Cursed by the Stars

by Michele Khalil

In a world ruled by the Twelve Zodiac Signs, power isn’t just inherited—it’s written in the stars.

Every year, those who wish to prove themselves are summoned to Aphelion University for the Zodiac Trials, a deadly competition where only the strongest survive—and where failure can mean more than just defeat.

Talah has spent her life under her father’s unyielding control, hidden away for reasons she’s never understood. Determined to prove her worth, she enters the Trials in secret—only to find herself thrust into a world of merciless politics, brutal tests, and whispered truths the Imperium would kill to keep buried.

Firas should not be alive. Branded a traitor and presumed dead, he slips into Aphelion under a stolen name, playing the role of mentor while waging a far more dangerous game. In truth, he is a rebel of the fractured Ambigua—Zodiacs born with more than one power, hunted to extinction by the Council. His mission is clear: uncover the secrets hidden in Aphelion’s heart and save his people from annihilation.

But when Talah’s unraveling destiny collides with Firas’ perilous mission, both are forced to confront the most dangerous choice of all. Because the closer they draw to each other, the harder it becomes to tell if their bond is the spark that will save them…or the fire that will consume them both.
Some destinies are written in starlight. Others are cursed to burn.

445 pages, Paperback

Expected publication March 27, 2026

About the author

When Michele Khalil isn’t lost in fictional worlds of rebellion and slow-burn romance, she's hoarding books like a dragon, cheering on fellow authors, and daydreaming about more stories than they could ever possibly write. Inspired by ancient cultures, sweeping romances, and the belief that stories can change us, Michele writes fantasy worlds where love and survival collide.

Cursed by the Stars is their reworked debut novel, and the first book in The Starbound Trilogy.

Reviews

[Escaping in Pages · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating - 4/5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Date Read - January 25, 2026
Publication Date - March 27, 2026

*I received an e-book copy for free in exchange for an honest review* - Thank you @coloredpagesbt and @authormichelekhalil!

Cursed by the Stars is the first book in a new fantasy trilogy that has a hint of romance. Definitions, a pronunciation guide, a map... this book has it all! I really enjoyed the incorporation of zodiac signs and their associated abilities in this book. While Talah is a very flawed FMC, it makes her more relatable than seemingly perfect characters who don’t have the opportunity to show growth. Zayd is definitely my favourite character and this is my application for us to be besties! I love when side characters speak to me like Zayd did. Cursed by the Stars has deadly trials that are both exciting and brutal to play with the reader’s emotions. I also appreciate the important messages demonstrated throughout the book about knowledge being power and how we need to take time to educate ourselves rather than blinding believing things that people in positions of power tell us to believe. That ending? wow! If you like fantasy books, zodiac signs and a bit of romance, you might enjoy Cursed by the Stars!

Get excited to read Cursed by the Stars, available March 27! 🎉

*Please check trigger warnings*

[Bhav · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’d like to thank the author for sending me an ARC!

I really enjoyed this book - I feel like there was so much thought into planning out the characters, their development, the world and the plot, and it all really shone throughout the book.
usually when it comes to fantasies, i can be a little nitpicky, and as someone considering writing a fantasy i know how hard it can be to put together a well built novel. this kind of destroyed all my expectations and i found it really refreshing for the novel to be based on non-western influences! it’s really inspired me to try re-broaden out my reading again.

This book was soo well done though - i’d recommend it to anyone who was a big fan of the hunger games and shadow and bone - i feel like it took all my favourite parts from those series and made a beautiful new story to be immersed in.

if anyone cares, im now sat and waiting for the next book in the series!!

[Courtney Pityer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cursed By The Stars is an upcoming fantasy debut novel by the author and I have to say I was deeply impressed with how it turned out. If you are someone who isn't aware of some of the background information of astrology. I for one felt llike I learned some things that I had never learned before. Overall the author provided a very detailed plot with some very interesting characters.

