The Starless Crown
- Downloads：1359
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-01-06 04:19:24
- Update Date：2025-09-08
- Status：finish
- Author：James Rollins
- ISBN：B092T873GC
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Kirstin
，
Wow。 I’m still recovering from this。 Usually， I don’t go for sci-fi but I absolutely LOVE this book！ I can’t even think of the words to describe it！ The characters from different backgrounds and cultures coming together。 The found family。 The animals， humans， and goddesses working together to save their world。 The intersecting science and magic。 I am impatiently waiting for book two！！ The narrator was absolutely perfect。 Her voice was other-worldly and helped me sink into this epic story！ DISCLA Wow。 I’m still recovering from this。 Usually， I don’t go for sci-fi but I absolutely LOVE this book！ I can’t even think of the words to describe it！ The characters from different backgrounds and cultures coming together。 The found family。 The animals， humans， and goddesses working together to save their world。 The intersecting science and magic。 I am impatiently waiting for book two！！ The narrator was absolutely perfect。 Her voice was other-worldly and helped me sink into this epic story！ DISCLAIMER: I received this book free from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Courtney
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I dnf’d this around 10%。 The story was just not capturing me。 It felt bland at moments and nothing more that high school bully scenes with gore。 Also the sexual assault talk kinda put me off as well。
Adriana
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Wow， this is one of those very rare and magical books that actually live up to all the hype that leads up to the release。 Rollins created a deeply complex world full of its on history， traditions， and lore， and then crafted a story full of captivating characters and situations that engage the reader’s emotions from the get-go。Every character is well-rounded， and every situation makes sense within the story while still being able to constantly surprise the reader。 It certainly has its bumps along Wow， this is one of those very rare and magical books that actually live up to all the hype that leads up to the release。 Rollins created a deeply complex world full of its on history， traditions， and lore， and then crafted a story full of captivating characters and situations that engage the reader’s emotions from the get-go。Every character is well-rounded， and every situation makes sense within the story while still being able to constantly surprise the reader。 It certainly has its bumps along the way （I’m so tired of the prophesied girl trope）， but the positives were good enough to make me willing to ignore any negatives。 The audiobook is narrated by the author and Nicola Barber， both of whom breathe life， urgency， and emotion into every character。 Are usually prefer to read fantasy books because part of the appeal to me is the prose of the story， but I am definitely following the series on audiobook because the narrators brought the world to live and I can’t imagine continuing the story without their voices。Very happy thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for 5e early listen！ 。。。more
Kristina Miller
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***Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。***Getting through the hundreds upon hundreds of pages （normally something I love to see with fantasy！） of this book was my biggest challenge of 2021。 It was weird to me to discover that this author is known for his thrillers， as the pacing and suspense of this book were so terrible that it was a chore to read。 An entire chapter for a man to go to the bathroom and walk a ***Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。***Getting through the hundreds upon hundreds of pages （normally something I love to see with fantasy！） of this book was my biggest challenge of 2021。 It was weird to me to discover that this author is known for his thrillers， as the pacing and suspense of this book were so terrible that it was a chore to read。 An entire chapter for a man to go to the bathroom and walk around？ Tropes （the blind orphan girl who gets bullied but is precociously smart; the prisoner who overthrows the guards and becomes higher status， the unlikely band of misfits who comes together） just。。。。it was too much， and not well done enough to be worth it。 Essentially LOTR with sexism， poorer quality writing， less engaging characters， and lazy worldbuilding。 So。。。。LOTR without all of the things that make that series so incredible。 。。。more
Robert
，
I’ve been a big fan of James Rollins and his Sigma Force novels。 They are full of action and high stakes。 As well as relatable characters。 I’ll have to admit， I thought this book was slow。 I received a print ARC from the publisher and I had a hard time liking any of the characters or the situations they found themselves in。 I received an audio ARC of this from NetGalley。 I thought maybe hearing someone read it to me might make it better。 It didn’t。 I’m not saying this book was a total mess。 It h I’ve been a big fan of James Rollins and his Sigma Force novels。 They are full of action and high stakes。 As well as relatable characters。 I’ll have to admit， I thought this book was slow。 I received a print ARC from the publisher and I had a hard time liking any of the characters or the situations they found themselves in。 I received an audio ARC of this from NetGalley。 I thought maybe hearing someone read it to me might make it better。 It didn’t。 I’m not saying this book was a total mess。 It has some excellent world building that I enjoyed。 Perhaps I wasn’t in the right headspace for this at the time。 But overall， I don’t think this was the book for me。 。。。more
Nancy
