A Sorceress in Entropy: Starfall

by James Gosteli (Illustrator), James Gosteli

Starfall

For Sorceress Lyra Etherborn, control and stubborn self-reliance are her greatest weapons. But when a highly volatile secret pulls her into the crumbling, abandoned Starfall Citadel, she finds herself facing a chaos she cannot bind and a hunger she cannot deny. Deep beneath a ruined fortress lies a vault of forbidden power—a secret so cataclysmic it threatens to shatter the timelines of the world.

Her fate collides with Sylver, a rugged ranger whose impossible speed and unsettling aura of dark magic are a relentless, consuming mystery. Now, an ancient, ruthless enemy is stirring the darkness, intent on stealing the power to rewrite the past. Lyra must shatter her rules and join the man whose potent, forbidden secret becomes a critical piece to the puzzle.

Their unexpected attraction is a devastating force, forged in ruin and demanded by fate. But how much of herself must Lyra sacrifice against the darkness, alongside a man she barely knows?

A Sorceress in Entropy is a thrilling tale of magic, adventure, and unexpected love. It is a story of self-discovery, resilience, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.

276 pages, ebook

First published March 1, 2025

Reviews

[Marc *Dark Reader with a Thousand Young! Iä!* · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought the point of publishing AI-generated books was to try to trick people into buying them without realizing they're AI-generated. But if that's the case, why do AI book peddlers always wrap their books in AI nonsense? Blurbs that immediately ring of ChatGPT. AI-generated images scattered throughout the book, as if they enhance the text in some way. A website for the book/author with even more AI content. An audiobook with multiple AI voices. A YouTube video with AI-generated "actors" performing the AI-voiced audiobook of the AI text. One can only conclude that they desperately need to demonstrate exactly how far their heads are up Sam Altman's ass.

The website: https://entropytales.org/ —My favorite section is "Our Fan Art Collection" which is just some of the same AI images he used in the book.

The video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wWdL...

Some of the images, in which we're meant to believe this is definitely the same person (the main character, Lyra) wearing the same necklace each time (desktop site required to display images):





I like her outfit in the next one, it's absolutely perfect for wilderness travel and exploring ruins:





Here is a later character, Dannika, definitely looking like the same Asian woman every time and only sometimes putting on her space ranger outfit:









I was, in fact, thankful for the following illustration, it helped me properly visualize the portion of the text that read, "the banquet attendees were all faceless blobs of wax and they ate off fucked-up plates."



So much book enhancement.

As for the text . . . maybe there was at least some portion of human composition at work (aside for the AI prompt typing). There are A LOT of AI-typical phrasings, word uses, and micro- and macro constructions. But there are also some grammatical errors that AI doesn't make in my experience, so maybe there were some additions or flourishes added, or maybe this person's writing just happens to be full of the same tics as AI and they're simply as terrible at writing fantasy fiction in all the exact same ways that AI-generated fantasy fiction is terrible. Wherever the balance lies, this person has demonstrated they have zero qualms about using AI in connection with their book, and this immediately requires that the text show undeniable, unreproducible human agency to avoid being considered equally AI-generated, and this book fails miserably at this.

If the author wants to claim direct creative responsibility for the constant whispers, including in the Whispering Woods, the Whisper Realm, and the Vault of Whispers; character names like Lyra Etherborn, Sylverious Argenta, and Draven Shadowynd; for the generic meaningless random battles, including with such exotic opponents as "the bandits," and "the thugs"; for the always awkward, robotic dialogue; for the basic and cringy plot, have at it. If they were a 12-year old girl writing on Wattpad, I might possibly believe it. (Hey, genAI had to learn all this stuff from somewhere.)

They can claim personal responsibility for all the repetition in the book, such as:

Sylver wrinkles his nose slightly, a strong smell of seawater, ale and fresh horse manure penetrating his sinuses. The scent is a stark contrast to the nicer establishments surrounding them.

"Ahh, fresh air, is it?" Sylver muttered, wrinkling his nose as the sharp tang of seawater mingled unpleasantly with the stench of horse manure.

