Among Veiled Stars

by Shelby Brookes

Faced with a dying world, a lost heir will embark on a quest to find a cure for her people's suffering alongside a mysterious guardian whose secrets might just be the key to her salvation.

Eefah, the last descendant of the ancient pixie throne, was raised by humans with one goal: Unite their peoples to stave off an impending war.

But when she’s attacked by rebels, magic surges within her, shattering the glamour placed over the land. The Kingdom of Aevover is trapped in an endless cycle of death, and the tapestry of Eefah’s life begins to unravel.

Haunted by a traumatic past and forced to confront the truth of her lifelong isolation, Eefah embarks on a quest with her perpetually angry, and annoyingly handsome, bodyguard to break the cycle and reclaim her identity. Amidst a backdrop of rebellion, shifting alliances, and forbidden magic, she discovers that her life is forever intertwined with this world and the celestial beings guiding her path.

Will she untangle the threads of fate before they consume her and what’s left of her beloved homeland?

Debut author Shelby Brookes presents a spellbinding quest in a stunning new fantasy series, perfect for fans of Kerri Maniscalco, Jennifer L. Armentrout, and Raven Kennedy.

Genres: Fantasy, Fae, Romantasy, Fantasy Romance, Romance

386 pages, Paperback

Published June 25, 2024

Reviews

[eclecticbychoicereads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Among Veiled Stars by Shelby Brookes kept me intrigued and wanting to know more all the way through it. Shelby has created a vivid and enthralling world full of lore and history.

The world-building in this first instalment of the series is quite intricate, and it has taken me a moment to immerse myself fully. But once I did, I really appreciated the intricacy of it. It has really set up the story for future books.

It also took me a moment to fully understand and accept Eeefah, the FMC. After finishing the book, I can honestly say I understand Eefah so much better. Even though she came across at times as childish, brash, and irrational, her behaviour doesn't come as a surprise given her childhood and young adulthood. Eefah is a pixie living among humans in a world where pixies are seen as lesser beings. Still, being of royal blood, she is set to marry the human prince in order to strengthen the kingdom and show unity among the races. Her journey, filled with emotional turmoil and the struggle to find her place, is one that will deeply resonate with many readers.

What's hiding behind all the glitter and glamour is much more sinister. Eefah has led a life of emotional and physical abuse, mainly received from her (human) stepmother. She has learned to hide emotions and act like a royal should, leaving her not knowing how to deal with real and raw emotions, especially towards other pixies, thus shedding new light on some of her behaviours and actions.

When her world as she knows it starts crumbling down and she learns some hard truths about herself, the history of the world and the gods ruling it, secrets and betrayals, she will show a significant amount of growth, which I truly commend.

Add to the mix a burly bodyguard, some old and some new friends, new races and mythical creatures, and you get a perfect set-up for a new and exciting fantasy romance.

And then came that ending... All those revelations... I was left speechless and didn't see it coming at all, which is a testament to Shelby's ability to keep her readers guessing. The unexpected plot twists and turns in Among Veiled Stars will keep you on the edge of your seat, eager for more. I loved being Shelby's ARC reader and can't wait to see what she has in store for us in the sequel!

Among Veiled Stars will gift you
- intricate world-building
- reluctant allies to lovers
- found family
- trauma rep
- healing journey
- magical creatures
- arranged marriage
- unique bonds
- startling revelations
and so much more!

[Danielle Pulliam · Rating 5 out of 5]

**𝑨𝑹𝑪 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘** 𝑨𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝑽𝒆𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝒃𝒚 𝑺𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒃𝒚 𝑩𝒓𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒆𝒔

Release Date: June 25, 2024

5⭐️3🌶

This book has all the elements needed for an amazing Fae Romantasy! What I really loved about this book is that the Fae are more "fae" than in other series. They have wings and are smaller than humans, while still being relatively "human sized". There are so many other creatures as well including druids, trolls, water, griffins, wisps, and may other forest and water creatures. This book is so magical in it's descriptions of this world! I cannot wait to read the next one.