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I’ve only read Sigma Force so this was a surprise。 Can I call it a dark fantasy？ The Earth has stopped spinning in a way that one half is always light， the other dark。 The remains of humanity live in a reality that’s harsh & unforgiving。 The story is a quest to save the Earth which will continue in book 2。 There’s 4 groups of people who have varying abilities & agendas， good & bad。 Chased & chasing。 They will all cross paths。Strange monsters， alchemists， unique plant life， students， dangers， roy I’ve only read Sigma Force so this was a surprise。 Can I call it a dark fantasy？ The Earth has stopped spinning in a way that one half is always light， the other dark。 The remains of humanity live in a reality that’s harsh & unforgiving。 The story is a quest to save the Earth which will continue in book 2。 There’s 4 groups of people who have varying abilities & agendas， good & bad。 Chased & chasing。 They will all cross paths。Strange monsters， alchemists， unique plant life， students， dangers， royalty， death， disgraced knight， torture， sentient giant bats & badass nuns。 Spiders， big spiders， why？！ LOL This book is packed with a great story & the narrator is easy to listen to。Compelling。 I await book two！ Thank you Macmillan Audio & NetGalley I really enjoyed this story！ 。。。more
Shelley Neville
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Love James Rollins for a rollicking good adventure story that at times is ridiculous and at other times is well researched。 Weird combination。
Linda McCutcheon
，
With over 22 hours of non stop action， world building， character development and surprising twists The Starless Crown : Moon Fall - Book 1 by James Rollins is an epic entertaining sci fi fantasy audiobook for everyone。From visually impaired young teen Nyx surviving being abandoned as a baby to prisoner Rhaif escaping underground with the ancient artifact The Bronze Goddess to Prince Kanthe being nothing more than a spare heir next to his brother and to exiled knight Graylin with his protective l With over 22 hours of non stop action， world building， character development and surprising twists The Starless Crown : Moon Fall - Book 1 by James Rollins is an epic entertaining sci fi fantasy audiobook for everyone。From visually impaired young teen Nyx surviving being abandoned as a baby to prisoner Rhaif escaping underground with the ancient artifact The Bronze Goddess to Prince Kanthe being nothing more than a spare heir next to his brother and to exiled knight Graylin with his protective loyal "brother" wolves staying hidden we are led on the adventure of a lifetime to save the world of Urth from apocalyptic disaster。With creatures worthy of any J。R。R。 Tolkien novel， political intrigue equal to Game of Thrones and enough magic for any Harry Potter fan we learn about the life and character of our four main protagonists before fate brings them together。 Using visually infused prose that brings everyone and everything to life I was transported to a world that could only be created in the mind of a brilliant imaginative writer。I have such profound respect for the multi faceted voice talent of narrator Nicola Barber after listening to her bring numerous characters and creatures to life with passion and obvious forethought。 Her performances were Oscar level。This saga is not just fantasy at its best but fueled with science fiction to its core。 Urth has stopped turning on its axis。 The moon is getting closer。 Nyx is sentenced to death by a corrupt King for a vision of Urth's end。 The Bronze Goddess is more than a statute。 The spare prince is on a journey of growth and disgraced knight Graylin （my favorite） has a secret connection even he is is shocked to uncover。 The ending is satisfying but the journey must continue and I eagerly await the sequel。I received a free copy of this audiobook from the publisher via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Tom Burkholder
，
In the book The Starless Crown， author James Rollins begins a new series about Nyx， who has a mysterious birth and early childhood。 Could she hold the key to the future of the kingdom？ Or is she going to bring about the destruction of everything？ Nyx finds herself on the run with a group of outcasts of the kingdom including a prince， trying to figure out what is happening and how to survive。 This was a good story with vivid scenery and characters。 The audio-book narration was well done。 I would In the book The Starless Crown， author James Rollins begins a new series about Nyx， who has a mysterious birth and early childhood。 Could she hold the key to the future of the kingdom？ Or is she going to bring about the destruction of everything？ Nyx finds herself on the run with a group of outcasts of the kingdom including a prince， trying to figure out what is happening and how to survive。 This was a good story with vivid scenery and characters。 The audio-book narration was well done。 I would recommend this book。 I received a copy of this audio-book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
April
，
I love James Rollins Sigma Force series， so I thought I’d give this new fantasy saga a try。 I like the story all right， but there are so many moving parts that the book was more than halfway through its 22 hours of audiobook before the reader met all the main characters。 I suspect that’s normal for fantasy sagas。 In book form it might have been easier to keep track of the characters。 For the most part the names of the men didn’t stay with me so I needed the context of the story to remind me who I love James Rollins Sigma Force series， so I thought I’d give this new fantasy saga a try。 I like the story all right， but there are so many moving parts that the book was more than halfway through its 22 hours of audiobook before the reader met all the main characters。 I suspect that’s normal for fantasy sagas。 In book form it might have been easier to keep track of the characters。 For the most part the names of the men didn’t stay with me so I needed the context of the story to remind me who they were and what role they were playing。I thought we would be farther into saving the world with 22 hours of listening。 Instead the characters have only just found their common ground and formed their team。The mix of elements of fantasy with science is interesting。 The idea of how an earth might survive once it has stopped rotating is interesting。 I think the large variety of venomous and dangerous animals is a bit excessive。 I like Nyx。 She drew me in from the first and just kept getting more interesting in her capabilities。 The rest of the characters don’t really stand out for me。The narrator does a good job。 I’m interested in the outcome of the storyline but this book is just coming out so the next installment is at least a year away。 I’m not very interested in spending another 22 hours to remind myself of the details of this book in order to be prepared for the next book。 So that leaves me at 3 stars， because the book is good but it didn’t blow me away and I wouldn’t read it again。Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review the book。 。。。more