(It would be impossible to show every instance but there are a lot of repeated sentences and sentiments like this with only minor variations, which is exactly what generative AI does.) They can claim they composed these sentences all on their own:

The air crackles with residual magic, a testament to the power of their shared experience.
. . .
"The citadel fell into ruin, a testament to the unrelenting power of nature and the inevitable decay of time."
. . .
A grand staircase, once a symbol of the citadel's power, now lay in shattered fragments, a testament to the battles that had raged within its walls.
. . .
A large Elven fireplace, its hearth cold and blackened, dominated one end of the hall, a silent testament to the warmth and life that had once filled the space.
. . .
The air crackles with magical energy, a testament to the power contained within these walls.
. . .
It was a beacon of serenity and power, a testament to the enduring faith of Elysia's followers.
. . .
She pauses, her gaze sweeping over the imposing doors, their arcane shimmer a testament to the strength of the powerful barrier.

Again, a human could write this way, as lousy as it is, but by sheer coincidence, I'm sure, it's also happens to be what AI does over and over again. Good thing there's nothing else to suggest AI usage in this case, right?

I could go on, and on, AND ON, THIS AI SHIT IN BOOKS NEVER STOPS, IT NEVER STOPS!!! GLARRGHBBBLLARGHARRRR! HULK SMASH!

Also, the choice of present tense was a poor one.

[Morgan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I DNF this book after 45 pages. I won it in a Goodreads giveaway and was extremely disappointed by how bad it was. It had AI images throughout the book and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was written by AI too. In those 45 pages the FMC winked at least ten times and in the first chapter a sex scene is thrown in. The same phrases are repeated over and over too. It’s painfully obvious a man wrote this, and the AI art of the FMC looks way too young for sexual content to be a main focus. I really tried to give it a chance but I just couldn’t.

[Brenda · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you would like to read my full review please see my blog post:https://lifespilgrimage.wordpress.com...

James R. Gostetli’s A Sorceress in Entropy: Starfall attempts to blend fantasy, magic, and romance, but the result is a muddled, poorly executed narrative. The insta-love relationship between Lyra and Slyverious is unbelievable and frustrating, with the two falling in love and engaging in explicit scenes within the first few chapters. The dialogue is cringeworthy, with overused phrases like "My dear" and "My love," and the characters’ emotional connection feels forced and unearned. The action scenes are clumsy and outdated, reminiscent of low-budget TV shows from the '60s and '70s, failing to create any real tension or excitement.

Technical errors, such as the repeated misuse of sword terminology, demonstrate a lack of basic research and attention to detail. Multiple editorial mistakes, including typos and continuity issues, further diminish the book's credibility. While there is a kernel of a good story hidden beneath the surface, the book is weighed down by shallow characters, juvenile writing, and an underdeveloped world. Gostetli may have potential, but this book feels more like an unfinished draft in need of significant revisions. It’s clear that more time, effort, and professional editing are needed for this work to meet any acceptable standard of quality.

[Linda · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read through 6 chapters of this book. I was put off by the lust and sex throughout those chapters, starting with the very first chapter. I wanted something about the story to intrigue me. I don’t really care that she is a beautiful, physically perfect sorceress, or that he is a handsome ranger. I don’t know much about their personalities, but frequently she looks at him playfully and he smirks at her. There are some interesting hints that have been given, but not enough to get me especially interested in the world or characters so that I would keep reading.

I received this book for free in a Goodreads giveaway. For that reason, I will come back to it later, to see if I can finish reading it.

[Rhoddi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book to in a series of upcoming books to come out. There is a lot of heart in this novel, as it feels like a modern take on sword and sorcery fantasy pulp fiction. Be prepared for action, fun adventure, mystery, and some good ol' luvin' as the two main characters get to know one another. My one complaint is editorial, which hopefully will be fixed quickly, otherwise the story has a decent flow to it. I'll be watching for the second book as the ending in this book sets up something interesting.

