Starseed

Shadow & Shifter #1

by Olivia Hillier

Dark shadows. Fated Mates. Good vs Evil. Maya has always seen the shadows. All the others are convinced something is wrong with her, leading her to a mental health diagnosis. Maya is forced into home-schooling and self-isolation. That was until she met Cay, the only other person who can explain and share her strange abilities. In a world filled with hidden shifters, dark spirits and unearthly beings. What has made Maya Voss an outcast is the only thing that will save the human race from the evil that is rising around them. But awakening to Maya's magic that lies within her is equally as dangerous as it is powerful. As the dark presence thickens inhabiting the bodies of humans pushing them to take their own lives. Can Maya tame her own deep dark shadows to unleash the light within? Move over vampires, angels & demons. There's a new race in town. Starseed is the first book in the mythology, shadow & shifter series, and the beginning of a whole new teenage supernatural adventure. Fans of Michelle Madow, Jen L Grey and Twilight, will love the urban fantasy/ paranormal romance dark magical adventure series by Olivia Hillier.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Paranormal

308 pages, Paperback

Published December 9, 2022

About the author

Olivia Hillier writes stories about rebel girls who change the world. Olivia is an Australian Young Adult Author, born in 1993, in Hobart, Tasmania. Now residing in sunny Queensland, travelling around her favourite side of the country. Olivia conspires and writes Paranormal and Speculative fiction on all things unseen and of course always, as a Libran, her work always comes with a theme of romance. She is the host of the Writers Advice Podcast. You can find more of her books at all good bookstores or listen in to the Writers Advice Podcast on your favourite listening platform.
Keep an eye out for Olivia’s Young Adult Paranormal Romance, The Shadow & Shifter Series. The Social Games Series & The Darkside Series.
You can contact Olivia on her website oliviahillier.com, or search @oliviahillierauthor on your favourite social media platform. To receive exclusive content from Olivia Hillier, sign up to her newsletter at: https://www.oliviahillier.com/freebies

Reviews

[aikaterine · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of this book was what originally pulled me in, and the straightforward writing made me read it very quickly.

However, I do believe that this book would reach more effectively a younger audience, as some situations and conversations were a touch unrealistic.

Additionally, seeing as I am by education a mental health professional, I sometimes felt a bit uncomfortable with how some mental health issues were discussed by the characters.

All in all, though, a solid read with meaningful messages.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sharon Mariampillai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Read

I received an advanced review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you, Olivia Hillier, for the opportunity to read your book. This was an enjoyable read. This is the first book in the Shadow & Shifter series. This is a great addition to my YA paranormal fantasy stories. I was intrigued by the plot. The story focuses on Maya, a teenage girl who struggles to fit in the world. She possesses the ability to see shadows around the people around her. I thought that was intriguing. I am glad that she is not alone and has Cay by her side. I liked how Cay is helping Maya in finding who and what she is. This book has some very emotional scenes. I felt bad for Kaine. I do not wish anyone to feel like he did. I thought the concept of people coming from stars was interesting and engaging as well. I thought the ending was great. I am looking forward to reading more books in the Shadow & Shifter series. Book 2, here I come. Overall, a great read.

[Lydia Schriel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where to begin this book is a lot to unwrap!

First this book holds a lot of lessons which we all experience throughout life we all had good and bad moments and this book tells you about it.

I loved the development for Maya that she understood why she was different and that she had a lot of support from Cay. The dynamic in the friend group is dramatic but in a good way. They love food and clothes as every other teenager and of course goes to parties.

This book also made me cry because I understand that the darkness can consume someone so much they can’t find the light within them anymore. They think this is it and give up.

This book put me through a rollercoaster! But I think everyone could relate to this book no matter the age. I would definitely recommend this to every young reader out there.

[Michaela wheeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in less than a day it was really good. I recommend this book. It was really good and had a cuddly boyfriend which I honestly wish more people wrote about. So five stars on this book

[Cristina Schimp · Rating 4 out of 5]

While scrolling through Tik Tok, I came across this author doing a giveaway for her series, along with sending a free ebook copy of Starseed. As a Kindle Unlimited subscriber, I was pleased to find that her entire set was on there!!

Okay, now I'm getting onto the review!!