Megan
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*I received an audio ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。*I wanted to love this so so badly。 On paper， this has everything I love: intricate world building， science fiction elements in a fantasy world， prophecy about the end of the world， an unlikely band of heroes， and so much more。 Unfortunately， I really did not enjoy anything about this。Clearly there is a lot of love put into this world but I was so bored by the plot and the characters were so one dimensional。 Each character f *I received an audio ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。*I wanted to love this so so badly。 On paper， this has everything I love: intricate world building， science fiction elements in a fantasy world， prophecy about the end of the world， an unlikely band of heroes， and so much more。 Unfortunately， I really did not enjoy anything about this。Clearly there is a lot of love put into this world but I was so bored by the plot and the characters were so one dimensional。 Each character felt like a caricature of a typical fantasy archetype （the blind orphan girl， the "second son" prince， the likable prisoner thief who stumbles across important key to plot， the banished knight， etc。）。 The plot moved at a fairly quick pace for such a large book， but the beats were predictable at best。 The little pieces of world building like the prophecies at the beginning of sections and the rich descriptions of the flora and fauna were cool but by the end I started to get frustrated by them because the characters and the plot were so bland that it felt like a waste of cool setting。I also had a problem with the some of the casual sexism and misogyny built into the world。 For example， early in the book Nyx （our blind orphan main character） is being chased by school bullies who threaten to rape her （and the teachers are on purposefully turning a blind eye？） and the author makes a comment about purity culture's double standards between men and women but then that's it？ The repetition of the twin princes as bright vs ebonwood， （view spoiler）[Nyx's "recovery" from her disability （hide spoiler）] and the sexualization of a sculpture also all really rubbed me the wrong way。 。。。more
Taylor - Muse Ignited Reads
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This book was the perfect answer to all my epic fantasy lulls - What a great start to what promises to be one of my new favorite epic fantasy series！ This has EVERYTHING I want in my epic fantasy: incredible world building， including various places/locations， cultures/empires （and great animals）， plus a multilayered plot with plenty of intrigue， mystery， and action - and all peopled by an assortment of complex characters （multiple POV's） all following their own plot lines that eventually collide This book was the perfect answer to all my epic fantasy lulls - What a great start to what promises to be one of my new favorite epic fantasy series！ This has EVERYTHING I want in my epic fantasy: incredible world building， including various places/locations， cultures/empires （and great animals）， plus a multilayered plot with plenty of intrigue， mystery， and action - and all peopled by an assortment of complex characters （multiple POV's） all following their own plot lines that eventually collide。 What a great way to start off my reading in 2022。 There was nothing I didn't like about this - 100% grade A Fantasy entertainment - completely swept me away。 **Thank you to both NetGalley and TOR for my eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review - and to the author for writing such a great book。 My imagination salutes yours:）**There's definitely been a lull in my epic fantasy life the last 3 or 4 years （as I wait for the usual suspects George and Patrick to continue their series - thank heaven for the prolific Sanderson！） and I've found myself going back to some of my teenage favorites like Brooks， Goodkind， Bradley， and others to fill the void。 Don't get me wrong their are a lot of contemporary authors doing amazing epic fantasy that I've thoroughly enjoyed but every once in a while I just want a good old kind of epic fantasy that I can really sink my teeth into and be totally transported away。 This definitely met that fix for me。 I wasn't sure about a thriller author taking on fantasy， but the one previous book I've read of his， Amazonia， made me think "this guy should write fantasy"， and there's echoes of some of that books ideas and themes here， but exploded exponentially as he lets it all go for straight fantasy。 His obvious knowledge of sciences （especially the natural ones） are so great， the lands he creates complete with corresponding flora and fauna end up populated with believable， relatable， and yet creative creatures。 He also does a really great job mixing traditional medieval fantasy with some alchemical mischief and mayhem with strong steampunk elements - and it all works so perfectly in this world。 We've got magic， and old Gods， and old mysterious technology， alchemy， secret sects， and "bridle songs" communicating with animals。 The character development was equally strong， with a wide variety of both recognizable archetypes and more complex morally gray characters favorited today。 I'm definitely rooting for the mixed up crew of would be world savers， and the villains are proving themselves to be even creepier than I originally anticipated。 Definitely my number #1 rec for epic fantasy lovers。 The eARC I read did not include the drawings of the various animals， that I later saw in the print addition and all I have to say is THANK YOU to both TOR and Rollins for including those， i'm a sucker for art in the books。 And Rollins descriptions were so good in the eARC that when I finally saw the pics they were surprisingly close to how I imagined them。Read it！ 。。。more
Ronie