We are introduced to Talah who has been hidden away for a long time by her father and she finally gets the opportunity to attend Aphelion University. However, she later realizes how intense the environment is and if she wants to survive she will have to play by her wits. Along the way she meets Firas a young man who has a very troubled past. Will these two be able to survive this school filled with troublesome influence?

[Bea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to the Author for providing the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 3.75 stars, rounded up

First of all, this book has some features that I haven’t seen as frequently in fantasy books recently and that I liked a lot. Mainly, a list of contents, a glossary, a brief guide to the magic system and a pronunciation guide.
You can clearly see that the author put a lot of thought behind each character and the world, and it shone through throughout the story. I also found it so refreshing to read about a fantastical world based on non-western influences. A very immersive experience, no doubt. The book was very interesting and intense; it was hard to put down. I enjoyed it a lot!

This next section might have some spoilers!!
However, I had a couple of issues. The book was enjoyable for the most part, but I felt the tension was at an all-time high basically all the time, which made some of the near-death experiences and trials feel rather trivial? There wasn’t as much room to breathe between high-stakes scenes, but, to be fair, you can’t really expect people to be able to “relax” in such situations.
Also, I felt the romance really didn’t fit the situation as well. The MMC is presented as this fierce rebel with very important plans and goals, but he meets the FMC, they train together a couple of times, and he just got head over heels for her? His actions were heavily influenced by these feelings, which kind of went against what was presented of him a couple of chapters before. They didn’t get that much time to get to know each other that well outside of the deathly trials, so I kind of felt like they didn’t get to develop their chemistry before they eventually kissed. To the point where I couldn’t really root for them as a couple. As friends, maybe, but I really couldn’t see where this romance should fit in this first book. In a later one, after getting to know each other, I can definitely see them together! Maybe that’s just my demi-ace self not understanding. Or I guess this is making me realize I’m nitpicky with romance.
Lastly, and this ties with the first “negative” point I mentioned, I was able to predict the twists. That in itself is a very fun thing for me! However, because of the constant high stakes, when the twists arrived, they just didn’t hit as hard. Which is unfortunate, both were pretty good and fit the plot very well!

This was a very good book overall! If you enjoy momentum that reminds you of The Hunger Games, I definitely recommend this. I can’t wait for the next book in this series!

[Alisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cursed by the Stars is a debut novel by Michele Khalil and whilst I loved the story and cannot wait for book two I did find it hard during the first half of the book to fully immerse myself in the story. The reason for this is because the world building wasn't fully fleshed out which made things confusing such as who belonged to what sign and what the powers were. One aspect of the signs power that you kinda pick up along the way is that along with the specfic power asigned to them at the front of the book they can also wield the element of their sign and some of the powers seem to over lap ie the Gemini power replication looks the same as a Pisces power of illusion when they create illusions of themselves. Another one is Libra's telepathy and Scorpios mind control in that it seems Libra can influence ones thoughts to believe something ie they are worthless and should gove up which is similar to mind control in that Scorpions can use mind control to make them think/do something ie be sleepy/fall alseep. With the powers not being fully explained I had to keep going back and checking what each power was meant to be and who belonged to what sign. The first part of the book also seems to ignore peoples power and it is hardly mentioned when Talah and the others are preparing for the trials. All of that aside I really liked the story, I am invested in Talah and want her to succeed, I am intriguied about Firas/Iras and his backstory. The ending of the book had me gripped wondering who survived and what is coming next. The first half of the book is slow and as I said a bit confusing but the second half really ramps up and I really got into the story once the trials begun. I would love to know the background of the Imperiuem and the ambigua.....what made them erase the history about them (and the potential 13th zodiac???) and hunt the ambiguia down. I love the political messaging in the book of not blindly beleiving everything the Governing body tells you and that loyality means not questioning the governing body. The book also harkens back to Rebecca Yarrows quote from Fourth Wing “It only takes one desperate generation to change history—even erase it. […] One generation to change the text. One generation chooses to teach that text. The next grows, and the lie becomes history.” Against the current political situation of our world this is such an important message to remember. Whilst there are some world-building concerns I have with this book it is the authors debut book and I highly anticipate the next book and seeing this authors writing develop and grow

[Elaina · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received Cursed by the Stars as an ARC, from an ARC-selected friend, and while I genuinely wanted to love the premise, the execution ultimately made this a frustrating and disappointing read.

