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The Hollow Star Saga #3
A Grim and Sunken Vow
Arlo and her friends must decide how far they’re willing to go to depose a cruel ruler in this third book in the Hollow Star Saga that’s The Cruel Prince meets City of Bones .
The die is cast.
The era of Spring is over.
Riadne’s bloody coup on the Summer Solstice changed Arlo’s life forever. In one fell swoop and a fool’s bargain, she lost both her family and free will to the newly crowned High Queen. Now, with Arlo forced to use her powers as Luck’s Hollow Star to help summon the rest of the seven deadly sins, Riadne stands closer than ever to achieving her dark goals.
And Arlo isn’t the only one trapped in a frightening new role. Her ex-Fury girlfriend, Nausicaä, is determined to do whatever it takes to stay by Arlo’s side, even if that means becoming Riadne’s pet assassin. Aurelian and Vehan, torn apart, struggle to survive on their own.
Meanwhile, Celadon has been revealed as Riadne’s illegitimate son—and heir to both Spring and Summer, the ultimate offense in the faerie world. But the High Prince has secret plans of his own, plans made all the more complicated when the beautiful and deadly immortal Hunter Lethe takes an interest in him…
Five budding legacies will need more than luck if they hope to stand a chance against the greatest adversary the Courts have faced. For nothing’s more dangerous than a faerie tale… except the one who tells it, and maybe what they’re going to need is no longer that story’s hero but its villain .
The die is cast.
The era of Spring is over.
Riadne’s bloody coup on the Summer Solstice changed Arlo’s life forever. In one fell swoop and a fool’s bargain, she lost both her family and free will to the newly crowned High Queen. Now, with Arlo forced to use her powers as Luck’s Hollow Star to help summon the rest of the seven deadly sins, Riadne stands closer than ever to achieving her dark goals.
And Arlo isn’t the only one trapped in a frightening new role. Her ex-Fury girlfriend, Nausicaä, is determined to do whatever it takes to stay by Arlo’s side, even if that means becoming Riadne’s pet assassin. Aurelian and Vehan, torn apart, struggle to survive on their own.
Meanwhile, Celadon has been revealed as Riadne’s illegitimate son—and heir to both Spring and Summer, the ultimate offense in the faerie world. But the High Prince has secret plans of his own, plans made all the more complicated when the beautiful and deadly immortal Hunter Lethe takes an interest in him…
Five budding legacies will need more than luck if they hope to stand a chance against the greatest adversary the Courts have faced. For nothing’s more dangerous than a faerie tale… except the one who tells it, and maybe what they’re going to need is no longer that story’s hero but its villain .
640 pages, Hardcover
First published November 28, 2023
71 people are currently reading
3269 people want to read
About the author
Ashley Shuttleworth
4 books851 followersAshley Shuttleworth was born in Chilliwack, British Columbia and currently lives Ontario. They have a BA (Hons) in English Literature with a minor in Classical History, and spent some time after uni living and teaching in Seoul, South Korea.
When they aren't reading or writing, their favourite pastimes are going to the gym, playing video games (particularly Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, and Zelda), and piecing together cosplays for conventions.
When they aren't reading or writing, their favourite pastimes are going to the gym, playing video games (particularly Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, and Zelda), and piecing together cosplays for conventions.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 172 reviews
January 11, 2023
01/10/23: Update to book synopsis. Get in losers its 2023 we're heading for the gay villain arc
08/23/22: I write sins not tragedies!
Please keep this in mind when you get to the end of this book and want to unalive me. This was always a play on my favourite myth of Achilles/Patroclus, but there will be no burying of the gays! So be afraid! But not in a stabby sort of way.
A GRIM AND SUNKEN VOW is currently only on its first draft. A quiet thing, compared to ACAFL, but oh the emotional places these characters will have to go before we can get to book 4. I'm proud of all my books, for various reasons. ADAHS was life and creativity; ACAFL was precision and levelled-up craft; AGASV is emotion in many extremes. Grief, anger, joy, love, determination--the lengths we'd go and the people we'd become in order to do what's right, to protect the people who matter, to survive. Writing this third instalment was difficult--the exhaustion of everything that's happened since 2020 hit like a brick wall, and I crumbled. My fingers are crossed that the revision and polishing phase shines this story up to my best work yet, because we've finally come to the parts of the story i've been most excited to write, and the backstory of my favourite character.
Some people will love it! Some people will wonder why they keep letting me write books. Personally, i'm having the time of my life and I can't wait to unleash more of my brand of torment on the world.
P.S. you're welcome--Nausicaa is on FORM in this.
Hope you like a little sapphic spice.
08/23/22: I write sins not tragedies!
Please keep this in mind when you get to the end of this book and want to unalive me. This was always a play on my favourite myth of Achilles/Patroclus, but there will be no burying of the gays! So be afraid! But not in a stabby sort of way.
A GRIM AND SUNKEN VOW is currently only on its first draft. A quiet thing, compared to ACAFL, but oh the emotional places these characters will have to go before we can get to book 4. I'm proud of all my books, for various reasons. ADAHS was life and creativity; ACAFL was precision and levelled-up craft; AGASV is emotion in many extremes. Grief, anger, joy, love, determination--the lengths we'd go and the people we'd become in order to do what's right, to protect the people who matter, to survive. Writing this third instalment was difficult--the exhaustion of everything that's happened since 2020 hit like a brick wall, and I crumbled. My fingers are crossed that the revision and polishing phase shines this story up to my best work yet, because we've finally come to the parts of the story i've been most excited to write, and the backstory of my favourite character.
Some people will love it! Some people will wonder why they keep letting me write books. Personally, i'm having the time of my life and I can't wait to unleash more of my brand of torment on the world.
P.S. you're welcome--Nausicaa is on FORM in this.
Hope you like a little sapphic spice.
November 13, 2023
October 2023:
This book is an emotional masterpiece from beginning to end. We pick up right after the devastating events at the end of book 2 and build from there. This amazing cast of characters are tested in new ways after many new discoveries along the way. My only qualm with this being multiple POV is being so invested in one chapter and it ending on a mini cliffhanger, for us then to switch to another character for a bit. But I was uniquely invested in each character's POV, so this ultimately wasn't a flaw to the book. The multiple POVs do a great job at detailing every piece of the story's overall puzzle.