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Weighing in at over twenty-two hours of listening pleasure， The Starless Crown is classic Rollins with a slow burn and in-depth world-building。 The story is unique and the characters well defined。 Admittedly， at first， I didn't realize how long this book was and came to one point where a character's arch seemed to be coming to a completion point， so I was surprised to discover I was only halfway through the book。 Some readers might be put off by moments like this， but I continued on， very famili Weighing in at over twenty-two hours of listening pleasure， The Starless Crown is classic Rollins with a slow burn and in-depth world-building。 The story is unique and the characters well defined。 Admittedly， at first， I didn't realize how long this book was and came to one point where a character's arch seemed to be coming to a completion point， so I was surprised to discover I was only halfway through the book。 Some readers might be put off by moments like this， but I continued on， very familiar with Rollins' propensity for thick books， dynamic character， and intricate plots that weave in and out of notable moments。 This isn't your fun， lighthearted tome--the tone is dark and haunting， mingling in Rollins' knowledge as a veterinarian and evolutionist。 Definitely a long book， but with its ethereal and other-worldly components， STARLESS CROWN is worth the read。 。。。more
Eitan Sapiro-Gheiler
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I received an ARC of this book from Tor in exchange for an honest review。December was a long month for me this year， and The Starless Crown was a satisfying popcorn book to sit down with over the "dead week" between Christmas and New Years。 While the story doesn't feel especially original， Rollins writes good action scenes， and keeps the plot moving briskly enough for the book to feel engaging。 The classic author's trick of switching points of view right as the action starts to get good is on fu I received an ARC of this book from Tor in exchange for an honest review。December was a long month for me this year， and The Starless Crown was a satisfying popcorn book to sit down with over the "dead week" between Christmas and New Years。 While the story doesn't feel especially original， Rollins writes good action scenes， and keeps the plot moving briskly enough for the book to feel engaging。 The classic author's trick of switching points of view right as the action starts to get good is on full display in the first half， with cliffhanger after cliffhanger followed by a jump-cut to another character， but even though I knew what was coming I was still hooked。 As the book goes on， it becomes clear that while the characters might all end up in the same place by the end， the major puzzles Rollins lays out won't be resolved until a sequel （or sequels--I'm not sure， but experience leads me to expect a trilogy）， which lowered the stakes significantly and made the concluding battle feel much less satisfying。 Of the three protagonists--Nyx， Rhaif， and Kanthe--only Rhaif's arc comes to a satisfying conclusion。 Nyx feels under-explored after a promising beginning， with a major trait （discussed in the spoilers below） discarded after the opening chapters in favor of a more run-of-the-mill hero's journey。 Kanthe doesn't have enough time to change， remaining relatively static as a character after an initial misdirect when he is first introduced。 Rhaif is the only protagonist who grows over the course of the book and is still left with room to explore revelations about his past in the sequels， making him more interesting than the other two in my view。 Rollins does better writing the big action set-pieces in the second half of the book， giving urgency to the protagonists' flight across a remote mountain range and then painting a vivid picture of a steampunk-like conflict fought between ground forces and enemy airships。 For spoiler-related reasons， much of the world is left unexplored， which leaves room for plenty more surprises as the series unfolds， but given this book's reliance on classic fantasy elements I'm unsure how many of those twists will be genuinely unexpected to a seasoned reader。 Fans of the Brandon Sanderson school of fantasy--puzzles to unravel， an ever-expanding cast， and an avalanche of revelations in the last third of the book--will find much to enjoy。 Overall The Starless Crown makes for a good weekend's entertainment， but not much more。Three out of five stars。 I'm curious to see whether the second book manages to take these ideas in a more original direction， but won't be waiting with bated breath。A review with spoilers follows below！ Read no further unless you want to be spoiled！After reading Charlie Jane Anders's The City in the Middle of the Night， the signs of a story told on a tidally-locked planet were easy to find， and The Starless Crown makes no real secret of the fact that it is set on a future Earth that has （somehow） become tidally locked。 Rollins may have been trying for a novel combination of science fiction and fantasy elements， and I expect the relics of whatever future civilization existed on Earth before the tidal-locking occurred to play a large role in the series going forward。 However， limiting the first book to a standard fantasy setting while hinting at the larger science-fictional world ultimately means that neither story is realized especially well。 In the fantasy world， Nyx's initial mostly-blindness is quickly cured， and after a few chapters in which she makes interesting remarks about learning to navigate a world with full sight for the first time， she pays little attention to this change for the rest of the book。 Setting aside broader issues of disability and its portrayal in fiction， I found this change disappointing， since it left Nyx as just another Chosen One with a Dark Past。 Many of the other details of the protagonists' adventures are classic elements of the genre， from the escape across the mountains to the Wise Forest Tribe to the menacing but ultimately helpful pirate ally。 With the tidal locking largely relegated to background information， and the identity of the planet as Future Earth never really in doubt， there isn't enough mystery in the science fiction portion to elevate the book beyond these tropes。 Naming the habitable band between heat and cold the Crown （and remarking on the difficulty of seeing stars from the glare of the sun） is a clever touch， but unlike The City， little is done with the regions beyond the Crown in a move that feels like intentional stalling until the sequel。 While many of the character moments fell flat， the highlight of the book for me was the airship battle at the end， where Rollins's skills as a thriller writer felt like they had been put to good use。 As I said above， this is a good popcorn book， and worth picking up at your local library， but it has little philosophical heft and fails to reach beyond the now-well-known science-fantasy conceit of a future Earth that resembles our past。 。。。more