Eefah is a young pixie/fairie that has been raised buy two humans because her royal pixie family was killed when she was young by humans. She's engages to a human lord which will cement the alliance between humans and pixies, but not all is right with the magic in the world. Eefah and may other magical creatures have a wasting sickness that always takes the life of the magical person within two weeks. Eefah and her cohorts find the essense as a way to heal the wasting. Eefah continues to try and find a way to save her people even when humans are hunting her.

Thank you The Nerd Fam and Aethon Books for the gifted ARC.

[Stress Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Among Veiled Stars
4 stars
Green pepper or maybe 1/2 a chili pepper

A mystical adventure full of magic, mystery, and action with fantastical beings and creatures - including the sole remaining heir to the pixie throne, Eefah, as she struggles to overcome her past abuse and trauma and searches for the cure to her people's suffering, while also saving the dying world they live in, aided by a guardian (Owen) she loathes.

The first 10-20% of this book, I loathed Eefah at least as much as she loathes Owen. I told myself that if in the next 10% or so, if it didn't reveal a strong reason for her behavior, or if her behavior didn't improve, I would DNF. Fortunately, her behavior both improved and was explained. If you pick this one up, go into it knowing it's very likely you will hate Eefah initially, but that there's a reason and she grows and changes a lot.

The plot is good, but I felt like it got a little muddled around +/- 75%. It seemed to also slow down around then, but maybe that was more my impatient to know what happens next. Or a bit of both.

Prose is solid, clear and descriptive. Dialogue is pretty good, it felt natural and flowed well. World building is pretty good. Eefah deals with memory loss as well as loss of time, so at times that makes it a bit harder to keep your place in time. This isn't an issue as far as I'm concerned, but I expect it could be for some readers.

There's one spice scene, and a couple heavy kissing scenes.

I love that it's told from the POV of a pixie, I've never read a book in that POV before. I also love that the FMC is neurodivergent and isn't physically the stereotypical dainty/tiny/fragile FMCs we get all too often. The character growth of the FMC especially is great.

I would've liked a bit more explanation of the magic system, hopefully we get that in book 2. More info on crystals and enchantments would be nice in future books as well. Like which crystals do which sorts of things type info.

Character development is good. I would love to get more backstory on Owen, Saffi, and Rigell in future books. I love that the story is told from the POV of a pixie. I don't believe I've ever read a book that's from that perspective, so I enjoyed that fresh take.

It's roughly even on plot vs character development pushing the plot, but I would say it leaned slightly more towards character.

"There isn't a lot of research, and why would there be? It doesn't affect humans, and most pixies are too poor to do anything about it."

This book delves into some deeper topics (like racism and xenophobia) and I enjoyed the way Brookes handled such important and relevant topics. I especially like that Brookes lays the groundwork via breadcrumbs for these big topics, then let's you piece it together (vs smashing you in the face repeatedly, taking away from the plot vs adding nuance). Brookes does the same with some pieces of the plot, they're there, out in the open, you just have to put them together. There's only 1 specific plot point I van think of that I had to take a second to mull over before finding it's place, but I love that she let's the reader put it together themselves.

Overall, it's a solid start to a promising series by debut author, Shelby Brookes. Initially I rated it 5 stars, because oh boy, that ending! Then I thought it over, and it's not quite a 5 star read for me. I do plan to buy the second book ASAP once it's written and released.

If triggers are a concern for you, please look up trigger warnings before reading. There's violence, mention of a previous SA, a SA attempt on page (thwarted early on), and death of family. This is not a full list of TWs.

Thank you to @thenerdfam and @shelbybrookesauthor for the gifted eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Helmi · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5⭐️ Thank you The Nerd Fam for the gifted ARC! I wanted to like this so badly!!😩 but I was just so confused the whole time, the world building was especially difficult and I did not like the main character. I guess this just was not my cup of tea.

What I liked:
✨the magical creatures
✨Owen and Rigell
✨the travelling
✨the plot twists
✨the slow burn frenemies to lovers

I had a hard time and I'm kinda happy I finished and did not DNF! The magical hoax and uncovering the truth got its grip on me and the ending was really unexpected. There were good moments too! I just think the info dumps were elusive and all over the place, the important things were kinda jumped over and I was just really confused a lot of the time. The characters were also a bit hard to connect with I don't even know why.

