I absolutely loved this story as it IMMEDIATELY held my attention, and am so sad that I have to wait for the next book! This is a romantasy, fade to black scenes, but don’t let that stop you if you love super spicy books! The slow burn romance and tension was chef’s kiss. The plot was always moving forward and constantly had me on my toes. The story and magic system was really unique and I loved it so much!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: Fade-to-Black

I DEVOURED this book! This is book 1 of a duology, and I’m already excited for the next one even though this one just released today! Did I also mention this is a debut novel? *gasp* 😱

Isabel the FMC is in the running to be the next royal physician. She hopes that achieving this position will finally make her feel like she’s enough after her father abandoned her. When one of her friends is found m*rdered, Isabel’s life is flipped on its axis. Now her country’s enemy, the Volgaard’s, have formed a pact with the king in order to explore their territory. To avenge her friends d*ath and help her country, Isabel is pressured into acting as a guide for the Volgaards. But only so she can spy on them and see if she can figure out what great weapon they hold. But enter Erik our MMC and Volgaard, who does not want a guide and is not going to make her mission easy. Oh did I also mention she is the WORST spy??🫣

You should read this if you like…

✨Dramione Coded Characters
✨Enemies-to-Lovers
✨Forced proximity
✨Slow Burn
✨Spy/Mark

I liked the author’s writing. The writing is compelling and lyrical. The characters were intriguing and mysterious. I liked the setting of Windswept Island. Something sinister is happening in the kingdom. The royal physician is trying to save the queen and finding the cure for the mad king. While other mysteries and unexpected happenings surrounds Isabel. You can expect mysterious deaths, strange magic, stash of letters, unexpected truth, secrets and banter. The ending will shock you in this book. I am looking forward to read next book.


Thanks to the Author and Publisher.

The Illusion of Stars was a fantasy tale of betrayal, found family, and found love.

Isabel works as an aspiring Royal Physician alongside her friends. When one of them turns up murdered, Isabel is offered a chance to act as a spy for their visiting ”enemy”: The Volds. Isabel’s journey turns into a story of found friendship and family, as she travels with the Volds to their country, getting close to their leader, Erik.

There is an unexpected turn of events when a magical trinket box, one that delivers letters magically, reveals the home she left was invaded and under attack. Her friends, under attack. The journey back home proves to be a ruse and Isabel is betrayed by someone close to her, someone she trusted. All in the name of power and magic.

Erik, the leader of the Volds camp she was with, is kidnapped and the only way to save him is to sacrifice herself in his place.

I’m trying to make this as spoiler free as possible, but it’s proving difficult so I’ll stop here!

I enjoyed the story very much but it definitely was lacking *something*. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but maybe it was the YA undertones. This was a fade to black, meaning zero explicit scenes, and that was okay to me. I enjoyed the intimacy of the characters this way.

DNF around 20%
This was a little slow and there were some things that were confusing to me, especially towards the beginning. I’ve seen some great reviews for this book, so I may try again later, but at this time I am not interested in continuing the story.

I enjoyed this romantasy novel immensely. It was hard focusing on work earlier today because I wanted to get back to the novel. It was a nice blend of traditional tropes and defying tropes. I eagerly await the sequel of this duology.

I will be adding this as a suggestion to two of my book clubs. I thought the themes were really engaging and I enjoyed the atmosphere.

Illusion of Stars by Sara Marie Page can be summarized in two words: absolutely glorious. This enemies to lovers romantasy is filled with magic, deception, and some of the best snarky banter. The world building and subsequent powers can be a little hard to follow in the beginning as you are almost introduced to each illusion right after the other but it gets easier as you go along. It is a fade to black romance WHICH IS FINE because the storyline drives itself. I’m so looking forward to the next book!!

Highly engaging magical romp with this story! Right away you have a girl who wants to be the best royal physician to a mad king and queen. Some mysterious royals from a neighboring country come in to town and her life is turned upside down. tasked to be a spy and join the Volgaards scouting mission she must contend with a snarky second in command while also being a terrible spy. this book is about a nobody, trying to be a somebody.

i loved the pacing of this. The snarky banter was on point. This has a great roadtrip element but also some epic scenes thrown in. this was just a really fun book and i'm so excited to see what happens in the second one.

