If you’re into celestial court drama, divine meddling, a slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance that will make you scream into a pillow, and heroines who actually do something instead of just fretting prettily, Rift is your next obsession.

Astra is the kind of protagonist you root for immediately—exiled demi-goddess, sharp-tongued, morally gray in the best way, and not remotely interested in being anyone’s pawn. And then there’s Luxuros (yes, that’s his actual name, and yes, you will fall for him), the brooding commander who’s as frustrating as he is magnetic. Their chemistry is pure fire, and watching them circle each other like two stars caught in a cosmic game of chicken? Absolutely unhinged behavior. I loved it.

The world-building? Gorgeous. The political intrigue? Delicious. CB Woods really said, “What if I gave you all of this and then ended the book before you were emotionally prepared?” Because that ending? RUDE. I turned the last page like, “Cool cool cool… where’s book two?”

So yeah. Read Rift. But maybe have a support group ready for when you finish, because the book hangover is one I haven’t felt in a long time

This was a great book! I enjoyed the characters and the compelling story. Loved the world that was built! Would recommend this book to others in an instant!

3.5 ⭐️

This romantasy had me intrigued from the start with its celestial courts and a slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers vibe. Astra, our FMC, is an exile with a sharp tongue and a heart of gold, while Lux, the broody MMC, brings the tension and the yearning. Their dynamic? Chef's kiss.​

The world-building is rich and imaginative, though at times it felt like being dropped into a cosmic soup without a spoon. The magic system, tied to planetary influences, is unique but could use a bit more clarity.​

The romance is a slow burn, filled with banter and longing glances. It's the kind of tension that keeps you turning pages. However, the pacing occasionally wavers, and the plot can be a tad convoluted.​

Overall, Rift offers a fresh take on the romantasy genre with its mature characters and intricate world. If you're into a fast paced romantacy with celestial politics, forbidden love, and a dash of cosmic drama, this one's worth a read. I'll definitely continue with it!

Loved this! Such a great slow burn romance with tension and yearning. I really liked the characters, especially the FMC. It was lowkey so relatable when she enjoyed exile😭💀 It was also really refreshing that they were in their 30s and 40s. I found the worldbuilding could have been done with a bit more finesse, it was sort of just thrown at the reader. But this is a fast paced and exciting fantasy

I'm calling it now that this will be the next big romantasy series - it's a breath of fresh air, so unique, and exactly what I think the genre needed right now. Not only was the magic system, worldbuilding and romance amazing, but the prose itself was so beautiful. And I loved the colorful emotion descriptions from Astra - it really helped immerse myself in the story more. I will 100% be telling everyone to check this out! I can't wait for what's to come.

Wow!! This was so good! I was hooked from page 1 and couldn't put it down. The magic system was so cool, and great world-building too. Can't wait to read more from this author.

This was good although I felt like it followed a very specific template for romantasy. That’s not a critique, but just an expectation that I think should be set before reading! I enjoyed the world building and characters throughout.

Wonderfully surprised with this celestial romantasy.
CB Woods creates a vivid world that unfolds for the reader in an easy and fun digestible way. The beauty that is portrayed and a political world that doesn't leave your head spinning.
Astra, Astra, Astra - a FMC that is truly a heroine. She's been exiled and felt cast aside her whole life, then thrust into the chaos that has her world unraveling.
There's intrigue, angst, action, and magic. It's a wonderfully slow building story that leave the reader ready to join the characters in the Lunar court.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Emrae Publishing for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the concept of this book. The universe was very intriguing to me, and reminded me a lot of Sailor Moon (which I adore). I enjoyed that the characters were a little older, not the cookie-cutter young "chosen ones" you see in a lot of fantasy. Unfortunately, I had a really hard time connecting with the writing style and world building and didn't end up finishing it. I think other readers may really enjoy this book, but it wasn't for me.

This book was a fun read and had a unique magic system I had never heard before. I love myself a book with court intrigue and this book delivered on that part. The world building was amazing and as I said before, the magic system was unlike nothing I’ve read before.

The romance in this book was good, I mean who doesn’t love a good fated mates story. I loved the FMC and MMC characters and their journey, it was full of all the feels.

This book has everything a fantasy lover could ever want - unique magic system (it really made a lasting impression), all the feels with the romance and THE DRAMA, different courts and their political intrigue and of course, so many twists and turns.