[Carrie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I spent the first 15% confused. It took half the book to find out who Liam was, not that it ever really mattered, but I didn’t know that at the beginning when I was wondering who the heck he was. The writing is a bit juvenile… The FMC, Eefah, is a bit… dumb. I am having a hard time rooting for her. She acts like a very young tween (naive, unable to read basic emotions around her - which is odd given the abuse she’s apparently survived.) There are omissions that encourage the confusion (example: she can’t decipher Saffi’s letter but then suddenly Saffi’s letter says she can trust Owen?). Eefah continually ignores her intuition and pushes down her thoughts, feelings and questions and just blindly follows along. Owen is only slightly less childish and stubborn than Eefah. He’s slightly more likable. All this to say that at 53%, which is 227 pages in, I just don’t care anymore. DNF. I can’t fathom slogging through another 200 pages of this. There is a lot of potential here. I just think it needs a really good editor.

🧚‍♀️ Grumpy/grumpy - there isn’t really a sunshine character
🧚‍♀️ Impending war

I don’t typically review books I DNF, but this is an ARC (thank you for the opportunity!) and having read over 200 pages, I do have a good feel for the book.

[Betwixt the Pages · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 2.75/5 Penguins (rounded up)
Quick Reasons: interesting, though at times confusing, magic system; complex characters with overpowering emotions; mind the chosen one trope

HUGE thanks to Shelby Brookes and The Nerd Fam for the title! My review is voluntarily written and in no way altered or impacted by this gesture.

Saffi still doesn’t get it. She says everything looks just as Lionah did, but all I see is a land of dead things that think they are living. I’m beginning to worry that the nightmares I’m having are spilling into my waking hours, and I can’t see what’s right in front of me anymore.

Going into this read, I was super intrigued by the world and the magic system. There have not been many PIXIE characters in recent works to my knowledge, and I was excited to see how that, along with all the other things listed in the blurb, played out. Unfortunately, this read fell flat of my expectations, and it ended up just not being right for me.

Between the confusion of the world-building and the confusion of Eefah the main character, I found myself struggling to keep a firm grasp on my understanding of what was happening as I read. Pieces that are important early on seem to get changed or forgotten about entirely later-- for instance, the marriage that matters until the bodyguard declares his love and then suddenly it's just "going to disappear" due to them not having "finalized" it. Eefah's (adopted) mother also runs hot and cold, written mostly as toxic but then overnight, showing care and adoration. The back and forth made it very hard to keep pace, and it became difficult to trust that any of the things written previously would remain the same moving forward and not be magically different.

“I healed it while you all blatantly ignored me. You should be punished.” My temper rises with the pitch of my voice as it overcomes my exhaustion.

The corners of Pavel’s mouth tip up in a grin. “I think you breaking their swords is punishment enough.”

Overall, I wish I had liked this read more, but it just wasn't the right book for me. That said, that doesn't mean it may not be right for you! Are you ready to fight against the world, Penguins?

[Kelsie · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the first maybe 20-30% of this book I was not a big Eefah fan. She was whiny, selfish, and spoiled, and overall annoyed me a lot. But that behavior not only starts to make sense as we get more background, it also gets better. Eefah slowly grows into the leader her people need her to be, but it’s a long journey. And a bit of a confusing one.
Owen was probably my favorite character throughout the book. He was the most real, and as a love interest he really stood out to me. I really appreciate how much Owen challenges Eefah. When she’s acting like a spoiled princess, he calls her out on it. He questions her. But he also respects her when she asked to stand up for herself without his help.
I’m trying to figure out if I missed some key information or if it just wasn’t explained well. I totally believe that I just wasn’t paying enough attention, because that ending confused me so much. I’m intrigued by the world, and the storyline the ending is setting up, but I got lost on how we got from point A to point B.
Despite the confusion, I’m intrigued enough to check out the next book. Maybe a reread of the finished version would answer some of my questions.
Thank you to the author and The NerdFam for the gifted book.

[Cocobeans · Rating 4 out of 5]

First and foremost , I would like to thank (author) for including us in your ARC team 🫶🏻

Among Veiled Stars is the 1st book in a debut Romantasy series ✨Bound to Alvover✨


Tropes:

* Star Crossed Lovers
* Found Family
* Fantastical Creatures
* One Griffin
* Epic Quests
* Essence Magic
* Wings


The story follows our FMC Eefah who's the last descendant of the ancient pixie throne, raised by humans in a world were pixies are considered inferior creatures, Live only till 40 years of age , whilst Humans are near immortals .

