I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. (via Netgalley)

Actual review 3.75 stars.

This was a fun ready that was easy to breeze through. The pacing was good, not very spicy if that's a pro or con for you. I would have liked to see more character and world building. The use of "modern" slang felt out of place at times with the world.

I"ll probably read the next one though since I'm curious where it'll go.

Illusion of Stars is a beautiful story of loss and healing, love and growth.
I have never read a book that so accurately depicted grief as this one does, and this broke me and pieced me together, just from knowing my own grief can be put into words, and others can understand it too.

I enjoyed this book throughout, the writing is exquisite, the banter between the fmc and mmc is hilarious and the magic system is original and unique.

Unlike many romantasy books, the writing isn't sloppy and/or repetitive, making it a nice easy read.

Easy 5 stars.

I love this book, I love it!!!!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

Illusion of Stars is a YA Fantasy based on a small island in the middle of kingdoms on the precipice of war. I loved the world building, the strong and compassionate FMC Isabel. Illusion of Stars has a very unique magic system and amazing characters which make you laugh.

This book had such loveable characters, found-family elements, great back stories to all of the characters and I just love the writing and storytelling. As the first book in a series by Sarah Marie Page, I’m so excited to see where the next book goes!

💫 Banter
🏹 Witty FMC
⚔️ Unique magic system
🤍 Slow, slow burn
✨ One-horse trope
🫶 Closed-door romance

Thank you NetGalley and Shadow Forge Publishing for an eARC in exchange for an honest review

Illusion of Stars
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I went into this book with high hopes after reading the description and seeing the high star rating. So here’s how I found it.

Isabel “Isy” Moller is a terrible spy. To be fair to her she was never trained and never planned on becoming a spy. She wants to be the royal physician. But when her best friend is murdered she finds herself caught up in politics far beyond anything she has dealt with before. She does this to honour her best friend. She sets out with a group from Volgaard including Erik - the enemy general’s son. She’s been tasked with flirting with him to get information on a secret weapon while being their “guide” as they scout different parts of her island country.

One thing that a lot of people find with fantasy books is the world building. It takes forever and can be very confusing. Page on the other hand has built her world and described it as and when it’s needed. She doesn’t start the book with an info dump on each little town and city that is going to be mentioned in the book going forward which was refreshing. When a new character was introduced in a meaningful way that is when you would learn about them. So many times in books I feel as though I’ve forgotten half of the characters before they even appear on the page. This time I felt each character was given the introduction at the right time for the story.
The story itself was wonderful - without going into too much detail - the pacing felt right. There was no drop off point where it felt like the book was due to come to an end and certain plot points hadn’t been covered yet. It flowed perfectly. At the same time it didn’t feel slow. The scouting section of the book is understandably the longest part but at no point did it feel like it was dragging.
The characters were well written. You can see the changes in the characters as the time goes on. Not just Erik and Isy but Signey as well. She was my unexpected stand out character. Love love loved her.

I blew though this book as quickly as I could and have no regrets. I’ll be impatiently waiting for book 2 which has been confirmed on the author’s Instagram!

I. Loved. This. Book.

Isy has so much character that she explodes from the page. The attention that was put into layering her character was phenomenal. I enjoyed reading about her so much.
Pretty much ALL the characters were well thought out and constructed. Between the complexity of the castle staff, to the rugged nature of Erik’s men, I just couldn’t get enough of the people brought forth by Sarah’s mind. She paid special attention to really brining these people to life in a creative, but in a natural way.
She built the world beautifully. I felt engulfed by the vivid writing style. I had no questions as to what everything looked/felt like.
I truly loved every second of this story and I’m burning for the next book. This was such an enjoyable read from start to finish.
The serious topics in the book are haunting, painful, healing, traumatic and just so so so real. The range of emotions you go through with these characters is insane. I don’t want to spoil too much or risk giving anything away but Sarah did a wonderful job of communicating difficult topics.
There was humor, grief, spying, adventure, romance and much much more to this book. This book comes out July 15th and you should pre-order/mark your calendars for this one. You don’t want to miss this story. I’m already feeling a book hangover coming on 😮‍💨

3.5☆ rounded up to 4. Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC! All views are my own.

I really enjoyed this! It felt like a good change of pace from some of the romantasy that I've read before, and when I say I devoured it, I really mean it. The beautiful front cover was the first thing that drew me in, and honestly, it just kept getting better from there.

The characters feel very fleshed out, and I found myself relating to Isabel with her sassy attitude and wit. It's an overall really sleek and sexy read without shoving spice down your throat, something that I didn't realise I was so used to. It was quite 4, and the fade to blacks are precisely at the right times without leaving you without.

This also has tonnes of tension building, and in my opinion, is a perfect example of an enemies to lovers done well. The only downsides for me that I felt were a little slow to start, but that might be more because I'm so used to diving straight into the action with my latest reads.

Overall, a solid start to the duology!

