The Stars Are Dying: Special Edition: 1 (Nytefall)

I love star-crossed lovers trope and Chloe has written a love story that goes beyond stars and realms. Her writing feels like poetry and the words Nyte uses are my undoing. Read this if you like: Villain gets the girl Star crossed lovers Lost memories Soul and Blood Vampires Fae, humans with magic and celestials

A fantasy romance perfect for fans of From Blood & Ash and Shadow & Bone. Star-crossed hearts bleed and the first sparks of war ignite in this dark romantic fantasy loosely inspired by the Greek myth of Astraea and the fall of the Golden Age. Astraea remembers only five years of her life. She is determined to find out about her past, but her life in seclusion doesn’t make it easy. She finally manages to escape her abuser and stumbles into the mysterious Nyte, with all his secrets. In her desperation, Astraea accepts Nyte’s help before she can decide if she might have sold her allegiance to one of the bloodthirsty beings the people of her world fear. Once their bargain is struck, Astraea’s chance to escape comes in the form of accompanying her best friend Cassia to the King’s Central. There on royal territory it’s the centenary of the Libertatem, a succession of trials hosted by the king in which five human lands compete for a cycle of safety from the vampires seeking blood, claiming souls, and savaging after dark. When tragedy struck, Astraea decides to take the place of a murdered participant for the safety of her kingdom and​ get​ the answers to her past​. Astraea was an incredibly strong character who was impressive every time with her actions- she escaped the cycle of abuse, she chose to attend the trials though she didn’t have to. She has been sheltered all her life, but she persevered and showed people it never hindered her. “The only way out of this…is you. Be your own savior.” I loved that in every situation, she didn’t need someone to save her. She was not a damsel in distress at any point of the story. I enjoyed watching her come to terms with the fact that she is a fierce person who can protect herself. Nyte was mysterious till the end. I have so many questions about him. But, his characterization was on point. I enjoyed his banter with Astraea and the way he eased her nerves and was always there for her. The one thing that confused me a lot is when the flow of conversation broke in the middle. I had to read the chapters twice or thrice to understand who was talking at some points. I also wasn’t a fan of Astraea accepting Nyte, then refusing him, and accepting him again. She said she wanted to go with him wherever he wanted to, then turn around and tell him to leave her alone. I’m very excited to learn more about this world and the characters. I’m looking forward to the sequel!

This was my book club’s pick for the month—another book off my physical TBR, thank God! The beginning gave me Fall of Ruin and Wrath vibes, and at first, Astraea seemed like the first FMC this year who didn’t annoy me to no end… or so I thought. Once the trials started, I had to applaud her questionable decision-making. I’m not really a fan of the amnesia trope, so this ended up being the slowest read I’ve had in a long time. It felt like a mix of The Hunger Games, Powerless, and similar books, just with an amnesiac FMC. Honestly, Zath and Rose had more chemistry than Astraea and Nyte. If nothing else, this experience taught me not to impulse-buy a book just because of FOMO—pretty covers don’t always mean I’ll enjoy the story.

What have I just read?? How can a story have so many MYSTERIES and with every answer a new question is generated? I am blown away after reading the last 10 chapters. There was so much happening and so much was at work which we have no clue off. The plot is fantastically drafted and it progressed quite brilliantly for me. My mind was continuously at work in making different theories and cussing the bad people again and again. Having the book with a single POV is smart because that has me CRAVING for more. I want to know what is happening in Nyte’s mind so many times. I was CAPTIVATED from the Prologue itself and the way he was thinking it was all felt like a needle poking into my heart. The ending of chapter one was quite a tale. Nyte is a villain I am going to think about all the time. He is the new book boyfriend. Astraea is a very very unique kind of character and her kindness is something to ADMIRE. She grows exponentially but the heart breaks with every step she takes, a lot of tragedy happens, raw emotions are handled and everything goes sideways so many times that I say just duck it and give me all the answers this story is building upon. The JOURNEY is not easy. I adore Cassia and highly appreciate Zath. They both are the soul for Astraea and her survival journey in this cruel world of supernaturals where stars are dying and vampires are reigning but they need to be stopped and stupid games are the epitome of them all. The Games have some clever riddles and bring life to the story as it moves ahead and peels the layers of mysteries as it progresses. The world-building is slow but perfectly shaped up for the story and I enjoyed it the way it is present. The anticipation of what’s going to come next just kept me turning page after page and I got glued to the book completely. The cliffhanger or say the last chapter is like a BOMB exploding with full force and now I want the book like now. I want to know more like now. Waiting here. The writing style is beautiful and it matched the vibe of the books I love to read. It’s the first book I read from the author and now I want to devour the other books from her too. I am happy to have found her books to read and entertain myself with.

4.5⭐️ Humans, vampires, fae and celestial beings at war for centuries. In the midst of it all we have Astrea, our unreliable narrator, who has no recollection of her life except the last 5 years and even those memories are broken. The book starts with her in the holds of her captor, where she longs for freedom. In order to escape she’ll need help, and this is where our MMC comes in, Nyte. Our dark broody shadow daddy who is either morally grey or a literal villain. Together with the help of Nyte and her friend Cassia, Astrea escapes her hold and goes of on a dangerous adventure to Central where Cassia is set to compete in trials to gain favour for her kingdom from the tyrant king. When tragedy strikes along the journey Astrea must decide where her strongest desires lie. You’ve got forbidden romance, forbidden communication, who did this to you?? In all honesty the first quarter of the book was rough. Super slow and really had no interest in continuing. But I am so glad I did! Phenomenal plot twists, tension, betrayals, so freaking worth it! And the cliffhanger has me foaming at the mouth for the second book!

