Stars Alight

by G. B. Hartwell

A magical legend. An unexpected companion. An adventure that could change the kingdom forever.

Grace has never left her tower. Despite an unyielding desire for freedom, she stays. She is loved, she is protected, and she knows that the kingdom's safety rests in her hands. All her life, Grace has accepted her fate as a necessary sacrifice, until an ancient legend reveals a secret she cannot ignore.

When Grace discovers that the source of her healing power might be the key to restoring magic to the land, she knows that she must finally leave the only home she's ever known, and the only person she's ever loved.

But the world outside is frightening, and she cannot face it alone. With a mysterious and charming companion by her side, Grace embarks on a treacherous, wondrous quest, risking everything for the hope of magic, freedom, and a happily ever after.

Stars Alight is an enchanting YA fantasy romance, perfect for readers of Stephanie Garber and Holly Black.

339 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 26, 2026

About the author

G. B. Hartwell is a writer of romantic fantasies full of love, enchantments and starlight. Between writing sessions, Hartwell is a lawyer and an editor. She lives in Canada and is married to her high school sweetheart. Hartwell is a hopeless romantic and a daydreamer who consumes romance in any and all forms, from classic rom-coms to romantasy novels. She is currently working on a series of novels, each inspired by a different fairy tale, and all brimming with magic and love.

Reviews

[Jacquelyn 💐 {This Rapunzel Reads} [Jesus Christ, my Living Hope]]

I received an ARC ebook from the author in exchange for an honest review. Okay, I was pretty excited to read this one because it was a Rapunzel retelling and the cover was so pretty! At first, it started out really well and I liked it. Then Luke started these innuendos and like ogling the main girl and it was really uncomfortable. Then there was a swear word which she called him…um absolutely no. I continued to read and then they went swimming with basically nothing on. This was very disappointing. I was done. This book is not for me.

[°•♡☕️~ℒ ~ ♤•° [matching w mi amor] [semi ia]]

★★★★

Before I start my review I would like to give the biggest thank you ever to G.B. Hartwell for an advanced copy of this book, I am so grateful to have had this opportunity <3

Stars Alight is a YA romantasy rapunzel retelling about a girl who has magical tears that can heal wounds, she has been isolated away her whole life by the king to keep her (and her magic) safe after her parents tragically died from illness not long after she was born. She longs to be free and explore the world though she never does until she recieves a book filled with magical legends that may or may not help her discover more about her magic...

- + You will love this book if you enjoy... + -
⤷ Kindhearted but brave FMC (similar to Evangeline Fox <3)
⤷ Magic + quests
⤷ Swoony romance + banter (no spice!!)
⤷ Dystopian + fantasy setting (think Powerless!)
⤷ Legends + lore
⤷ She saves him (multiple times hehe)
⤷ Rebellions

OH. MY. GOD. THIS BOOK WAS FANTASTIC AHHHHHHHHHH!!! The amount of times I giggled, cried, screamed, raged at Edmund and gasped throughout this book is actually crazy. The lore was soooo good, the overall plot was really well laid out and the writing was AMAZING I was absolutely shook that this is Hartwell's debut novel!!! It was a bit slow in the first couple of chapters but definitely picked up a lot once it REALLY started!


- + What I liked about this book!+ -
1. Grace: She was such a sweet and relatable character but was still an absolute badass at times omg!!! Her duality is insaneee and I deeply respect her for it 😌✊ Her values are also very admirable and I hope I can one day have the same optimism about the world that she does <3 Would 100% choose her as my queen.

2. Luke: THIS. MAN. His charm made me swoon so hard omg and he is just so perfect for Grace <3 (ik it's a love triangle but bsfr we all knew who she was gonna end up with - I swear if she ended up with that rat Edmund I might have killed myself) I loved his Flynn Rider energy especially when they first met, I seriously have no words he was amazing (he also actually had a personality omfg!!)