One thing to note is that this is fade to black. I am 100% a spicy romance lover and most times i can't read books that are fade to black. this still hit. so don't discount it because it closes the door to the goods.

i received a complimentary copy of this book on netgalley but all thoughts are my own.

I will say I was surprised this was being marketed as a New Adult fantasy. Genuinely I was not super impressed with this book. It was market to have spice, but it was fade to. black. I liked the world building, but the mad king was really distracting and I wasn't sure what role he was to play within this book. The writing style felt repetitive and it just didn't feel descriptive enough. I liked the FMC and the overall basis of this book, it just miss the mark for me to be honest. I get that it was under Isabel's POV, but I hated Erik. He was broody, but evil and it was staggering for me how I felt his character was under developed in comparison to Isabel.. I also 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. I hope Sarah can make adjustments going forward for the next book!

This was a heartwarming book, I resonated greatly with the characters and the author's note at the end. The characters felt relatable for YA/new adult, and the snake line will forever be one of my favorite lines. Really well done, did not expect Stefan to be the villain, excited about book 2!

Illusion of Stars
Sarah Marie Page

“Hearts tend to do that.”
“Do what?”
“Find their way home.”

I went to work on 3-4 hours sleep because I just couldn’t put it down. It was so sweet and whimsical. Honestly a beautiful book with a story that was full of heart. This is a fade to black romance so readers who prefer this, rejoice. Enemies to lovers, she’s a spy, he’s her mark, forced proximity and decent banter!

“The general has a son. You can use your womanly wiles to…” he waved his hand, “I don’t know. Woo him. Get information. He seemed to like you. Couldn’t take his eyes off you.”

She’s stealing more than secrets. Isabel is training to be the royal physician which involves trying to keep the queen from dying and the mad king from streaking naked. But when her best friend is found murdered on the beaches, her world is ripped apart.

“Come out, little mice. Come out and play.”

This was a swoon worthy romantasy read that blurs the lines between truth and fiction and Isabel must wrestle her quest for information and vengeance against her undeniable attraction to the enemy.

‘I Send the illusion, send her shooting stars.
It is a prayer, a promise.’

Also the title of this book; when you learn that hidden meaning. 😮‍💨 it’s everything I could have hoped for and more. I would have greatly preferred having a second book at the ready but I’m on that precipice of constantly waiting, so many of my books are unresolved that I’m just constantly unmoored. If you have book two ARCs, I’m your girl, just saying.

“People always think you need a body to grieve someone, but you don’t. I missed him, and he was standing right in front of me.”

To Sarah, as someone who also had your career, the feeling of being enough, never seemed to infiltrate the lower levels of the hierarchy. I am so glad you proved them wrong and this work is a delight that I will gladly support and champion. This story was beautiful. Thank you Sarah.

Illusion of Stars is released tomorrow, 16th July 2024! Thank you @sarahpagestories for this ARC.

I don't believe in a world where anyone could not love this. I BINGED this book so fast and I will recommend it forever to those who are looking for a new adult, slow burn, enemies to lovers, romantasy book to add to their TBR.

I will be waiting (im)patiently for the next book (which hasn't been confirmed but I'm really hoping there will be one) after that cliffhanger because how dare you do this to me :)

Thank you to Sarah Marie Page, Shadow Forge Publishing, and NetGalley for the eARC of this book.

In today’s genre of fantasy, ILLUSION OF STARS written by Sarah Marie Page stands out in every way. Page brings out developable characters that are truly lovable and a setting that is introduced naturally yet is fully realized. Due to this intriguing narration, one feels compelled to continue reading the story.

ILLUSION OF STARS is pure character-driven storytelling, gorgeous writing at that. Isabel and Erik’s romantic interest is subtle and gradually escalates, and their passion adds tension and richness to the story without becoming dominant. Other characters such as Signey helped in the expansion of the plot and made the story richer. The language that Page uses in writing is inspiring and easy to follow as the reader is taken through a windswept island, brimming with magic and mystery. It easily becomes a story filled with both romance and comedy: there is enough intrigue and darkness as well.

In summary, if one is in search of an expertly written fairy tale type novel with appealing characters and comedic banter with a romantic tinge, then ILLUSION OF STARS would be ideal.