The book has intriguing albeit a little confusing world building, with a lottt of amazing fantastical Creatures and a new type of magic system ( which took me a little while to understand, but is quite fascinating.

What I loved the most about the book is
* Character development of FMC
* Banter between the FMC & MMC
* Griffins
* Side characters
* The big twist at the end (Did NOT see that one coming!)


The Book releases today (June 25th ) and is available on KU 🫶🏻

[Cassie Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok I received an ARC of this book and as excited as I was for it, I have to rate this 3.5⭐️ at best.

I’d like to preface that the authors writing is good, however, the story itself has many holes that were a consistent distraction for me.

•The FMC starts out the book by saying shes having visions of the fae which MUST mean they are all dead. -Why? Like why MUST they be dead? No elaboration on that
•She hates her mother but you also realize belatedly she is adopted by both of her parents and although I may have just glazed over in my mind half way through the book, I don’t think its ever explained how she came to be adopted by this family who hates her and also what happened to her real parents? Also how does anyone know shes pixie royalty?
•She says her dad was the only one who was nice to her and loved her, has flashbacks where he is fighting her mother about the treatment of her, and then its revealed to her later in the book JUST KIDDING your dad hated you and was actively working to sell you off! But wait that contradicts literally every other action he took!
•TW: CSA - Probably a point that pissed me off SO MUCH is The FMC was assaulted at a young age (around 10) by who she describes as a “visiting stranger” only to figure out later in the book the stranger was actually the human prince in which she was forced to marry. How does she figure it out? He had glamoured his eye color. HIS EYE COLOR. THATS IT? SHE DIDNT RECOGNIZE HIM BECAUSE HE HAD DIFFERENT COLORED EYES?
•All of her “friends” in the beginning of the book seemingly hate her honestly. They all disrespect her and down play the abuse shes given by her mother but later in the book the MMC says she herself had mistreated everyone and was awful to her friends: which is never actively shown in the book so its giving gaslighting?
•Owen (MMC) is a piece of work. He despises Eefah from day one and is described as disrespectful and cruel to her yet randomly will hug and coddle her with no explanation. He later in the book tells her he wishes she were dead for lack of better words and 5 paragraphs later says he’ll always stand by her as queen. What are you TALKING ABOUT
•Eefah is so back and forth with how she views the human prince Pavel that it gave me whiplash. One sentence shes saying she thinks he’s so handsome and thinks they can have a happy marriage and the next he is rude to someone and she says “He can be such an ass sometimes.” Girl you have known him for 24 hours what do you MEAN?
•Eefah’s mother was murdered in front of her and 600 other people at her wedding and the next sentence is her in a carriage off to the kingdom where shes supposed to live. Like zero explanation on what happened or how it was handled - straight murder and then “ok anyway moving on.”

Overall I think the story had a good direction but the world building fell flat for me considering how back and forth the story shifted, and the character’s personalities felt way too chaotic to make sense. The emotions were all over the place and didnt have much direction so you didnt really understand how a person felt at any given moment. End rant.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm going to be honest I struggled in the beginning of this book. I could not find the characters enjoyable especially the FMC. You can tell she's lived a sheltered life and is thrust into making these big decisions so she pushes her intuition aside.

As the book progressed I found myself getting more invested. The pacing was okay and it felt a bit scattered. That being said I really enjoyed the world that was created. The magic was interesting and I loved that this book was about Pixies. I am interested to see where the series goes.

Thank you @nerdfam for the gifted arc

[⋆˖⁺‧₊☽ Nyx ☾₊‧⁺˖⋆ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2/5 Overall


Okay first, I normally wouldn’t make a review if I DNFed a book but I read 50% and the same issues kept appearing.

I felt like this book was on the verge of putting me into a reading slump, not for a good reason. The FMC infuriated me so much, she was hot and cold a lot. I was confused and just felt like I kept getting whiplashed... I wish I could say it was the fun exciting whiplash but it was the one where it leaves your blood boiling in anger.

It felt like so much was happening at once in the plot that I just started straining my head trying to process it. It was too much, especially at the beginning, I just couldn’t get hooked on this book.

[Alexsis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a magical read!!!

I’m so excited for this series. I found this book to be so captivating. I absolutely LOVE that Miss Shelby added in that the character has CPTSD. You don’t see this represented in many books, so I am thankful that she is representing it. We need more authors that do this!!

Not too much spice, which I like! The world building was perfect. Not over the top, but not too little. I truly enjoyed this read and absolutely love Miss Shelby.

Thank you Shelby Brookes and NerdFam for the gifted PR package. I absolutely adored it and felt honored to receive this book!

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The world building in this book is spectacular. The world is beautifully described with a depth that I have not experienced in a long time. It is multilayered, complex, and each time something new about the world and its history is uncovered I couldn’t help but be amazed, surprised, and desperately want to know more. Seriously my brain is still trying to process this book. It is clear that there is so much more to uncover and waiting for book 2 will be hard. I also loved the family that is built in this book, the characters have so much love, trust and bonds they share make the journey they embark on easier because they do it together.

Highlights:
✨Complex, Multilayered World Building
✨Sheltered Powerful FMC
✨Guardian MMC
✨Found Family
✨Mythical Creatures

Favorite Quotes: “You are not the sum of their opinions, nor are you close to what they think in their tiny little heads. You scare them Eefah . . . You terrify them, and that should bring you peace.”

“Lay a finger on her again, Your Majesty, and you will find yourself without a finger, and with how long all of you live, it seems like an awful waste.”

Thank you to the author and The Nerd Fam for this advanced copy. My opinions are my own.

[Dana C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eefah has a storied heritage, buried by duty, her abusive mother, and a long history of inequality between the pixies and humans. But she begins to see the world for what it really is, rather than what she's been told all her life it is.

I loved the world setup right away, the different races, the gulf between them, and the potential for change presented as the story progressed.

Eefah feels like a naiive young woman, as she was cultivated to be. But she also has a defiant streak that she tries hard to suppress, which is buried beneath trauma from multiple sources. It sometimes felt like her motivations were too sporadic, but then, when you’re in the middle of a journey of discovery, I suppose that's to be expected.

I loved the twist at the end, making everything click into place.

There were time jumps in the story where I wanted to really dig into what was happening, but it moved the story along at a fast pace. Toward the end, following the twists and turns was a little more difficult as the story took leaps that weren't explained.

The world created here, with all of the different races and powers, was so vibrant and unique. Such a pleasure to dive into.

[Meg (fantasybook.adventurer) · Rating 5 out of 5]

✨Among Veiled Stars✨

Wow! I enjoyed this SLOOOOOOOOW burn Romantasy so much finished it in a day. 🙈

Among Veiled Stars follows an adopted pixie princess named Eefah. She has grown up abused and misused to face an arranged marriage to a human prince in hopes to help her people rise up from their oppression and wasting disease. Eefah is insecure, uncertain, reactive, naive, and in desperate hope of finding anyone to finally love and care for her. And as she binds herself to the Prince and travels the country despite her broody guardian Owen’s advice, she realizes how her impulsive decisions affect her.

So many plot twists and mysteries abound through these pages and I loved seeing how the characters grew and were shaped as each intrigue manifested. Eefah changes so much on her journey that it was beautiful to see her step into leadership, confidence, and feminine rage. I also loved seeing the comparisons between the relationships with the Prince and Owen. The tension was delightful and this was a mega slow burn that left me hanging on every page. The storyline was intricate and many questions arise that are answered along the way and it was so fun trying to figure out what was truly going on. And the ending… well let’s just say, summer 2025 needs to hurry.

Tropes you may find in AVS are reluctant allis to lovers, slow burn, forced proximity, grumpy body guard, trauma rep (please read TW), plot twists, character growth, magical creatures, arranged marriage, unique bonds, cliffhanger, one griffin, he washes her hair, touch her and 🪦, moderate language, and spice 2/5 open door.

I am so thankful to Shelby and Nerdfam for this gifted arc. I very much enjoyed my time!

