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When All The Stars Burn Out
With her mother's death, Andromeda's world shatters. If she is going to keep her promise to provide her sister with a full life, they have to trade the small farm they grew up on for the shining lights and sounds of the big city. But the shine quickly wears off. Getting her sister into a prestigious academy doesn't come without sacrifice, and she quickly learns that she is out of place and more unsure of herself than ever before. When tragedy befalls her once again, she must determine who she is willing to become when she no longer recognizes the eyes that stare back at her in the mirror.
Tropes
High stakes tragedy
Enemies to allies
Reluctant hero
Race against the clock
One on one showdown
Content Warnings
This material includes content that touches on the kidnapping (forceful deprivation of/disregard for personal autonomy), death or dying of a loved one, and sexual assault.
Tropes
High stakes tragedy
Enemies to allies
Reluctant hero
Race against the clock
One on one showdown
Content Warnings
This material includes content that touches on the kidnapping (forceful deprivation of/disregard for personal autonomy), death or dying of a loved one, and sexual assault.
229 pages, Paperback
Published January 31, 2025
9 people are currently reading
46 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 12, 2025
It’s electric. It’s fast paced. And somehow insanely poignant. Our main character sacrifices everything, working three jobs to get her little sister into the ballet school of her dreams. Andy is an ideal, gorgeously rendered protagonist. She’s not perfect, but she runs deep and it is easy as a reader to connect with her and her hopes and struggles. If you are an eldest daughter, I feel like this was written for you. If you have eldest daughter energy and find yourself in a caretaker position a lot of the time? It is a story that will resonate with you. It will resonate with any woman who’s found herself on the ropes (you know like in a boxing ring?). Andy and her sister are kidnapped. Andy wakes up and finds herself in an underground fighting ring made up of solely young women pitted against each fight after fight. Wealthy, evil patrons pay a fortune to attend the events and gamble on girls brawling UFC style. Or that’s the best way I can describe it; every single fight scene is choreographed excellently by Finley on the page. So I can visualize it! Andy wakes up every day in this underbelly, this den of greed, corruption, and oppression, hoping to win the next round, stay alive and figure out what happened to her sister. An English professor once told me all writers are either knockout boxers or win by rounds boxers. Finley is a knockout writer. She doesn’t need 500 pages to tell a story. She just needs a mere 200 to deliver her suckerpunch. This book is a triumph of storytelling, unique plotting and admirable characters. BRAVA!! HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!!!!!
January 4, 2025
This book was INCREDIBLE! I immediately wanted book 2 to only find out it’s planned as a standalone. But I want more!! I normally need a happy ending in books, but this book was so well done, so well laid out, it all worked perfectly. The perfect tragedy. Truly couldn’t put it down.
May 20, 2025
3.75 stars
It was pretty good throughout most of the story.
It's about Andy, a woman in her early to mid 20s, who is the caretaker for her younger sister. They move to NY from a ranch in the south and she works three jobs to make ends meet and makes connections for her sister to audition for a prestigious dance school in which Ellie, the sister, is accepted. However, shortly after, the both of them are kidnapped and Andy is separated from her sister while being trained and forced to fight in an illegal underground fight club where girls/women die regularly and are kept in captivity for the entertainment of others. Here, she meets Liam, her trainer/guard, and tries to survive as she plots her escape and the search for her sister.
I liked Andy's resilience and survival instincts. Her dynamic with Liam is also good. He trains her relentlessly but also protects her. That being said - I felt the end a bit rushed and the final scene. in particular, a bit abrupt. There were questions with regards to Liam's past and the fight club that weren't answered. How did they go from "the end" to the epilogue? Her plan was virtually nonexistent and really, I felt a bit let down at the end of the story, even with the epilogue. Also, her epic status as a fighter wasn't really explained either. We just know that they have elevated her to the best fighter but I didn't really see it happening.
So...I liked it overall. Just a few things that were a bit vague. If you can ignore these and just roll with the story, it was a decent read and I'd probably try this author again. I never felt like DNFing at any time and nowadays, that is definitely saying something!
It was pretty good throughout most of the story.
It's about Andy, a woman in her early to mid 20s, who is the caretaker for her younger sister. They move to NY from a ranch in the south and she works three jobs to make ends meet and makes connections for her sister to audition for a prestigious dance school in which Ellie, the sister, is accepted. However, shortly after, the both of them are kidnapped and Andy is separated from her sister while being trained and forced to fight in an illegal underground fight club where girls/women die regularly and are kept in captivity for the entertainment of others. Here, she meets Liam, her trainer/guard, and tries to survive as she plots her escape and the search for her sister.