3. The plot: If you love magical quests then this book is perfect for you!!! The whole adventure the characters had was so enjoyable to read about!! Though I do admit it felt very short but that might just be me being a fast reader ahah <3 The plot twists were also unexpected and were hard to predict!! (I'm looking at you the reappearance of rachel price)

4. The characters and their development: Everyone is so unique and there was A LOT of character development and that made me so happy!! Throughout the book everyone went through some sort of growth, helping them learn more about themselves, improve and connect more with others (dare I say Edmund improved? I still hate him but he definitely grew a bit!). I also just loved the dynamic they had between them (Ali, John, Thomas, Aidan, William and so many more - you all have my heart <3)

Although this was a great book, alas it had its flaws...

- + What I didn't like about this book + -
1. Edmund: MY LORD I HATE THIS MAN OMFG. He was so annoying especially at the start (the things he was saying to Grace? Nuh uh absolutely unacceptable and then he had the audacity to constantly nag her about how much he loved her?? Eugh I'm gagging just typing his name) Am I holding a grudge against him for something he said in the first few chapters? 100%. Did he go through some development and slightly improve? yes. Do I still hate his guts? obviously! If you were one of the people reading my updates as I was reading the book, I hope I entertained you with my constant, very passionate hatred towards this rat and you're welcome <3 I literally screamed and started jumping with joy when I saw that he died, that is how much I hate this guy. Also glad that his dad is gone as well because my lord he was a an absolute monster!!!
2. The pacing: Although majority of the time the pacing was really good it sometimes went too slow or too fast. It was a bit inconsistent meaning that it was hard to begin but once I got into it, it was AMAZING!

Honestly the main thing I hated in this book was Edmund and that is very very very unlikely to change ahah (if I ever say that I love Edmund please put me in a mental hospital)

𓂃˖˳·˖ ִֶָ ⋆🌷͙⋆ ִֶָ˖·˳˖𓂃 ִֶָ

Overall this book was amazing and once again thank you so much to G.B. Hartwell for this advanced reader copy!! I would highly recommend this book and I hope you all have a wonderful day lovelies <3

Thank you so much for reading my review!!
xx lily

[Couby]

Review of an advanced reader copy provided by the author. This review is completely honest and voluntary.

This was such a wonderful Rapunzel retelling filled with magic, self discovery, and the power of friendship. If you love a good fairytale retelling that’s lighthearted and has no spice, this one is for you!

As a lover of fairytale retelling, this one was such a treat to read. There was still an interesting conflict/ intrigue without making the story feel too heavy. This made it really easy to fly through the book! We follow Grace, a girl whose tears can heal, who’s been locked away in a tower in order to protect and hide her from others who may want to use her for her powers. In a world where magic doesn’t exist, Grace is special and powerful with such abilities. However, Grace soon realizes that maybe the world does have magic and sets off on an adventure with Luke, a rebel who fights against the kingdom. As the two journey towards Aurelia Falls to look for the source of magic, the two learn to trust each other, discover their feelings for each other, and find out what freedom truly means.

I find the most interesting thing about this book is the magic system. Unfortunately, I can’t delve too much into this because it’s kind of the big mystery of this book. The whole origin and history of the land was crafted so well and when we finally find out what had happened, everything just finally clicks into place. You’ll have to take my word for it that it’s good ahahaha.

I also quite enjoyed the characters. Grace embodies optimism and child-like innocence. As someone who’s never been outside, she is easily impressed by everything and doesn’t really know much about how the world works. But what I liked about her that gave her some depth is that she spent all that time in her tower studying and reading (amongst other things). So she technically has an idea of the general workings of things… it just doesn’t really always translate properly once she’s out in the real world. EXCEPT, tell me how this girl read about fighting with a dagger and just … somehow manages to be good at it the first time she puts it to use?? I guess she’s just a genius 😂.

