A Dark and Hollow Star
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-03-23 12:15:01
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Ashley Shuttleworth
- ISBN：1529366216
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
The Cruel Prince meets City of Bones in this thrilling urban fantasy set in the magical underworld of Toronto where four queer teens race to stop a serial killer before their crimes expose the hidden world of faeries to humans。
Choose your player。
The half-fae outcast， desperate for acceptance。
The tempestuous Fury， exiled and hellbent on revenge。
The dutiful prince， determined to earn his place。
The brooding guardian， burdened by a terrible secret。
Each holds a key to solving a series of ritualistic murders that threaten to expose faeries to the human world。 But they cannot do it alone。 To track down the killer， they will have to form a tenuous alliance， putting their differences - and conflicts - aside。
Failure risks the destruction of the faerie and human worlds alike。 And time is running out。
Time to roll the dice。
Choose your player。
The half-fae outcast， desperate for acceptance。
The tempestuous Fury， exiled and hellbent on revenge。
The dutiful prince， determined to earn his place。
The brooding guardian， burdened by a terrible secret。
Each holds a key to solving a series of ritualistic murders that threaten to expose faeries to the human world。 But they cannot do it alone。 To track down the killer， they will have to form a tenuous alliance， putting their differences - and conflicts - aside。
Failure risks the destruction of the faerie and human worlds alike。 And time is running out。
Time to roll the dice。
Reviews
Kelsey
，
A mid to high 3I enjoyed the characters and the action of this story。 I also enjoyed the descriptions of architecture， it felt very immersive。 My main drawback is there’s *so* much backstory， sometimes dialogue between two characters will be pages upon pages long with very little actual dialogue because there’s so much info dumping in between。 And while some contributes to world building， some of it， in the end， doesn’t really add to the story， making it difficult to know what you should be payi A mid to high 3I enjoyed the characters and the action of this story。 I also enjoyed the descriptions of architecture， it felt very immersive。 My main drawback is there’s *so* much backstory， sometimes dialogue between two characters will be pages upon pages long with very little actual dialogue because there’s so much info dumping in between。 And while some contributes to world building， some of it， in the end， doesn’t really add to the story， making it difficult to know what you should be paying attention to and what won’t really come into play。 I’d say I’m still happy i read it， and if you’re a fantasy fan i think you’d enjoy this。 。。。more
꧁ ꕥ James ꕥ ꧂
，
Shuttleworth has really created an interesting narrative in this new series that was incredibly fast paced。 The 4 main characters all being queer made me so happy！However I was left disappointed at the lack of ethnic rep， especially considering the setting was in Toronto which has an incredibly diverse population。 As a personal preference I really do despise references to modern technology in fantasy as it really removes me from the story- so the Apple watches and iPhones throughout bugged me。 I Shuttleworth has really created an interesting narrative in this new series that was incredibly fast paced。 The 4 main characters all being queer made me so happy！However I was left disappointed at the lack of ethnic rep， especially considering the setting was in Toronto which has an incredibly diverse population。 As a personal preference I really do despise references to modern technology in fantasy as it really removes me from the story- so the Apple watches and iPhones throughout bugged me。 I do feel that the book dragged a bit in the middle and was unnecessarily long。 I am excited to see where this series goes and where Shuttleworth goes as an up and coming author！ 。。。more
Rachel
，
First and foremost: GO READ THIS BOOK RIGHT NOW！！！！ It’s like Cruel Prince and City of Bones had a baby and that baby stole my heart！ Everything about it is perfect:THE CHARACTERS/THE SETTING（who knew Toronto could actually be interesting）THE MAGIC Everything about this book makes me happyIf you’re into fae books that still feel modern and are set in the real world READ THIS BOOK IMMEDIATELY！ Now to our four lovely protagonist; 🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨Spoiler🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨Nausicaä: I shipped her and Arlo from the start a First and foremost: GO READ THIS BOOK RIGHT NOW！！！！ It’s like Cruel Prince and City of Bones had a baby and that baby stole my heart！ Everything about it is perfect:THE CHARACTERS/THE SETTING（who knew Toronto could actually be interesting）THE MAGIC Everything about this book makes me happyIf you’re into fae books that still feel modern and are set in the real world READ THIS BOOK IMMEDIATELY！ Now to our four lovely protagonist; 🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨Spoiler🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨Nausicaä: I shipped her and Arlo from the start and I would just like to say that I need more of this relationship or so help me god I WILL RIOT。 And everything about her just makes me swoon and I can’t decide if I would rather be her （-trauma I am not built for that kind of emotional havoc） or be with her！ She’s everything I want in a badass female character and in my eyes she can do no wrong！ （ I accept no critique on this statement） Arlo: Ohhhhh sweet innocent Arlo。 I thought this was gonna be one of those stereotypical “I-didn’t-have-any-powers-until-a-week-ago-but-now-I’m-Aelin-Galathynius-“ kinda stunts。 And was it a little yesssss but I didn’t hate it。 She’s just so relatable and I can’t not love her。 Arlo is a intelligent protagonist that I don’t want to fling against a wall。 She actually has a brain that isn’t just wired to save the world first and think later。 Vehan: This sweet idiot is the sole reason I still trust men。 Ahh to be so blissfully unaware of your psycho mother is a trait that has come in handy for him。 This man just screams golden retriever energy and that’s all I’ve got to say。 Last but not least: Aurelian: This son of a birch。 This selfless piece of shit。 How dare you be such a little asshole to Vehan but have a f-ing great reason for it。 I have no words and I honestly just want someone to give this man a hug and a dagger to kill Vehans mother with。 Is a Aurelian and Vehan ridding happily into the sunset kinda ending to much to ask for？ And yes okay I may have kinda hated the first couple of Aurelian and Vehan chapters because that meant no Arlo and Nausicaä content but I learned from that and have now learned to love them。 Also I just love how this book is just so f-Ing queer but not in a way where you know the author googled “（insert diversity label here） stereotypes” and used those to describe their character。 The fact that all of these idiot were far away from straight wasn’t a big deal for the story and I loved that。 The Plot was good。 And yes this may be important to some of you so let me elaborateAgain 🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨Spoiler🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨I didn’t love how the villain was revealed right at the beginning。 It took a bit of the mystery out of the story and left me waiting for a conclusion with a villain that I already knew。 Still the flashbacks to Hero’s past did make me understand him as a villain and gave me more insight into why I hate him so much。 Lastly I really hope that with there being 5 more stones that means there will be 5 more books because I love this book and it’s characters to much for this to be trilogy or worse duology。4。6/5✨ 。。。more
Ruth Archuleta
，
This was so much better than I anticipated！ Not that I go into books not expecting to like them， but I wouldn't have been surprised if this was a fun but forgettable story。 Instead， I loved the world and its fascinating combination of fae and immortal beings， all based around Toronto， which is a city I don't believe I've ever seen in a book。 However， despite the city setting， this felt a lot more like epic fantasy rather than urban fantasy due to the scenes in other worlds。 What particularly exc This was so much better than I anticipated！ Not that I go into books not expecting to like them， but I wouldn't have been surprised if this was a fun but forgettable story。 Instead， I loved the world and its fascinating combination of fae and immortal beings， all based around Toronto， which is a city I don't believe I've ever seen in a book。 However， despite the city setting， this felt a lot more like epic fantasy rather than urban fantasy due to the scenes in other worlds。 What particularly exceeded my expectations was that Nausicaa as a character could so easily have been a 'fake action girl' with witty comebacks backed with no competence， but instead she truly is dangerous and jaded， yet still with a hint of compassion。I felt that the book was a tad too long for what it was， and the middle third did take me a while to get through， but overall this was an exciting and action-packed story， perfect for those who want more of the fae。 。。。more
zoe
，
lmfao i so rarely read series’s that when this book ended and everything hadn’t been resolved yet i was like huh🤨🤨🤨
Misago
，
