Ashleys keen sense of their characters magic and constitution as they move through this mortal world is nothing short of astounding. Especially since all of the characters are already in the world. Hows everyone doing? Four queer teens, each who hold a key piece of the truth behind these murders, must form a tenuous alliance in their effort to track down the mysterious killer behind these crimes. [Slide for a visual representation]. Thanks for subscribing! If thats not bad enough, theres a war brewing between the Mortal and Immortal Realms, and one of these teens is destined to tip the scales. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Yes, the city of Toronto is under siege from all sorts of mortal and immortal types in this new book from Canadian author Ashley Shuttleworth. Wish them luck. Shes also very mean and sarcastic but she adds so much fun and entertainment to this book through her POV. Ashley Shuttleworth makes their debut with the remarkable A Dark and Hollow Star, a thrilling urban fantasy/murder-mystery which stuns you with ethereal world-building, high-stakes adventure, and a cast of characters you wont soon forget. Tags: Fae, Fiction, LGBTQ, Urban Fantasy, Young Adult. I had high expectations for this book since the blurb sounded amazing. Check out my review directory! (LogOut/ 
Tell us what you like and we'll recommend books you'll love. If they fail, they risk the destruction of the faerie and human worlds alike. Nausicaas pov is especially illuminating. This arrangement has long kept peace in the Courtsuntil a series of gruesome and ritualistic murders rocks the city of Toronto and threatens to expose faeries to the human world. Although Selidoms a secondary character, hes an agent of chaos and fiercely protective of Arlo. I like hard and fast rules.
Well, the characters dont even meet until fairly late in the book and it felt forced rather than a natural progression of the plot. This book lists the following content warnings: anger, arson, blood/gore, body horror (minor), death of a child, depression, disownment, divorce, drug use/addiction, grief/grieving, human tracking, poverty, psychopathy, stalking, suicide (past, off page), suicidal ideation, toxic relationship/manipulation, trauma/PTSD, racism, violence/gun violence. A Dark and Hollow Star is FULL ofHotties. Speaking of characters, theres not a bad apple in the bunch really as Ashleys clear love of Fantasy character/world building (probably the D&D influence) is very obvious.
This is where the book becomes slightly predictable, even overtly sometimes, as it follows some typical structures. Sorry it didnt work that well. Book two, whenever that release date is (2022 sometime), cannot come fast enough. Although I found it slow to start, by the end I realised I really loved it. A tempestuous Fury, exiled to earth from the Immortal Realm and hellbent on revenge. However, as much as I enjoyed the multiple POVs, Im not exactly sure why the author decided to add the POVs of Vehan and Aurelian. Im not a big fan of soft magic systems.
If thats not bad enough, theres a war brewing between the Mortal and Immortal Realms, and one of these teens is destined to tip the scales. The plot moves really slowly. Not my jam but glad you got something out of it even if it was a bit disappointing. And because Arlo has a destiny to complete she often leaves Selidom worrying after her. Bye, Arlo! After the fantastic final showdown, we get one chapter from Arlos perspective and an intriguing epilogue. I've been chronically ill since I was a child. Read by Vikas Adam, Natalie Naudus, Neo Cihi and Imani Jade Powers, By clicking 'Sign me up' I acknowledge that I have read and agree to the. Im sorry you didnt like it that much and I definitely agree with what youre pointing out, I just hope I wont feel that way about THIS book haha! If they fail, they risk the destruction of the faerie and human worlds alike. The only question is: which way? The princes brooding guardian, burdened with a terrible secret. I was rooting for Hero as a villain tbh. Shes sarcastic, chaotic and sassy in the best way, and every scene she was in was made ten times better by her presence. All opinions are my own. Its a bummer because it had such potential to be awesome. | 2nd Opinion Podcast #341, Dark Horse Reveals Gorgeous The Art of God of War Ragnark Coming in November, Star Wars: Padawan Puts Obi-Wan on a Self-Discovery Journey | Book Review, Lets Build The LEGO Star Wars Inquisitor Scythe | Video Review. The ironborn half-fae outcast of her royal fae family. A Dark and Hollow Star was just a mess to me. It wasnt as bogged down by long descriptions and explanations, and I was able to really get into the story and enjoy the ride. This arrangement has long kept peace in the Courtsuntil a series of gruesome and ritualistic murders rocks the city of Toronto and threatens to expose faeries to the human world. studs schematic supports hollow panel death side star rebrickable lego
And while Ashley definitely fills their world with familiar speculative and mythical creatures, ideas, and folklore, they make this complex seelie/unseelie history unique and special. "Beautifully written and deliciously complex,A Dark and Hollow Staris utterly engrossing.
