Many thanks to NetGalley, Hodder & Stoughton and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Beneath These Cursed Stars by Lexi Ryan is the start to a spin-off series to These Hollow Vows.

When I first started reading this young adult fantasy, I didn't realise how closely intertwined the two series would be.
It is definitely possible to pick this one up without having read These Hollow Vows but I think the fans who loved Brie and her story, will enjoy the adventures of Jas and Felicity that much more.

I think it's a very well written spin-off to a popular YA fantasy series.

I was sent a copy of this book via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.....for a full review please see my Amazon and Goodreads accounts

I loved the These Hollows Vows duology and was so excited to read this one and be back with the characters!! Sadly it did fall a little flat and more of a story build up or interim chapter between the duology and this new story would’ve been great! They say this can be read as a standalone but I’d 100% say you need to read the duology first for some of the characters to make sense. I’m still excited for more from Lexi in the future

I absolutely loved Lexi Ryan’s Hollow Vows duology and was so excited to read this new one. Unfortunately it felt like I needed an in depth recap of the last two books to understand what was going on in this one. There wasn’t much world building at the start, to the point that I had to check that this was indeed book 1 in the series. Once i got into it I did enjoy it but I think a prologue would’ve been helpful.

Not what I was expecting.

This was sadly a step-down from the author's previous work and, in my opinion, her weakest book overall.

If you haven't read These Hollow Vows duology, I strongly suggest you do before starting this book, even though this one is a standalone. The story will just make more sense.
That being said, I enjoyed the original duology and I really really wanted to love this one, but I just couldn't. Jasalyn was generally annoying as a protagonist and Felicity was just boring. The writing was also very dull compared to These Hollow Vows, it took me forever to get through this book.

Lexi Ryan is one amazing author but this just isn't her best work.

Thank you Hodderscape and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

It was so good to be back in this world! I will say, it took me a bit to get into and longer to read than it usually would but still really enjoyed it overall.

Whilst this could be read as a standalone, I HIGHLY recommend reading the These Hollow Vows duology beforehand to get the full story.

When I finished the first duology in this fantasy world I had mixed feelings. The first book in said duology was amazing. I loved the characters, I loved the world building, I loved how the fae were true fae and not the more romantic version we see so often in other books, I loved the plot twist at the end. And then I read the second book and I didn't really enjoy that one. So, I was not sure about this book. Luckily I could request a review copy via Netgalley and I'm happy Hodderscape granted me a copy.

After finishing this book I'm a little conflicted. I did enjoy reading this novel. Mostly because both main characters were amazing. They were both complicated, realistic, emotional, conflicted and in a way also easy to relate to. Especially Jasalyn is dealing with issues I recognize all too well and I want to yell at her that she doesn't know what she's giving up and yet I also can't blame her for making the choice she makes.

I also like how the author manages to include so many familiar characters without ruining the first duology. The main characters of the first duology are taking more of a backseat in this series, while the side characters get a little more attention. I was especially happy that we got to spend a lot more time with Misha and the other Wild Fae. Although, it was especially their story that also broke my heart in a million pieces.

However, even though I enjoyed reading this book, it also feels like the actual story still has to start. This book mostly gives the characters the chance to build a relationship, to fall in love, to have something to fight for. The reveals in the last few chapters and the epilogue are however changing the entire game. Now there's really something at stake. So, this book lacks a satisfying conclusion, but I can't wait to read the next book!

I loved being back in this world! When I seen this book I jumped at the chance to read it and it didn't disappoint!

Getting glimpses of Abriella and her King Consort was just the first thing I enjoyed. This follows Jasalyn as she struggles to cope with the trauma she experienced under Mordeus. But Jasalyn isn't the meek princess everyone thinks she is. She is out for revenge. She agrees to help Kendrick, who she met in captivity, with a plan that will allow her to exact her vengeance. Meanwhile, Felicity, an Echo, will take Jasalyn's form at the Wild Fae Court so no one suspects she's missing. But King Misha is soon feeling sparks.

I love that we got two blossoming romances for the price of one is this installment. And the dual pov chapters between the two women was great way for the story to unfold.

Finally a new book from Lexi Ryan straight from faerie land!

Synopsis:
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Lexi Ryan comes a romantic fantasy in which a human princess armed with death’s kiss and a fae shifter on the run become unlikely allies when a mission to assassinate an evil king collides with a fatal prophecy.
Princess Jasalyn has a secret. Armed with an enchanted ring that gives her death’s kiss, Jas has been sneaking away from the palace at night to assassinate her enemies.
Shape-shifter Felicity needs a miracle. Fated to kill her magical father, she’s been using her unique ability to evade a fatal prophecy.
When rumors of evil king Mordeus’s resurrection spread through the shadow court, Jasalyn decides to end him once and for all. Felicity agrees to take the form of the princess, allowing Jas to covertly hunt Mordeus—and starting Felicity on the path that could finally take her home.
While Jasalyn teams up with the charming and handsome Kendrick, Felicity sets out to get closer to the Wild Fae king, Misha. Kendrick helps Jasalyn feel something other than anger for the first time in three years, and Misha makes Felicity wish for a world where she’s free to be her true self. Soon, the girls’ missions are at risk right alongside their hearts.
The future of the human and fae realms hangs in the balance as fates intertwine. Between perilous tasks, grim secrets, and forbidden romances, Jasalyn and Felicity find that perhaps their stars are the most cursed of all.

Cover:
Once again a wonderful cover. I simply love the covers designed for this series. I loved it in These Hollow Vows and I love it in Beneath These Cursed Stars. And even though there are two series playing in the same world, I love that the Covers (and fonts) still match, and give it an intertwined feeling, which also fits perfectly with the stories!

Writing Style:
Since These Hollow Vows I am a big Lexi Ryan Fan! She writes beautifully and always manages to get me addicted to her characters and storytelling.

Characters:
I’m gonna be honest here (like always in my reviews): First I wasn’t sure about a new series with the focus on Brie’s sister. But I have to admit, she totally won me over. Jasalyn is so bad-ass while simultaneously fighting so many of her inner battles. I feel like she doesn’t even know how strong she is. She survived so much in the past. And after that ending she certainly still has many more fights to come, but if this book showed me anything, than that she is more than capable and definitely strong enough to endure and overcome those next chapters of her life. Seeing her slowly starting to heal felt like being overcome with strength to fight your own battles and never give up.
I also enjoyed reading Felicity’s POV, especially when she is with Misha, who we already know (and love) from These Hollow Vows. She has learned how to hide behind different faces and lives, and I really hope for her that she can soon go back to being her true self, because that one is simply stunning and fearsome and strong in so many ways.
This book was definitely full of strong women born to lead, they simply need to know that themselves.


Plot:
Lexi Ryan is a master of Romantasy mixed with strong female leads, sexy fae and great plot twists. Once again she created a plot difficult to let go of. Combined with awesome characters and a drama made for the screen, her books are impossible to put down. Be warned, that it has a cliffhanger, and I wish I wouldn’t have to wait what feels like an eternity to finally be able to read the next book.

Conclusion:
Have I mentioned how much I loved this book? NO? Well… I loved it. I won’t compare it to These Hollow Vows or These Twisted Bonds, because that is simply impossible, but if you haven’t read any of these three books, you really should. You could start with Beneath these cursed stars, but since it plays 3 years after the ending of These Twisted Bonds, I really recommend reading These Hollow Vows duology first, so you won’t get spoiled.
Thank you to Leyi Ryan for the physical ARC. You made my day/month/year with the cute package. However, that did not influence my opinion on this great book in any way. Also thank you to NetGalley UK and Hodder & Stoughton for the eARC.

I haven’t read the Hollow Vows duology, but as I really wanted to read something by Lexi Ryan, I jumped at the opportunity to read this eARC. While it could be helpful to read the duology before, particularly to avoid spoilers, it really isn’t necessary to do it to enjoy this one. Lexi does a stelar job describing the essential events without feeling too overwhelming or sounding like an info dump, and I could still understand and feel the stakes of this story.

<b>Beneath These Cursed Stars</b> follows Jasalyn, a previously tortured human princess anxious for revenge, and Felicity, a rebel shapeshifter trying to escape her fate. Both stories intertwine creating an exciting high stakes adventure full of magic, mystery, love and healing.

It’s always nice to see mental health issues represented in books and this was particularly well done for Jas character, making her complex, likable and relatable: <i>“You are not fine, but you’re not broken either.”</i>

I recommend this book for romantasy readers as we have not one, but two romances, in addition to some favourite tropes: one horse, <i>“who did this to you?</i>, friends to lovers, forbidden love, found family etc…

As usual, it ends on unbearable cliffhanger, making us desperate for the end of Jas and Felicity story.

<i>I would like to thank Hodder & Stoughton | Hodderscape and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review</i>

I adore Lexi Ryan and I was so excited to read this next romantasy from her! I think it's brilliant, I swooned, I held onto every page and I adored every minute. It's so excellent!! Lexi's writing grabs you and doesn't let you go and fans will be delighted.

I wish someone would have told me to reread … For some reason my brain did not connect how close in story this book would be. I would definitely consider this book 3 or continuation of the These Hollow Vows seires, as so much of the story revolves around the world building in the original duology.

Once I got around 15% in a lot of the original stories came back to me and i really got into the book.

I think i am going to have to give all books in this world a reread before the next book comes out and i low key cannot wait!

10/10 would recommend if you loved the OG books

Thank you to Hodderscape and Netgalley for providing me with an arc.

I dnfed this 15% in sadly. I really wanted to love it and I will give it another try eventually but it wasn't working for me at that point and I am not in a spot where I like pushing through to hopefully get to a better spot. I found the characters interesting and I loved the previous series in this world but this one wasn't doing it for me. If/when I come back to this I will hopefully update my review but for now I am stopping while I am ahead.

Absolutely stunning beginning to a duology. Desperately needed a sequel before the first book even released. Loved the romance between Misha and Felicity. I do wish the fantasy elements were explained better but looking forward to more from this author.

Ah it's almost pubday! So here's my review!

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for providing me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review :)

I loved this book and the story! if you;ve read the duology this stems from it might be a bit different and there's not a lot of similarities. there's not a lot of world building, so if youve read the duology that should be okay.

read this if you like:
slow burn
dual pov - WITH THE SLOW BURN ITS SO GREAT AH OG MGOD
no spice (only a little)

its a perfect ya read with a lot of adventure (maybe a bit too much?) but its overall a great and fun read. perfect for summer and easy to move on from. a quick light read.

“You say your kiss is deadly, but every hour that passes, I feel more and more like I might die without it.”

I loved these Hollow Vows so it was amazing to be back into this world. What I loved most is the DUAL POV and the utter uniqueness of this book. Also, can you say stays up way past my bedtime to stare at the wall in shock because of that ending????

Tropes and themes I LOVED:
- DUAL POV
-Found Family
-Hidden Identity
-''Who Did This to You"'
-Slow Burn
-Forced Proximity
-Only One Horse

I cannot wait to see where this story leads in the conclusion to this magical and spellbinding duology. Luckily for those who know Lexi Ryan, this is NOT a love triangle. Be calm, both main characters have their own budding love interest.

I need book two like tomorrow please.

After falling in love with the These Hollow Vows duology, I was so excited to hear we were getting more from this world **spoilers for this duology below but none for this story

We meet Jasalyn, Bries sister, who was held captive by Mordeus and she is trying to get her revenge for what she went through against Mordeus' remaining men. But when rumours start that Mordeus may have made a return, Jas may just have to work with an ally, Kendrick, and his Crew... including one that can accurately impersonate anyone.. Felicity

In order for Jas to do what she needs to do without rasing suspicions, Felicity will take her place as Princess and try to fool those closest to Jas whilst also fighting her own fate

The two struggle to find their respective places, and who they are in their groups, and they must learn the truth about Mordeus and who they can trust along the way...

Great story, and a lot of high stakes and tension along the way... please tell me there is going to be more in this world!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodderscape for the review copy, all opinions my own. Out July 30th so still time to get those preorders in!

Honestly, I loved this. I loved the original duology following Brie and knew I had to read it as soon as this was announced.

What I really enjoy about Lexi Ryan's books is the way she can craft a plot that keeps a great pace. She presents you with a lot of questions throughout but answers just enough of them to keep you on your toes whilst wanting to read more. This is a book of politics, fear, magic and secrets and I read the whole thing in 48 hours.

This is a dual POV, but not the dual POV you think it's going to be. I was surprised that I was drawn to one of the storylines more than the other, and whilst it's a little bit predictable it didn't take away from my enjoyment of reading it. (and I think it was only a little predictable because I know the way Ryan wrote These Hollow Vows).

PSA: Do you need to read These Hollow Vows Duology first? Yes
I've seen a few low-star reviews of this book and the common consensus is that there's no world-building and the plot is confusing. Whilst this has been marketed as the start of a new duology set in the same world as These Hollow Vows and you don't need to read the first two to understand this, I think this is wrong. You absolutely do need to have read the first two books to understand this. The Faerie world, politics and even some characters are not explained in this as it follows the assumption you've already been told what you need to know in the first two books. Whilst the book follows the other sister, this plot is an extension of the first duology and to really get into this you need to know the nuances of the first two books

This was so awesome being back in These Hollow Vows world. It was interesting to see this world from a new perspective. Jas was a really fun character to follow and if you enjoyed the previous book then this one will not disappoint.

Loved it,
I loved the first duopoly and this new adventure in the same world was no difference

Love the different pov and all the cameos the old characters did a lot.
Loved to see where they are