3。5/5， mostly because of NausicaäIt was an interesting enough read， but severely cluttered。 Overly high density of plot threads， groups and political situations to keep track of in a novel as long as this， a lot of which did not factor into the story too much。The four （main） viewpoints were a bit overwhelming too， and I found myself skimming most of the scenes for the prince and his bodyguard。 In fact， I have a feeling that a single perspective， possibly Arlo's， would have done this story a lot 3。5/5， mostly because of NausicaäIt was an interesting enough read， but severely cluttered。 Overly high density of plot threads， groups and political situations to keep track of in a novel as long as this， a lot of which did not factor into the story too much。The four （main） viewpoints were a bit overwhelming too， and I found myself skimming most of the scenes for the prince and his bodyguard。 In fact， I have a feeling that a single perspective， possibly Arlo's， would have done this story a lot better。 It's sad to me because I'd been looking forward to this， and the cover is absolutely gorgeous。 Nausicaä and her kinda mean-spirited and whimsical self was definitely the best thing about the book， and wish her all the best。 I wish there'd been more done with her backstory， some better resolution etc。 Since "it has wlw romance" is basically my main draw for any sort of book， I must say that it left me disappointed。 THere isn't really much to it， which would be okay in an adventure type of story， but the few scenes where it does sneak in feel out of place and out of character， too。The villain was introduced as a rather chilling subversion of the "Crazy-powerful dude who gives monologues puts people into death traps" archetype turned cliche again at the end， and he became much less threatening when ranting at the heroes and showing off all the evil things he did。 Oh， and the dice business？ That felt really out of place， for all the impact it had on the story。 。。。more
Lara （larainsidebooks）
，
DNF at 30%
Veronika
，
A Dark and Hollow Star was a nice surprise that got me out of my reading slump。 It's an urban fantasy from a faerie world， which is hidden within our normal world。 The story follows four main characters， who are trying to solve a murder mystery。 I really liked the characters and loved that they are very relatable。 The best thing about the book is the representation， I loved it so much。 It felt so natural。 I read some reviews talking about the story being slow at first and then having a great end A Dark and Hollow Star was a nice surprise that got me out of my reading slump。 It's an urban fantasy from a faerie world， which is hidden within our normal world。 The story follows four main characters， who are trying to solve a murder mystery。 I really liked the characters and loved that they are very relatable。 The best thing about the book is the representation， I loved it so much。 It felt so natural。 I read some reviews talking about the story being slow at first and then having a great ending。 For me， the experience was completely different。 I really enjoyed the beginning and the middle part of the story， but I was a little bit disappointed in the conclusion and the ending。 I think the book would deserve a bit more clarity at the end。 Overall， the book was a bit of a very lovely mess， which I really enjoyed。 It's one of the few faerie books I really liked。 。。。more
Lara
，
*4。5 stars*
Tasha Galvao
，
Loved the book and really enjoyed it。 I can't wait to read the next book when it comes out。 I loved all the main character especially Arlo and Vehan though。 I feel like we got a lot of information about Arlo and Nausicaa 。 I would have love to find out more about Vehan and Aurelian as they are still shrouded in mystery。 Loved the book and really enjoyed it。 I can't wait to read the next book when it comes out。 I loved all the main character especially Arlo and Vehan though。 I feel like we got a lot of information about Arlo and Nausicaa 。 I would have love to find out more about Vehan and Aurelian as they are still shrouded in mystery。 。。。more
Janene
，
Interesting world， but this very much felt like a prequel。
Juliana
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 3。7this was wow really more than i expected， i'm so excited for the next book！！！ i NEED more of arlo and nausicaa and aurelian and vehan and celadon （because i'm definitely a member of the celadom） and omg elyas！！ he's so cute！！ and gonna talk about that epilogue！！ OH I NEED A SEQUEL SO BADLY！！！ 3。7this was wow really more than i expected， i'm so excited for the next book！！！ i NEED more of arlo and nausicaa and aurelian and vehan and celadon （because i'm definitely a member of the celadom） and omg elyas！！ he's so cute！！ and gonna talk about that epilogue！！ OH I NEED A SEQUEL SO BADLY！！！ 。。。more
renata
，
4，5*
Angels_46
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 A Dark and Hollow Star is perfect for fans of City of Bones （urban fantasy） ， Zelda （magic system）， Six of Crows （a peculiar group of people coming together for an impossible quest） and The Cruel Prince （faeries）。 Is also includes topics like family dynamics， fear of failing those we care about， mental health and a great LGBTQ+ representation。I have to admit that the beginning is quite overwhelming with all the world building and introducing all the character but I really enjoyed the multiple PO A Dark and Hollow Star is perfect for fans of City of Bones （urban fantasy） ， Zelda （magic system）， Six of Crows （a peculiar group of people coming together for an impossible quest） and The Cruel Prince （faeries）。 