Carolyn Ruth
，
The Starless Crown was captivating from the beginning。 Unlikely companions find each other as they race to save the world following a prophecy of impending doom。 Meanwhile， each of them is running for their lives as there is a price on their heads。 Rollins draws readers into this world from the first page。 It’s easy to connect with the world as it is so relatable to our own。 He alludes to the after effects of climate change as there’s parts of earth that are uninhabitable due to severe heat， or The Starless Crown was captivating from the beginning。 Unlikely companions find each other as they race to save the world following a prophecy of impending doom。 Meanwhile， each of them is running for their lives as there is a price on their heads。 Rollins draws readers into this world from the first page。 It’s easy to connect with the world as it is so relatable to our own。 He alludes to the after effects of climate change as there’s parts of earth that are uninhabitable due to severe heat， or cold。 His world has great venomous beasts， airship battles， druidic magic， religious zealots， and angry monarchs。 What more could you want in a fantasy book？ The imagery described in this book is rich in detail and fully immersive。 In addition to the themes related to climate change， the story exhibits an overarching theme of loss and grief that the characters must overcome。 Not only has each of them suffered numerous losses throughout the story， but they each understand the fatal nature of what is to come and must grieve for the possible loss of the world as they know it。 Each character goes through extreme transformations throughout their experience that lends them strength to overcome the challenges they may face in the next book of this series。Overall， I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to people who enjoy action or thriller genres and have an interest in dabbling in fantasy。 My only complaints about this book are minor。 I can tell Rollins has not written much fantasy before， but I liked the ways he tied fantasy themes into science and religion to make it feel more relatable。 I got a good chuckle when he repeatedly refers to underwear as “under leathers，” which I’ve never seen before in a fantasy book， and honestly sounds uncomfortable。 I read this book as an audio book and wasn’t impressed by the narrator。 Her voice was soft and made me feel like I was listening to an ASMR。 I kept losing focus of the story， or felt frustrated when she would whisper something， which happened a lot。 I volunteered to read this book as an advanced reader copy and this is my honest review。 。。。more
Kiara
，
I made it 30% into this book before I had to relegate it to the DNF pile。 While in the beginning I was intrigued （that prologue scene was INTENSE！）， as I kept reading I was just wholly unimpressed。 The worldbuilding was lazy， in my opinion， nothing different from any other run-of-the-mill fantasy story。 I say this as an avid fantasy reader and lover of the genre: this book was average， at best。 With so many groundbreaking and innovative additions to the genre in the last few years， it really bog I made it 30% into this book before I had to relegate it to the DNF pile。 While in the beginning I was intrigued （that prologue scene was INTENSE！）， as I kept reading I was just wholly unimpressed。 The worldbuilding was lazy， in my opinion， nothing different from any other run-of-the-mill fantasy story。 I say this as an avid fantasy reader and lover of the genre: this book was average， at best。 With so many groundbreaking and innovative additions to the genre in the last few years， it really boggles my mind that books like The Starless Crown are still being published。Some of the things I disliked: the wasted opportunity of examining disability in a fantasy setting; the played out treatment of women and their sexuality; the stereotypical use of bright/unnatural colored eyes in POC-coded characters to mark them as "special"; the way the Black-coded characters of a certain sect （eunuchs） were said to have "had their deception beaten and whipped out of them long ago"。 I could go on。 If you aren't engaging with certain tropes in a nuanced and purposeful way， what is the point？ Why stick to harmful tropes and stereotypes？ 。。。more
Kelli
，
I have never read a James Rollins book but he may have just gained a new fan。 The characters were all very well fleshed out and the story line kept you on the edge of your seat the entire time。 I was never bored with this one！We get to follow Nyx as she discovers who she actually is and where she really came from。 We meet one prince to appears to be bad only to find out he may not be the problem child in the family。 Add to this some pretty cool side characters and the discovery that the world is I have never read a James Rollins book but he may have just gained a new fan。 The characters were all very well fleshed out and the story line kept you on the edge of your seat the entire time。 I was never bored with this one！We get to follow Nyx as she discovers who she actually is and where she really came from。 We meet one prince to appears to be bad only to find out he may not be the problem child in the family。 Add to this some pretty cool side characters and the discovery that the world is about to end and you've got one epic fantasy tale that will have you begging for more！Nicola Barber does an absolutely fantastic job of narration on this also！ 。。。more
Minna