[Amy | romantasy.myromanempire · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5-4 ⭐️
1 🌶️

Thank you @thenerdfam for an e-arc of this book. This NA Romantic Fantasy debut series releases 6/11/24! 💫

So overall I enjoyed this book and will read the next when it releases. I’m intrigued by that ending and want answers. However, I am also very confused 😂

This book follows a young pixie woman, Eefah, who was raised by humans. The humans in this book are the rulers of this world, apparently immortal and said to have “saved” the pixies and other races from their goddess who allegedly abandoned them. A lot of this story line was reminiscent of From Blood and Ash in my opinion. Eefah is said to be a descendent of the last Pixie rulers and enters an arranged marriage with a human prince. Thus her journey begins (I’m keeping this intentionally vague 😅)

I had a hard time following the story in the beginning. The pacing was a bit off and I didn’t understand the character dynamics. Eefah was quite immature and not very likable. She already knows the love interest (sadly no meet-cute in this book) and believes him to be an asshole but never elaborates on why she hates him so much. She herself is a bit rude and degrading but she was also brainwashed by the humans that raised her. I did start getting more invested in the story and the characters around 30% in. Eefah does get put in her place about halfway through and makes a big leap in her character development.

Despite the awkward start, and I did go back and skim the first couple of chapters at one point to try to make more sense of what was going on - which helped, I believe this series has potential and was a decent debut romantasy novel.

✨Some things I enjoyed:
* The development of the FMC
* The arguments/banter between the FMC & MMC were amusing
* The unique world and mystical creatures
* The side characters
* The big twist at the end 👀

✨Tropes:
* Forbidden Powers
* Frenemies(?) to Lovers (is this a thing lol)
* Star Crossed Lovers
* Found Family
* Forced Proximity
* Epic Quests
* Slow Burn

TW: Mentions of SA and CSA

[Meagan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a hard time getting into this book. It is about what seems like a long-lost fairy princess who marries a human prince and the two worlds are brought together, except the two worlds hate each other. The FMC spent a significant amount of time complaining about her mother and her own body in the beginning. She never really follows her intuition.
The world building was confusing, as well. I didn’t get a good idea of it. The book seemed jumbled with the plot and twists in it. Some things seemed to contradict themselves in the story.

Thank you @thenerdfam for the gifted book

#thenerdfam #amongveiledstars

[Emma Lynn Ellis · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 MAYBE 3.5 ⭐️

I 100% judged this book by its cover. It was so pretty I had to read it. But when I got it and read the blurb? I was super hesitant on whether or not it was for me. Pixies?? Really? But yes. Pixies. And oh my goodness I’m glad I read it! This book entrapped me from the start! Our main character is suffering, inside and out. The more you read, the more you see the land around her that is cursed and dying. But what’s really going on?
This story kept me guessing from the start, and though I thought I had it figured out from about 25% done, it came to fruition at the halfway point. But from there, it was more twists that I wasn’t sure where I was going to end up. i loved the twists and the tension that laced each page as the story continued, though.
Now onto the next part.
I hit a point at 3/4 of the way done that just didn’t make sense. Out of no where we’re losing time? I get what was happening, but how it was introduced out of no where and without context had me so confused.
Also, I felt like there was a ton of “healing” of things, but the scenes were just repeated over and over again and became very redundant. I skipped the details of most of them after the first two.
And the tree at the end. I’m so confused why we keep jumping back between consciousness. Did Owen/Oren know who he was all along? I’m so unsure. If so, why did we not try and remove the necklace sooner.
The ending was so abrupt and left me with too many questions. I feel like the story completely changed halfway through, and the transition was really rough and had me constantly asking myself what was going on.

Now. The writing style was very good. The plot was good(even after it seemed to completely change halfway through). I loved the tension and the slow burn romance so much. The characters had amazing depth. The story itself was great, even with being confused half the time. It could have just been me.

[Savannah (chapters_of_mayhem) · Rating 2 out of 5]

First and foremost I think the world and the magic system in this book has so much potential. The concept is actually incredibly interesting and I would love to explore the world more.

In saying that, holy mother of god the characters leave something to be desired… Eefah is one of the most infuriating characters I’ve ever come across. I could not relate to her at all. The way she’s written and the way she analyses things is childish as a summary.