Is also includes topics like family dynamics， fear of failing those we care about， mental health and a great LGBTQ+ representation。I have to admit that the beginning is quite overwhelming with all the world building and introducing all the character but I really enjoyed the multiple POV。The four main characters need to be protected at all cost and if something happens to Cel I will not be happy。 Arlo she feels unworthy， everything goes wrong around her and she is a cinnamon roll。 She is sweet but has a fierce personality and is not scared of risking her life for what she thinks is right。 She ends playing her own Dragons and Dungeons game but in real time。 They even have a philosopher stone involved and creepy monster。 What if I don't want to be a hero？ Nos or Nausicaä She is such a cool character。 She is strong （mentally and physically） and a badass。 She has been exiled and tends to put a wall around her if anyone tried to get close。 She is so sarcastic and funny and once the walls are down is another cinnamon roll。 I cant wait to see how the relationship develops between Arlo and Nos。 You mistake my meaning。 I freely admit to all crimes you accuse me of。 I did it， yes。 I simply don’t feel guilty about any of it。 Vehan surprise！ Another cinnamon roll。 He needs to be protected urgently。 I hate his mother and I hope she suffers a lot before dying。。。He is constantly trying to prove that he is worthy to be a prince。 He wears his feelings in his sleeve and is not scare about it。 He is the perfect glue to this peculiar squad。 It eats at me， because feeling that？ That soul-crushing hopelessness that drowns everything else inside you and tells you you're totally and completely alone， that you're nothing but a tool， a means to an end， a burden， and no one will really miss you when you're gone？ I know exactly what that's like。 Aurelian the grumpy， protective and cute guard / totally in love with certain prince but thanks to certain evil Queen not allowed to show those feelings。 Cel is a character that I need more about but I like him and he would do anything to protect Arlo。 I’m no hero！ Just because I’m not running around turning kids to stone doesn’t mean I’m a fine upstanding citizen like Red and Prince Charmless here， and… I don’t know， what fairy-tale character do you want to be， Aurelian？”Aurelian cut her a deadly glare。 “And fucking Grumpy。”The plot is very interesting。 We have a mysterious assassin around killing people in Toronto and going after Arlo。 The squad gets together and managed to solve the case in an action packed adventure。 Over all， Ive really enjoyed this book and I cant wait for the next book。 Will I re-read it？ Yes， most likely when book 2 is out Will I recommend the book？ Yes！ I think is a good urban fantasy with cool little references to other fantasy world we all love。 Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 。。。more
Federica
，
No plot at ALL
Saphiremoonlight
，
J'ai juste adoré ce premier tome， les 4 personnages principaux sont tous attachants à leurs façon l'univers est très bien décrits et le côté fantasy est bien mis en avant。 Le faite que les chapitres sont en POV nous donne envie d'en apprendre plus sur les personnages， j'ai beaucoup aimé le personnages de Nausicaà sa backstory et incroyable。 J'ai vraiment adoré ce premier tome et j'ai hâte de lire le deuxième。 J'ai juste adoré ce premier tome， les 4 personnages principaux sont tous attachants à leurs façon l'univers est très bien décrits et le côté fantasy est bien mis en avant。 Le faite que les chapitres sont en POV nous donne envie d'en apprendre plus sur les personnages， j'ai beaucoup aimé le personnages de Nausicaà sa backstory et incroyable。 J'ai vraiment adoré ce premier tome et j'ai hâte de lire le deuxième。 。。。more
Gigi
，
4 STARS
un_libro_de_viaggio
，
I wanted so much to like this book 😢。 I finished the book just because I didn't want to defer it， but it drained the life out of me。 I was looking for more action。 To much description for my liking， to much information that I've lost myself in。There was a couple of chapters that made me curious what would happen next but then， don't know， the beauty was lost in the small details。 I wanted so much to like this book 😢。 I finished the book just because I didn't want to defer it， but it drained the life out of me。 I was looking for more action。 To much description for my liking， to much information that I've lost myself in。There was a couple of chapters that made me curious what would happen next but then， don't know， the beauty was lost in the small details。 。。。more
Rebecca Alasdair
，
An exciting start to a new fae series！ Who doesn't love a bit of magic， murder and mayhem， where a group of misfit teens must band together to solve a problem the powers-that-be don't seem to be taking seriously？ I did find the facing dragged a bit in the first half of this book， and wished we had more time with the four POV characters actually， you know， together。 But I liked it on the whole and look forward to book 2！ An exciting start to a new fae series！ Who doesn't love a bit of magic， murder and mayhem， where a group of misfit teens must band together to solve a problem the powers-that-be don't seem to be taking seriously？ I did find the facing dragged a bit in the first half of this book， and wished we had more time with the four POV characters actually， you know， together。 But I liked it on the whole and look forward to book 2！ 。。。more