What this third book does best is really dives into each character emotionally. There is so much development in this book, especially with Arlo and Celadon. We also get a lot more insight into Lethe, and his arc throughout this book was done beautifully.
And once again, this ending leaves me emotionally reeling and anticipating the next book. The countdown begins!
June 2022:
hello, I’m here to start the emotional support group for those waiting on this book to release after that ending of a cruel and fated light :’)
This book is an emotional masterpiece from beginning to end. We pick up right after the devastating events at the end of book 2 and build from there. This amazing cast of characters are tested in new ways after many new discoveries along the way. My only qualm with this being multiple POV is being so invested in one chapter and it ending on a mini cliffhanger, for us then to switch to another character for a bit. But I was uniquely invested in each character's POV, so this ultimately wasn't a flaw to the book. The multiple POVs do a great job at detailing every piece of the story's overall puzzle.
What this third book does best is really dives into each character emotionally. There is so much development in this book, especially with Arlo and Celadon. We also get a lot more insight into Lethe, and his arc throughout this book was done beautifully.
And once again, this ending leaves me emotionally reeling and anticipating the next book. The countdown begins!
June 2022:
hello, I’m here to start the emotional support group for those waiting on this book to release after that ending of a cruel and fated light :’)
May 30, 2024
Ashley Shuttleworth is making me realize why some people wait for a series to be complete before starting it...
November 30, 2023
Content warnings from the book itself: anger, arson, blood/gore (moderate), depression, grief (loss
of sister/mother/father/family members), murder, murder of minors, parental
abuse/neglect, psychopathy, psychological manipulation, self-harm (past, minor
description), suicide (past, off-page), suicidal ideation, child trafficking
(moderate description), torture, torture of minor, violence (semi-graphic).
Rep from all our main characters: Arlo is cis, white, and pansexual. Nausicaa is cis, white, and lesbian. Aurelian is cis, white and gay. Vehan is cis, white and bisexual. Celadon is gender-questioning (not referenced in this book at all, but does have a passage in book 2) and demisexual. Lethe is cis, white, and achillean, demiromantic.
Side queer characters. Side POC characters. Side non-binary characters. Queernormative world.
This one picks up immediately after book 2, which is a relief, and a heartache.
I was eager to dive back into this fantastic world. I wanted to know exactly what the fallout was from Riadne taking the Bone Crown, and what would happen to Arlo, and everyone else.
This book did not disappoint.
I loved getting Lethe's background. I loved every second of his history, even though it made my heart ache.
My heart also ached so much for Arlo - she needs a massive hug and a break.
This book was captivating from start to finish. I absolutely need book 4 as soon as possible because there are SO many things that I need to know! Especially what is going to happen next.
My love for this series knows no limits. It is forever my favourite fantasy series.
of sister/mother/father/family members), murder, murder of minors, parental
abuse/neglect, psychopathy, psychological manipulation, self-harm (past, minor
description), suicide (past, off-page), suicidal ideation, child trafficking
(moderate description), torture, torture of minor, violence (semi-graphic).
Rep from all our main characters: Arlo is cis, white, and pansexual. Nausicaa is cis, white, and lesbian. Aurelian is cis, white and gay. Vehan is cis, white and bisexual. Celadon is gender-questioning (not referenced in this book at all, but does have a passage in book 2) and demisexual. Lethe is cis, white, and achillean, demiromantic.
Side queer characters. Side POC characters. Side non-binary characters. Queernormative world.
This one picks up immediately after book 2, which is a relief, and a heartache.
I was eager to dive back into this fantastic world. I wanted to know exactly what the fallout was from Riadne taking the Bone Crown, and what would happen to Arlo, and everyone else.
This book did not disappoint.
I loved getting Lethe's background. I loved every second of his history, even though it made my heart ache.
My heart also ached so much for Arlo - she needs a massive hug and a break.
This book was captivating from start to finish. I absolutely need book 4 as soon as possible because there are SO many things that I need to know! Especially what is going to happen next.
My love for this series knows no limits. It is forever my favourite fantasy series.
March 19, 2024
screaming internally at this ending
December 8, 2023
...WE HAVE A 2023 FAVOURITE EVERYONE!
You're all sleeping on this series. Every single one of you. This book was fantastic and yes you can expect me to encourage everyone to reread the series with me before the last book comes out next year. As soon as we have a release date, I will have a schedule!
I already loved the first two books in The Hollow Star Saga (A Dark and Hollow Star and A Cruel and Fated Light), and felt that the second one was a step up from the first. That trend continued here, because A Grim and Sunken Vow took the growth from book two and skyrocketed. The interweaving of plot lines was well done, something that must have been incredibly difficult given that every single character had their own motives. Even Aurelian—a character I like, but ultimately find the flattest of the PoVs—really grows in this book, coming into his own. There's a lot of care put into the evolution of each of the characters, both in the events that unfold throughout this one book, but also overall. Arlo herself, as per usual (and as it should be!) is the main star of the show for the regular PoVs, and I can say with certainty that this will continue into book four.
There's a dual timeline in all of these books where Shuttleworth writes the history of an additional character in the book. In ADAHS, that character is Hero, the alchemist crafting the first philosopher's stone. In ACAFL, that character is Riadne, Queen of Seelie Summer (and future High Sovereign). In AGASV, that character is Lethe. While he's not a villain like Hero or Riadne, he's certainly an anti-hero, and I think his PoV was pivotal for making this work.
I don't know how to articulate all of my thoughts, so here's a TL;DR list:
* Shuttleworth has grown as a writer in this book
* Sh*t hits the fan
* Things get dark
* Everyone grows and evolves as a character
* The trauma is heavy
You're all sleeping on this series. Every single one of you. This book was fantastic and yes you can expect me to encourage everyone to reread the series with me before the last book comes out next year. As soon as we have a release date, I will have a schedule!