Great review. Its clear the author spent a considerable amount of time working on the world building and it pays off. And honestly, most of the plot is just three teenagers whining about how they need to save the world because the adults wont do it. If thats not bad enough, theres a war brewing between the Mortal and Immortal Realms, and one of these teens is destined to tip the scales. Unfortunately, Vehan loved him too.. This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Their friendship is pretty rocky, and since there is a sequel, is not resolved by the end of this book, but I would have liked to have seen a chapter with them after the finale. If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. Run with wolves in Lobizona by RominaGarber! Review: A Dark and Hollow Star (A Dark and Hollow Star, #1) by Ashley Shuttleworth, Review: This Side of the Grave (Night Huntress, #5) by Jeaniene Frost, Review: Burned (Fever, #7) by Karen Marie Moning, Series Report: The Nightstar Shifters #1-5 by Ariel Marie, Review: Lies My Memory Told Me by Sacha Wunsch, Review: The Obsession (The Obsession, #1) by Jesse Q. Sutanto, Review: These Violent Delights (These Violent Delights, #1) by Chloe Gong, Review: Vampires, Hearts & Other Dead Things by Margie Fuston. As for the conflict, I was only really invested around the 80% mark. Thank you for signing up, fellow book lover! Sadly, its long and confusing and I wasnt motivated to read it. Looking for more book reviews? This is going to be a must-read for 2021. Wish them luck. It also meant the book had a slow pace in the early parts. My favorite days are my solo trips to the library. If they fail, they risk the destruction of the faerie and human worlds alike. We dont have a new person in the world that acts as our proxy to the world. Theres a lot of great ideas here, but nothing really came together in a way that made sense.
And thats great, but I wish their arcs connected more with the plot in this novel.
Theyre going to need it. Get ready to put on your detective cap, 2005-2022 Smart Bitches Trashy Books, LLC. It was full of queer characters and it has an amazing urban fantasy setting. Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings. The characters are moving through a world they know, so we often get terms and rules thrown at us from nowhere. In this books case, and this is not a slight whatsoever, I think the journey is more important than the destination. Okay so fir, Book Review! The other three are out to investigate the mysterious deaths of half-fae kids and the disappearances of humans. As for the core four, Arlo, Nausica, Vehan, and Aurelian, I cant imagine not liking any of them and all contribute to their story in their own unique way. She made reading this book so much fun. I love these characters too, but I found Nausicaa and Arlos POVs more compelling. Content Warnings:Death, murder, slight gore. At this point, I cant even remember anything of this book, which is likely not a good sign. If that makes sense? A Dark and Hollow Star is Ashley Shuttleworths debut novel and its a queer fantasy with elements of a murder mystery. And there are hints of romance in this novel but not much. This arrangement has long kept peace in the Courtsuntil a series of gruesome and ritualistic murders rocks the city of Toronto and threatens to expose faeries to the human world. Although I struggled to get into it at the start, once the story really got going, I was totally invested in the characters and the outcome of their investigation.
A tempestuous Fury, exiled to earth from the Immortal Realm and hellbent on revenge. It seems like a lot of people had similar thoughts.
Im not going to talk about the villains because that would be saying too much, but there are many, and they all wear different faces. The world building is so very good, but needed to be better woven into the narrative. If they fail, they risk the destruction of the faerie and human worlds alike.
Ashley Shuttleworth is a young adult fantasy author with a degree in English literature and a slight obsession withThe Legend ofZelda,Kingdom Hearts,andFinal Fantasy. A little late but here's how June went for me reading wise. Four queer teens, each who hold a key piece of the truth behind these murders, must form a tenuous alliance in their effort to track down the mysterious killer behind these crimes.
Sorry it didnt fully work but at least it wasnt all bad. However, as much as I loved learning about the world, it felt very overwhelming. Hi friends! (LogOut/ Nausica is my favourite character from this book, probably one of my favourite characters ever. POV: You ask Apollo for help taking bookish photos. They do this with relationships, which are at the heart of this book. Every time she dramatically entered a scene I mentally cheered because I knew it was going to be a good one if she was in it. We also may use affiliate links in our The world building in A Dark and Hollow Star is very well done. Its a beautiful thing to see when an author clearly loves a genre and has a field day with infusing the story with great character, after great character. I have a pretty busy weekend ahead, but Im super excited to be posting my A Dark and Hollow Star Review! It makes it feel like the magic is just a plot convenience, rather than a part of the story.