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Thank you to NetGalley， Tor Books， and the author for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book。 An honest review was requested but not required。I have not ever read James Rollins previously， neither his much earlier fantasy works， nor his more recent action/thrillers。 But I can definitely see elements of both genres in Starless Crown。 Rollins packed LOTS of action scenes into what I expected would be a straight-up high fantasy， but it was done so deftly and believably that the pacing seemed n Thank you to NetGalley， Tor Books， and the author for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book。 An honest review was requested but not required。I have not ever read James Rollins previously， neither his much earlier fantasy works， nor his more recent action/thrillers。 But I can definitely see elements of both genres in Starless Crown。 Rollins packed LOTS of action scenes into what I expected would be a straight-up high fantasy， but it was done so deftly and believably that the pacing seemed natural。 The beginning was a bit of a slow start but it picked up quickly。 I think my only real issue with the book is that there were SO MANY characters that I just know that by the time Moon Fall #2 comes out I'll have forgotten half of them。 Nyx and her bat brother Bashaalia （sp？） were by far the most intriguing and appealing characters but I also really liked Rhaif and Shiya。 Pratik the Klashean didn't get a lot of page time in this book but I think based on the ending he'll have a bigger role in book #2， which I'm looking forward to。 （view spoiler）[RIP， Aamon。 （hide spoiler）]I sort of wondered if the majority of the population's fear of the Moonfall warnings （believing them to be nonsense at best and heresy at worst） were some sort of reference to the climate change debate， but I'm probably overthinking it。I enjoyed The Starless Crown a lot and I look forward to seeing what's next for Nyx， Kanthe， Frell， Rhaif and the others but I will probably have to read this again （or at least skim it） before I read #2 just so I can refresh myself on all the characters。 Counting towards 2022 PopSugar Reading challenge， book that begins with the letter that your last book ended with （Billy Summer[S]）。 。。。more
Sam Veltre
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To be open and honest I did not finish this book （made it to chapter 6）。 My issues are similar to others， red flags appearing the the forward by the author （Rollin's makes it sound like this is the next grand epic LOTR with his forward and also this is a 'Science based fantasy' with is oxymoronic in this sense）。 I love Rollin's previous work， and there are portions of this book I enjoyed， but it is overstuffed with world building making the characters hard to connect with。 I listed to the audiob To be open and honest I did not finish this book （made it to chapter 6）。 My issues are similar to others， red flags appearing the the forward by the author （Rollin's makes it sound like this is the next grand epic LOTR with his forward and also this is a 'Science based fantasy' with is oxymoronic in this sense）。 I love Rollin's previous work， and there are portions of this book I enjoyed， but it is overstuffed with world building making the characters hard to connect with。 I listed to the audiobook version and the narrator I found very hard to follow and engage with。 Very dry style。 what happened to the antagonist in the first several chapters need so many trigger warnings！ and this turned me off tremendouslyReview based on an advanced audiobook copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review。。 thank you to MacMillan Audio also。 。。。more
Jordan
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Full disclosure: I DNF'd this book after just a couple of chapters。 I am surprised I made it that far。 I was uncomfortable and irritated the entire time。 I absolutely hated the forward and it felt like the epitome of cringey "man writing women" thing。 it wasn't necessarily overly sexualized。 It was just upsetting and felt wrong。 I didn't care about the story that was presented in the first few chapters， and knew that if I continued it would lead to much stronger feelings of dislike。 So I practic Full disclosure: I DNF'd this book after just a couple of chapters。 I am surprised I made it that far。 I was uncomfortable and irritated the entire time。 I absolutely hated the forward and it felt like the epitome of cringey "man writing women" thing。 it wasn't necessarily overly sexualized。 It was just upsetting and felt wrong。 I didn't care about the story that was presented in the first few chapters， and knew that if I continued it would lead to much stronger feelings of dislike。 So I practiced self care and DNFd。 Thank you to Macmillan Audio for a chance to listen to this early。 I am sure that there are many readers out there who will greatly enjoy what promises to be an epic story。 I just couldn't get past the description and writing style to be willing to get that far。 。。。more
Rachel （TheShadesofOrange）
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3。0 StarsI love when fantasy includes elements of science fiction so I was incredibly excited when this novel started with a discussion of orbital mechanics。 I have never read the author's backlist so I cannot personally comment on how this compares to his previous work。 Given his background in thrillers， I was not surprised that the narrative moved along at a good pace。 The prose itself was a little rough。 I felt like the author was trying too hard to be poetic， and would instead of benefited f 3。0 StarsI love when fantasy includes elements of science fiction so I was incredibly excited when this novel started with a discussion of orbital mechanics。 I have never read the author's backlist so I cannot personally comment on how this compares to his previous work。 Given his background in thrillers， I was not surprised that the narrative moved along at a good pace。 The prose itself was a little rough。 I felt like the author was trying too hard to be poetic， and would instead of benefited from sticking to a cleaner styleThe weakest aspect of this story， in my opinion， was the characters。 While the characters had intriguing backstories， their actual personalities fell flat for me。 I struggled to attach to the characters which made it harder to care what happened to them。As one of my most anticipated releases， I was unfortunately a bit disappointed with this one。 I loved the scientific elements， but as a whole the story left me a bit underwhelmed。Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review。 。。。more
Jennifer Fatula