I already loved the first two books in The Hollow Star Saga (A Dark and Hollow Star and A Cruel and Fated Light), and felt that the second one was a step up from the first. That trend continued here, because A Grim and Sunken Vow took the growth from book two and skyrocketed. The interweaving of plot lines was well done, something that must have been incredibly difficult given that every single character had their own motives. Even Aurelian—a character I like, but ultimately find the flattest of the PoVs—really grows in this book, coming into his own. There's a lot of care put into the evolution of each of the characters, both in the events that unfold throughout this one book, but also overall. Arlo herself, as per usual (and as it should be!) is the main star of the show for the regular PoVs, and I can say with certainty that this will continue into book four.
There's a dual timeline in all of these books where Shuttleworth writes the history of an additional character in the book. In ADAHS, that character is Hero, the alchemist crafting the first philosopher's stone. In ACAFL, that character is Riadne, Queen of Seelie Summer (and future High Sovereign). In AGASV, that character is Lethe. While he's not a villain like Hero or Riadne, he's certainly an anti-hero, and I think his PoV was pivotal for making this work.
I don't know how to articulate all of my thoughts, so here's a TL;DR list:
* Shuttleworth has grown as a writer in this book
* Sh*t hits the fan
* Things get dark
* Everyone grows and evolves as a character
* The trauma is heavy
January 5, 2024
Wait there's a fourth book? .... can the covers of this series stand to get any uglier
Yeah this is a hate read since I didn't like the last book. Most of my thoughts on that book still apply, but this one is at least less boring.
The writing: too many italics, too many ellipses, too many capitals (do we really need both italics and capitals), too many single-line paragraphs because every line just has to be a banger, too much repetition (ginger, adamantine, and sentences that just restate the previous sentence), too many sentences that should have ended in question marks instead of periods, too many typos.
There are no stakes. I didn't even care when because I knew that it wasn't going to be a permanent consequence.
Celadon is an edgelord now. Lethe's relationship with is cringe. There's a fine line between cool and cringe especially when the cool is edgy cool and I found the whole book cringe. Lethe feels like the OC you make when you're a young edgy teen, the OC who has the coolest character design and also every possible trauma you can dump onto them. This is friendly fire because this was me.
This book is also weirdly uncomfortable. There are too many slightly incestuous bits. Vehan had "a romantic crush" on Celadon. Great. Glad we don't unpack more of that. And then every couple except Vehan and Aurelian has an uncomfortable age gap. Every time Nausicaä's age was mentioned it was weird. Also Lethe is like ancient. I know it's fantasy, but it's still weird.
I would've eaten this book up when I was fourteen.
Yeah this is a hate read since I didn't like the last book. Most of my thoughts on that book still apply, but this one is at least less boring.
The writing: too many italics, too many ellipses, too many capitals (do we really need both italics and capitals), too many single-line paragraphs because every line just has to be a banger, too much repetition (ginger, adamantine, and sentences that just restate the previous sentence), too many sentences that should have ended in question marks instead of periods, too many typos.
There are no stakes. I didn't even care when because I knew that it wasn't going to be a permanent consequence.
Celadon is an edgelord now. Lethe's relationship with is cringe. There's a fine line between cool and cringe especially when the cool is edgy cool and I found the whole book cringe. Lethe feels like the OC you make when you're a young edgy teen, the OC who has the coolest character design and also every possible trauma you can dump onto them. This is friendly fire because this was me.
This book is also weirdly uncomfortable. There are too many slightly incestuous bits. Vehan had "a romantic crush" on Celadon. Great. Glad we don't unpack more of that. And then every couple except Vehan and Aurelian has an uncomfortable age gap. Every time Nausicaä's age was mentioned it was weird. Also Lethe is like ancient. I know it's fantasy, but it's still weird.
I would've eaten this book up when I was fourteen.
February 23, 2024
What do you mean I have to wait until NOVEMBER??!??!??
June 16, 2024
DNF at 14% because of the incest. Nothing happened between them but that weirded me out enough to feel completely turned off by the series. May revisit because I love nas but the covers keep getting uglier so…
April 12, 2024
Another book club read done!!
The plot of this saga is so interesting and so complex! So many different fantasy elements and lores, and I love the general inclusivity and intersectionality throughout the story. Still, I just don’t love the writing style and haven’t for all 3 books out in this series so far (all personal preference there). With this one in particular, I felt like because of the plot complexity the pacing sometimes felt off / rushed. A lot of rapid fire answers to longstanding questions in the last 100 pages or so. Maybe it’s because I took forever to read this book, but I also often found myself getting confused and having to go back lol. Definitely will read the fourth book because I’m desperate to see how this all wraps up!
The plot of this saga is so interesting and so complex! So many different fantasy elements and lores, and I love the general inclusivity and intersectionality throughout the story. Still, I just don’t love the writing style and haven’t for all 3 books out in this series so far (all personal preference there). With this one in particular, I felt like because of the plot complexity the pacing sometimes felt off / rushed. A lot of rapid fire answers to longstanding questions in the last 100 pages or so. Maybe it’s because I took forever to read this book, but I also often found myself getting confused and having to go back lol. Definitely will read the fourth book because I’m desperate to see how this all wraps up!
December 4, 2023
obnoxious abuse of ellipses. story not compelling. characters not compelling. romance not compelling. three books in and I can’t see a cohesive plot. confusing mythology. fae pantheon? Greek pantheon? Native American pantheon? spin a wheel and pick a pantheon for the next book, quick. world building, what world building? the villain arc that didn’t land? truly feels like a story built on tropes and pinterest boards. yet, the biggest crime must’ve been the cover. I hid it under two other books when I got it, it’s that bad.
before anyone asks, I did not dnf. I read it to the end. it did not get better. (I had to see if the plot would manifest itself magically)
before anyone asks, I did not dnf. I read it to the end. it did not get better. (I had to see if the plot would manifest itself magically)
May 11, 2024
I can't wait anymore ahhh
Update: just opened goodreads and saw we got a date and a cover and my day is made no it's forged into gold!