A Dark and Hollow Star is a fun urban fantasy novel with stunning world building and brilliant characters. But then actual things are named such as Playstation, Star Trek, Mario, and Dungeons and Dragons. I might check this out just because it features queer characters and I love fantasy geared towards this age group. A Dark and Hollow Stars plot was also quite messy. I grew up with a lot of internalised ableism. Weve followed four characters through the book, but two of them are completely missing from the ending. Ive heard so many good things about it, and now Im even more interested since I love slow burn too!
Tell us what you like and we'll recommend books you'll love. If they fail, they risk the destruction of the faerie and human worlds alike. Nausicaas pov is especially illuminating. This arrangement has long kept peace in the Courtsuntil a series of gruesome and ritualistic murders rocks the city of Toronto and threatens to expose faeries to the human world. Although Selidoms a secondary character, hes an agent of chaos and fiercely protective of Arlo. I like hard and fast rules. Well, the characters dont even meet until fairly late in the book and it felt forced rather than a natural progression of the plot. This book lists the following content warnings: anger, arson, blood/gore, body horror (minor), death of a child, depression, disownment, divorce, drug use/addiction, grief/grieving, human tracking, poverty, psychopathy, stalking, suicide (past, off page), suicidal ideation, toxic relationship/manipulation, trauma/PTSD, racism, violence/gun violence. A Dark and Hollow Star is FULL ofHotties. Speaking of characters, theres not a bad apple in the bunch really as Ashleys clear love of Fantasy character/world building (probably the D&D influence) is very obvious.
This is where the book becomes slightly predictable, even overtly sometimes, as it follows some typical structures. Sorry it didnt work that well. Book two, whenever that release date is (2022 sometime), cannot come fast enough. Although I found it slow to start, by the end I realised I really loved it. A tempestuous Fury, exiled to earth from the Immortal Realm and hellbent on revenge. However, as much as I enjoyed the multiple POVs, Im not exactly sure why the author decided to add the POVs of Vehan and Aurelian. Im not a big fan of soft magic systems.
If thats not bad enough, theres a war brewing between the Mortal and Immortal Realms, and one of these teens is destined to tip the scales. The plot moves really slowly. Not my jam but glad you got something out of it even if it was a bit disappointing. And because Arlo has a destiny to complete she often leaves Selidom worrying after her. Bye, Arlo! After the fantastic final showdown, we get one chapter from Arlos perspective and an intriguing epilogue. I've been chronically ill since I was a child. Read by Vikas Adam, Natalie Naudus, Neo Cihi and Imani Jade Powers, By clicking 'Sign me up' I acknowledge that I have read and agree to the. Im sorry you didnt like it that much and I definitely agree with what youre pointing out, I just hope I wont feel that way about THIS book haha! If they fail, they risk the destruction of the faerie and human worlds alike. The only question is: which way? The princes brooding guardian, burdened with a terrible secret. I was rooting for Hero as a villain tbh. Shes sarcastic, chaotic and sassy in the best way, and every scene she was in was made ten times better by her presence. All opinions are my own. Its a bummer because it had such potential to be awesome. | 2nd Opinion Podcast #341, Dark Horse Reveals Gorgeous The Art of God of War Ragnark Coming in November, Star Wars: Padawan Puts Obi-Wan on a Self-Discovery Journey | Book Review, Lets Build The LEGO Star Wars Inquisitor Scythe | Video Review. The ironborn half-fae outcast of her royal fae family. A Dark and Hollow Star was just a mess to me. It wasnt as bogged down by long descriptions and explanations, and I was able to really get into the story and enjoy the ride. This arrangement has long kept peace in the Courtsuntil a series of gruesome and ritualistic murders rocks the city of Toronto and threatens to expose faeries to the human world. studs schematic supports hollow panel death side star rebrickable lego
And while Ashley definitely fills their world with familiar speculative and mythical creatures, ideas, and folklore, they make this complex seelie/unseelie history unique and special. "Beautifully written and deliciously complex,A Dark and Hollow Staris utterly engrossing.
Great review. Its clear the author spent a considerable amount of time working on the world building and it pays off. And honestly, most of the plot is just three teenagers whining about how they need to save the world because the adults wont do it. If thats not bad enough, theres a war brewing between the Mortal and Immortal Realms, and one of these teens is destined to tip the scales. Unfortunately, Vehan loved him too.. This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Their friendship is pretty rocky, and since there is a sequel, is not resolved by the end of this book, but I would have liked to have seen a chapter with them after the finale. If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. Run with wolves in Lobizona by RominaGarber! Review: A Dark and Hollow Star (A Dark and Hollow Star, #1) by Ashley Shuttleworth, Review: This Side of the Grave (Night Huntress, #5) by Jeaniene Frost, Review: Burned (Fever, #7) by Karen Marie Moning, Series Report: The Nightstar Shifters #1-5 by Ariel Marie, Review: Lies My Memory Told Me by Sacha Wunsch, Review: The Obsession (The Obsession, #1) by Jesse Q. Sutanto, Review: These Violent Delights (These Violent Delights, #1) by Chloe Gong, Review: Vampires, Hearts & Other Dead Things by Margie Fuston. As for the conflict, I was only really invested around the 80% mark. Thank you for signing up, fellow book lover! Sadly, its long and confusing and I wasnt motivated to read it. Looking for more book reviews? This is going to be a must-read for 2021. Wish them luck. It also meant the book had a slow pace in the early parts. My favorite days are my solo trips to the library. If they fail, they risk the destruction of the faerie and human worlds alike. We dont have a new person in the world that acts as our proxy to the world. Theres a lot of great ideas here, but nothing really came together in a way that made sense. And thats great, but I wish their arcs connected more with the plot in this novel.
Theyre going to need it. Get ready to put on your detective cap, 2005-2022 Smart Bitches Trashy Books, LLC. It was full of queer characters and it has an amazing urban fantasy setting. Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings. The characters are moving through a world they know, so we often get terms and rules thrown at us from nowhere. In this books case, and this is not a slight whatsoever, I think the journey is more important than the destination. Okay so fir, Book Review! The other three are out to investigate the mysterious deaths of half-fae kids and the disappearances of humans. As for the core four, Arlo, Nausica, Vehan, and Aurelian, I cant imagine not liking any of them and all contribute to their story in their own unique way. She made reading this book so much fun. I love these characters too, but I found Nausicaa and Arlos POVs more compelling. Content Warnings:Death, murder, slight gore. At this point, I cant even remember anything of this book, which is likely not a good sign. If that makes sense? A Dark and Hollow Star is Ashley Shuttleworths debut novel and its a queer fantasy with elements of a murder mystery. And there are hints of romance in this novel but not much. This arrangement has long kept peace in the Courtsuntil a series of gruesome and ritualistic murders rocks the city of Toronto and threatens to expose faeries to the human world. Although I struggled to get into it at the start, once the story really got going, I was totally invested in the characters and the outcome of their investigation. A tempestuous Fury, exiled to earth from the Immortal Realm and hellbent on revenge. It seems like a lot of people had similar thoughts.
Im not going to talk about the villains because that would be saying too much, but there are many, and they all wear different faces. The world building is so very good, but needed to be better woven into the narrative. If they fail, they risk the destruction of the faerie and human worlds alike.
Ashley Shuttleworth is a young adult fantasy author with a degree in English literature and a slight obsession withThe Legend ofZelda,Kingdom Hearts,andFinal Fantasy. A little late but here's how June went for me reading wise. Four queer teens, each who hold a key piece of the truth behind these murders, must form a tenuous alliance in their effort to track down the mysterious killer behind these crimes.
Sorry it didnt fully work but at least it wasnt all bad. However, as much as I loved learning about the world, it felt very overwhelming. Hi friends! (LogOut/ Nausica is my favourite character from this book, probably one of my favourite characters ever. POV: You ask Apollo for help taking bookish photos. They do this with relationships, which are at the heart of this book. Every time she dramatically entered a scene I mentally cheered because I knew it was going to be a good one if she was in it. We also may use affiliate links in our The world building in A Dark and Hollow Star is very well done. Its a beautiful thing to see when an author clearly loves a genre and has a field day with infusing the story with great character, after great character. I have a pretty busy weekend ahead, but Im super excited to be posting my A Dark and Hollow Star Review! It makes it feel like the magic is just a plot convenience, rather than a part of the story.
A Dark and Hollow Star is a fun urban fantasy novel with stunning world building and brilliant characters. But then actual things are named such as Playstation, Star Trek, Mario, and Dungeons and Dragons. I might check this out just because it features queer characters and I love fantasy geared towards this age group. A Dark and Hollow Stars plot was also quite messy. I grew up with a lot of internalised ableism. Weve followed four characters through the book, but two of them are completely missing from the ending. Ive heard so many good things about it, and now Im even more interested since I love slow burn too!