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Thank you to NetGalley and TorBooks for the ARC in exchange for my honest review。This falls somewhere between 3 and 4 stars for me。 It took awhile to get going - like 50+% of the book， but the ending had a ton of action and was hard to put down and there are some really interesting ideas and concepts in here that I like。 I am looking forward to the next books for the continuation of the story。 It is marked as adult but I felt like some of the writing and pacing of the book was more reminiscent o Thank you to NetGalley and TorBooks for the ARC in exchange for my honest review。This falls somewhere between 3 and 4 stars for me。 It took awhile to get going - like 50+% of the book， but the ending had a ton of action and was hard to put down and there are some really interesting ideas and concepts in here that I like。 I am looking forward to the next books for the continuation of the story。 It is marked as adult but I felt like some of the writing and pacing of the book was more reminiscent of a young adult book （which isn't bad， just not was I was prepared for）。 One thing that irked me through the book was having different spellings of words （or the pronunciations would be really close） - for example Urth is their world - either spell it Earth or give it a different name！ And using y instead of i or e in other words like spyll - that just seems lazy to me。 。。。more
Danielle Bush
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I thought the narration for this story was excellent。 Nicola Barber really drew me in with the way she told this story and I hope she does the next book as well。 This is a sci-fi/ fantasy following 3 different groups of people， that while they don't realize it until they all meet up are working towards the same goal。 The main person in the first group we follow is Nix。 After in incident with her fellow classmates who pretty much try and kill her Nix has a vision。 A vision of the world ending。。 W I thought the narration for this story was excellent。 Nicola Barber really drew me in with the way she told this story and I hope she does the next book as well。 This is a sci-fi/ fantasy following 3 different groups of people， that while they don't realize it until they all meet up are working towards the same goal。 The main person in the first group we follow is Nix。 After in incident with her fellow classmates who pretty much try and kill her Nix has a vision。 A vision of the world ending。。 While I did like all of the characters and animal companions Nix is definitely a favorite。 She has learned how to navigate the world blind， and now she has seen this horrible thing happen in her mind， and she knows that somehow she has to figure out a way to stop it。。 This is an epic fantasy that has alot of world building and introducing alot of characters。 Thankfully each character has their own sections which makes it alot easier to see who were following next。 It was action packed， and kept you on the edge of your seat trying to figure out where the story was going next。。 also what creature was going to pop out and try and kill everyone。。 It was totally atmospheric， you felt like you were with each group of people as they are on their journeys。。 through the swamp， the woods， on an airship （ which was completly awsome） and underground through a labrynth of tunnels。 I really enjoyed this story and will absolutely be checking out the next book in this series。。 I need to know how the end of the world is going to be stopped！ Also reading more by this james Rollins and Nicola Barber whom I had never read or heard before this book。 Thank you so much to Macmillian Audio for letting me listen to this book！ 。。。more
Heidi
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 It was ok。 Bit of a slow start and it’s long。 I did like it better by the end of the book。 There’s a lot of set up but once it gets to the end the pace has picked up。 It’s a very grim and dark setting。 There is a scene near the start where some older male teens think ruining a young teen girl’s life and dreams with gang rape sounds like the thing to do though the girl does escape。 That’s going to put some readers off。 I had it pegged fairly early in reading that it was either a fallen colony wor It was ok。 Bit of a slow start and it’s long。 I did like it better by the end of the book。 There’s a lot of set up but once it gets to the end the pace has picked up。 It’s a very grim and dark setting。 There is a scene near the start where some older male teens think ruining a young teen girl’s life and dreams with gang rape sounds like the thing to do though the girl does escape。 That’s going to put some readers off。 I had it pegged fairly early in reading that it was either a fallen colony world story or a dying earth story。 That all the magic is science is obvious pretty early。 There’s really nothing wrong with the book， it’s just there’s so much epic fantasy out there and this doesn’t stand out as brilliant。 It’ll be the right book for some readers。 If you’re in the mood for grim and bloody it might be the right book for you。 For me， I’ll probably read book two but just because I read mountains of fantasy books… this one was just fine and better by the end than the beginning。 。。。more
Brad
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The Starless Crown is the first book in a new series by James Rollins。"A young student has dreams of an apocolypse。 Her reward is a death sentence。 She flees and finds herself drawn to a team of outcasts - a broken soldier， a drunken prince， an imprisoned thief that escaped with a gleaming artifact that is wanted by many。They must learn to trust each other to survive。。。because doom is coming。"This book marks a departure from the Action/Thriller that Rollins has typically written。 His books have The Starless Crown is the first book in a new series by James Rollins。"A young student has dreams of an apocolypse。 Her reward is a death sentence。 She flees and finds herself drawn to a team of outcasts - a broken soldier， a drunken prince， an imprisoned thief that escaped with a gleaming artifact that is wanted by many。They must learn to trust each other to survive。。。because doom is coming。"This book marks a departure from the Action/Thriller that Rollins has typically written。 His books have often had a fantasy element but this book is full on fantasy。 Often in a new fantasy story， an author will spend a lot of time with "World Building" but Rollins makes it easy on the reader。 The descriptions and names don't slow down the story。 Your pulled into the characters and pulling for the good guys and yelling at the bad guys。 The bronze woman is fantastic。The action sequences are fantastic - giant bats - wind ships - lots of explosions。There are some loose ends but Rollins resolves the story enough to give the reader satisfaction。Very fast read for a long book。 Great beginning to this new series from Rollins， 。。。more