Update: I READ IT FINALLY AND OMGGGG GUYS I LOVEDDDD EVERY SECOND OF READING IT THANK YOU SO MUCH AUTHOR THIS WAS AMAZING ALL CAPS AMAZING KIND
Update: just opened goodreads and saw we got a date and a cover and my day is made no it's forged into gold!
Update: I READ IT FINALLY AND OMGGGG GUYS I LOVEDDDD EVERY SECOND OF READING IT THANK YOU SO MUCH AUTHOR THIS WAS AMAZING ALL CAPS AMAZING KIND
December 14, 2023
Alright I have complicated feelings about this book. I want to start off by saying there is a fan girl inside of me that LOVES the energy of this series, which is why I devoured the first two books earlier this year. This entry, however, lacked a lot of that energy until nearly the final quarter. With a few choice exceptions, there’s alot of spoon-feeding the audience exactly what a character is feeling, sometimes going so far as having POV characters divinely guess what another character is thinking and feeling. Mostly Telling, very little Showing. I think that’s partially why, for me, all the death and violence never really…struck me the way other books have. The pacing is just so sluggish for most of the book, particularly because of all the repetition. Whole paragraphs of sentences rephrasing the same thought, sometimes within the same sentence. I really think a book like this needed more time in the editing phase, but I understand an author is not really in control of deadlines.
That being said, I am glad I stuck with it because I really loved the back quarter lol. While I think the author can sometimes go overboard describing interiors and outfits, she painted beautifully vivid pictures with less words in the back quarter of the book. She clearly pictures her stories in extremely vivid detail and I’ll admit, I’m a little jealous of that. I really enjoyed the twists and turns, as it had much of the tight plotting the first two did. I’m not the biggest fan of introducing plot devices via flashback or internal monologue RIGHT before they’re relevant, but for every instance of that, there was payoff for situations set up in the first entry. There are specific stylistic choices at the very end that weren’t necessarily my taste BUT were effective nonetheless. The world Ashley Shuttleworth created is very rich and well thought out. She’s extremely creative and WOW what a storyline to try and wrangle. I really do commend her. She clearly knows her characters inside and out and while they can sometimes be a little YA cliche, I appreciate the unflinching commitment to LGBTQ+ representation. Honestly for as many problems I had with it, this is the longest Goodreads review I’ve ever left 🤷🏼♀️ the series as a whole has a lot of heart, especially if you’re a fan of RPGs and YA, but overall I think this is the weakest entry. Still gonna read the next one and probably everything else the author writes lol
That being said, I am glad I stuck with it because I really loved the back quarter lol. While I think the author can sometimes go overboard describing interiors and outfits, she painted beautifully vivid pictures with less words in the back quarter of the book. She clearly pictures her stories in extremely vivid detail and I’ll admit, I’m a little jealous of that. I really enjoyed the twists and turns, as it had much of the tight plotting the first two did. I’m not the biggest fan of introducing plot devices via flashback or internal monologue RIGHT before they’re relevant, but for every instance of that, there was payoff for situations set up in the first entry. There are specific stylistic choices at the very end that weren’t necessarily my taste BUT were effective nonetheless. The world Ashley Shuttleworth created is very rich and well thought out. She’s extremely creative and WOW what a storyline to try and wrangle. I really do commend her. She clearly knows her characters inside and out and while they can sometimes be a little YA cliche, I appreciate the unflinching commitment to LGBTQ+ representation. Honestly for as many problems I had with it, this is the longest Goodreads review I’ve ever left 🤷🏼♀️ the series as a whole has a lot of heart, especially if you’re a fan of RPGs and YA, but overall I think this is the weakest entry. Still gonna read the next one and probably everything else the author writes lol
January 28, 2024
Probably more of a 4/4.5 ⭐️ but I can never be objective when it comes to series I like.
First of all, I agree with some people: some concepts should’ve been taken out from the book. It would’ve made it shorter, easier to get through and on top of that easier to understand. Not gonna lie, I got lost sometimes. It all finally came together in the end, but you have to be patient.
That being said I absolutely fell in love with this world and these characters. Even when the plot gets tangled you can see how the characters grow, get to know and care about each other.
I’m devastated that it ended in a cliffhanger, but what a cliffhanger it was! Finally got a lot of answers to what’s been happening this whole time and why everyone is involved in this mess. I never thought I’d say that, but Lethe might just be one of my favorite characters.
First of all, I agree with some people: some concepts should’ve been taken out from the book. It would’ve made it shorter, easier to get through and on top of that easier to understand. Not gonna lie, I got lost sometimes. It all finally came together in the end, but you have to be patient.
That being said I absolutely fell in love with this world and these characters. Even when the plot gets tangled you can see how the characters grow, get to know and care about each other.
I’m devastated that it ended in a cliffhanger, but what a cliffhanger it was! Finally got a lot of answers to what’s been happening this whole time and why everyone is involved in this mess. I never thought I’d say that, but Lethe might just be one of my favorite characters.
December 4, 2023
I'm hooked!
There are plenty of criticisms that I could give this book (and this series).
Its writing is a tad flowery for me. Its pantheon of gods and hunters and First Ones is hard to follow. There's a fair amount of use of deus ex machina.
But the characters keep me coming back for more.
I am absolutely hooked on the lives and stories of the protagonists of this series. I adore Arlo's courage and sacrifice, Nausicaa's snark, Vehan's optimism, and Aurelian... well, he's just my favourite character. Celedon took awhile to grow on me but I'm fully enjoying watching him come into himself, and it's good to finally understand a little more about Lethe.
Deus ex machina aside, the plot is spectacular as well, with constant twists that keep the reader guessing, and just enough romance sprinkled in. While not as obvious as in the first book, the weird juxtaposition of the fae realm and the modern world provides for constant entertainment, and the diversity of the characters is refreshing.
I'm very much looking forward to the next book in the series!!
There are plenty of criticisms that I could give this book (and this series).
Its writing is a tad flowery for me. Its pantheon of gods and hunters and First Ones is hard to follow. There's a fair amount of use of deus ex machina.
But the characters keep me coming back for more.