Enemies to lovers isn’t my usual genre, but was pleasantly surprised by this book. The romance and banter made it a solid 4 stars. I will look out for more from this talented author.

In an era where romantasy inevitably ends up being compared to the ever popular SJM, "Illusion of Stars" stands out with its own unique voice, and what a magical voice it is with its mysterious, misty island vibes. I could feel the sand crunch under my feet, hear the cries of birds, and smell the smoky fire defy the pattering rain.

I usually side eye books that overdo similes and metaphors (what are you trying to hide hm?!) but the writing here is earnest and descriptions made sense with the story. I also appreciated:

-Romance that doesn't smother the plot.
-There is a plot!
-Characters with distinctive personalities (hooray).
-Tropes but executed in ways that are not cringey or overdone.
-Interesting magic system.

Really looking forward to book two!

(arc from netgalley 🤍)

2.25?

this story kept me entertained enough to keep going but have to mention that it does start off quite a bit slow for me.

pros are that the writing style wasn’t bad and i appreciated that the fmc was quite likeable so i didn’t mind being in her head. the mmc was also very interesting and i liked the way the etl romance was setup!

cons are that i wish we had gotten more with the worldbuilding, and i found that there were quite bit of filler scenes here and there as well as some minor spelling mistakes. and my biggest pet peeve of all as a fantasy reader is modern slang… which is unfortunately present in this book :(

overall i think this had potential and was atleast fast and easy to read!

I desperately wanted to like this, but unfortunately it wasn’t for me… 😕

However, I believe this might be one of those “It’s not you, it’s me” moments.
This story is heavily inspired by Scandinavian naming, history and culture. For me, as a Scandinavian, this made everything feel just a little bit less magical. Seeing names that reminded me of my uncle, neighbour, or former teacher made it harder for me to immerse myself in the story.

The writing style was another blocker for me related to this book. The language used often felt quite juvenile and sometimes even cringy, especially in dialogues between characters.
The descriptions and overuse of similes often left me confused rather than engaged. This combination made it challenging for me to connect with the characters and become fully absorbed in the narrative.

Despite these issues, I do believe the plot has such potential. We follow Isabel, an apprentice physician and general hard worker at the royal castle in the newly independent Sanok Islands, located between several powerful nations. One day, she gets the opportunity to spy on one of these neighbouring countries, The Volds, through Erik (second-in-command and somewhat reminiscent of Draco Malfoy) and his men. As she spies and gets to know the enemy, she realises that everything is maybe not as it seems.

Whilst it took me a while to get into this with the slower pacing, I did find it intriguing towards the end. I did find the general vibe, magic system and setting of the book to be both unique and fascinating.

The underlying message that Sarah is trying to convey- You are not nobody, you matter - is so important and something I would’ve loved hearing in my teens, which I think might be the right demographic for this novel overall.
For me personally I thoroughly enjoyed reading Sarah's personal story at the end of the book, as I found it inspiring.
I am grateful to Sarah & Netgalley for the opportunity to have read Sarah's debut novel this early on. I am rooting for you for any future releases!🩵

3.5 stars - fade to black fantasy romance.

Isabel, a physicians apprentice, is sent undercover as a spy when a neighbouring island, looks to use her island as a starting point to wage war on another neighbouring island. Isabel sets to woo the generals son Erik to find out more information on their mysterious weapon but is Erik really as bad as he seems.

Only after finishing the book I realised this is marketed as an adult fantasy and not a YA fantasy. Given the characters ages of 17/18 and the lack of spice I was quite shocked by this and I think it would be better catergorised as a YA.

I loved the windswept island setting of the story and the banter between Isabel and Erik. Isabel is such a fun character but a really bad spy! I loved her revenge on Erik’s men. I also liked the character of broody Erik but felt like he wasn’t written as in depth as Isabel. Possibly due to the story being told from Isabel’s point of view but I think this contributed to the lack of emotion I felt between them and I couldn’t fully root for their romance. Described as steamy slow burn - definitely slow just not enough steam or tension.

I thought the plot was interesting but I found that it got away from itself and tried to include too many side plots. I still don’t think we found out what the mysterious weapon was from the start of the story as it was stated the secondary “weapon” was not it.

Overall I did like the story but felt like it could have been more. Thank you to Netgalley for providing a copy of the ebook to review.

Isabel is a physician’s apprentice who becomes a spy for country to keep an eye on the Volgaard army that has entered her town. She is tasked to woo the general’s son, Erik. Along the way she must realize what side she’s on and who is the real enemy.

I appreciated the magic in this book. It was original and something I hadn’t read before. Some parts of it did leave me asking questions but I assume the next book will answer that.

This book was a fade-to-black romance but some of it was still a little too spicy and unnecessary for me. I do not plan on reading the second book because of that.

3.75⭐️ rounding up to 4. If you like enemies to lovers, quests, and great banter you will enjoy this book!

This book follows Isy who is an apprentice physician who has been tasked to spy on an enemies camp. I thought the magic system in this was very interesting and hope to see more of it in the next book. I will say the pacing for me was pretty slow. It was a lot of traveling and the action happened mostly towards the end, so I had trouble connecting to the story which is why I gave it 3.75 stars.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I was lucky enough to receive this advanced reader copy and it had me GRIPPED. One of my favorite part of novels is the inner monologue and this fmc had THE BEST. I loved her, i loved the mmc, the plot was phenomenal and the plot twists made my head spin 🙃

I love love love Erik and i’m so excited to see where we go next in book 2 (i can wait i can wait i can wait…)

i am such a romantasy girlie and if you are as well — pick this beauty up on 7/17/24 ♥️

Illusion of stars is a lovely fade-to-black enemies to lovers romantasy following the path of Isabel as she grieves the death of her friend and navigates from physicians assistant to spy in enemy camps.
We journey alongside her as she grows into herself, and learns to trust her instincts rather than what she’s been taught to trust. As she navigates her relationship with the ‘enemy’ Erik and his crew.

It’s a super easy to read fantasy, submersed in a beautiful magic system and easy to follow world building. I read a lot of fantasy and some can take a minute to start to settle without confusion, not so here. It’s complex enough to feel rounded without being so complex that you lose focus to try to remember what is what.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and finished it in a day. I’m already looking forward to the next instalment to find out how Erik plans to fix that cliffhanger!


Thank you to NetGalley, Shadow Forge Publishing and Sarah Marie Page for sending me this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a fun read. I’m not typically an enemies to lovers fan, but I am for this book. I love a good slow burn and the banter. I’m a sucker for a good romantasy, this book delivered just that. It built up the connection between the two and I couldn’t be happier.

thank you to shadow forge publishing for the ARC!

i think romantasy just isn't my genre, but for those who like it this book is one of the better ones i've read. as someone whose primary emotion is imposter syndrome, i enjoyed the exploration of feeling mediocre and the author's personal note at the end of the story. unfortunately though, the book ended up feeling very surface-level to me - the worldbuilding and characters were quite shallow, and erik and isabel didn't have much chemistry or relationship development. some of the writing quirks
such.
as.
this.
annoyed me a bit as well.

as the other reviews so far show, this could definitely be someone else's favorite new read! sadly, it just wasn't mine.

Enemies to lovers will always win in my book, but unfortunately they may not in this one.

Isabel is a bad ass healthcare worker just trying to keep people alive and healthy when literally everything gets in the way of that. And then there is the Vold Erik who may or may not be the one getting in the way of things, while also trying to keep his men alive and the banter BANTING.

I really enjoyed the characters in this book, and the slow burn romance was perfect to my tastes, there was a ton of action and I felt like over all it had a good pace, a good plot, and a decent enough cliffhanger that I will stick around for the second book just as soon and the Author can bless us with one lol 4/5⭐️

Thank you Sarah Marie Page for your delicious enemies to lovers story, I enjoyed it!!

Big Thank you as well to Shadow Forge Publishing and NetGalley for my ebook copy of “Illusion of Stars”.

I received this advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Intrigued by the titel - was not disapointed! Intersting worldbuilding! Brillant magic system, Action-packed romantasy!
Banter, truopes and great characters! Such a lovely red!

I like the nordic inspired worldsetting and names of the characters (even if Pehr in danish only is known as Per :) ). I was hooked from the beginning!
I was very emontional, in a good way, but also sad. And the way the book focused on grief! Ph my heart, thank you!

Det female maincharater was everyting! And for once I liked that she was'nt miss too perferct. Very enjoyable!
And yes I do need to point out the realationship between Isy and Erik, cause I mean, that is what you want in a romantasy, without the romance being forced!


Also Sarah m. Page helped me find other people reading the book! Thanks for that :D

I have made a post on goodreads and on IG (one_fairy_tale_at_the_time)

If I could give you as many stars as were in the illusion, I would. This book has my heart.

From the very first chapter there was mystery and intrigue, I was hooked and couldn’t pause for a moment. (I think I missed dinner to read this actually!!)
The characters are beautifully written, complex and intriguing.
The world building is immaculate and I felt like I was travelling with the group.
This book had everything and more: royals, great friends, betrayal, magic, slow-burn, enemies to lovers, strong female leads and so much more.

This is the first book I’ve read in a long time where I’ve been unable to guess the twists and turns or how it ends. I have been on the edge of my seat all day, taking joy in every moment.


Thank you to NetGalley for sending me a digital copy.

Miss Page- thank you sincerely for allowing me to explore your world and ideas, your work is incredible. I also greatly appreciated the trigger warning list, despite the fact that they may be seen as ‘mild’, this was really considerate and made me more eager to read! I will be buying a copy to stand proud in my home library, as well as any future works you may write!