The writing of characters is very leading. There’s no subtlety to them. Then half way through the whole thing gets flipped upside down without any real explanation and we’re left with whiplash about everything that’s happening.

I really wanted to like this, it has so many of my favourite tropes and the cover is absolutely beautiful. I just couldn’t connect with the characters and the extensive use of italicised thoughts and words was incredibly frustrating to read.

I would like to thank @thenerdfam for gifting me this book with the option of leaving an honest review.

[Jaz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was very close to DNFing this book, but I pushed along. It started very confusing, and I feel not much was explained or given backstory. There was a lack of world building. The concept was cool, and what helped me continue on, I just wanted to know how this ended.
The FMC was very hard to connect to, and almost the reason I didn't finish. She was whinny and wishy washy with her feelings. She was also very entitled and didn't acknowledge when others were looking out for her. She was overly sensitive.
The ending took me on a trip I was not prepared for. I'm left with even more questions. I'm just torn the story had so much potential but was just executed so poorly. Too much was left unanswered, and there were a lot of holes within the story. 
I don't mean to be harsh. This just wasn't for me, but someone else may really love this, so take my review with a grain of salt, I'm just stating my opinion.
Thank you, nerdfam, for providing me with this ARC in return for an honest review.

[Val · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am grateful to The Nerd Fam for gifting me the e-ARC of "Among Veiled Stars"
Finishing this book has left me in a whirlwind of emotions and I am desperately needing the second book to confirm my speculations. Thank you to the Nerd Fam for the e-ARC!!

Among Veiled Stars follows Eefah, our strong willed and stubborn Pixie princess who is to be married to the human prince Pavel in order to restore peace among humans and pixies. Forcing herself into this marriage that feels wrong, she steadily learns the truth about what Pixies have faced and how the humans have been lying to maintain power. Through this Eefah must trust her instincts and her guardian Owen who has always been less than kind to her. Eefah travels across the realm and along the way learns of her healing capabilities and meets creatures and beings that she was told no longer existed.

There is magic, pixies, trolls, griffins, and other enchanted beings to obsess over in this book.

[Brooke Thacker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was interested in the idea of this book and starting out I was really into it and got pretty far really quick.

The more it progressed though the more confused I got and by the middle end of the book I felt very lost and after finishing I’m still confused and don’t understand a lot of the world or what happened at the ending.

For me a lot of things didn’t add up or connect and we needed more explanation than we got on a lot of parts in the book so that I could have a better understanding.
I’m left with SO many questions with no answers.

I did enjoy the authors writing style and she was very descriptive in the scenery and world around them. I also enjoyed the different animals and characters in the book!

I’m not sure I would continue the story as the ending I didn’t understand so I’m not sure if I would be able to follow in the next book and make sense of everything.

[amarachireads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the Nerd Fam for the gifted earc for an honest review. This was a solid debut romantasy that is a good start to a series. It is an Epic new adult fantasy book that follows the fmc Eefah who along with her bodyguard sets out to figure out her identity and purpose. She does this with the impending war and rebellion in their kingdom. I liked the aspect of forbidden magic, gods and different creatures and how that impacted the fmc. I enjoyed reading about the fmc grapple with her trauma and what she had been through in the past. The romance is a slow burn but it has forced proximity, a bit of steam as they embark on the epic quest. If you like quests, intrigue, magic, romance, and a cliffhanger you should check this out.

[Jessica Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great Sloowwww Burn book. Definitely took a while for our FMC to realize who her true found family is, and what how she impacts others, but I loved how we grew with her and saw her strengths. I was a little confused with the multi lives and the names in the ending of the book, but with her memory loss from the necklace (which I hope we find out more about in possible book 2) I hope we discover more about her past and what’s going on with her memory.

Otherwise what a great book. I’m glad we got to explore the different villages and towns and see how our FMC and MMC connect with both. Thanks again for giving me a chance to read this ARC ❤️

[Jaimes_Mystical_Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this romantic fantasy. This book was very well written and the author did an excellent job creating this new fantasy world. While reading I felt completely immersed into this world the author created and really enjoyed the overall storyline of this book. Although a lot happened throughout the course of this story, it did feel a bit slow paced at times but I still found myself enjoying the book. I look forward to reading the next book in the series and can’t wait to see how the story continues.