I am absolutely hooked on the lives and stories of the protagonists of this series. I adore Arlo's courage and sacrifice, Nausicaa's snark, Vehan's optimism, and Aurelian... well, he's just my favourite character. Celedon took awhile to grow on me but I'm fully enjoying watching him come into himself, and it's good to finally understand a little more about Lethe.
Deus ex machina aside, the plot is spectacular as well, with constant twists that keep the reader guessing, and just enough romance sprinkled in. While not as obvious as in the first book, the weird juxtaposition of the fae realm and the modern world provides for constant entertainment, and the diversity of the characters is refreshing.
I'm very much looking forward to the next book in the series!!
February 20, 2024
shout out to myself for saying I’d only read “finished” fantasy series this year only to get immersed in this one with the final book not out yet
that one’s on me
(I had a lot of fun with this series I can’t wait for the last book!)
that one’s on me
(I had a lot of fun with this series I can’t wait for the last book!)
January 6, 2024
Oh my god
When does the next one come out?
Also Lethe is amazing and I may a bit attached to him, he’s definitely grown on me…
When does the next one come out?
Also Lethe is amazing and I may a bit attached to him, he’s definitely grown on me…
January 10, 2024
Loved it! But were there this many ellipses in book one and two?
March 3, 2024
That was incredible, twists I didn’t see coming, backstories on characters I was dying to hear about, secrets coming out and wild scary things happening.
I’m just slightly befuddled at that end because so many loose strings were left hanging
I’m just slightly befuddled at that end because so many loose strings were left hanging
December 7, 2023
I love this series. I adore it. But my lord. If the author doesn't stop introducing new concepts... like Infinity War(there was so much movie in that movie), there is just so much book in this book. In all the books.
December 18, 2023
I-
What-
I'm-
SCREAMING, CRYING, SCREAMING SOME MORE-
What-
I'm-
SCREAMING, CRYING, SCREAMING SOME MORE-
June 15, 2024
Originally I was going to give this installment five stars, but then I remembered the cover and dropped it down to four stars (/j)
Ok, being completely serious now- this review will be a little longer because I do genuinely really like this series, and any criticism I give is because I fully believe in the authors talents to deliver a really good book series. I’ve been thinking about this series for a year and a half now, so the least I can do is give an honest and comprehensive review, right? This review is probably gonna be mostly based on the characters as well, since I tend to focus more on if I like the characters than how good the plot is. So, that being said, LESGO
It was ABSOLUTELY a mistake on my part to not reread the first two books before diving into this one, a year and a half since I read the first two. I was thinking “oh, I remember the ending of ACAFL, what else do I need?”
Clearly a lot else, because I legitimately did not remember who Theodore was the entire time while I was reading. (Not a fault on the author, more of a me fault) All of this to say that my review may be a little skewed because I am a little rusty on the Hollow Star series and I don’t want to reread them right now since I have to read other books. ANYWAYS.
NAUSICAA:
Nos was definitely the biggest disappointment out of the core four for me, even though I still liked her. I know a lot of her actions were to make sure Arlo was okay, but it literally felt like her only two modes were “protecting Arlo” and “snappy one liners.” Like, at one point she’s talking about live, laugh, love? That completely took me out of the book.
The only meaningful conversation I can remember that she has with any of the other core four other than Arlo is with Vehan (about Arlo, of course) and a brief conversation and a few fights with Aurelian, where she’s cracking jokes but still letting him get away (which, slay). Otherwise, unless if I am completely stupid (I probably am) I can’t remember any other conversations she has with the boys.
She didn’t grow as much as a character, and I guess that was mostly book 1’s arc for her, but considering Arlo has gone through arcs in every single book, it still felt a little sad to see she didn’t develop as much as I had hoped.
ARLO:
I will give it to Shuttleworth, Arlo’s grief was INTENSE. In an amazing and visceral way to read. She definitely changed throughout the course of the book, and it was really sad to see her go through the things that she did by Riadne (this is probably spelled wrong)
I will say though, and this is probably just me, I realllllly hate the “removed memories from the main character from before we met them” trope. It can just feel so annoying when authors can explain away stuff with “OH, BUT YOU SEE, THEY HAD DONE THIS BEFORE AND JUST LOST THEIR MEMORIES!“ Maybe Lightlark and the stupid memory stuff is rubbing off on me right now, but I was just not into the whole “oh, Arlo lost her memories before we knew her, so it’s not that surprising that she’s amazing at alchemy” Again, probably a me thing, so I don’t really hold this against the author.
Relationships with Arlo were done super well in my opinion, and it was great to see her friends come together to support her.
VEHAN:
I was so surprised to remember how much I liked Vehan and how much of an ICON dude is? Like bro just casually turns all the lights on in Toronto while hiding his power from his evil, murderous mother? AND HE DIES TO SAVE AURELIAN? Slayer, iconic, amazing.
It was really nice to see his relationships with Arlo and Celadon grow, since Aurelian and him have been attached at the hip the last two books and they needed time to develop as characters separately. Ignoring the whole Celadon crush thing from the first two books (why was that a thing), they did become a nice pair of brothers, and it was cool to see.
Also, he went through a really great character arc of recognizing his mom had taken away so much agency from him, and tag-teaming with Arlo to take that agency back and make himself the hollow star in her place, something I’m really looking forward to seeing in the next book.
AURELIAN:
Oh, Aurelian, if only you knew how conflicted I am about you… on one hand, plot wise, it’s very hard for me to label what exact Aurelian actually DID. Yes, he was hanging around the Grim lady, but did he do anything of actual consequence? I’ve made a list of the things of actual consequence I feel like he did:
1) Join the anti-Riande squad
2) Get captured and escape
3) Join Celadon’s OTHER anti-Riande squad
And… yeah, that’s about it. Yes, he made some friends, but they didn’t really come into play in the book- they were captured with him and I think they escaped with Aurelian’s family? He fought Nausicaa, but that honestly didn’t have too many consequences for either of them, since they don’t go too much into detail of his woodsprite friend and Nausicaa doesn’t get punished by Riande until later. Plot-wise, he pretty much only moves the story forward by getting captured and joining squads cause ✨he loves Vehan✨
But CHARACTER wise? Phenomenal. Five stars.