Maya Voss, otherwise known as the main character, has been seeing things and received a mental health diagnosis after moving to a new school. Due to safety concerns, she is forced into a self isolated, homeschooling situation until it is learned that the teacher will no longer be available to come to her home. With the okay from her therapist, she attends school and meets Clay. Clay exposes a truth to her in regard to her "gift" and goes on to say that she does not have a mental health disorder. Maya gets off her medication behind her mother and therapist's back.
Clay continues to provide further truth coming straight from the source.

Maya Voss is put into a situation where her gift of seeing others being overtaken by the shadow puts her in a dangerous predicament. About 70% into the book, we find a complication that involves the whole school. This should put readers alike at the edge of their seat. For a YA book, this writing style reminds me of Michelle Madow. I thoroughly enjoyed the ending, even if it wasn't what I wanted. I'll be checking out the 2nd book of this series shortly!!

Spice: No
YA: ✔️
Written well: ✔️
Cliff hanger: Somewhat
Character Evolvment: ✔️
Would read next book: ✔️

Overall Rating

4/5

🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

[bri ʚ ♡⃛ ɞ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so happy that Olivia reached out to me and asked if I could review her books because I think that I just found another favorite author!

Starseed was so easy to read; it had such Shatter Me vibes, and I love that series so much. Olivia's writing style is simple yet beautiful and so easy to catch your attention. Though there were some errors that kind of distracted me—just a few editing issues—I was not too bothered by that!

Maya was so misunderstood, and the fact that doctors assumed she had schizophrenia simply because she could see the shadows made me feel awful for her. She is such a beautifully made character, and I just adored the fact that Cay was always there to support her. I think Cay just became my new book boyfriend.

The world building was incredible, though I occasionally found it difficult to understand when they discussed Starseeds and reincarnation and had to reread it a few times to get it.

The plot was fascinating, and I'm eager to find out what happens next!.

[CozyDreamsStudio · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book in two days and was immediately fascinated by the concept. Maya is a girl who sees the world in a unique way and unfortunately isn’t understood and gets misdiagnosed with schizophrenia. As her world gets turned upside down again and again, she starts to grow stronger. With the the help of a boy she learns more about herself and it turns out she was never crazy in the first place. Instead she is a pure soul born of a star and placed on earth to be a guiding light.

There’s a lot to unpack in this book with many troubled characters. But I loved thinking about the shadows and trying to interpret them along with Maya.

The only part I disliked in the book is when it started talking about reincarnation. The concept of star-borne souls was so interesting, I didn’t think regular human souls needed to be reincarnated too. I feel like focusing on that was a little off topic.

But overall, I’m excited to see where the story goes next.

[Stevie · Rating 5 out of 5]

First off, WOW! I’m not even going to lie. This book is a hard one. Not because it’s something to struggle to read. Nope this book is a hard one because it makes you feel so many emotions. It’s not often that I wanted to scream at some book characters like I did with this one. I wanted to grab the adults and shake them until they believed. For Maya to live through the stuff she has at a young age and to be shuffled around but also handed the medication as a bandage. It breaks my heart. It makes you wonder how many people are out there feeling this kind of numbness that she had. I love Cay in this book. I love that the two of them are the same. They have the same questions and they also feel drawn to each other. There are some what in the world moments that I love. This book gives you a whole new look on the galaxy as well as reincarnation. But both Maya and Cay are stronger together in learning what their purpose truly is. After all you can’t have darkness without the light.

[Avo_in_bookland (Narelle) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Devoured this book in 1 day. Absolutely loved it.
MFC Maya struggled with seeing Dark Shadows everywhere her whole life. She feels anything but normal. Diagnosed with schizophrenia and medicated Maya feels numb.
Moving to a new small town she meets her Fated Mate Cay. He also sees the shadows and he helps Maya find out what she really is. A Starseed!!
Cay is the perfect boyfriend we all wish for. He’s handsome, kind, supportive and just an all round good guy.
I love that this new town is the beginning of Maya finally accepting herself and making a great group of friends. Although Fantasy I do believe this book shows a lot of what teenagers go through with feeling different, not accepted by others and the general anxiety struggles.
There are 3 more books to this series and I cannot wait to read them all. The ending of book 1 has left me on edge needing to read book 2.

