Deceiving Constellations

by Addison Hager

Eleonora’s father is on his deathbed, and she can feel her last string of hope snapping. But then, Auryn Hale, the daughter of Cantek’s imperial leader, comes knocking at her door with an offer she can’t turn down.

Auryn is in need of the only artifact that can save her family’s reputation. The only problem is that she’s never left the city before, and the vicious dinosaurs that roam the land are far too much for her to face alone.

With the assistance of Eleonora’s ex-best friend, Hopper, the trio must travel across the continent, traversing forests infested with Mesozoic Beasts, in order to retrieve the artifact before the rebel organization does.

Are their fates written in the stars? Or are the constellations deceiving them?

Genres: Fantasy

462 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 10, 2024

About the author

Addison Hager is a connoisseur of everything literature, from Edgar Allen Poe to Brandon Sanderson. She has never missed an opportunity to spew her knowledge of dinosaurs and obscure Ian Malcom quotes. When she's not writing, she's either reading, daydreaming, or buying even more books she doesn't need.

@authoraddisonhager on Instagram.

Reviews

[Chloe Hager · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Absolutely loved it!!! The plot and storyline was absolutely amazing. I loved how it was mystical with mermaids and trolls plus the wonderful work with dinosaurs. I love how Addison cleanly blends dinosaurs and fairies. Lost souls and dangerous souls. A journey through the treacherous jungle full of dinosaurs. A journey under the sea. A broken friendship. A new budding friendship. A hilarious unhinged clown who loves fires and cliffs. It is such a wonderfully written story. I am dying to read the second book. ❤️🔥🔥🔥🦖✨💫⭐️🦕

[Sydney Hanks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do love fantasy and all that’s included with it. Add dinosaurs with it, I am sold. I’m interested in the world she has built with her stories and characters. There is a lot going on and interwoven through the world the author created. I am interested to see where these stories go and how things are interlaced and tied together. I guess I just have to wait until book 2.

[Traci A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captivating storyline and wonderful character development!

Absolutely loved this debut novel - fantastic storytelling. The writing draws you in and the characters keep you there. Leo, Hopper and Auryn are so relatable. And, that ending...I absolutely can't wait for the next book!!

[Lilah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a stunning debut! The world building is rich and deep and you can clearly see how it affects the characters—making it endlessly immersive. Leo, Hopper, and Auryn are the life and heart of the book. They’re so much fun and easy to fall in love with. Their struggles and emotional conflicts are addicting to read. The friendship, politics, and adventure all create a beautiful book! Also, the ending had my jaw on the floor, can’t wait for the next book in the series!

[Ariella Flores · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was amazing! The world was unique and detailed, you can definitely tell the author thought long and hard about it. I love mythology so I really appreciated all the different creatures from Norse mythology. And don’t get me started on the characters! They were wonderfully engaging and it was so much fun to see their growth. The cliffhanger though?!?!?! C’mon, my life has enough stress without constantly worrying over cliffhangers! Between this and KOTLC, I’m gonna blow a fuse.😂

[Rhys · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a first book, this is simply outstanding and delivered on everything I could have wanted going in

Plot 8.5/10- To put the plot into my own words, it can basically be boiled down to 2 teenagers in search of an artifact to save their fathers. Not even on the first page yet and you can already see how the two main characters will meet, relate to each other, and possibly form a bond. Retrieving this artifact, however, won't be so simple, not just with the rebel organisation also searching for it, but with the lands that must be crossed on the journey there (Explained more in setting) which offers a challenge for the characters to overcome The story stayed consistent throughout the entire book. There was never a moment I felt like a scene was filler. Each scene was either progressing the story, or the characters relationships and arcs, Often introducing us to more characters, or moving to another exciting location. Overall, the story was engaging and entertaining the whole way through and I was never bored with it, always wanting to read on after each chapter.

Characters 9/10- The book spends move of it's time following our 3 main cast Members: Auryn, Leo, and Hopper, with each one great in their own way

Auryn- The first character we are introduced to is Auryn Hale. The princess of her home city Cantek. It is made clear early on that Auryn isn't much of the adventurous type. Her Father has been framed for a murder he did not commit, so Auryn is in need to retrieve the artifact to save her family's reputation. From the beginning you can fully understand her motives and why she is so eager to retrieve the artifact, despite never leaving the city before. It was enjoyable seeing her grow through the book, especially he relationships between Leo and Hopper.

