This epic fantasy was filled with immortal gods, unique magic, monsters from the abyss, a burning yet heart wrenching love, and a star born woman who leaves all who encounter her changed forever.
Kailorien, known by his subjects as Resh’Agar, an immortal god of war, finds himself bound to Auryn, a disabled fallen star who was reborn before her time. With the Cycle of Dark unleashing ancient monsters at every turn, Kailorien battles not only with his duty and the powers that hold him hostage, but also his growing feelings for the wondrous, curious, and kind woman born of starlight. Auryn joins Kailorien as he sets out to conquer the ancient monsters tormenting the land, but soon finds that the powers held inside of her make his soldiers either revere, fear, hate, or love her. But with every use of her power, Auryn pays with a cost, but will that cost be too great? Or will it lead her to become what she is destined to be?
I absolutely loved the world building, the lore, and magic systems! It had a mythological element to it and it was fascinating to see how it all unfolded. The writing was lyrical, intricate, and poetic while also being easy to understand and read.
I wholeheartedly connected with Auryn! Her kindness, compassion for others, her curiosity and simplicity with learning about the world around her, while also bearing an ancient power and deeply rooted wisdom-it was so refreshing and inspiring to see her character blossom and grow. There is a part of Auryn’s story that I felt in my heart and soul-her pain, her sorrow, her grief, her love for Kailorien, and her true understanding of her own power-I felt every single thing. It’s something I’ve experienced deeply and will never ever forget.
I loved the found family dynamic that grows amongst our main characters, and I am a huge Thessia fan! She just took Auryn under her wing, and seemed to understand Auryn and see her, for all that she is and is becoming, sometimes before the others did. It was something that deeply resonated with me!
I will say that towards the beginning of the story, I was not sure how I felt about Kailorien’s nickname for Auryn being “Little One”, especially after they shared a romantic and physically intimate moment, and their growing bond and romantic feelings were surfacing. There was a sense of him being protective of her in numerous aspects, (to some secondary characters it seemed a bit fatherly) and that overall protectiveness shone through, but was hoping that his nickname for her would have changed more quickly as their relationship dynamic evolved and progressed, to deter away from the “fatherly” aspect that other characters hinted at.
I also wanted to share that this story does include spice, but was stated by the author that it is non-explicit. The spice was very emotion, consent, and safety focused, which I appreciated, but I was expecting the spice to be even more emotion focused, allegorical, and vague in terms of language/words used. As a low/no spice reader, even with non-explicit language mostly used, this level of spice still felt a bit more out of my usual comfort level due to frequency, length of those scenes, and some of the language used.
However, even with the two things I noted above, I still throughly enjoyed this epic fantasy story. I believe that those who love a deeply intricate world, a unique magic system, a devastating and aching love with a good amount of spice, would enjoy this story immensely!
I am so grateful to the author, Ravenna Vale, for the opportunity to ARC read “Breath of Starlight”.
Romantic Content:
🌶️🌶️-🌶️🌶️🌶️ Teetering Between Mid/High
Closed Door Modifications:
Chapter 9
Chapter 10 Begin
Chapter 22
Chapter 32
TW: Fantasy Violence, Explicit Swearing Scattered Throughout, Crude Innuendos, Rune Magic, Deities