I cannot wait for more from the author.

I love Lexi's initial duology. It was a fun and sexy fantasy, a very typically YA love triangle conundrum, but I felt like the main characters were really interesting and the world was exciting.

This one unfortunately did fall flat for me. I think our main character, and her really interesting magical object, were likely hindered by the genre, and there could have been a way more interesting route for this story to take should it have been adult.

It was still a fun read, but I felt like this younger sisters story was not exactly what I'm looking for from Ryan.

Okay Lexi Ryan, I see what you did here!
It's been a while since I read the original These Hollow Vows duology, but turns out, that wasn't the end, because this story is very entertwined with the events that happened in the original duology. This ties in three years after These Twisted Bonds ended and follows Jasalyn among other people.

It's been about 2.5 years since I read the previous books, so it took me a while to get back into the world and the familiar characters but oh boy, now I'm invested and can't wait for the next book!
I'm glad we still got to see some Brie and she's still as badass as ever. I really don't want to spoil too much but I really enjoyed this. One downside is that the romance was pretty instant, I prefer a much slower burn, but because we're following different characters and there are basically two romances evolving at once, I can see how that might've been difficult.

It was so good to be back in this world- I definitely would recommend reading Lexi Ryan's first duology starting with "These Hollow Vows" first as it gives you some background and there is reference to some of the events, this is a companion book, and I had lots of fun .

There is action from the start and that's something that I love but I think if you haven't read the original duology this companion book is going to be confusing, I enjoyed the characters and I am so glad that we got to have more Misha who I think is my favourite character in this world.

It has all the elements that I love
- Slow Burn (the best, oh the yearning.)
- Dual POV
- Forbidden Romance
- Found Family (which is so cute)

While it is a standalone or I still think it is the ending definitely sets us up for more of the series and I for one am excited for more of this world.

When I got approved to read Beneath These Cursed Stars early, I was so excited! I adored Lexi Ryan’s first duology - it was the perfect mix of fantasy, romance, and all my favourite tropes. I highly recommend reading that series first before starting this one; otherwise, you might feel a bit lost.

I was hooked on this story from the very beginning! It had everything I wanted and more - it’s addictive and engaging! And the romance??? Absolutely perfect. I can’t wait for more!

Lexi Ryan has such a way of pulling readers into her worlds, and this book was no exception. If you love fantasy romance with high stakes, swoon worthy moments, and a story that keeps you on edge, you won’t want to miss this one!

I really enjoyed These Hollow Vows and I enjoyed this too! I will say it's not very original, it's very standard for the genre and while I liked the characters I think they could have been more distinct. But it's a fun easy read

Lexi Ryan does it again with her signature mix of swoon-worthy romance, high-stakes drama, and a magical world you just want to lose yourself in. Honestly, she’s becoming an auto-read author for me (if she wasn’t already after These Hollow Vows).

The story follows a fierce heroine caught between duty and desire, tangled in a web of secrets, betrayals, and curses that could reshape her entire world. As always, Lexi nails the balance between heart-stopping action and gut-punch emotional moments. The chemistry between the characters? Off the charts, as expected! And the twists kept me guessing right up until the end.

Her worldbuilding is lush and immersive without feeling overwhelming, and the pacing is spot on—I was hooked from page one and stayed up way too late to finish. If you’re a fan of her work or just love fantasy with a lot of heart and heat, you need this book in your life. A 5/5 read, hands down. Can’t wait to see what she writes next!

Beneath These Cursed Stars is a standalone in the same world as Ryan's previous two books and i advise you to read them before starting this one, otherwise you may feel a bit lost.

I enjoyed this story immensely, and it picks right at the start. The tension and the relationship development was great and the pace was amazing. The world building was good and easy to follow and the politics was quite interesting. I recommend it to those who read the previous books and to those who are looking for a romantasy read.

I didn’t connect to this story, maybe because of how long it took me to read or maybe because I just couldn’t get into it at all

I loved this, which is no surprise from me as I loved Lexi’s. Hollow Vows books . This was everything I wanted and more and sets up the series well, be warned it will end unresolved, but you will want the next book asap, it’s addictive and so engaging. Can’t wait for more to come

This is a companion novel to the These Hollowed Vows novels. This was as exciting and gripping as the These Hollowed Vows novels but I must admit that I liked the characters a little less which is why this is a 4 stars rather than a 5.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the novels in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book, but I have to say, the way the reader is thrust into the action, I genuinely thought I’d missed something. I’m not kidding when I say I stopped reading to check if I’d missed a previous book in the series because I felt like I had no idea who anyone was or what had happened.
I then discovered it’s “standalone” but in the same world as her previous two books, which makes a whole lot of sense. Suffice it to say, I think this would be more enjoyable/easier to follow if you’ve read the other books! (These Hollow Vows and These Twisted Bonds)
However, despite this, I did still really like the book and in a way, I’m now of the opinion that the lack of explanation was intentional, given it’s told from the the MC’s POV and this becomes clearer as the book progresses.
I thought the tension and the relationship development was really good, I really connected with Jas as a protagonist and the pace was good. The worldbuilding was good, the politics of the world are really interesting, even without the context of the other books!
I’d recommend this to fans of all things faerie, but can see it appealing particularly to fans of Sarah J Maas.

Did I enjoy "Beneath These Cursed Stars"? Yeah, for the most part. The world-building was interesting, and I liked how the two main characters had their own journeys that still connected in meaningful ways.

That said, I didn’t feel super attached to the characters, and some parts of the story felt a bit rushed or overdone. The ending also didn’t have the impact I hoped for—it felt a little too predictable.

But overall, it’s a fun read. If you’re into fantasy with a mix of adventure and drama, you’ll probably enjoy it. Just don’t go in expecting it to blow your mind.*