Leo- Leo (Or Elenora) is the main protagonist of this book, and easily my favourite of the trio. Like Auryn, Leo is needing to help her father. Although unlike Auryn, she doesn't need the artifact. She is in need of the money Auryn is paying to pay for her fathers treatment. Already, you can fully understand her motivation. I want to take a moment to mention Leo's arc. (Mostly kept spoiler free) Leo is an interesting character. From my understanding, She seems to always tells herself that she can't grieve, and she doesn't like asking for help very often. Her arc helps her release the truth in that she can do all the things she thought she couldn't (Like asking for help and grieving, as previously mentioned.) Her make up with Hopper is also a personal favourite moment of mine. Throughout the entire book, she mentions the situation with Hopper and how they were good friends before the conflict, thinking to herself how she messed up, eventually leading to making up. a ling wait for that moment, but it was worth it. This leads me to my final point about Leo. She 's relatable. You can understand why things with Hopper ended the way they did, You can understand her motivations, you can understand her often strange actions and treatment towards others. Her story and arc was the most engaging part of the book for me and I'm really excited to see what happens with her next.

Hopper- Every story needs a character like this. The charmer that often steals the scene of every one he's in. Some of my favourite hopper moments are how he describes Leo. Throughout the story, Leo will look at Auryn and often make a comment about how 'perfect' she always looks, often getting frustrated at the thought. Then we cut to Hopper, who describes her in such a beautiful light, it's hard not to feel for him when he does everything to reignite the flame between them. having little luck.

Each character has their own personality, arc, and motivation that fit them perfectly. I cannot wait to see more of them together

Setting 8/10- We visit multiple locations in this book with each of them being memorable in their own way. We start off in the city, going to forests infected with Dinosaurs and Mesozoic beasts, to even an underwater kingdom at one point. Each location never overstays its welcome. we spend enough time in each one to enjoy it, but never too long to where it's becoming stale.
pacing 9/10- Pacing can be difficult to get right, especially in longer books. But the pacing in this book was practically perfect. As previously mentioned, no location overstays it's welcome, and every scene is either progressing the story, or a character arc. Not much else to say, really, just an extremely well paced story.

Writing 9/10- Lets get one thing clear...Addison has an incredible talent. From the world building, to story telling, characters, pacing, build up etc.. The writing had a consistent tone throughout. I found myself using the word 'smart' thought reading, and I think that's the perfect way of describing it. an overall extremely well written book. Extremely impressive from one so young.

Small things -
Auryn's catchphrase of 'biscuits' alongside some humorous chapter names got a laugh put of me a few times.
Hopper referring to Auryn as 'princess' added personality to his character- it's always a good thing to make sure characters are different.
The switch the 3rd person when we switch to a scene with the villains was a nice touch, helping the audience remember that our trio are not aware of their presence, and therefore, are not a part of their story, but ours.

Final thoughts 9/10
If it wasn't already clear, I absolutely adores my time with this book. Addison has a huge talent I can't wait to see grow and I cannot wait for the next book. Especially after THAT ending. I'll be here when it releases.

[Malynn Sobek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my gosh, I loved this book so much. The suspense between chapters was perfect, I loved the way the different povs were structured, and Hopper is my absolute favorite. He's hysterical and witty, and dare I say my new favorite male fictional character!?!?!?! I totally did not see that cliffhanger coming, but then again, I should've. The way the story was woven made perfect sense and was a truly original novel in a world full of tropes! I can't wait for the next book, but I have no choice, so I am eagerly anticipating the next release!

[Mya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book so much! It has a special place on my bookshelf! The writing and characters are captivating! The setting is elegant and draws you in as you read I literally love this book 💛💛💛💛💛

[Sophia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a good book! Beautiful characters, amazing plot, I was hooked every second of the way! Can’t wait to read the next one!!

[Tayler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is by far one of my favorites. I loved the cliffhanger. I love the way that the Author gave such personality to all of her characters. My all-time favorite character is Hopper Lorvil, and his love for everything fire and cliff related. The whole plot is amazing, and I loved every chapter. Defiantly a five-star read.