Samantha
，
I really liked the characters！ That was kind of the only thing I enjoyed
Reibekah
，
Wooo！ This was pretty good。 There was an element towards the end I'm a bit skeptical about。 Wooo！ This was pretty good。 There was an element towards the end I'm a bit skeptical about。 。。。more
Valentine
，
So， I guess this is yet another disappointment for me。 I had such high hopes for this book - although I cannot deny I fell head over heels for that gorgeous cover and didn't even think twice before adding it to my TBR。 It was everything I'd dreamed of: a dark fantasy with both fairies and LGBTQ+ representation？ Unfortunately， it turned out it was really too good to be true。 Before anything， I feel the need to clarify I didn't hate this book。 I'm saying this because， normally， I have no problem r So， I guess this is yet another disappointment for me。 I had such high hopes for this book - although I cannot deny I fell head over heels for that gorgeous cover and didn't even think twice before adding it to my TBR。 It was everything I'd dreamed of: a dark fantasy with both fairies and LGBTQ+ representation？ Unfortunately， it turned out it was really too good to be true。 Before anything， I feel the need to clarify I didn't hate this book。 I'm saying this because， normally， I have no problem ranting about a book I didn't like and listing everything I despised in it。 But in cases like this， I do feel the tiniest bite of remorse in my heart， because it's objectively not bad， and I do admire the author's work in weaving such a complex story and incorporate great diversity into it - I'll never say no to that。 The review that's about to follow isn't pure bashing in any way; I absolutely understand why some people liked this book。 It's just a question of personal preferences here。 So let's see what issues I had with this story:⭐️The Plot⭐: It's truly hard to explain what it was really about。 What I was expecting from the summary was that four magical teenagers would come together to stop the killings threatening to reveal their existence to the human world。 What I got instead was。。。 confusing to say the least。 It's not that it's a bad story， because there are actually several good ideas， and I absolutely understood what the author meant to do。 But in reality， the story was a little all over the place and very confusing at times。 Some chapters seemed to drag unecessarily， while important details were skimmed over too rapidly。 The pace felt a little off too， as the beginning was a little too long to my taste， while the ending was much too rushed， to the point I was confused in understanding it was truly the end of the book and that it wasn't missing some pages。 I do admit my read was becoming so painfully long I started skimming over some pages， but it still doesn't explain why I was so confused in the end。⭐The Info-Dump and Writing Style⭐: I think this was my biggest struggle with this book。 As I explained before， I found the pace to be a little off， jerky and inequal in certain aspects - but my problem was rather with the writing style itself。 First， this book suffered from a serious case of info-dump: huge chunks of world-building were dropped at random times， and I understand the author had a lot to say about their world to make sure everything would make sense， but it was just too much。 I understood certain parts because they were necessary to the stories， but others simply weren't。 While on the topic of world-building， I also had a problem with how dense it was。 Now， that's just a personal preference because my tiny brain prefers restricted mythologies: I just thought there was so many types of creatures that it became a little too agressive， creatively-speaking。 Like， there were faes and faeries， and the four different season courts with each the Seelie and Unseelie side， sidhe and lesidhe， Furies， Titans and more。 I think that perhaps it would have worked if some had been left in the background， but all of those beings were put under the spotlight， which made it hard to keep them all in mind and also felt a little。。。 childish？ Like very sweet and creative， but just a little over-the-top。Finally， the last detail that just gave me mild headaches was the inclusion of pop-culture references。 I cannot， for the life of me， begin to explain how much I HATE this， I can't help it。 It's not that I find modern and fandom cultures bad， because my mind is a literal tornado of all the books and TV shows I've obsessed over over the past few years， but it just bugs the hell out of me in a book， especially if it's fantasy。 While it's understandable that the characters would have been exposed to human culture in the context of the story， I just couldn't help but close my eyes and take a deep breath whenever they made a reference to a tv series or else。 