At its core, this book suffers from overwritten, poorly controlled prose. The narrative is buried under excessive description that rarely serves character, tension, or momentum. Worldbuilding is not inherently the problem - indulgent worldbuilding is. Scenes linger far too long on aesthetic detail while emotional beats and stakes are rushed or assumed. Instead of feeling immersive, the prose often feels bloated and unfocused, as though the author was more concerned with proving the depth of the world than telling a compelling story within it.

The plot structure is equally disjointed, particularly in the opening act. We’re introduced to numerous concepts - Zodiac magic, political factions, secret lineages, forbidden powers - yet very little is meaningfully contextualized before we’re expected to care. The Zodiac magic system, arguably the most intriguing element of the book, is underexplained when it matters most and deferred in favor of vague hints and exposition dumps. This creates confusion rather than intrigue. Complexity without clarity is not depth.

Character development is thin across the board. Talah’s motivations are repetitive rather than evolving, and much of her internal conflict is told rather than shown. Firas, while positioned as morally complex and dangerous, reads more as a trope than a fully realized character. Their relationship relies heavily on proximity and implication instead of earned emotional progression, making the central bond feel forced rather than inevitable.

The pacing never truly recovers. High-stakes moments are introduced before the reader is adequately grounded, while quieter scenes overstay their welcome. The result is a story that feels long without earning its length. By the time the plot begins to cohere, the reader has already done too much of the work the narrative should have handled itself.
In the end, Cursed by the Stars reads like a draft that needed significant tightening -on the sentence level, the structural level, and the conceptual level. The ideas are there. The ambition is there. But ambition alone doesn’t carry a novel. Craft does.

This may work for readers who enjoy extremely dense worldbuilding and are willing to push through muddled plotting to get to later payoff, but for me, the lack of narrative discipline made it impossible to stay invested.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 4 stars
Thank you to the author for providing me with an eARC of this book via Colored Pages Book Tours!
Cursed by the Stars is a romantic fantasy set in an Arabic-inspired world. The Zodiac Trials are about to take place, and Talah enters without her parents’ permission. She is paired with Iras, her mentor and secretly a rebel of the Ambigua.

“For the lost, for the hunted. For those who refuse to fall.”

The idea of this book is what really sold me when reading it. Zodiac, Arabic-inspired, trials, slow-burn; sign me up!! And this book delivers what it promised! I quite enjoyed this debut!

The world was amazing. I loved the setting and the world building. The teasing of the world being so much bigger than what is shown! I want to meet more of the world!

The zodiac magic system is one part I really loved. The different powers are explained at the very beginning in the glossary, and I couldn’t wait to discover them all within the pages. I do have to be honest and say I expected more magic to be shown on page. A lot of the trials had tiny bits of magic, but it felt more hand-to-hand fighting than the magic playing a big role. I hope the magic plays a more prominent role in future books. The glossary set expectations for me that weren’t quite met, as not even all magics were shown or weren’t memorable.

I really liked both Talah and Firas. They had clear views; motivations and their development was well done. At the same time, I felt a bit of a disconnect between myself and the two of them.
The romance was a good slow burn, aside from Firas falling very quickly for Talah. While the tension and chemistry were there, I felt like he fell too quickly while she didn’t. It kinda took away from his fierce rebel personality.

The plot was engaging and I didn’t find it really predictable, but at the same time it felt like the stakes were high the whole time, so it felt a bit flat at times. I would’ve liked to have seen more of a buildup to the big events that happened.

Overall, I very much enjoyed Cursed by the Stars and think it is a very solid first book in the series and it makes me very excited to see where the story will go.