[Kelsie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first fantasy book and I really didn’t love the premise and writing of this. I was so surprised that this was a first time author. The love story and action-packed scenes made this book grasp me from beginning to end. It was a very pleasant read.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a first time writer - he did good! A fantasy with magic, love, adventure, evil vampire, a handsome ranger, sassy sorceress, science, other worldly creatures. I can’t wait to see where it goes.

[Glooby232 · Rating 1 out of 5]

So much makes sense when I looked up the author, James Gosteli. This book read like a video game which he claims to be a part time cosplay and gamer. Most books I read are in third person; however, the third-person writing style in this book seemed to create a surface level understanding of the character’s motives. The FMC and MMC are instantly lovey-dovey and briefly question their attraction but that’s it. There needed to be a commitment to figuring out why there is a strange draw between the two characters or have them build a relationship.

Another issue was Lyra behaves as if she is used to danger and should have skills to match but has the abilities of someone that’s inexperienced and easily scared. Like someone that just graduated college and has the ego to get themselves into trouble but no knowledge to save themselves from floundering. She does get better toward the end. Hmmm one of the bad guys Draven, is said college student 🤣

There isn’t an actual villain in the book that the characters are building up to defeat. The main objective just seems to be to explore some ruins and defend yourself against monsters.

There was no real depth in the plot or the characters. I personally would not read it again and I don’t have any friends that I think would enjoy this.

[Caedryn McKenna · Rating 1 out of 5]

The basic story and primise of this book was really interesting. It had a whole lot of potential, but it ended up being a let down and not a very good book in the end. It has a lot of AI pictures and grammatical mistakes. I honestly only finished it because I won it in a giveaway. I do not plan on continuing the series or ever rereading this story.

SPOILERS AHEAD!!

Lyra, the main female character, is supposedly a very strong a powerful sorceress. However, in the beginning of the book, she is betrayed as if any creature makes her scream and act like she can't handle basic spells or defense. I think this was because of Syler, the main male lead. He is a ranger and once in the story, Lyra pretty much lets him do everything. The way that she was betrayed really annoyed me. If a character is strong, don't turn her into a damsel in distress. It's okay to rely on a man, but that doesn't mean that she has to become weak and annoying.

To add to that, the two main characters have instant love. I don't always mind this, but I do not see the so-called chemistry between these two characters. Plus, why does she have to be described at "purring" every time she is talking to him? In the middle of a battle where lives are still at risk, it shouldn't pause for her to purr at him charmingly. Like, come on now! That ruins the whole scene. It destroys any tension that was there.

To go along with that, the fights scenes were bad to begin with. It seemed like anytime something was happening, the author would just throw in a fight. It was just filler and not needed most of the time. Plus, the battles were too easy for the main characters. Syler healed too fast and even came back from the dead after he'd been dead for like an hour or so. Plus, another charcter also came back from the dead even though no one is the party had strong healing magic. That is not how things work.

All in all, I do not recommend reading this book. Save yourself the time and read something more enjoyable and well written.

[Miranda · Rating 2 out of 5]

#GoodReadsGiveaway
I’m not sure how I feel. At first I had to put the book down and had a feeling I wouldn’t be able to finish it. I don’t think I like how it started, it seemed very predictable at first and a lot of repetition of the same words over and over again throughout the whole story. The main characters were thrown together quite suddenly through a romantic rendezvous, and after that they we’re inseparable which seemed a little cliché to me, honestly. I wish their original meeting had more meaning behind it, and then maybe the story would have flowed better for me. The images within were a nice touch at times, but most of the time I felt the lead female character was way too over sexualized. Also most of the images took away the best feeling of reading a fantasy, the art of using your imagination. I’d prefer a story where I can creat my own visualizations, this was quite like watching a movie and then being disappointed because the images shown do not match up with what your mind had created.
Overall, a good story line was there. So much potential was just within reach but fell short and flat a couple of times. The ending did make up for most of the book, I just wish it wasn’t cut short and wrapped up in one book. I’m not sure I have the patience to see where Lyra and Sylver’s story ends.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book took me forever to get through. I tried to like it, but I just didn't at all. By about halfway, I pretty much hated the FMC. The MMC was less irritating.