It just didn't work for me; I would hate to throw that word around in a literary review but it was a little。。。 cringey。 I know， I'm being paradoxical and mean right now， but it truly didn't help me liking this book， at all。 I read Once & Future and had the same problem with it， it's not an isolated case at all。⭐The Characters⭐: The characters weren't bad at all， they just weren't that。。。 interesting。 Obviously， Arlo's arc follows the usual Chosen One YA trope and it's a little annoying， but even in general， I didn't really feel close to any of them。 It's not something I can explain， but in the end， I felt like I had been given too little detail about them to truly see them as whole， as if some pieces were missing from their portraits。 My favorite one was， unsurprisingly， Nausicaä - although her character truly suffered from too many random one-liners and snarky， teen remarks that didn't fit with her actual age and species。 I do also think the split between Arlo/Nausicaä and Vehan/Aurelian tilted way more in favor of the first pair than the second - to the point I think the narration would have been better if it had only focused on Arlo and Nausicaä's points of view。 I honestly don't understand why the author wanted to include Vehan and Aurelian as both main characters and narrators， as I personally think they didn't really bring anything to the plot - but again it's a personal opinion， nothing else。Conclusion: this wasn't bad at all。。。。 but it wasn't very good either。 I was truly expecting a dark， gruesome story about murder and faes， but ended up with a mishmash of mythologies that was more campy than thrilling， which is not bad， but not what I expected at all。 I do believe this story would perhaps be better for younger audiences （like， rather 15/17 babies than my old 21 yo bones） or anyone who doesn't mind ambitious universes with a lot （like， A LOT） of creatures and rules， and who also wouln't mind the numerous fandom references。 Unfortunately， it just wasn't the book for me but I still admire the idea - that's the reason I didn't give it a lower rating， because you've got to give it to it: it's a pretty fun story and it didn't make me angry， so that's good enough。 。。。more
Adhara Black （Clara Carvalho）
，
4。5/5 + ♡Completamente apegada a esses personagens *-*
Lia Silva
，
DNF
Jeanet Alessandra
，
no pude seguir leyendo， no me atrapó el plot， ni los personajes， nadita :（
Paperback to Hardback
，
DNF at 34%The prologue started off really well and I was intrigued。 However that is the only thing I can say I liked about what I read of this book。 I was interested in the characters until there was just and overload of them and way too many POV's that I couldn't keep up with what was going on or what had just happened which made the story quite confusing。 For the parts of the story I could keep up with the writing seemed a bit bland and choppy which made it hard to read and the dialogue's betw DNF at 34%The prologue started off really well and I was intrigued。 However that is the only thing I can say I liked about what I read of this book。 I was interested in the characters until there was just and overload of them and way too many POV's that I couldn't keep up with what was going on or what had just happened which made the story quite confusing。 For the parts of the story I could keep up with the writing seemed a bit bland and choppy which made it hard to read and the dialogue's between characters seemed a bit juvenile even when the conversations were between adults。 Again this was another highly anticipated read and I am so disappointed that I've had to DNF it， especially with such a beautiful cover。Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for allowing me access to an arc in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Mary （bookstorevibe）
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Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for providing an eARC。I did not expect to love this as much as I did but I have a feeling that this will end up being on my favorite 2021 releases list！ It was so good！I must admit that it took me two tries to get into it as the world is quite complex and I really needed to pay attention to understand what was happening， but I‘m glad I decided to start over and give it a proper shot when I actually had the time to sit down and fully immerse myself in Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for providing an eARC。I did not expect to love this as much as I did but I have a feeling that this will end up being on my favorite 2021 releases list！ It was so good！I must admit that it took me two tries to get into it as the world is quite complex and I really needed to pay attention to understand what was happening， but I‘m glad I decided to start over and give it a proper shot when I actually had the time to sit down and fully immerse myself in the world。 It was definitely worth it。A Dark and Hollow Star is an urban fantasy but packs so much magic and just incredible worldbuilding that I really didn‘t expect。 I loved how the bustling and modern setting of Toronto was combined with epic faerie courts and ancient fairytales。 There are different timelines and several POVs so it‘s a bit confusing at first but figuring out how things play together and to see everything click into place was awesome。 After the first 100 pages， I was really hooked and couldn’t stop reading it！ The characters try to solve crimes so following them as they uncover this mystery gave the book a lot of suspense。 The flow of the story was great and really made me go “just one more chapter”。I honestly really loved the cast of characters！ Arlo， Nausicäa， Vehan and Aurelian are all queer which of course made me very happy but they were also just very interesting and unique characters。 I really enjoyed learning about their backstories， their powers and their hopes and fears。 The story is more focused on Arlo and Nausicäa （aka the sapphic ship of my dreams） but I wasn’t mad about that because I absolutely adored them。 Arlo is such a realistic “chosen one” character – she doesn’t really believe in herself and doesn’t think she’s cut out to be the heroine， she’s a bit awkward and a typical teenager （which I loved） but she’s also incredibly brave in her own way。 And Nausicäa… *dreamy sigh*。 I saw someone say in their review that they’re not sure if they want to be Nausicäa or if they’re in love with her， and I feel the exact same way。 She’s such an awesome character and so layered and for sure on the morally grey side but just so badass so， yes， I guess I‘m in love with her。 I really hope we‘ll get to see more of Vehan and Aurelian in the sequel because I really enjoyed their dynamic。 They kinda already made my heart ache a lot so I‘m ready for lots of pain。The LGBTQ+ rep in this really was one of my highlights。 Getting two very angsty but also very shippable queer love stories really brought me a lot of joy。 But I loved how we not only got both a f/f and a m/m romance but also several queer side characters。 I especially appreciated how there were several non-binary/genderfluid characters who used different pronouns。 We also got some （rather casual） mentions of depression and mental health which is so rare in fantasy novels。 However， I do have to point out the lack of BIPOC characters。A Dark and Hollow Star was a very promising start to a new urban fantasy series and I can‘t wait to read the sequel。 Action-packed， magical and with the queer heroes I’ve been waiting for。4。75 stars。✨Check out my blog and bookstagram 。。。more
Cassidy Gomez
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This book left A LOT open and a lot open for interpretation。 So many loose end to tie up in the next book（s）？ This was good but also very simple like the start of a series can be in order to make a possible long series。 I see what the meant when they advertised it to be like TMI。 It’s very similar but with a lot more classes of the Fae。 Congrats to the authors for their first published book。 They did well！
Lucsbooks
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In "A Dark and Hollow Star"， four queer teens from different Fae courts， find their way to each other when they are the only ones interested in discovering the truth behind the disappearances and murders of iron born children。General ImpressionsI received "A Dark and Hollow Star" as part of my first Illumicrate box and opened it fully convinced this was gonna be a DNF。 It took me only a chapter to realize I was about to be blown away。 ADAHS reunites Holly Black's beautiful trickster elves， Sarah In "A Dark and Hollow Star"， four queer teens from different Fae courts， find their way to each other when they are the only ones interested in discovering the truth behind the disappearances and murders of iron born children。General ImpressionsI received "A Dark and Hollow Star" as part of my first Illumicrate box and opened it fully convinced this was gonna be a DNF。 It took me only a chapter to realize I was about to be blown away。 ADAHS reunites Holly Black's beautiful trickster elves， Sarah J。 Maas' sex appeal and brave heroines and Cassandra Clare diversity， social commentary and awesome character arcs。This was also the first book I've knowingly read that is written by a Canadian and set in Canada *hi Canada*。Most of my reserves when it came to this story came from my dislike for the cover， that despite beautiful， made me fear this was gonna be a simplistic story punctuated by hypersexualized women。 Although I'm still not a fan of that image as the cover， those fears were all proved unfounded。 That is exactly the way Nausicaa is described and the illustration is not only faithful to the way Nausicaa looks but the way she wants to be seen as well。This was a beautifully executed book， even more， when you consider it was Ashley Shuttleworth's debut novel and I believe， a story that only she， as a queer person herself， could have told with so much love and awareness。 