[Elle · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

**Thank you so much Colored Pages Book Tours and Michele Khalil for sending me a copy of this book and for having me on this tour! All thoughts and opinions are my own**

I absolutely loved this world. The idea that a person’s power is determined by the constellation (zodiac) that they were born under, and that this power is stronger when it comes from a long lineage of the same zodiac sign, was so creative and unlike anything I have read before. For example (since I’m not the best at explaining things), the FMC is a Pisces and comes from a long line of Pisces, which gives her stronger magic than someone whose lineage varies with multiple signs.

I also really enjoyed Talah as a main character. She starts off as a sheltered daughter of one of the leaders, and is desperate to prove her worth, which ultimately leads her to enter a deadly competition. Michele Khalil did a great job portraying the trauma and ptsd that would result from trials where survival depends on doing whatever it takes to stay alive.

On top of all that, this book explored themes around politics, the consequences of forgotten or erased history, and rebelling against systems that seek to eliminate those deemed different. These themes feel especially relevant and applicable to our own world.

I highly recommend if you like:
- Zodiac x Arabic-inspired world
- Deadly trials
- Mentor x mentee
- Found family
- Slow burn

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to continuing the rest of the series!

[Vee G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ohk, WOAH! The word building, the story, the writing — it was amazing! It was captivating, and I think the book laid out a nice start to the trilogy.

“This is what they fear, he though. Not rebellion. Not even death. They fear remembering.”

The world of power, politics, and darkness felt like a rollercoaster — all very interesting and constantly keeping me on edge. Rebellion against the system is ALWAYS A YES FOR ME. Like hell yes, anyone against the system is a HERO in my eyes. I loved how politically accurate everything was. Definitely, the system is against those whom they don’t understand; they want them to be erased, forgotten. They punish them for being their true selves. The cruelness, the darkness, the inhumane nature — chilling, but not at all surprising given how the world is now.

Talah — I admire her. Her boldness. Her determination. Her fierceness. respect HER RAGE!! HER WILL! She was badass and definitely kicked everyone’s ass.

Mazin — HE WAS amazing. A true friend to Talah. I am like 100% sure he is in love with her. Would love to see more for him and Adine and Zayd in the next book? I liked how they stood for each other.

And FIRAS! Boy — the yearning?!?! Total goner. I would love to see him going feral whatever the reason maybe!! and more of his group!

The trials broke them all in a way they couldn’t be healed. I just hope whatever comes next is worth surviving that for.

THE ENDING! OH-GOD! I need book 2 ASAP!

[Charlotte Perry · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I received this as an ARC for my honest thoughts and was really grateful to be included!

I really enjoyed the concept of this, and the world is full of depth - the level of detail in describing the world, and also giving us a map and pronunciation guide shows that Michele really resides here when she's writing! For me personally, some of the descriptions were a littttle too much, but also given the nature of the story and genre, there often needs to be a lot of world building before the plot gets plotting.

I found the concept of a Zodiac magic system really interesting and would have loved to find out more about that earlier on in the story - there are a lot of moving parts that I felt were a bit disjointed particularly in the beginning, but again, when you're working on a longer form plot, sometimes thats the way things go. I might just be impatient!

High stakes kept things moving and entertaining - I'll be keen to see where things go in this world!

[Librosentrelazos · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book took me by surprise, from its wonderful writing style to its powerful characters, I enjoyed every bit of it. The author did a great job introducing us this world and its magic, I was immersed in the Zodiac background, and I really appreciated that to understand the plot of the story.

Talah and Fira were the perfect protagonists. They had a wonderful growth across the story, and I love how they dealt with everything the trials throw at them. Their chemistry and yearning were absolutely amazing.

The whole story is a rollercoaster of emotions, filled with politics, darkness, and things you never saw coming. This was an amazing debut novel. Thank you, Colored Pages Book Tours and Michele Khalil, for the gifted copy.

[Ally Harju · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cursed By The Stars is a high-octane narrative that expertly balances relentless action with a compelling slow-burn romance. The plot is consistently engaging, maintaining a momentum reminiscent of The Hunger Games. For fans of immersive fantasy, this is an accessible yet deeply satisfying read.