Read this if you like:

📖 Quests
📖 Forbidden Magic
📖 Great World Building
📖 Forced Proximity

Thank you to The Nerd Fam for the gifted book.

[Aisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was like a magical remix of fantasy norms. Think pixies instead of fae. The dragons we all know and love? Yeah, we’ve got griffins and trolls stealing the show.

Its rich array of magical elements truly delighted me.

Eefah a spirited pixie princess, grows up amidst humans, enduring abuse from her adoptive mother. The prospect of marrying a human prince offers her a glimmer of escape from her torment, but little does she know, the prince is not at all what he appears to be.

In the beginning, I found Eefah's rosy outlook on life to be quite naive, a trait that had me frustrated with some of the decisions she made. In saying that, I definitely can’t blame her for it, considering her upbringing.

The pixies have been suffering from a wasting disease for centuries and one of Eefah’s main goals is to find a cure for her people and heal the lands. As she sets out on her quest, her adventure transforms into a captivating tale of self discovery and development.

Alongside Eefah we have Owen, her loyal pixie bodyguard. Their initial clashes give way to exceptional chemistry. I believe that some of Eefah’s growth was largely influenced by Owen's unfiltered honesty. I liked that somebody was able to open her eyes a little for what things truly are.

As they traverse through a landscape brimming with adventure and uncovering secrets, we witness their gradual bonding and blossoming romance. Definitely pick this book up if you enjoy a whirlwind of whimsical journeys and fantastical encounters!

[d_uhreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great culmination of all the magical things I love. Pixies, Dragons, Griffins.....oh my! I will never get tired of reading about magical creatures, and this definitely had an abundance of them.

This was a very whimsical and equally heartfelt journey. I love when books can encompass both, and this certainly did that.

This had great development not only I'm friendship, but in love interests. I love a slow progression in love and trust, and this really built towards that.

[Cloi Towner · Rating 5 out of 5]

“There’s something about the stars, something important, yet…no one seems to notice.”

What can I say but a beautifully immersive, thought-out world. The character building and development Shelby has done you can just see has been a labour of love over some time, and due to this, it made it an effortlessly lovely book to read. It flows nicely, and I found everything to be well detailed especially whenever the main characters visited a new city or village or came across a new mystical creature. So, in turn, I found it really easy to picture the world Shelby was writing about, which just made me enjoy it more and more with every page I devoured.

Eefah is such a strong-willed and beautiful main character, I loved her so much. She suffers with memory loss/amnesia, has been sexually violated as a young girl (so has flash back scenes of that), and so struggles to just be herself around anyone due to always thinking they'll be volatile towards her. Needless to say, her individuality and light had been tarnished from such a young age! But throughout the story you just see her grow and blossom in every way into this new role of leader that she's been thrown into to protect her people, and it was just really refreshing to read, such beautiful writing. I really connected with her.

But I was seriously hooked from the first page though, that first line, I was like oh ok we're going straight in. It's on! It was a delight to read as it is an excitable fantasy with plenty of mystical creatures, a little hint of romance which is what I prefer, on top of that it has an awesomely shocking twist and cliffhanger at the end! As all good fantasies should have, in my opinion, what's not to love?!

Needless to say yes, of course I need to read on, as I didn't want it to end in the first place, that and I need more of Eefah and the beautiful world of Aevover in my life! Oh, and I need me a Nola!
Thank you, Shelby, for having Eefah leave her mark on my heart!
I was kindly gifted this by the nerdfam and Shelby as an ARC reader.

[Sam Ensign · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you The Nerd Fam and Shelby for the ARC! I was so excited to read this book but sadly it fell a bit flat for me. I found myself having to reread quite a bit to piece together what was happening. I enjoyed the enemies to lovers as well as the plot twists in the middle & end. I did enjoy the idea of the universe.

[Kimberlee McClure · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recieved this book from the authornin exchange fornan honest review. Among Veiled Stars is a story about finding yourself but centered around a fantasy realm. The middle is a little slow as the world building is happening but stick through it! The ending is worth it!