Luke embodies all of the charisma and flirtatious charm that Flynn Rider does in Tangled. He’s such a smooth talker, is super sarcastic, and also such a big flirt. I actually love the bickering we get between Grace and Luke throughout the entire book (you know I love a good enemies to lovers!) Also, the fact that he “had a bad experience with horses”? Ring any bells? 😂 Loved that little detail haha.

Edmund was also such an interesting character. As Grace’s only friend in all the years she was locked up and the prince of the kingdom, Edmund struggles between breaking out of the king’s hold and get a taste of freedom and completing his royal duties. I think his character showed the most character development in this book and I was actually very surprised about his character throughout most of it… and you’ll find out why when you read it hehe.

I quite enjoyed the pacing in this book. We actually start off at a pretty regular pace, before Grace decided to leave the tower and go on her quest to find Aurelia Falls. We see her enjoying what little she can within the tower. Even after she leaves, she’s basking in the beauty of a world she’s never seen from beyond her tower. However, once she realizes what’s at stake, the pace picks up, matching the urgency of the plot.

I feel like I couldn’t actually talk too much about this book because everything is one big mystery that slowly gets revealed and is interlinked. But I’d definitely recommend giving this a read!

[Elisabeth Cooley]

I received an ARC ebook from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Stars Alight is a Rapunzel retelling, with a couple of notable twists. Fans of Disney's Tangled and Alex Asters Lightlark will enjoy this book.

Overall, I thought this book was just ok. While I think the idea had a lot of promise the execution kind of fell flat for me a couple times. Let's get into what I liked, and what I didn't.

What I liked:
- Grace as the FMC. I liked Grace and rooted for her throughout the story. I think the author did a great job balancing Grace being naïve and not knowing a bunch about the real world from being in her tower, with what she did know from reading her books.
- Luke. I mean this is the Flynn Ryder of it all.
- The unique magic system. I thought the magic system in this title was super creative.

What I didn't like:
- The love triangle. I felt that this was kind of unnecessary, but that might be my bias of disliking Edmund.
- The pacing. I think this story has good bones, but I had some trouble with the pacing. While I like that everything was resolved in this title, it felt like two different books. The first half of the book follows a very similar beat by beat play of Tangled, then turns into something unique. I would have liked to see this story deviate from that a little sooner as things were predictable.

Overall, I think this is a very solid debut title. It's energy was reminiscent of the Barbie movies of the early 2000s. I think this would be a great read for teens, especially those who are newer to the fantasy genre.

I'm excited to see what this author does next

[evita]

I stumbled upon this book on TikTok through a video of the author, and it piqued my interest because of the title. I have a tattoo that says ‘stars align’ and right there I knew it was a match made in heaven. After learning more about the story, I knew I had to get my hands on it, and I requested an ARC.

What an amazing book!!! I devoured it, read it in a day, probably less. We follow Gracie, the Rapunzelesque character, she is hidden away in a tower in a corner of the kingdom. She yearns to go outside, walk on the beach, and just like every other princess that came before her she loves to paint, read, and dagger throwing (maybe not so typical, but will come in handy later on). She never gets the nerve to go outside until she gets a book that tells the legend of a magic waterfall, with magic water—just like her tears.

Luke, oh my god, Luke!!!! Loved him from the moment he opened his mouth. I saw someone saying they were rooting for Ed, I just couldn’t—maybe because I never fully trusted him–he didn’t have it for me…

I really recommend this book to (of course) Tangled/Rapunzel fans, it captures the essence so well while still becoming its own story. There were moments when I was so deep into the story that I forgot about the retelling aspect lol. Also for Divine Rivals fans, something about taking a trip with your sarcastic “enemy.”

Fabulous debut novel! Congrats 💝

[Softpixel reads]

rating : 4.5/5⭐
Did I DEVOUR it in a day? yes. Was it worth it? Also yes.
IF YOU LOVE RAPUNZEL THEN YOU NEED TO READ THIS RN!

Let me start off by saying that I absolutely love tangled, it’s my favourite disney princess movie ever so I obviously had to signed up for this one. But this was wayy more than just a fairytale, the amount of plot twists the book had was just insane but i loved every single one! And the fast pace of the book had me so hooked, it felt like the whole plot was over even though i was only halfway through😭

Let’s take a moment for our MMC Luke, I enjoyed the whole ‘charming and flirty flynn rider energy’ he had a lot. Their banter had me giggling and kicking my feet🤭 I usually don’t like love triangles but since it was clear who she was gonna end up with at an early stage, I surprisingly had fun reading it.
I don’t know how to explain this but it had the perfect mix of rapunzel, encanto and once upon a broken heart. There were honestly so many little things about this book that I adored and if you too enjoy :

-Soft but brave fmc
-enemies to friends (non romantic)
-swoony romance with no spice
-high stakes YA fantasy
-she saves him
-magic, quests, secrets

then you will surely love this one!
Thank you to the author for an arc in return for an honest review.

[Yashasvi Pandey]

I loved this book. The vibes and aesthetics of this book are dreamy and magical ✨️. I loved that this book was fast paced without too much info dump at the same time and I personally like fast paced books. The plot twists were actually twisting and it was a real emotional roller-coaster 😄.

The characters were probably my favorite part of the book 💗. The writing is brilliant , everyone was so different and so real and I loved the bond between them. Every character's complexity and unique personality was fun to read. The character development was also very good specially Grace and Edmund , they grew so naturally throughout the story.

Overall this book was good and worth reading 💖.

[Gabby]

✧ This ARC was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review ✧

Rating ~ ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75/5

I enjoyed jumping into this universe. The characters were genuine and I really loved Luke’s sarcastic nature and overall Flynn Rider type vibe. His reactions to Edmund were always my favorite 😂

Solid debut from Hartwell. She made the story uniquely her own, while also being a retelling and keeping the overall foundation of Rapunzel. If you love YA romantasy and are looking for a new author, I recommend giving this one a go! 💛

[Itamar Fruchter]

Received this as an ARC reader.
A refreshing take on a classic. Hartwell manages to create a vibrant world without losing the flow of the story, and creates characters that are fun to read without being flat (especially the main trio).

The story keeps sending nice twists to keep you on your toes, is well paced and the romance is slowly building up.
Haven't read much from this genre, but this felt somehow both realistic and fantastic.

Can't wait to read more from her!

[Bar Cohen]

I was lucky enough to get this as an ARC 😊
As a YA fantasy lover I think this book does an excellent job balancing between character development and storyline. What I loved the most was how UNEXPECTED the plot twists are!!
I am so tired of books, movies, shows etc that are simply *obvious*. Well, not this one! I found myself gasping a few times, tearing, blushing and laughing. This was a fun one to read!!!
Looking forward to more stories from this author!

[A. Doyle]

Review of ARC received from the author.

Stars Alight is a YA Romantasy Rapunzel retelling. This enchanting novel is brimming with magic and has a fast-paced plot full of twists and turns. I loved the banter between the characters, and the divergences the author took to make this story her own.

[Amelia]

I thought the plot of this book was fun; it was a little hard to follow at times due to the vague scene changes. I felt like scenes changed without much clarity. I thought this book was great; otherwise, good vibes and an enjoyable read.

[Tiffany Regester]

I received the book as an advanced copy (an ARC) from the author prior to publishing!

I absolutely loved this Rapunzel retelling! The banter was so fun, I really enjoyed the twists, and the third act of the book had me finding every free moment to finish reading! The beginning was a little slow for me BUT like I said I loved the surprise element at the middle/end and the story really picked up for me. I actually loved that both MMC’s felt lovable in their own ways and the FMC was strong but still gentle. The side characters were also unique and I loved how they added to the story.

[Ty Beck]

I received an ARC of this book from the author and was so excited to read it!
I’m a fan of fairy tales and retellings and this one exceeded my expectations!
Although I rooted for the prince I loved the dynamic with Luke and his playfulness :)
Can’t wait for the author’s next book!