Incrível

5/5 story-wise 4/5 spicy tension 100/5 for the world-building & writing ----------------- I love a good fantasy with a heartbreaking love story, high stakes, and a magical realm full of vampires, celestials, and fae. This read has been exquisite. From the very first pages I was captivated with <b>Astraea</b>. Her being physically and mentally suppressed and oppressed, made me root for her and waiting for that moment where she will finally free herself. Her story is intertwined with <b>Nyte</b>. I still do not know what he really is but he is important to Astraea and vice versa: "Nyte was a wicked sin." I think it is obvious these two have a connection, so I do not think I am spoiling anything by saying that their tension, banter, and all their collisions are delicious! Chef's kiss. When it comes to their relationship, even until the very last chapters where a lot of secrets will be revealed, it is not clear where they stand. Maybe it is just me trying to look for higher meaning, but I think those moments really visualize the war within Astraea and her still fighting for trust and self-confidence. Next to Nyte and Astraea, there are two other characters I hope get their own story or at least more screentime: <b>Zatharian & Rosalind aka Thorns</b>. Zath is Astraea's guard who has a strong alliance to her. He will do whatever it takes to save her, just as Nyte does. But, at some point, when the twisted games start and Astraea becomes a part of it, Rosalind is introduced. Astraea is the only one not having a mentor or a guard. So Astraea assigns Zath to help her out. He starts to call her "Thorns" because of her spiky and violent behavior. And so they go around bickering. It is absolutely funny to have their side-lines. <b>So, I hope they get their enemies-to-lovers moment.</b>. Other than that, I loved how layered these characters are. There is so much depth to the whole story and so many unanswered questions that I cannot wait for The Night is Defying to release <3 TL;DR - Betrayal - High stakes - Who-did-this-to-you by both MMC & FMC - High fantasy - Blood lust - Vampires -Fae - Fae-vampires? - Dumb humans in between :D -Psychological torture - Enemies to lovers - Lovers to enemies - Mysterious, dark-haired villain - Deals with villains - Curses - Bonds & tethers - Spicy fantasy

"Once upon a time there was a war between stars. What started as a beautiful collision turned out to have the most dire consequences for the world" I absolutely loved this first book in a new fantasy series by Chloe C. Peñaranda. This is a tale of truly star-crossed lovers, twined with a journey of stunning revelations and devastating betrayal. Like her previous series, An Heir Comes to Rise, we are given bits and pieces throughout the story, little hints that lead us towards a thrilling end. This book was no different, and I enjoyed every minute of it! We follow Astraea, a young woman who has no memory of her past, only that she was found and kept hidden for the last few years. The world is inhabited by vampires, fae, humans, and celestial gods live and rule beyond the Veil. When she finally breaks free to travel with a friend to the Central city, her friend is brutally murdered and Astraea must take her place in a ruthless game to compete for the safety of her region against the ruthless vampires. Meanwhile, she is followed by a presence that she both trusts and is wary of. Nyte is as helpful as he is confounding, mysterious and familiar, both present and not at all. Astraea find herself drawn to him more and more over the course of the book. He is using her, but is helping to keep her alive through the trials as well. Can she trust herself, while her memories are still fragmented? Or Nyte, who promises to keep her safe but keeps his past hidden from her as well? "We're only just getting started on the impossible, my Starlight." I gave this book 4.5 stars, only because it felt a little slow in the beginning, which is completely understandable as the first book in series. We have to go through a lot of worldbuilding first, and since we follow Astraea, who has very little knowledge of the world due to her lost memories, we are learning a lot along with her. But things pick up and move very quickly towards a thrilling ending that also left me wanting more in this world. I adored Astraea's growth in this book, as she comes to terms with her past and who she is today. And Nyte! Such a wonderfully complex, morally grey character, and I cannot wait to see more from him - definitely new book boyfriend material!

This book was just absolute perfection. It's been a few weeks and I still can't quite put into words how I feel. The aesthetics of this book (stars, moon, celestials imagery) is absolutely my jam and these elements only increased my enjoyment of reading this book. The world is vast and filled with Fae, humans with magic, vampires and Celestials and it makes for a very interesting and immersive world. The book delves into some of the history but I feel like we have only touched the surface and more will be revealed in books to come. The story is told in one POV with Astraea as the female main character. I found her to be a fantastic character and though she has been through hardship she is able to use that to come out stronger, with grit and determination. Nyte....just stole my heart. The villain, the morally grey, who you know has so much more to him than meet the eye. He is just one of my faves. I lived for the interactions between Nyte and Astraea. It's a really slow burn and they have an intense relationship but so swoon worthy and heart wrenching. I really loved the side characters and I felt they added to the story and character development. You feel the heartbreak, the love and the friendship between the characters is so important. Chloe is such a master at leaving those little Easter eggs from the An Heir Comes to Rise series and I read this book slower so I could see if I could find the ones scattered throughout the book. It brought me so much joy when I found them and made me feel more emotional then I expected. The writing is just beautiful but I have become accustomed to Chloe's mesmerising writing. If you love star crossed lovers, immersive world building, villain gets the girl, dark vs light, you need to pick this one up.