📚 Ilusion of the Stars
✍ Sarah Marie Page
📖 Fantasy, Sci-Fi
4★⚊
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I was instantly spellbound by this book..
From the gorgeous cover, title, and a brilliant story..
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Loved the author's note:
"𝐓𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐮𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧'𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬"
..
An epic, brilliant and unique world building, with adventure, and the exact amount of romance..
Loved the twist and turns in this one ..
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All the feels
🌠 Fantasy
🌠 NA
🌠 Ilusions/magic
🌠 enemies to lovers
🌠 slow burn
🌠 close proximity
🌠 adventure
🌠 action packed
🌠 Romance
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Thanks to Sarah Marie Page, Shadow Forge Publishing and Netgalley for this arc. The opinions in here are on my own.
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I can't even put my thoughts down coherently. Isy and Erik are such delightful characters and the way they deal with the world around them is... I'm completely hooked on this book. I'm thoroughly strapped in for the ride with these guys - Sarah Marie Page has given the world a gift with this one.
I think the brilliance here hangs in the world building. We were given just enough to understand the focus of the story, but not enough to overwhelm with exposition and go too deep into the magic and politicking. And the puffin mentions?? I was squealing like a schoolgirl.
I'm so excited for the rest of the world to read this book and I can't wait to see what comes next.

Sarah Marie Page crafted such a unique and epic romantasy that is an absolute 5⭐️ read filled with heartbreak, danger, mystery, banter, and romance with all the feels and I cannot wait another minute for book two!! When I say this is one of the best books I’ve read, I am not exaggerating!
5⭐️ 🫑 (steamy fade to black)

❤️‍🔥 Enemies to Lovers
❤️‍🔥 Strong FMC
❤️‍🔥 Broken to Healing
❤️‍🔥 Mystery
❤️‍🔥 Magic Powers
❤️‍🔥 One Horse
❤️‍🔥 Betrayal

This book surprised me!!
The characters were so well written! I enjoyed the banter between Erik and Isly. Isabel is one of those characters you just instantly love and connect with. Signey and Kasparov were also so fun to follow. Their personalities really pushed the dialogue and friendships to the next level.

The politics and war aspects remind me a little of bridge kingdom (which | loved) There were some funny parts throughout and some really deep ones. I highly suggest giving this book a go!

Low/fade to black spice but lots of good plot!

I received an advanced copy for review. This is my opinion.

My friend reviewed this, and I guess you can officially call her an influencer because I ran to Netgalley once I saw that it wasn't published yet!

The premise is that Isabel is seemingly no one at the beginning of this, but by the end, she turns herself into a person wanted (in more ways than one) by kings.

As a physician's assistant, Isabel has some pretty nasty jobs (feet, y'all, blech) and as she vies for the title of heir to the royal physician, Isy comes in contact with visitors to the small kingdom in which she lives. When her best friend is murdered and the outsiders are suspected, Isy is sent to spy on them as they traipse through the country. Unfortunately, she's a terrible spy, but everyone sees through her ruse, and she's left to use her physician's capabilities to seemingly heal them from a gamut of ailments. (I enjoyed this part immensely--she essentially gives her bullies exlax then convinces them she's the only one who can help). Along the way, she befriends friends of Erik, until she and Erik become more.

The pacing of this one follows the pace of the journey Isy and the Volgaard soldiers take: not quite slow, but a bit more relaxed in some places and really fast in others, particularly the final third of the book. On the scale of cozy to Game of thrones, this sits solidly in the middle, a bit of violence without gore, a bit of closed door romance, and a bit of intrigue. This would be a perfect entrance into the romantasy genre for those who are daunted and unsure where to begin.

I really enjoyed this one, and I'm looking forward to the next book in the series!

Thank you to Netgalley, Shadow Forge Publishing, and Sarah Marie Page for the arc!

I feel so lucky to have had the chance to read this book before release day! What an incredible read. Fans of This Vicious Grace will absolutely adore this book. It's one of the best fantasy novels I've ever read!

The author is a master of writing. The pacing of this novel was quick and fun, keeping me intrigued the whole time I read. I was always on my toes wondering what was going to happen next! The banter between Isabel, the main character, and Erik, the love interest, was hilarious. I loved that Isy wasn't your typical "badass" fantasy heroine either. She's honest and sincere and wants to do what she can to discover who killed her friend and help her country.

The romance in this book also had me kicking my feet, so there's that, too!

I highly recommend reading this book. So freaking good!!