Kym's Open Books
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I have read Rollins for years。 The Rollins I love writes contemporary with a twist of sci fi; a team of people and researchers， embarking on a journey that find new lands and beasts。 He also writes spy thrillers。 He’s probably one of the authors where I’ve read almost 100% of their books。 So when Tor reached out to me to review this one， I couldn’t be more excited or flattered。I liked very few characters。 I never connected with the story or the characters and really struggled to finish this one。 I have read Rollins for years。 The Rollins I love writes contemporary with a twist of sci fi; a team of people and researchers， embarking on a journey that find new lands and beasts。 He also writes spy thrillers。 He’s probably one of the authors where I’ve read almost 100% of their books。 So when Tor reached out to me to review this one， I couldn’t be more excited or flattered。I liked very few characters。 I never connected with the story or the characters and really struggled to finish this one。 To say I’m disappointed is an understatement。 While I don’t love all of Rollins work， I have loved so many that I had high expectations for this one。 Ultimately it was too fantastical， too long and didn’t hold my interest。It definitely is a unique book and I believe many will love it。 Rollins has a unique idea for this story and I’m curious to see where it goes。 However， somebody let me know when he gets back into sci fi because until then I will be rereading my favorites。Thank you to Tor Books for the gifted copies in exchange for an honest review。The book releases January 4， 2022。Full thoughts on the blog:https://www。theopenbooks。net/2021/12/。。。 。。。more
Vivienne
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“Long ago， I drew this image from memory—as it was the last time I ever saw her。 She who was prophesied to destroy the world。 And did…” My thanks to MacMillan Audio for an advance review copy via NetGalley of the unabridged audiobook edition of ‘The Starless Crown’， Moon Fall #1， by James Rollins in exchange for an honest review。The audiobook is narrated by Nicola Barber with an introduction by James Rollins in which he provides background for this new series that he has been working on for near “Long ago， I drew this image from memory—as it was the last time I ever saw her。 She who was prophesied to destroy the world。 And did…” My thanks to MacMillan Audio for an advance review copy via NetGalley of the unabridged audiobook edition of ‘The Starless Crown’， Moon Fall #1， by James Rollins in exchange for an honest review。The audiobook is narrated by Nicola Barber with an introduction by James Rollins in which he provides background for this new series that he has been working on for nearly a decade。 It is a fusion that he describes as scientific fantasy。 ‘The Starless Crown’ is set on a post-catastrophic Urth that for a mysterious reason stopped turning millennium ago！ What was left of humanity barely survived and they and various creatures have since evolved。 In addition， traditional elements found in fantasy also exist。 Nyx is a gifted student， effectively blind since a dramatic incident at her birth。 Yet when she foresees a further apocalypse her reward is a sentence of death。 Fleeing into the unknown she is drawn to a group of outcasts， each who have their own stories。The novel has a multi-point-of-view structure that allows each character’s tale to be told as well as to chart their growing alliance and the challenges they face with plenty of adventures along the way。 Nicola Barber is an experienced narrator of well over a hundred audiobooks。 She has a warm， rich voice and is very versatile in her range。 She was a pleasure to listen to and I felt that she brought James Rollins’ world and characters vividly to life。 However， with an epic fantasy such as this given its length， complex plot and large cast of characters， I much prefer to undertake a combined read/listen so that I can follow the developing story more closely and have the option to refer back to earlier sections。 This was difficult to do with the audiobook on its own。 Blending fantasy with science fiction requires a fine balance and on the whole I felt that Rollins succeeded。 Certainly there was a great deal to enjoy within ‘The Starless Crown’ and its conclusion promised more to come in Book 2。 I certainly will be on the lookout for it。 。。。more
Claire
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This is a really exciting series that is told from multiple viewpoints。 The world-building and the different characters are interesting。 I thoroughly enjoyed it， and the time listening flew by until the third act。 My problem was the third act was such an extended chase scene that I felt burned out。 Bad guys find good guys， and good guys figure out a way to escape but are thwarted by bad guys。 A last-minute miracle happens to save good guys。 As this happens to every main character at least once， This is a really exciting series that is told from multiple viewpoints。 The world-building and the different characters are interesting。 I thoroughly enjoyed it， and the time listening flew by until the third act。 My problem was the third act was such an extended chase scene that I felt burned out。 Bad guys find good guys， and good guys figure out a way to escape but are thwarted by bad guys。 A last-minute miracle happens to save good guys。 As this happens to every main character at least once， I lost my enthusiasm for continuing the series。Also， there is a love triangle between the 14-year old main character and two older male characters。 The age gap isn't that big， but every time they mention finding her attractive， I think， 'Dude， she's 14。'Review based on an advanced reader copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review。 。。。more
Mihir
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