Book Review of The Shadows and Starlight Series by E.V. Everest: A space opera urban fantasy with political danger, rebellion, and clean romance.
Book Review of Seven Crowns
Shadows & Starlight Book 1
Synopsis:
A crown is dangerous. A crown split seven ways is deadly.
Ana is far from royalty. She’s a foster kid with a dead mom and a deadbeat dad. The only thing she wants is to escape—her hometown and her grief.
Ana’s plans are derailed when a dangerous family secret is revealed. She is the sole heir to a fallen dynasty on a world where seven families share the crown. Her family was murdered one by one, leaving six families to rule. Now, someone knows Ana’s location. With assassins closing in, Ana’s life and the crown are at stake.
With the help of a handsome stranger, she escapes to the place where it all began—a faraway world where magic and technology coexist. Ana must navigate a tangled web of friends and foes to unmask her would-be assassin before it's too late.
Travel to a glittering, dangerous world with political alliances and ballgowns, perfect for fans of The Hunger Games and Cinder.
Review:
I originally picked this book up because it was a space fantasy with royalty, dystopian vibes, and a dash of clean romance (sound familiar). It's been on my TBR so I was glad when I got the moment to pick it up. Now that I've read it, I wish I'd gotten to is sooner.
This story starts on Earth, but you quickly end up on an alternate planet that feels very earthlike. There are seven ruling families that play deadly games in order to gain power. The main character, Ana, is the sole heir (and the sole target of the council's wrath) to her families seat. All of this happens in an academy. So that's right, you get the academy trope in there too.
The romance has all the teenage angsty vibes you'd expect in a young adult book. Without giving anything away, I didn't like her initial boyfriend, but I could see why Ana liked him. Honestly, I'd expect teenagers to fall for him, so it was a believable romance.
While some characters are easy to figure out if they are on Ana's side or against her, others are not so easy to spot. It made for an interesting read with all the twists and turns. The Hunger Games vibes near the end was an additional treat I didn't see coming.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was happy the next one was already available to read.
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Book Review of The Botanist's Game
Shadows & Starlight Book 2
Synopsis:
Haunting visions, blackmail, and poison. Only one can win the botanist's game.
Anabella Halt won the challenge and healed Adam Rockwell for the whole planet to see. She proved that she is no imposter. In one year, she will be ready to seize her family's long vacant council seat. There's only one problem… Ana faked the entire thing. She can't heal a papercut.
Now, Adam's dangerous father and the most powerful military man on the planet, suspects her secret. He's willing to overlook it for a small favor-- a marriage to his son and a strategic alliance. Ana wants to say no, until he offers to free her friend Samuel from prison. It's an offer she can't refuse. But Ana has bigger plans. She will discover who hired her betrayer and hunt them down. Only then will she be truly free.
★♥★
THE BOTANIST'S GAME is the second book in the Shadows & Starlight series. If you loved the royal court intrigue of Cruel Prince and the sci-fi, interstellar twist of Cinder, this series is for you!
Review:
With an arranged marriage to her boyfriend protecting her, the story leans away from the Hunger Games vibe. Instead it centers on the Rockwell family and Ana's inability to use her healing powers (or so she thinks). And really it starts feeling like a LitRPG story because of the bizarre dreams Ana starts having.
Ana really grows in this story. She becomes comfortable in her surroundings. Not everything is new. And now she has a team of friends (and bullies) that anchor her to her knew situation.
What I really liked about this story, is you get to see Samuel more. As her advisor, he becomes an integral part of her everyday life. He has a mysterious protective vibe but he's also super nerdy and loves to read books.
The story was fun and the ending was surprising to me.
Again I was happy the next book was already available to read.
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Book Review of Rule of Shadows
Shadows & Starlight Book 3
Synopsis:
Six names. Six responsible for her fate.
Even if Ana had every name, her path would be difficult. The guilty are powerful, protected, and dangerous. But Ana only has three of the names she needs. In order to claim the rest, she must grant Lady Jacobs three favors.
In doing so, Ana will descend deeper into the dark, glittering world of the Royal City and further away from the protective walls of the Academy. Who will win this game of shadows and crowns?
★♥★
RULE OF SHADOWS is the third book in the Shadows & Starlight series. If you loved the royal court intrigue of Cruel Prince and the sci-fi, interstellar twist of Cinder, this series is for you!
Review:
Rule of Shadows is all about Ana claiming her seat on the council. Now you get to see outside the walls of school (because Ana drops out). She's in the city trying to survive against other families with far more power and support than she does.
This story is all about Lady Jacobs. Of all the rulers of the six families, she is the scariest one. I would not last around her and I don't know how Samuel dealt with her all those years. All Ana want's is to know who killed her family and Lady Jacobs is willing to help her ... for a price.
This book was a perfect blend of political intrigue, royalty, and urban fantasy. With each book, I just kept wanting to read the next book more. Thankfully, I could.
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Book Review of Fallen Kingdom
Shadows & Starlight Book 4
Synopsis:
The council is dead. Bellaton has fallen.
Reeling from the coronation and its deadly aftermath, Ana has little time to recover. She is now the sole surviving member of the council and the number one suspect. Bellaton has never been more dangerous.
As the Seven families vie to fill their vacant council seats, rebel forces stir in the capital streets... and below them. Is peace still possible? How far will Ana go to save herself, her friends, and the world she's grown to love?
★♥★
FALLEN KINGDOM is the fourth book in the Shadows & Starlight series. If you loved the dystopian world of Hunger Games and the royal, sci-fi twist of Cinder, this series is for you!
Review:
This was the best conclusion to the series.
Each book just built on top of the next as the stakes grew. There were many characters lost, but some were gained. I defiantly mourned the loss of one that I didn't care that much about. It was still sad Ana had to face that loss in the way that she did.
The story built up as dystopian stories do with a full revolt against the establishment. Even though Ana was the catalyst to the uprising, she wasn't at the front lines like Katniss. Instead she took her abilities to the academy where she used her abilities to heal the wounded. It was a nice change from the warrior-like persona most dystopian hero's take on.
If you can't tell, I really enjoyed this series. Overall, I read all four books in about a week and a half. They were easy to read and a great escape from reality. I highly recommend checking this series out if you have gap in your reading schedule.
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If you love the space opera with mythological dystopian vibes check out
The Progenitor Chronicles.
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The Progenitor Chronicles
Synopsis:
A forbidden crystal. A dying planet. Can a man with earth powers save a civilization?
Oren overflows with worry. After becoming the keeper of an ancient prophecy, the young king fears he may never understand its meaning in time. But when a mysterious girl falls through a portal with a forbidden crystal, the tree loving royal becomes desperate to save millions from annihilation.
Rushing to the opposite end of the galaxy, Oren hopes he can stop the star from exploding in time. When his bickering team disobeys him, the leader of the planetary coalition resolves to keep everyone alive.
Can Oren save an entire sector of space from ruin?
Time Crystal is an enthralling short story prequel in The Progenitor Chronicles young adult space fantasy series. If you love elemental powers, portals through time, and deep bonds of friendship, then you’ll love Sara Wright’s captivating adventure.
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The reviews are the thoughts of Sara Wright about books that she's read and recommends to her readers. The choice is yours as to whether you'd like to purchase and read them too.
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