It might not make sense, but his being away from Vehan is probably the best thing Shuttleworth could’ve done for his character. He’s still a broody, pining lil bastard, but he also gets the chance to grow and evolve on his own beyond Vehan, and is able to establish his own mindset and philosophy about himself. Harlan, his brother who I completely forgot existed, gives him some amazing advice along the lines of “fighting is a form of protection, and there’s nothing wrong with fighting to help the ones you love” which was beautifully worded (and made me feel guilty for forgetting Harlan exists- sorry, bro)
He does still have his protective side, especially with Elyas, but being able to make friends and grow without Vehan really does a lot for him as a character. So, while I’m frustrated that he didn’t do much for the plot, I’m also really happy that he grew as a character.
CELADON AND LETHE:
First of all, “patron of lonely things” is such a beautiful way to describe the moon and I am 100% in AWE that someone thought to write that down. Genius.
Anyway, Celadon.. he was eh. Major character and all, yes, but I didn’t- and still don’t- regard him as a major “core four”. It’s very obvious that he is probably Shuttleworth’s favorite, however, since he keeps getting bigger and bigger roles each book. I don’t hate him, but I’m definitely not as attached as I am to the others.
Lethe, meanwhile, is on my dislike list. Nope. Nopity nope. I do NOT support the bad boy narrative and he most certainly fits it. Although I was interested in his backstory, I still wasn’t a big fan of his and still did NOT like when he showed up on my page.
Only thing I disliked more was when the two of them showed up together in a romantic way.
Maybe it’s a me thing, but “reincarnated lovers” HAS ALWAYS FREAKED ME OUT. Like, THEY KNOW YOU? But you don’t know them? IS THAT STALKING? IS THE AGE GAP EVEN LEGAL? Like I know bro is supposed to be at least 21+, BUT HOW OLD IS LETHE? He’s gotta be at least 200 years old, right? It’s already a little odd to me with Nos and Arlo, and I think that’s only 100 years or so- NOT 200+!!
I don’t know why I had such a deep dislike of that pairing, but I still am just not a big fan this couple (I blame Lethe, the bastard) so it being a major focus might be the reason that my ranking has gone down a star. Because, at the end of the day, I really, REALLY like this book.
CONCLUSION:
I have my problems with the characters, but I will give credit where credit is due, and Shuttleworth deserves a lot of credit: these characters are GOOD. Whether or not I like Celadon and Lethe much, I can see their characters are insanely well crafted and thought out. Other than Nos (IMO), all major characters went through growth and change in this book and advanced the plot forwards towards an eventual series finale.
This series has been living in my head for awhile, and though I’ll be sad to see it go when I read the fourth and final book, I am also insanely excited to see how these characters have grown and evolved. I genuinely really do love this book and series, and I’m ready to see where everyone ends up!
(But seriously. What is with this cover art.)
Ok, being completely serious now- this review will be a little longer because I do genuinely really like this series, and any criticism I give is because I fully believe in the authors talents to deliver a really good book series. I’ve been thinking about this series for a year and a half now, so the least I can do is give an honest and comprehensive review, right? This review is probably gonna be mostly based on the characters as well, since I tend to focus more on if I like the characters than how good the plot is. So, that being said, LESGO
It was ABSOLUTELY a mistake on my part to not reread the first two books before diving into this one, a year and a half since I read the first two. I was thinking “oh, I remember the ending of ACAFL, what else do I need?”
Clearly a lot else, because I legitimately did not remember who Theodore was the entire time while I was reading. (Not a fault on the author, more of a me fault) All of this to say that my review may be a little skewed because I am a little rusty on the Hollow Star series and I don’t want to reread them right now since I have to read other books. ANYWAYS.
NAUSICAA:
Nos was definitely the biggest disappointment out of the core four for me, even though I still liked her. I know a lot of her actions were to make sure Arlo was okay, but it literally felt like her only two modes were “protecting Arlo” and “snappy one liners.” Like, at one point she’s talking about live, laugh, love? That completely took me out of the book.
The only meaningful conversation I can remember that she has with any of the other core four other than Arlo is with Vehan (about Arlo, of course) and a brief conversation and a few fights with Aurelian, where she’s cracking jokes but still letting him get away (which, slay). Otherwise, unless if I am completely stupid (I probably am) I can’t remember any other conversations she has with the boys.
She didn’t grow as much as a character, and I guess that was mostly book 1’s arc for her, but considering Arlo has gone through arcs in every single book, it still felt a little sad to see she didn’t develop as much as I had hoped.
ARLO:
I will give it to Shuttleworth, Arlo’s grief was INTENSE. In an amazing and visceral way to read. She definitely changed throughout the course of the book, and it was really sad to see her go through the things that she did by Riadne (this is probably spelled wrong)
I will say though, and this is probably just me, I realllllly hate the “removed memories from the main character from before we met them” trope. It can just feel so annoying when authors can explain away stuff with “OH, BUT YOU SEE, THEY HAD DONE THIS BEFORE AND JUST LOST THEIR MEMORIES!“ Maybe Lightlark and the stupid memory stuff is rubbing off on me right now, but I was just not into the whole “oh, Arlo lost her memories before we knew her, so it’s not that surprising that she’s amazing at alchemy” Again, probably a me thing, so I don’t really hold this against the author.
Relationships with Arlo were done super well in my opinion, and it was great to see her friends come together to support her.
VEHAN:
I was so surprised to remember how much I liked Vehan and how much of an ICON dude is? Like bro just casually turns all the lights on in Toronto while hiding his power from his evil, murderous mother? AND HE DIES TO SAVE AURELIAN? Slayer, iconic, amazing.
It was really nice to see his relationships with Arlo and Celadon grow, since Aurelian and him have been attached at the hip the last two books and they needed time to develop as characters separately. Ignoring the whole Celadon crush thing from the first two books (why was that a thing), they did become a nice pair of brothers, and it was cool to see.
Also, he went through a really great character arc of recognizing his mom had taken away so much agency from him, and tag-teaming with Arlo to take that agency back and make himself the hollow star in her place, something I’m really looking forward to seeing in the next book.