Every relationship and character was so carefully written， the romantic entanglements the most delightful kind of slow burns。。。you read this book and are filled with happiness and longing。ADAHS starts with a warning and a list that will certainly be familiar to those of us that read fanfiction and that I hope becomes more common。 There are a lot of difficult themes in this book and I loved that the author worried about their readers' wellbeing and consent to be made part of such a conversation。CharactersNausicaaNausicaa had the character arc that Sarah J。 Maas failed to give Nesta and Cassian in "A Court of Silver Flames"。 Nausicaa is someone extremely powerful and in a lot of pain。 Through her own words， we learn about what caused her banishment and how she chooses to deal with her new life， both the healthy and not so healthy ways。As the story progresses she shows herself to be fearless and strong， as comfortable with a cutting remark as with her blades。ArloArlo is the product of a mixed marriage and this book starts with half of her heritage trying to banish her。 Through Arlo， we learn of the fae incredibly racist policies and all the ways in which people that are not High fae are discriminated against both in person and through laws that forbid them from studying， travelling and choosing how to live freely。Arlo is aware of those injustices but she is young and feels very much powerless， for most of the book。 After reading dozens of perfectly beautiful self-sacrificing heroines， Arlo's insecurity and wish for a normal， peaceful life felt extremely refreshing and honest。 It's high time we get a heroine that takes care of herself first， not because a man asked her too or because she is a villain but because women shouldn't be expected to give up their lives and power all the freaking time。P。S。 someone better draw this girl in all her fat glory because is what she deserves！！VehanVehan gained my love before I even realized it and I feel like that is exactly the way his character comes across to everyone in his book。 As the crown prince to one of the courts who is surrounded by sycophants and outright villains， Vehan's kindness and worry for those around him is all the more extraordinary。His and Arlo's experience overlap a bit in that they are both extremely privileged and somewhat protected and I spent the entire book waiting for them to meet and wasn't disappointed。AurelianAurelian reminded me a bit of Alec Lightwood in how is often outshined by and in love with Vehan。 His caustic humour and jealousy were another high point in the book and I need him to get everything he wants because he deserves it。Setting and world-buildingMy favourite thing about Fantasy， in general， is that addresses real-world problems， and with the author being queer themselves， the problems addressed were often viewed through a slightly different lens。 This book is queer in all the right ways。One of the big themes in this story is mental health and the different ways people deal with it。 Other than a few language choices， I adored the way characters that would often be viewed as difficult， got to explain their side of the story。 Adding all the conversations about racism， discrimination， class inequality，。。。this is the book Sarah J。 Maas has been failing at writing for years now。With this being a Fantasy， we were also SERVED looks: there was not only a wonderfully visually appealing world， but the characters also looked different both when it came to skin tones both found in human and not but also body diversity。Conclusions"A Dark And Hollow Star" is an extremely original take on the YA Fantasy and Fae universe， in which queer stories and identities are the centres instead of a detail in the straight protagonist lives。 。。。more
Lexi
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I DNFed this at about 50 percent。 It was energy sapping。 If you liked crescent city but felt like it was too long- this might be for you。 This is certainly for somebody， but not me。 If you are in love with SJM and Cassie Clare but want it with gay flavor- go buy this now。 For me- The characters felt shallow。 Everything in this book I’ve read before。 The queer rep was cool， but the actual romances associated with it were boring。 That’s all I got。 It felt like a chore to read this。 I’m sure tons o I DNFed this at about 50 percent。 It was energy sapping。 If you liked crescent city but felt like it was too long- this might be for you。 This is certainly for somebody， but not me。 If you are in love with SJM and Cassie Clare but want it with gay flavor- go buy this now。 For me- The characters felt shallow。 Everything in this book I’ve read before。 The queer rep was cool， but the actual romances associated with it were boring。 That’s all I got。 It felt like a chore to read this。 I’m sure tons of folks will disagree and fall in love with this series。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=A Dark and Hollow Star
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=A Dark and Hollow Star&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft