Deep within the enchanted woods surrounding the supernatural town of Willowbrook, a strange and unsettling discovery sets a young wolf shifter named Luca on a path that will change his life forever. The son of the local pack's Alpha, Luca stumbles upon a beautiful young man lying in an unnatural slumber, his body trapped in a state of suspended animation.
Haunted by the mysterious sleeper's plight, Luca brings him back to the pack, desperate for answers. The pack's Elder, a wise and enigmatic seer, reveals that the young man is Rowan, a fae prince ensnared by a sinister curse cast by the malevolent entity known only as the Deal Maker. Entrusting Luca with a cryptic magical amulet, the Elder sends him on a perilous quest to unravel the secrets of the curse and save the sleeping prince.
As Luca sets out with the slumbering Rowan in tow, he finds himself drawn into a web of dark magic, ancient prophecies, and hidden dangers. With each step, he encounters new challenges and mysteries, from battling shadowy creatures to deciphering cryptic riddles, all while struggling to uncover the true nature of the curse that binds Rowan.
But the deeper Luca delves into the enigma surrounding Rowan, the more he begins to suspect that the prince's fate is intertwined with a larger, more insidious plot that threatens the very fabric of Willowbrook itself. Joined by a band of unlikely allies, each with their own secrets and agendas, Luca must race against time to piece together the fragments of a shattered prophecy and confront the Deal Maker's growing influence.
As Luca's journey unfolds, he finds himself inexorably drawn to the enigmatic sleeping prince, his heart awakening to a love that defies the boundaries of magic and destiny. But with the fate of Willowbrook hanging in the balance and the Deal Maker's malevolent machinations closing in, Luca must confront the shadows within his own heart and make the ultimate sacrifice if he hopes to break the curse and save the one he loves.
In this mesmerizing and suspenseful fourth installment of the Willowbrook series, "Starcrossed" weaves a spellbinding tale of forbidden love, dark sorcery, and the enduring power of hope in the face of overwhelming darkness.
As Luca and Rowan's destinies collide, they must navigate a treacherous landscape of secrets, betrayals, and unexpected allies, all while unraveling the mystery that could hold the key to their salvation... or their undoing.
As was the case with the first two books in the series, this book had a good plot with some serious writing issues. As usual for the series, there were some instances of repetition starting at about 30% into the book just when I was starting to hope that there'd be a book in the series without that issue.
One unique problem with this story is that the events during the last third of the book felt really rushed; it seemed like they were in a battle every day without reprieve until they finally had their big win. Trying to follow what all was happening was a bit confusing.
Speaking of confusing, we have an MC in this story named Rowan and a prominent side character in the series named Roman (who is also called Roan in one of the books, presumably by accident) who plays a big part in this story; in addition, Luca's brother is named Gareth and their dad is named Gary, which is also the name of an incubus who is a minor villain in the first book who makes amends in the second book before fading into obscurity. There are too many similar names in this series. Speaking of names, if we're thinking of labels, Dominic's bakery is called a coffee shop in this book. Those two types of businesses might be similar, but they aren't interchangeable.
I'm also confused about Rowan in general because he is apparently the youngest brother in his family but is supposed to eventually rule the Seelie court. He also seems to share the same parents as his brothers do but he's the only one who's half fae and half undine. How did that happen? There are only so many things that can be explained by magic, and genetics shouldn't be one of those things.