AURELIAN:
Oh, Aurelian, if only you knew how conflicted I am about you… on one hand, plot wise, it’s very hard for me to label what exact Aurelian actually DID. Yes, he was hanging around the Grim lady, but did he do anything of actual consequence? I’ve made a list of the things of actual consequence I feel like he did:
1) Join the anti-Riande squad
2) Get captured and escape
3) Join Celadon’s OTHER anti-Riande squad
And… yeah, that’s about it. Yes, he made some friends, but they didn’t really come into play in the book- they were captured with him and I think they escaped with Aurelian’s family? He fought Nausicaa, but that honestly didn’t have too many consequences for either of them, since they don’t go too much into detail of his woodsprite friend and Nausicaa doesn’t get punished by Riande until later. Plot-wise, he pretty much only moves the story forward by getting captured and joining squads cause ✨he loves Vehan✨
But CHARACTER wise? Phenomenal. Five stars.
It might not make sense, but his being away from Vehan is probably the best thing Shuttleworth could’ve done for his character. He’s still a broody, pining lil bastard, but he also gets the chance to grow and evolve on his own beyond Vehan, and is able to establish his own mindset and philosophy about himself. Harlan, his brother who I completely forgot existed, gives him some amazing advice along the lines of “fighting is a form of protection, and there’s nothing wrong with fighting to help the ones you love” which was beautifully worded (and made me feel guilty for forgetting Harlan exists- sorry, bro)
He does still have his protective side, especially with Elyas, but being able to make friends and grow without Vehan really does a lot for him as a character. So, while I’m frustrated that he didn’t do much for the plot, I’m also really happy that he grew as a character.
CELADON AND LETHE:
First of all, “patron of lonely things” is such a beautiful way to describe the moon and I am 100% in AWE that someone thought to write that down. Genius.
Anyway, Celadon.. he was eh. Major character and all, yes, but I didn’t- and still don’t- regard him as a major “core four”. It’s very obvious that he is probably Shuttleworth’s favorite, however, since he keeps getting bigger and bigger roles each book. I don’t hate him, but I’m definitely not as attached as I am to the others.
Lethe, meanwhile, is on my dislike list. Nope. Nopity nope. I do NOT support the bad boy narrative and he most certainly fits it. Although I was interested in his backstory, I still wasn’t a big fan of his and still did NOT like when he showed up on my page.
Only thing I disliked more was when the two of them showed up together in a romantic way.
Maybe it’s a me thing, but “reincarnated lovers” HAS ALWAYS FREAKED ME OUT. Like, THEY KNOW YOU? But you don’t know them? IS THAT STALKING? IS THE AGE GAP EVEN LEGAL? Like I know bro is supposed to be at least 21+, BUT HOW OLD IS LETHE? He’s gotta be at least 200 years old, right? It’s already a little odd to me with Nos and Arlo, and I think that’s only 100 years or so- NOT 200+!!
I don’t know why I had such a deep dislike of that pairing, but I still am just not a big fan this couple (I blame Lethe, the bastard) so it being a major focus might be the reason that my ranking has gone down a star. Because, at the end of the day, I really, REALLY like this book.
CONCLUSION:
I have my problems with the characters, but I will give credit where credit is due, and Shuttleworth deserves a lot of credit: these characters are GOOD. Whether or not I like Celadon and Lethe much, I can see their characters are insanely well crafted and thought out. Other than Nos (IMO), all major characters went through growth and change in this book and advanced the plot forwards towards an eventual series finale.
This series has been living in my head for awhile, and though I’ll be sad to see it go when I read the fourth and final book, I am also insanely excited to see how these characters have grown and evolved. I genuinely really do love this book and series, and I’m ready to see where everyone ends up!
(But seriously. What is with this cover art.)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 23, 2023
A Grim and Sunken Vow is a beautifully written addition to the series and there is no arguing that fact.
Shuttleworth does a fantastic job at fully fletching out her characters and giving them a fully thought out story, whilst keeping the world building top tier. My main area of praise with this book plot wise was the plausibility of the events that unfold. Everything that happens has a reason and explanation to go along with it.
The characters are well written and hold their own in this instalment.
Most notably the addition of Lethe and Celadon's POV's and backstories. These characters were a delight to read and kept me going throughout the sheer girth of the book. (I'll come back to that)
The plot: takes a very long time to get moving, like way too long. For reference, ACFL ends on an epic cliffhanger that had me heavily anticipating this book's release. However, it falls flat on it's face when it tries to pick up where its predecessor leaves off. The characters are shook, that's about it. Roughly 200 pages of the characters dealing with what the reader already knew from reading the previous book. That's not all bad though, I think character based books are great, but due to the massive cast of characters in this series, it drastically affects the readability and pacing of the first third of this book.
Length wise, the book desperately needed to have a thorough editing, and someone had to red pen the heck out of the transcript. It's simply overwritten. I spent 640 pages with Aurleian and Vehan in the last book, I really didn't need their POV chapters to be longer than a few pages to get me up to speed with where they were. If you're introducing two new characters (Lethe and Celadon) that are the secondary/main event of the book's plot. Then you can't spend so much time on past MC's that become side characters (which are ALSO in Arlo, Nausicaa, and Celadon's POV's).
Overall I love the book, and Shuttleworth's writing carried me throughout, but I was let down with the ending of this one. Alongside the length, it affected the overall enjoyability of the book.
I think craftsmanship and originality goes a long way, however, if it wasn't for my love for Celadon and Lethe this would have been a meh read (pros of having amazing characters i guess).
I don't know where I stand about the series as a whole in regards to recommending it. If you can handle long books at the YA level then go for it, but otherwise, I feel as if this is a hard series for teens to pick up if they aren't already dedicated readers.
Shuttleworth does a fantastic job at fully fletching out her characters and giving them a fully thought out story, whilst keeping the world building top tier. My main area of praise with this book plot wise was the plausibility of the events that unfold. Everything that happens has a reason and explanation to go along with it.
The characters are well written and hold their own in this instalment.