I liked Andy's resilience and survival instincts. Her dynamic with Liam is also good. He trains her relentlessly but also protects her. That being said - I felt the end a bit rushed and the final scene. in particular, a bit abrupt. There were questions with regards to Liam's past and the fight club that weren't answered. How did they go from "the end" to the epilogue? Her plan was virtually nonexistent and really, I felt a bit let down at the end of the story, even with the epilogue. Also, her epic status as a fighter wasn't really explained either. We just know that they have elevated her to the best fighter but I didn't really see it happening.
So...I liked it overall. Just a few things that were a bit vague. If you can ignore these and just roll with the story, it was a decent read and I'd probably try this author again. I never felt like DNFing at any time and nowadays, that is definitely saying something!
January 25, 2025
Every time I thought I had the plot figured out BOOM drama! LOVED IT, it reminds me of some of my favorite shows. When All The Stars Burn Out was such a unique story, it was refreshing and kept me on my toes. I felt I could relate to many of the FMC traits as an older sister which I have yet to experience in a book before, it made me feel seen. If you are looking for a book for adult audiences where the FMC is in her mid-twenties, this book is for you.
February 13, 2025
Oh my god.....my heart!!!! This story was brilliant. I could not stop reading!!! The character development, the raw emotion. I highlighted so many beautiful lines in this book. The ending was absolutely perfect. Beautiful!!! A masterpiece. I will now be reading anything Jackson writes.
Go read this book!!!!!!!!!!!
Go read this book!!!!!!!!!!!
July 19, 2025
Could not put this book down. Finley does a phenomenal job of capturing both the vulnerability and the strength of the main character as she navigates what appears to be a hopeless and terrifying situation. It is a testament to the power of sisterhood, how tragedy shapes a person, and how hope can be found. 10000% recommend and excited for future publications from this author!
February 24, 2025
Tragic
The author captured a terrifying nightmare most women have feared. Harrowing. Tragic. The main character is so strong and kind, even while she faces a horrific fate and refuses to accept. Well done.
The author captured a terrifying nightmare most women have feared. Harrowing. Tragic. The main character is so strong and kind, even while she faces a horrific fate and refuses to accept. Well done.
January 12, 2025
Go into this book blind. Know as little as possible and just let the story draw you in. Ride it out because it is worth it.
February 26, 2025
I’ve been craving exactly this. I highlighted so many lines and there was so much good tension. Fleshed out cast of characters, great believability, and beautiful symbolism. Easily five stars for me!
March 11, 2025
What a wild ride, this book!!! From the very beginning I was hooked. And the ending!? *no spoilers* you need to read this book. Read it in a day I couldn’t put it down!
March 16, 2025
What an incredible debut from Finley Jackson! I couldn’t put it down.
This story was devastatingly beautiful. It’s about two sisters—Andy and Ellie—who grow up on a farm in Georgia, and when they lose their mother, they move to New York City in search of a fresh start. Andy sees herself as a protector and does everything in her power to help Ellie reach her dream of dancing at a prestigious academy.
Just when it seems like the sisters are getting their big break, they are abducted and separated. Andy is thrust into the world of underground fighting and will do whatever it takes to find her sister and escape.
The story does an excellent job of exploring themes around the ways we change when backed into a corner and trying to survive, how women are conditioned to normalize things we shouldn’t, sisterly love, and never giving up hope.
“A rebel spirit was determined to claw its way out of me and wouldn’t stop until she was fully unleashed.”
“How could I make myself stay in line when every fiber of my being was screaming to fight?”
I will truly never understand how certain people in this world can be so greedy for wealth and power that they will destroy anyone and anything in their pursuit.
When All the Stars Burn Out is an extremely powerful tale that will stick with you long after the pages end. It utterly shredded me. Thank you for sharing this story with the world, Finley! 🖤🔥
This story was devastatingly beautiful. It’s about two sisters—Andy and Ellie—who grow up on a farm in Georgia, and when they lose their mother, they move to New York City in search of a fresh start. Andy sees herself as a protector and does everything in her power to help Ellie reach her dream of dancing at a prestigious academy.
Just when it seems like the sisters are getting their big break, they are abducted and separated. Andy is thrust into the world of underground fighting and will do whatever it takes to find her sister and escape.
The story does an excellent job of exploring themes around the ways we change when backed into a corner and trying to survive, how women are conditioned to normalize things we shouldn’t, sisterly love, and never giving up hope.
“A rebel spirit was determined to claw its way out of me and wouldn’t stop until she was fully unleashed.”
“How could I make myself stay in line when every fiber of my being was screaming to fight?”
I will truly never understand how certain people in this world can be so greedy for wealth and power that they will destroy anyone and anything in their pursuit.
When All the Stars Burn Out is an extremely powerful tale that will stick with you long after the pages end. It utterly shredded me. Thank you for sharing this story with the world, Finley! 🖤🔥
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews