I have mixed feelings about Rites of the Starling, but overall, I really enjoyed it. While it's a huge step up from book one in a lot of ways, it took me forever to finish. Nothing about it was really pulling me in until pretty late into the book. But as a person who didn't love Shield of Sparrows, I am pleasantly surprised with the direction this book took the series.

The book is very slow paced. Some of the action picks up around halfway through but I don't think the plot really took off until around 80%. The story starts with Odessa trying to escape with Evie after the end of Shield of Sparrows and a lot of the events that follow feel random and unclear about what they were trying to accomplish. Most details do eventually click into place, but in the moment, it was hard to keep going when everything seemed unimportant or mundane. I'll admit that I regretted not paying more attention or making more highlights to refer back to because so many things ended up being clues for what was to come. So yes, I agree with all the other reviews that say the first half drags, but I do think the slow build was necessary to make the ending land as hard as it did.

Pacing aside, this book leveled up from Shield of Sparrows in almost every other way.

Caspia's POV took the series somewhere I wasn't expecting and added a layer of mystery that kept me engaged in her story. One of my favorite things in a multi-POV book is when separate storylines start to converge, and this is hands down one of the best examples of that I've read in a while. It's satisfying, and her story adds so much emotional depth to Odessa and the people around her. The map also expands through her chapters, which opens the door for deeper worldbuilding and history between the kingdoms. It got a little info-dumpy and confusing at times, but I loved how the small reveals throughout gradually made the stakes of the story clear by the end.

I also really appreciated Odessa's growth. In the first book, I felt she was helpless and a little obtuse. Here, she's strong, confident, and resilient, and that development felt gradual and earned.

On the romance front, I preferred reading about Andreas and Caspia over Ransom and Odessa's relationship. They just had so much chemistry and Andreas was a charming, swoonworthy MMC. Ransom and Odessa's scenes felt weirdly templated and lacked the chemistry from book one.

After the first book, I was unsure if I was going to read Rites of the Starling, but I am so glad I did. I recommend this book for readers who love slower-paced stories where the puzzle pieces gradually click together, or anyone who loves dual POVs and converging storylines. Skip if you're looking for something fast-paced or action-packed from page one.

I had a lot of fun with the first couple of books in Alex Aster's Lightlark series before it started losing direction, so I picked up her adult debut Starside hoping she had matured as a writer. I really wanted to love this but unfortunately, I think it suffers from a lot of the same issues that Lightlark had.

Like I mentioned, this is her adult debut. However, the characters, their behavior, and the writing felt very YA. The tone and vibe are actually quite similar to Lightlark if you remove the spice scene. Plot-wise, this is probably the first book I've read where the first in the series is mostly filler. By 70-ish percent, I started wondering when the plot was going to pick up. I have enjoyed books where most of the plot was a drawn out quest, but strong character and relationship development filled in for the lack of constant action (one of my faves Warrior, Princess, Assassin by Brigid Kemmerer comes to mind). That was not the case here.

The pacing was weird and unbalanced. Battle scenes and the single spice scene went on forever, but the big thing we were working towards the entire book was handled in two sentences. Similarly, crazy reveals were breezed through with barely a reaction from the characters.

Writing clarity was also a recurring issue. I found myself stumbling over unclear sentences and losing track of where characters were during scenes, which was the same problem I had with all the Lightlark books. On top of that, everything felt too convenient and predictable. People and things poofing in and out exactly when needed made the story feel very forced.

The romance was a miss for me. Enemies-to-lovers needs to be a two way street, in my opinion. It becomes clear why Aris hates Raker, but Raker's hatred of her is less personal because he seems to hate everyone and pushes people away. Because we don't get an explanation from Raker until the end, I thought he was insufferable and cruel in a way that felt unjustified. Lastly, there's no gradual development between them so the confession of love was pretty jarring when it happened.

