Due to health issues cannot write a proper review now even if I enjoyed this book. as it's well plotted, fascinating world building, and entertaining. . I liked the good storytelling. The romance and the fantasy part are balanced
A more extensive review will follow
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

First of all, thank you for this ARC! This was my first book by Lexu Ryan, even though I've heard very good things about other books by this author, I haven't had the time to get around to them yet. But I definitely will after reading this one! I've really enjoyed this story and for a fantasy it wasn't to difficult as well. The characters were very well written and the worldbuilding was done in a way that you're slowly eased into it, which is very nice. I will definitely recommend this book to my followers!

I loved These Hollow vows duology and was excited to read this one. How ever, I didn't enjoy it as much. I had a hard time getting into the book and found it kinda be dragging on. I think I will give the second book a try, just to see how it will end.

Book review 📚
Beneath These Cursed Stars by Lexi Ryan
⭐⭐⭐⭐

I will admit, although I have These Hollowed Vows sitting on my bookshelf, this is the first book I have read form Lexi Ryan. Upon completion it has made me move Book 1 from These Hollow Vows up to the top of my TBR.

I know this is a spin-off for that series, so that made it much more interesting to read. I think Ryan excels in her writing and has a phenomenal way of putting such vivid descriptions within her book. It was so easy to read and imagine.

I loved the dual POV, I always find it more fascinating when there are 2 sides to a story. It doesn’t leave me second guessing. I will say be prepared to come across this plot twist and feel the need to devour it because I could not put it down.

Absolutely fantastic and cannot wait to jump into These Hollow Vows.

4⭐️
This is the First book I’ve read by Lexi Ryan but it’s safe to say I will check out her other works. I loved the plot and the story grips you instantly. I cannot wait for what the author brings to this world next due to the cliffhanger we were left on.

I will have to read these hollow vows and these twisted bonds to find out about Brie’s story.

I very much enjoyed this book the writing, the world building, the characters were all amazing and a thoroughly enjoyed reading this book from start to finish

Princess Jasalyn has an enchanted ring and death's kiss. She sneaks out at night to kill her enemies. Unfortunately, there are rumors that King Mordeus is back. Felicity, a shape-shifter, is using her ability to avoid her fate which involves killing her father. Jasalyn needs to go hunt Mordeus so she agrees to Felicity taking her place at the palace. The shape-shifter is on her way to be able to return home. She gets close to the king of the Wild Fae, Misha, while Jasalyn who is drawn to Kendrick teams up with him. Soon both their hearts and their missions are in jeopardy...

Returning to the world of These Hollow Vows but with Jasalyn, Brie's sister as a protagonist, was a cool idea. In classic Lexi Ryan fashion, this book is utterly readable, it has the humor and it has the trauma, and don't forget the swoon-worthy males. There is fierce gentleness to the way the characters and their emotions are depicted. The storyline is peppered with intriguing tidbits along the way so we can figure out what is going on along with the characters. Everybody has their own agenda...

Jasalyn is impatient. Impatient with others and impatient with herself. She needs not to be treated as fragile china anymore. She continues to hate the fae. Revenge is on her mind and she needs to be free of what she has been through, using perilous tactics to accomplish just that. Felicity lives in fear of losing what she cares about. Kind-hearted and softer than how the princess she is impersonating is now. But tough. She will do anything for those she cares about. Both of them are lonely, both of them touched by sadness.

This sentence is dedicated to how awesome the Kendrick squad is.

It is a love triangle that is not really a love triangle, rather an inventive twist on twin trouble. The how and why leading to the switch are clever. And the situation is entertaining like you hoped and full of enjoyable witty remarks. But there are moments where your heart squeezes for those involved. The author had done so well in depicting the differences between the protagonists and what they are going through.

Three years after the end of Twisted Bonds and everything is not perfect. Many things need mending, there are injustices, discrimination, people who can't handle change, desire to break the status quo and a world grounded in a realistic existence. Things that remind us of situations in our everyday life.

The idea of two romances is great and don't get me wrong I enjoy them immensely *double swoon* but I believe they took up too much time in the book and the twists and OMG moments could have come sooner. Also, the romances seemed to progress at the same times which not only does not make sense due to the difference in circumstances but also it made you feel at moments that Misha and Kendrick were the same character. However when the consequences of what the two girls have done start emerging, boy does the book become explosive.

There is an ongoing theme of healing in this book. Also acceptance of ourselves by the one who matters most, ourselves.

A revolution, a resurrection, and destiny playing its games colors this incredible beginning to a new series in The Hollow Vows world.

I liked that Beneath These Cursed Stars picks up some of the loose ends of These Hollow Vows, and jumps straight into the action. I would be surprised if anyone could bypass the first duology and understand what was happening, as it is all very linked.

Beneath These Cursed Stars is very enjoyable if you’ve enjoyed the world Lexi Ryan has created. It has the same style, the same energy, and a lot of the same characters. To me, it just didn’t fall in love with it quite as much. Still good, but not as great as These Hollow Vows in my personal opinions.

I read an ARC of Beneath These Cursed Stars by Lexi Ryan. It's definitely a solid fantasy romance. The story follows two girls, Jasalyn and Felicity, and it’s cool how their stories intertwine. I really liked how the author built this magical world; it feels super immersive.
The thing is, it’s more of a character-driven book than an action-packed one. If you’re looking for nonstop adventure, maybe this isn’t your jam. But if you’re into getting to know the characters and their relationships, you’ll probably enjoy it.
One thing to know is that the book connects to her other series, These Hollow Vows. If you haven’t read those, you might be a little lost. But it’s not a total deal-breaker.
Overall, it’s a good read if you’re into fantasy romance with strong female characters. Just don’t expect it to be all explosions and sword fights.

“What if you find yourself living beneath nothing but cursed stars?…Then you go find yourself a world with a whole new night sky.”


Set in the same universe as These Hollow Vows, Beneath These Cursed Stars is a spin off series that left me wanting more!

This story had all our favourite tropes, from forced proximity and forbidden love to fae royalty with secrets and betrayal!

This book is a dual POV that ends on a cliffhanger and follows two slowburn romances unfolding at the same time, meaning double to romance and swoon!

I was gripped from the first chapter and I cannot wait to see whether there is a sequel to tie together the cliffhanger and give me the answers I desperately want!

I really enjoyed the These Hollow Vows duology by Lexi Ryan, so I was very excited to read this new story set in the same world.

The first thing that I noticed was the lack of world building. Although this is marketed as a standalone duology, I think anyone who hasn’t read Lexi Ryan’s previous duology would really struggle with this aspect. It’s also been a while since I read the original duology, so I did struggle a little with remembering how the world and magic system worked.

I found the pacing to be very slow, and the plot failed to keep me engaged. It did pick up slightly at the end, but it was too little too late for me.

I also struggled to connect with the characters, and wish we had seen more of the side characters. There was very little character development and the relationships lacked depth.

Unfortunately this book just wasn’t for me, but I’m interested to see what this author writes next as I did enjoy the original duology.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodderscape for providing me with en eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have always been curious to learn more about Brie's sister and her experience. I was a little disappointed when I didn't get to read from her perspective in These Hollow Vows series.

This book is everything I ever wanted and more. The twists and turns in the story kept me on the edge of my seat. The book gives you enough information to keep guessing, but not too much to the point of getting the answer quickly.

I liked the pacing and how reounded the characters are. I will definitely pick up the next book, and I already can not wait!

This book had an interesting description m but unfortunately just didn’t grab me once I started reading!! However I think lots of people, possibly younger readers especially, will enjoy this book

This is by far my favorite romantasy book by this author (so far)!

If you haven’t read the These Hollow Vows duology by this author, this review contains slight spoilers.

You might remember Jasalyn from that duology. The younger sister of the main character, who spent a long time locked up and tortured by a dark and wicked Fae king. In this book she and a shape-shifter named Felicity, both have POV’s! And we get to read about lots of memories from Jasalyn’s time in the dungeons too.

Jasalyn is numb and full of hate, traumatized by the abuse she underwent in the dungeons. She doesn’t even share with her sister, what happened there. She feels broken and doesn’t want to break her sister too, by telling her everything.

The healing and growth she underwent in this book was amazing and it was so nice reading about how loved she is and how people wanted to help her. The “Who did this to you” gets me every time!! Okay it was actually “Did he do this to you?” in this case but same effect.

Jasalyn is still human but an enchanted object gives her very intriguing dark powers.

Mysterious deaths and rumors of the resurrection of the wicked king, lead to Jasalyn taking her chance for revenge and Felicity, who is running from a prophecy, takes her form and place so nobody notices Jasalyn is gone.

The healing power of (unexpected) love (yes this has lots of great slow burn romance) is beautiful but missions and secrets make things complicated..

There are some unexpected twists, especially the one connected to Jasalyn’s scars was incredibly intriguing to me!

I’m really looking forward to reading the sequel!!!

Thank you NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for providing me with this arc in exchange for my honest review.

The main plot and subplots were all interesting. It was definitely a slow burn romance which I always love. Also, since I have read the prior duology it was great to see the characters from those books that I loved. I’m so glad we are getting to see more of Misha.

The book was pretty fast paced, and it was hard to put down because I needed to know what happens next. There were some interesting reveals towards the end, but a few were somewhat predictable. After that cliffhanger at the end I’m dying to read the next book!

I love this author and I truly loved the snippet I got to read from this book, it was a great continuation from the previous novel and I am very excited to read the full book.

I adored these hollow vows & these twisted bonds but really struggled with beneath these cursed stars.

I almost DNFed this book, and to be honest, I really should’ve. I was hoping it’d get better as I went along but I never did. I felt a huge disconnect between myself and the characters. I didn’t like them nor did I care what happened to them.

The romance, along with the characters, made it really difficult to enjoy. It felt like Insta love to me.

The world building was very minimal. If you haven’t read these hollow vows, I think you’d be left very disappointed. As for the plot, nearly nothing happened for the first 200 pages.

I really wish I’d enjoyed this book more, but it is what it is.

3.5 stars
Beneath These Cursed Stars is a Romantasy book, with dual POV, following Jasalyn and Felicity in their own but linked storylines. Beneath These Cursed Stars is a spinoff of These Hollow Vows and is best read if you have read the previous duology, although it could be read without.
I loved These Hollow Vows duology although it's been a while since I read it so I didn't remember much. I think I struggled a bit at the beginning to get into it because of that, not remember the significance of Jasalyn's storyline. I also struggled a bit with the dual POV as didn't find that either girl had a very distinctive voice so I wasn't always sure who's chapter I was in. This did improve for me as we went on and I got to grips with that they were doing but I did struggle to stay engaged at the beginning.
It was very light on the romance, where I was also expecting a bit more and I found both girls' stories to be quite similar with the forbidden attraction/reasons it couldn't work. I did like getting to know Kendrick and Misha but wanted more of both of themn
I found the last 10% really gripping and didn't want to put it down at the end. I am looking forward to seeing what happens next.

DNF’d at 25%

Thank you to Hodderscape for giving me an e-arc of this book.

Firstly, I really loved the initial synopsis of this book and how we were going to be returning to this world after having loved These Hollow Vows.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t really get myself into this one, I feel as if the plot doesn’t seem as strong as Ryan’s previous duology and that it focuses more on the lead up to the romances opposed to the fantasy element.

There’s not really much world building involved by the time I got to 20% and for someone new to this book/series, you would be completely lost if you hadn’t read Ryan’s previous duology which essentially has built up the world building for this book.

When characters are introduced, it seems as if you should already know who they are which again isn’t necessarily good for someone coming into this having not read THV.

I’m disappointed as I really wanted to love this and maybe I’ll give it a go again at another point to hopefully read it all the way through.

4.5 ⭐️
0.5 🌶️

Spin off series
1st person Dual POV (2 FMC)
Forced Proximity
Secrets & Betrayal
Revenge
Healing From Trauma

I would start by saying you really do need to read These Hollow Vow duology first to fully understand the story.

This book follows Jasalyn who's Brie sister from These Hollow Vow's. And also, Felicity who's a fae shifter.

The story is written in Dual POV and switches between Jasa and Felicity who are on two separate journeys in separate location but running parallel to one another. I enjoyed both of their stories Jas' was more plot driven with the main 'issue', while Felicity's was more romance/ character driven and really held my attention I was so invested waiting to see what happened next.

The world building is minimal but having read the first two books I knew things already and just needed a small reminder.

It did end on a cliffhanger, I can't wait to find out what happens next!

Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for providing an ARC.