Super fun to read, I absolutely adored these hollow vows duolgy so when I saw that this was going to be released I just knew I had to read it. I just love everything about this world and these characters.

Another great book from this author! I absolutely adored her last series and I am so happy I got to read this wonderful book! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.

Rating; 4.5/5

It’s been a while since I’ve read These Hollow Vows duology and I must confess I jumped into Beneath These Curses Stars only knowing it was set in the same world as I barely remembered any of the “main” characters.

This book definitely followed the same winning recipe as its original duology and although expected, it’s always an enjoyable read. We follow two main characters, Jas and Felicity and they’re both kind of caught -without knowing- in the middle of a bigger scheme. I always enjoy whenever I’m able to find things out as the characters do, I think it makes it so much more enjoyable and allows you to connect with the characters and I find that to be one of the strongest assets with this book.

In Beneath we find out more about the history of Elora, the Seven and how magic and power is a driving force in any realm. It was really nice seeing old characters again and I enjoyed being in the Wild Fae realm and having more of Misha in this book! I’m still not sure if I’m a fan of Hale but I do like his group mates, Nathan, Remme and Skylar! Between Jas and Felicity, I think they were both great FMC and I was invested in both their story lines equally, I want to see them both thrive and get their happy endings!

I must also point out the cliff hanger at the end for both characters was very good and definitely will make me read the sequel!

#adpr many thanks to the publisher for this e-arc! All opinions are my own

It felt really good to be back in Faerie and the world that Brie worked so hard to save back in These Hollow Vows, however I will say that anyone who hasn’t read the duology might struggle with the world building because to be frank, there really wasn’t any in this book. That being said, I was intrigued by the idea of Mordeus coming back and Jas’ journey for revenge and how it led her to Kendrick’s crew felt like it would be a fun time. Unfortunately the follow through was lacking and I often found myself a little bored, not much of value happened in this book and both Jas and Brie’s character felt really unlikable as well. The only storyline I really enjoyed was Misha and Felicity’s which I wish we had more of! The romance between them felt a little more natural compared to Jas and Kendrick. I’ll be interested to see where the next one goes but I’m not gripping the edge of my seat to find out.

3.75/5!

I loved the original duology so I was really excited to return to the These Hollow Vows world and its characters in this spin-off series. I will preface by saying that if you have not read the duology and start this as a standalone (which the author says is possible) I would advise against it as you will miss out on a lot of the worldbuilding and the characters, as this book glosses over everything quite quickly, leaving a new reader confused.

This story is set 3 years after These Twisted Bonds, switching to Brie's sister Jasalyn, who struggled with PTSD after her experiences with being captured by Mordeus, King of the Unseelie Court.

This book had dual perspectives - Jasalyn and Felicity's - but Jas's point of view was a lot more prominent in my opinion whereas I would have liked to have seem more of Felicity's. I did love seeing more of Misha!

If you liked Twin Crows (similar storyline), and of course These Hollow Vows, you will really enjoy picking up this read!

I recently got to read Beneath These Cursed Stars by Lexi Ryan thanks to NetGalley. I hadn't noticed when I started it, but it's a spin-off of the duology These Hollow Vows.

I really liked that duology, but I must admit I enjoyed this spin-off even more!

We find a familiar environment, writing style and two feminine points of view:
- Jasalyn, Abriella's sister who is still traumatised by the emprisonment into Mordeus dungeons few years before (during These Hollow Vows) and is struggling with her mental health and in need of vengeance. So when rumours start rising about a possible resurrection for Mordeus she set herself on a trip to look for him and kill him.
- Felicity, who is very mysterious throughout the book, we just know that she is some kind of shifter and she takes Abriella place at the palace while she is on her quest.

Ordinarily, I always have a preference for one of the POVs (like in Twin Crowns duology for example), but in this novel, both POVs were super enjoyable to follow.

Jasalyn is morally grey, she is immersed in her quest for vengeance and will have to overcome her traumas to move forward, she brings the dark side to the novel. Felicity has a mysterious past and must live in hiding, she is determined and very likeable. Their personalities are deeply developed, and I loved experiencing their emotions and struggles.

We have two romances, one insta-love and one more slow-burn, with forbidden love. I liked both of them even though I have a preference for the one between Felicity and Misha. In both cases, the girls will face revelations, secrets, and betrayals that will jeopardize the stability of their relationships.

A first book that I loved and which promises a great duology, I can't wait to read the next one!

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really wanted to like this book because the premise sounded soo good. But I just don't like the execution of it. I read the These Hollow Vows duology by Lexi Ryan and I already disliked book 2 of that even though I really enjoyed the first book. Beneath These Cursed Stars can be read as a standalone but I would disagree with that because the author does not spend a lot of time on worldbuilding and the magic system is almost not explained at all. It was no problem for me because I read the duology but for readers who have not I can imagine how hard it would be to understand what's going on.

The story is told in a dual POV - Jasalyn and Felicity. Both girls are on a different mission which ultimately has them working towards the same goal - finding out more about King Mordeus' resurrection. But I find it that the author did not spend much time on the main topic here and only dropped breadcrumps of information here and there while the majority of the book dealt with the two romances who were very obvious and predictable from the beginning. Don't get me wrong, I like Misha a lot and Kendrick seems alright as well, but the story could have been soo exciting and suspenseful and there is so much to explore with this magic system, prophesies and power dynamics but we only get romance, secret kisses and tension.

The ending was nice, I enjoyed the last 25 pages or so the most and it almost got me interested in reading the next book but I am not sure I will sit through another 350 pages of romance to get an interesting ending.

⭐️⭐️. 5 / 5

This book is the first part of the spin-off duet following the 'These Hollow Vows' duology. Having enjoyed 'These Hollow Vows', I was naturally excited to immerse myself in this world again.

The story picks up right after the events in 'These Twisted Bonds', focusing on the interconnected issues in Faerie and their impact on the Human realm, as well as Jas' post-imprisonment PTSD. It is told from the points of view of two female main characters, Jas and Felicity.

I hoped to enjoy "Beneath These Cursed Stars" as much as I did "These Hollow Vows", but I struggled to get through it.

The pacing felt slow, the human realm and lore were underdeveloped, and the plot seemed predictable. Although the main focus is on Jas' healing journey, I found Felicity's perspectives and challenges more engaging. Jas came across as bland and whiny, which made it difficult for me to stay interested in the book.

In conclusion, it didn't resonate with me as much as the previous duology did.

Thanks to Lexi Ryan and Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with the opportunity to read this ARC from @netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 | 𝐋𝐞𝐱𝐢 𝐑𝐲𝐚𝐧 | 𝟒*

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐓𝐨 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭:
⟡ Romantasy
⟡ Exploration of trauma
⟡ Dual POV
⟡ Hidden identity

𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬:
It is absolutely imperative that readers pick up the These Hollow Vows duology before picking up this book due to spoilers and world building. Although this is the first in a new duology, it is set in the same world, is closely linked to the characters in THV and picks up where the other duology concludes.

I was really hoping for more Misha, although i felt myself cringing in anticipated for when he finds out the truth about Felicity, who has shifted into Princess Jasalyn and is currently residing in King Misha’s court. Nevertheless, I was overjoyed that he was falling in love with someone. I desperately wanted him to find somebody in These Twisted Bonds but I’m glad he gets to star as the love interest in his own duology.

This book was action packed, riveting, fast paced, and I could not put it down. Even when I finished it I was shocked because it felt like I could have gone reading it forever. I have been consumed by this world that LR has created and I have no regrets.

Like the other books set in the same world, I particularly love the magic system that she has created, but once again I find myself still drawing parallels from the ACOTAR series. Brie from THV reminded me of Feyre, and Jasalyn reminds me of Nesta. She is traumatized, pushes everyone away, and is almost full undone with the weight of her emotional pain, even when that makes her a frustrating character to read. Thankfully, unlike Nesta, she has a heart of gold and a strong moral compass which I cannot wait to see more of.

𝐅𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐐𝐮𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬:
“𝘕𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳.”
“𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘴?” 𝘙𝘦𝘮𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘰 𝘸𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘺𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘺𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴, “𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘴𝘬𝘺.” 𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘢 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘮 𝘴𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘻𝘦. “𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦.”

This is a spin-off of the author's duology 'These Hollow Vows', so I would recommend reading it before you read this book - it will give you a closer look at the characters and the situations they find themselves in. I regret not doing that too, maybe if I did I'd enjoy the story more.
We are accompanied by Jasalyn - a princess who exchanged the most valuable thing for power - and Felicity, who is a shapeshifter.
Fate plays its cards and Felicity takes Jasalyn's place while she embarks on a quest to destroy the man who ruined her life.
It's a very easy, quick read... The premise of this book sounded promising, unfortunately its execution was not so good.
The romance was very rushed - although there are times when I can forgive it, these characters didn't sit well with me, I didn't care enough about them to be interested in their romance. I think it would have been better if the romance was just hinted at in this book, not coming off so strong and developed only in the next book. Another thing is the main plot twist, it becomes clear to you slowly from the beginning (and the reveal at the end...I still don't know how I feel about it).
I wish I enjoyed this story, I was really looking forward to it, but it happens. Not every book is for everybody.
This book will appeal to those who either don't read fantasy or want a quick read, younger readers and definitely those who enjoyed the previous series.
If you'll excuse me, I'm going to play *Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper* to cheer me up.
2,5⭐

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodderscape for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Actual rating: 4.5
Spoiler: if I got the second book today, it would still be too late. I need it now (yes, I am aware that even this one is not out yet).

I will start off by saying that you do not have to read the initial duology, These Hollow Vows, in order to read this book. But I highly suggest that you do. Beneath These Cursed Stars is a spin-off sequel, so most of the world building happens in the first series. If you do decide to not read the first duology, please be aware that you will get all of the spoilers you could possibly get. So, my advice would be to read These Hollow Vows first, then move on to this one. I promise it is worth it.

Now, moving onto this masterpiece of a book (yes, I know it has flaws, I will get there). It is told, alternatively, from the perspective of the Shadow Princess, Jasalyn, sister of Queen Brie, and Felicity, a shapeshifter who wants to save her home.

The first thing I should mention is Misha. He had a lot of potential in the initial duology and I was sad we did not get to see more of him. Well, Lexi Ryan and the gods decided to grant my wish and gave me more Misha content.
Witty, smart, a true gentleman, cheeky, playful, arrogant, what's not to love about him??? He was such a joy to read about, and he brought so much humour to stressful situations. I didn't even have a choice, I fell for him face flat on the ground.
His commitment and dedication to his people, and the King of the Wild Fae was admirable. I loved how we got to see him interact with people from his court, it was very obvious how much they cared for him, admired and respected him.

His relationship with Felicity got me screaming crying giggling and kicking my feet. From the first time it was mentioned that Misha had been dreaming of an unknown woman, I was sure it was my girl Felicity.
She was also a very complex character, who was ready to do anything to save the people she loved, including go into the Wild Fae Lands undercover, pretending to be Princess Jasalyn. She was so observant, kind and loving. She really started to care about Misha and his people, she was listening to them and always helping. She will potentially make a wonderful Wild Fae Queen. But the angst in their relationship, it was just *chef's kiss*. And the ending???? Misha being angry at her and accusing her of getting into his head and stealing the face of the unknown woman in his dreams??? Yeah, I am desperate for the next book.

Still, I was so frustrated on Misha's behalf. He was such a kind and trusting soul, he did not deserved to be played with like that. He deserved love more than anyone in this book and I'm hoping he will find it in the next part of the story.

However, Jasalyn's change confused me a little bit. It may be because until this point, I only saw her through Brie's eyes, so I did not know what she actually went through. From the initial duology, it seemed that, while reluctant to return to the fae world, Jas still wanted to be close to the people she cared about. This booked showed how much she actually hated the fae, and how deep her trauma went.
While I appreciated her need for revenge and she felt way more realistic, it was a drastic change from her epilogue self. In the epilogue of the initial duology, Jas, fresh out of the prison, still had love and hope in her heart. In BTCS, she was way more hateful, mature and I could really feel the effects of her imprisonment.
It got to the point where even her own sister did not know her anymore, where she would have chosen death over becoming fae and where she didn't want anyone around her. It was a drastic change, and while some of it is explained through Felicity's ability, I didn't think it fully justified it. Still, it was interesting to learn what Jas went through and the impact it had on her. I think it all came from her need to no longer be afraid in her own skin.

I also didn't love her relationship with Kendrik. For some reason I did not connect to them like I did to Misha and Felicity. It felt like they were both keeping too many secrets from each other. This was reasonable after what they've both been through, they wanted to trust each other but could not do it fully. Still, he was selfless and loyal. He really saw Jas for who she was from the start. He was so supportive of Jas, always there for her as she was dealing with her traumatic past.
I enjoyed the found family Kendrik's group had, and it was so nice to see Jas learning to trust people and care for them again after isolating herself for so long.

Either way, I absolutely loved this book, and I feel like I will go insane waiting for the next one. The cliffhanger at the end was beautifully done. The whole book was so thrilling and I cannot wait to see where the story will go in the second part of the duology.

The book took twists and turns off of an expected path and I just found it so gripping and fun to read, il be recommending this one for some time.

I devoured the two previous books in this world and I loved the story.
Furthermore, Jas was a soft spot for me, and she had a special vibe in them.
But unfortunately, this feeling about her didn't transfer in this book.
I know her captivity and torture changed her character and she can't be the same soft and caring person she was….but she felt like an entirely different character and I struggled to connect with her in any way.
Her love development with Kendrick/Hale felt the same as Bash, but in this case, I think he had so many lies under his belt that you wonder was there anything true in his relationship with her and that made it, in my eyes, difficult to ship them together.
As to the Felicity and Misha romance ….unfortunately it felt forced and strange and to be honest (that is a ME problem I think) I liked Misha as a noncommittal and always flirting with every female from the previous book, and it was part of his charm for me and maybe that combined with their rushed chemistry was the problem for me.
I was so excited about this book because as I said I loved the previous two and was eager to return to this world, but I think this book unfortunately wasn't for me, no matter how hard I tried.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder Stoughton for the ARC

How I love Lexi Ryan's books. I adored her first duology and there's no doubt this delivers as well. An engaging and fantastic fantasy book which have you in a chokehold throughout. Amazing.

Overall, I'd give it a 3.5
I devoured this author's first duology that was based in this world, and I enjoyed this story a lot too. It was a quick, easy read with well fleshed out characters. With the dual POV, I found myself interested in both storylines and both characters love stories. My biggest complaint with this book is the lack of world building. I am someone who read the 'These Hollow Vows' duology, but it was so long ago that I would've appreciated a bit more of an introduction into this world again, or better explanations of some of the history/magic earlier on. The betrayal that happens was a good plot twist and the cliffhanger ending has me desperate for the next book!

Rating- 4.5 stars
Many thanks to the publisher Hodder and Stoughton, NetGalley and the author for letting me have an ARC of this month.
(Will include Minor Spoilers from These Hollow Vows)

When I received this ARC, I was so excited to dive into the book. Having read the previous duology, I was excited to see Aribella's sister Jaslyn take centre stage in her own spin off series. As it had been a while since I had been in this word, I did initially struggled with getting into the world and what was going on. Ideally, I would have loved a recap of the previous duology on what had happened before this book. At the start, It was really confusing and often felt like I was missing a lot of things. In addition, personally I felt like this could not be read as a standalone or before These Hollow Vows Duology as the duology beforehand really set up the worldbuilding and characters. When I hit the 20% mark, things became a lot clearer where things began to make sense and answered quite a lot of questions I had.

Three years after These Hollow Vows duology takes place, this book focuses on Jaslyn and the effects of her being a prisoner in Mordeus dungeons. The trauma and the torture has left Jasalyn unable to hug others and open up to those close around her and talk about what she has gone through. But Jasalyn is also keeping a secret. Jasalyn has a enchanted ring that gives her death's kiss that she has been using to assassinate the guards and supporters of Mordeus. Meanwhile, a fae shifter called Felicity need a miracle. Fated to kill her magical father, Felicity has been using her unique ability to avoid the prophecy.