That cliffhanger was wild though, so I'll likely pick up the next book just to find out how everything gets resolved. Overall, I wouldn't recommend but if you loved Lightlark or enjoy a broody, closed-off MMC, Starside might still be worth a shot.

My rating for I Hope This Email Finds You in Hell bounced between 3 and 4 stars throughout the book. It's a quick read that I finished in one or two sittings but had a few things that stopped me from fully loving it.

Paranormal romances are pretty hit or miss for me, but I was drawn in by the premise. We're following Brie who is venturing through Hell with her corporate boss, Luke, to save her emotional support coworker. I've had a few emotional support coworkers I would have gone to Hell and back for and this premise sounded too hilarious to pass up.

It's a quick read that I finished in one or two sittings. The worldbuilding was a lot of fun, with plot twists, reveals, and clues scattered throughout that kept things interesting. There are also pieces of humor and irony built in, like Silicon Valley being the headquarters of Hell, that made me chuckle. That said, there were times when the worldbuilding got confusing or when reveals had to be overexplained because they seemed improbable based on worldbuilding from earlier. Maybe it's small, but having to follow convoluted explanations for a few of the reveals kept pulling me out of the story.

The focus is mostly on the quest to save Brie's friend, but there's also some commentary on grief, trauma, and humanity that I appreciated. Brie's backstory is one of personal trauma that made her abandon her old life to start fresh, and Luke is at a crossroads figuring out who he is and what his mission is. What they're each going through fueled their connection, which felt real and earned. That said, I do think the characters are a little underwritten, especially Luke. I wish we'd gotten his POV or more personality.

The ending solution was hilarious and tied back into the corporate hell theme really well. My main gripe is that we didn't spend enough time with the villains to merit how often they were referenced. It felt like they were written into the story because we needed a villain, not because they actually mattered to the story in the end.

Overall though, this a satisfying standalone but I wouldn't be mad if we got more of Luke and Brie's adventures. This is a great pick for fans of Bride by Ali Hazelwood or My Roommate is a Vampire by Jenna Levine. I recommend this if you are looking for a twist on a roadtrip romance.

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Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC!

3.75 🌟 - I was really in the mood for a story that didn't ask me to follow too much worldbuilding or lore. Heart of the Wolf Queen fit the bill. It was fast-paced and had a simple plot. Overall, I liked what was here, but I kept wanting more.

The atmosphere is marketed as dark and gothic, but I never quite felt that. The dialogue is modern and the descriptions of the setting and other things like character appearances don't really go in depth. The world and the magic system are simple to follow, but I think that comes at the expense of details that would have brought the story to life. The simplicity made everything feel a little flat.

The romance is a second-chance, childhood-friends-to-lovers dynamic. When it finally kicks off, it's really sweet and I liked Sorrow and Matthias together. That said, the first half of the book does little to establish Matthias as a character or show the two of them actively working through the fallout of his betrayal. Instead, they'd have an argument, he'd disappear on some royal duty for a while, then reappear, and the cycle would repeat. It didn't feel like we were building toward anything, just stalling until the plot caught up.

The lack of movement in the romance mostly had to do with Sorrow. She was frustratingly stubborn in a way that felt unjustified. Being guarded made sense given her history with Matthias, but she often acted against her own interests, which made it impossible to root for her. It's worth noting that Sorrow is losing her sight after an accident, and as a result she relies on Pablo, a wolf companion, to guide her. I loved this representation of a disabled FMC, and their dynamic added so much to the story.

I also enjoyed the found family element. The side characters each had their own backstories, personalities, and identities, which gave the story more depth. That said, I think Matthias needed more page time, or even a chapter or two from his POV, so we could get to know him better. He and his motivations are central to the political plot, and fleshing him out would have added a lot to the story.

Overall, I'd still recommend this to those who want something fast-paced and uncomplicated, especially if you like stories featuring animal companions.

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Thank you to NetGalley and Second Sky Books for the ARC!