Most notably the addition of Lethe and Celadon's POV's and backstories. These characters were a delight to read and kept me going throughout the sheer girth of the book. (I'll come back to that)
The plot: takes a very long time to get moving, like way too long. For reference, ACFL ends on an epic cliffhanger that had me heavily anticipating this book's release. However, it falls flat on it's face when it tries to pick up where its predecessor leaves off. The characters are shook, that's about it. Roughly 200 pages of the characters dealing with what the reader already knew from reading the previous book. That's not all bad though, I think character based books are great, but due to the massive cast of characters in this series, it drastically affects the readability and pacing of the first third of this book.
Length wise, the book desperately needed to have a thorough editing, and someone had to red pen the heck out of the transcript. It's simply overwritten. I spent 640 pages with Aurleian and Vehan in the last book, I really didn't need their POV chapters to be longer than a few pages to get me up to speed with where they were. If you're introducing two new characters (Lethe and Celadon) that are the secondary/main event of the book's plot. Then you can't spend so much time on past MC's that become side characters (which are ALSO in Arlo, Nausicaa, and Celadon's POV's).
Overall I love the book, and Shuttleworth's writing carried me throughout, but I was let down with the ending of this one. Alongside the length, it affected the overall enjoyability of the book.
I think craftsmanship and originality goes a long way, however, if it wasn't for my love for Celadon and Lethe this would have been a meh read (pros of having amazing characters i guess).
I don't know where I stand about the series as a whole in regards to recommending it. If you can handle long books at the YA level then go for it, but otherwise, I feel as if this is a hard series for teens to pick up if they aren't already dedicated readers.
December 2, 2023
3.5 stars
this hurts a bit i wont lie i was really excited for book 3 and this left me a tad disappointed. I still mostly enjoyed and flew through it tho!!
but i needed more celadon & lethe and i did not get that and so i was slightly unsatisfied with everything.
this hurts a bit i wont lie i was really excited for book 3 and this left me a tad disappointed. I still mostly enjoyed and flew through it tho!!
but i needed more celadon & lethe and i did not get that and so i was slightly unsatisfied with everything.
December 27, 2023
Boy this was a disappointment, and I was really looking forward to this book two. The previous two entries ended up being in my top 5 books of their respective years and this one just... won't. The biggest problem that it has is that not much actually happens in the majority of the book. The ending of the previous ended on such a cliffhanger that you'd have thought that it would hit the ground running and things would snowball, but really what happens is we see the cast just kind of recover from the horrific events of the last book. I mean, things do happen here and there but for the most part it felt like you were kind of in a holding pattern for the action, meanwhile there's some exciting stuff that happens completely offscreen. Like... there's a battle between an ancient dragon and a faerie king and you don't see any of it.
And speaking of characters, this book suffers from POV character bloat. There are *six* POV characters, now, two of which I found to be kind of superfluous. One is a lovesick fae who spends the majority of his time moping about because he can't be with his boyfriend, and his boyfriend who, while important to the plot, just doesn't actually *do* anything. This series started with a strong protagonist. This is who the books were *about,* but it really feels like she was sidelined in favor of the other characters.
I may sound harsh, but that's only because I was blown away by the previous two entries and this one was a bit lackluster. Shuttleworth is an *excellent* writer, and when she hits, in this book, she hits hard. Like, the last few chapters where things start rolling are really damn good, and once again, the book ends on a cliffhanger that wants you begging for more. I only hope that the next book keeps the pace up and narrows its vision. All in all it's a good book, but not the great book I wanted it to be. Three stars.
And speaking of characters, this book suffers from POV character bloat. There are *six* POV characters, now, two of which I found to be kind of superfluous. One is a lovesick fae who spends the majority of his time moping about because he can't be with his boyfriend, and his boyfriend who, while important to the plot, just doesn't actually *do* anything. This series started with a strong protagonist. This is who the books were *about,* but it really feels like she was sidelined in favor of the other characters.
I may sound harsh, but that's only because I was blown away by the previous two entries and this one was a bit lackluster. Shuttleworth is an *excellent* writer, and when she hits, in this book, she hits hard. Like, the last few chapters where things start rolling are really damn good, and once again, the book ends on a cliffhanger that wants you begging for more. I only hope that the next book keeps the pace up and narrows its vision. All in all it's a good book, but not the great book I wanted it to be. Three stars.
December 28, 2023
I love the first 2 books. Each a complete story arc with interesting characters, and overarching machinations.
Instead, almost nothing happened in this first half of the book, other than *every* character moping. There we’d just an entire half book of characters moping.
Then finally it started getting interesting again in the second half, only to end on a cliffhanger in the middle of the narrative.
I understand that this mechanic seems to be all the rage in movies these days (let’s make a really long movie and only release half of it at a time!)
However, it’s frustrating here - almost as if the first half was filler, just to create enough content to create a cliffhanger, instead of finishing a minor story arc where are are still excited see the greater happenings… it leaves a bad taste.
Instead, almost nothing happened in this first half of the book, other than *every* character moping. There we’d just an entire half book of characters moping.
Then finally it started getting interesting again in the second half, only to end on a cliffhanger in the middle of the narrative.
I understand that this mechanic seems to be all the rage in movies these days (let’s make a really long movie and only release half of it at a time!)
However, it’s frustrating here - almost as if the first half was filler, just to create enough content to create a cliffhanger, instead of finishing a minor story arc where are are still excited see the greater happenings… it leaves a bad taste.
March 26, 2025
this book managed to completely break my heart and then also stitch it back together again with my absolute undying love for every single one of these characters. I’m so not prepared for this series to end in A Wild And Ruined Song, but I know I will be there to see it through because these books and Ashley Shuttleworth will forever have a place on my shelf and in my heart 💚🌙
March 31, 2024
oh ohohoho [putting on my seatbelt while chuckling] we're going dark plotlines for everyone honey
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SING GODDESS? SING OF THE RAGE OF — ? [i knock myself out with the amount of possibilities]
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SING GODDESS? SING OF THE RAGE OF — ? [i knock myself out with the amount of possibilities]
1-tbr-priority
June 29, 2022Since when do we have a title?
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