4.5 Stars!

Thanks to the author and netgally for letting me read this one!

This was exactly what I was hoping it would be.

Beautifully written fantasy romance that focused on the quality of the characters and the world building so that you get quality storytelling while playing with the ever popular romantasy genre.

For me the absolute best part of this book was the world and the way the lunar court was as built and how the characters from different courts interacted within it. The author put enough thought and time into fleshing out the their story that I was interested in even the most minor aspects of the characters interactions.

This is one of the few books that I’m genuinely interested in reading the second book to.

Found family, self discovery, court intrigue - this book has a bit of everything. It starts out sort of fast paced but quickly slows down. The characters are beautifully developed, and the relationships are great. The feel of this book is perfect. I enjoyed it greatly. Looking forward to more from this author

I mean who doesn’t love a story of fated mates? Astra and Luxuros are amazing and I was so completely immersed in the world that I barely came up for air!

⭐️3.8 Stars⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read Rift! This book was such a fun read and has a magic system I’ve never read before and it was cool reading a book with people ruling different planets!🪐 I wasn’t the biggest fan of the two main love interest but by the end of the book I really liked them and I loved the relationship between the Lunar Court sisters! The magic system could be confusing at times for me especially in the beginning, it eventually made more sense as I read on. The rebellion also confused me a little bit because it didn’t really explain much of some of the things they were rebelling against (beside the gods one which made sense). The ending has me excited for book two and seeing what will happen between all the characters and the war that’s about to break out. Thank you again to NetGalley!💕📚

This was such a beautiful story that had me hooked right from the start. This book is set in a very unique celestial-type world following Astra, a demi-goddess, who was forced to be exiled. Astra is later then summoned back to the court, where she becomes caught in a tangle of webs of different things between alliances, secrets, love and different political aspects. Astra has become one of my new favorite fantasy main characters. She is such a breath of fresh air and I really enjoyed seeing the different sides of her and how much she grows and evolves, especially her relationship with Luxuros.
The storytelling, the pacing and the plot were so well done that it really helped to make a unique and interesting immersive world that brings you in from the first page. The book is filled with everything a fantasy lover could ever want - twists, drama, romance, political intrigue, and so much more.
This book was an absolutely amazing debut that brought together fantasy/romantasy, and political intrigue to create such an interesting and unique storytelling excellence. I can’t wait until the next book of the series!
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC!

I really enjoyed Rift! The world and the concept is what grabbed me right from the start. It felt unique and immersive and unlike anything I had read before.
I did struggle a bit at first to get into it. I found the dialogue a little bit sticky at times and I tend to prefer the start of a story be quite fast paced (at least in the beginning) and I struggled to connect with the characters from the get go.

Overall I think this author is definitely one to watch and I can’t wait to see what comes next!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

4.5 ⭐️

SPOILERS

LOVE this world, such evocative imagery and world building. Invested in the characters & their relationships and appreciate that each character has depth & flaws- wanted to shake the FMC a few times for how impulsive/reckless she was but that made sense for her character.

Some aspects were predictable, and I felt like the revelation of certain characters plans/roles and their “why” felt too quick and unearned. I wanted to be shown, not told.

Overall I cannot WAIT for book 2 and in the meantime am really sad to leave this world- I want MORE!!

Favorite book of 2025 so far

🌖🌗🌘🌑🌒🌓🌔

I just could not get into this at all. I tried reading it multiple times but it just wasn’t for me. I normally love books like this but something about this book just was not for me.

I would like to thank Emrae Publishing and C.B. Woods for the ARC copy of this book. This is my honest review.

WOW. I am absolutely enthralled by this book, and the fact that it is a debut is SO impressive! It pulled me right out of my Onyx Storm slump and into a world I cannot wait to experience more of!!

If you love magic abilities, court intrigue, high-stakes and slow-burn romance, witty banter, crystals, astrology, and other mystical elements, this book is for you. The celestial world-building had me hooked, the descriptions were vivid, and the magical abilities were both intriguing and seamlessly woven into the story. Woods has a beautiful way of capturing emotions in their writing, almost like poetry, which made the story even more immersive.

I couldn’t get enough of this book, and I’m already eager to see what comes next. Highly recommend for romantic fantasy fans looking for something mystical and captivating!