When Jaslyn hears of Mordeus ressecution, Jasalyn wants to end him once and for all. Felicity offers to go in the form of the shadow princess allowing Jasalyn to hunt Mordeus while Felicity uses this oppournity as Jasalyn to get closer to Misha (the Wild Fae King). Jaslyn is reunited with Kendrick, a boy who helped her in the dungeons. Despite the roles being reversed, both girls are able to feel something- Misha helps Felicity to wish for a world where she can be her true self while Kendrick helps Jas to feel something other than anger for the first time in three years.

I honestly really enjoyed this book. It was such a super addicting and fun read. This made me lose track of time due to how good this book was and was really impossible to put down. I honestly loved the Found Family with Kendrick, Skylar, Remme and Natan. I can not wait to see more of them especially Remme who kept interrupting every single time Kendrick and Jas had a moment. However, the frustration I felt for Misha throughout this book. He did not deserve to be fooled like that and deserves to find love just like everyone else too. Honestly justice for Misha. I really hope he finds love in the next book. Furthermore, I really liked Jaslyn a lot more as a main character. I felt like it was nice to see her development from the start and felt like she was not making bad decisions all the time.

This was a super enjoyable book and the ending blew me away. I was not expecting the plot twist and left me reeling for a few hours after finishing this book. I seriously need Book 2 like now because wow. Many thanks again to Hodder and Stoughton for letting me have an E-ARC of this book. I had such a great time.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I absolutely loved These Hollow Vows / These Twisted Bonds, so I was beyond delighted to get approved for this ARC - especially as Misha was a stand out character for me in the original duology and I really wanted to see more from him.

In all honesty, I did struggle with the first half of the book because I was having a hard time getting into Jasalyn's POV chapters - although the plot was interesting, I didn't quite vibe with her character or her love interest, so I found myself rushing those chapters to get to the other POV.

And speaking of the other POV, I loved Felicity! Her motivations were interesting, and the interactions she had with Misha were a joy to read.

Once I got past 50% and the plot quickened up a bit, I was more engaged and quickly consumed the rest of the book in one sitting. I predicted a couple of the plot twists, but that is something that tends to happen with me and fantasy nowadays. The ending was a big cliffhanger and has me intrigued enough to be keeping a close eye on when the sequel is up for grabs on NG!

5 Stars

I love a good YA Romantasy and think this delivered.

It is stated that you don't have to have read Lexi Ryan's previous duology before reading this. Therefore I went into this without reading the 'These Hollow Vows' duology and while I really enjoyed this, I feel my reading experience would have been better if I had as this continues on from the story following different characters and therefore contains spoilers for the original duology.

This story follows two POVs: Jasalyn the shadow Princess and Felicity, who takes Jasalyn's identity in a mission to to assassinate an evil king while trying to avoid a fatal prophecy.

If you are a fan of slow burn romances, plot twists, flawed main characters, twisty magic, and prophecies, I really would recommend this.

I am looking forward to the next instalment and will definitely be going back to read the These Hollow Vows Duology.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Although this is a spin off, I would recommend reading the hollow vows series first so you have an idea of thw world, magic ect as the world building in this book isn't as in depth as that is.

That being said, Lexi Ryan's writing style is a solid one. I love having more than one character pov. Princess Jasalyn is a morally complex fmc, which is a solid favourite character type for me.

This was a thrilling read for me that I found hard to put down.

I was so excited to get back into this world again and couldn’t wait to read this book once I heard it was being written! It is written after the previous duology, These Hollow Vows. There isn’t much world building, so I would recommend reading the previous duology first before this book, it will make the reading experience of Beneath These Cursed Stars more understandable.

I had no idea what to expect from this book and had fun with the double POV. I found myself feeling a bit confused at times around halfway through when Felicity took on Jas’ identity, but as I read on I was able to decipher it better. I liked all characters and how they were presented, they were all different in their own way, but the descriptions of each were hard to remember at times. I also only really started connecting to them around 60% in, which was different from the first duology.

I have to say that the relationship between Felicity and Misha was so messed up in many ways. Though I still feel myself rooting for them, I would understand if it took a very long time for Misha to even warm to the idea. Though there was a small section near the end of the book that has me very intrigued. The ending has 100% left me wanting more and I have no idea how long we will have to wait for it! Hopefully not more than year please Lexi!

Thank you to Netgallery and the publishers for providing me with an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.