[meganlovesbooks33 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was great!

It follows main character Maya, who sees/feels shadows and darkness on humans. Because of this, she attacked one of her friends to try to take the darkness away from her and got kicked out of school. Her mom made her be homeschooled for a while, so she can get help from a Doctor and got diagnosed with schizophrenia. Once taking medication, she no longer sees the darkness on others. Maya and her mom moved to a new town and she started attending school again, Stanton, where she meets friends and starts having a normal life.

Just when I thought this book was coming to an end, it has a great plot twist that keeps you on your toes!

I also enjoyed how it ended where it left you wanting more which is awesome because there is a second book coming!!

Check this book out, it’s definitely a fast paced read

[Danelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful YA paranormal story. It isn't based on your usual werewolves, vampires, fae, etc. This is the first time that I have read about people from the stars and it was really good.

The story was written really well and had a very interesting story line. I loved the characters and how different they all are but super supportive. The only thing that bothered me a little was all the crying the MFC did, but that is just me.

So this story focuses on Maya, our MFC, and her struggle to fit into a world that she sees differently. Soon she finds out why she is so different and she also learns she isn't alone. Cay, our MMC, helps her through accepting who and what she is and together they learn what their purpose is.

I would definitely recommend this book. Great story and great characters.

[Naturalbri (Bri Wignall) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the beginning of something absolutely beautiful. This book is unique, written with loads of detail and the world-building is phenomenal. Honestly, it has been so long since I was taken over by a book, like I was this once. You know that feeling where you can’t stop read, until you get to the end, and then when you get to the end you are beyond broken at the thought that you don’t have the next book right that instant…yeh this book does that to you.
The main character is wonderful. She is strong, intelligent and find her way through her world so well, considering she is completely misunderstood in one part and a pivotal role in another.
The side characters and world are excellent. They provide backing, detail and great flow and fill to the story.
Honestly don’t think I can recommend this book enough…I need more.

[thebooksuccubus · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book really just wasn't hitting the mark for me. I feel that it was truly aimed for a younger audience. It does show on Amazon reading age 13-17, and that is not me. I do still read a lot of books with target age being 16-18 but this just wasn't it for me. The concept was interesting but the world building wasn't there for me and the growth of the characters didn't really have me caring for them much. There is TW at the beginning this book, it does deal with mental health issue, SA, domestic violence, and suicide. This is all pretty dark and depressing issue that I do believe younger people should learn more to understand or handle. Over all I just felt there was a lot more darkness that I didn't even feel anything for the tiny happy moments in the book. The pace was also slower for me but I feel that is also due to the younger demographic.

[Tapriest Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book had a great storyline. I love books that focus on the stars and outer space so that immediately sold me. It doesn’t always flow smoothly though. I give the book 4.5 stars because it was a review copy so I understand it is a work in progress but if I had read this book after it was completed and published it would rank somewhere between the 2.5-4 star range for me. There are a lot of spelling errors as well that occasionally take you out of the story. The ending also feels really unfinished rather than cliffhanger if that makes sense. Great bones just needs a lot of editing.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Christina Luberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has alot of feelings in it. Brings front alot of what teenagers go through. The pain and suffering and what can happen. I hope the next book is just as good. The only problem I had was being an ARC book it should have been more than like a beta copy. Hopefully the final book has been corrected on all the errors. Follow Maya has she journeys through her teenage life and all the turns and heartache along the way. It might even help some teenagers find peace. That being said love to see what the next book in the series will bring forth.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Laura Jade · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really took me by surprise!

The story follows a girl named Maya who has encountered things that she can't explain and that nobody else can understand. After seeking help with her mother she is diagnosed with schizophrenia, but the symptoms she possesses do not match the diagnosis.

After moving homes and starting a new school, Maya quickly makes new friends and grows particularly close to a boy name Cay who helps her on her journey to self discovery.

I could not put this book down, it was easy to read, it was entertaining and the last 30% of the book had me on the edge of my seat!!

I can't wait to read the next in the series!
Great story, great concept! Highly recommend!

[Di Reads Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was super easy and fast to read. At some points it felt like a hug to my heart. The story was great, I loved the idea of the starseeds and that they could travel to the stars, I felt it like it was their safe place.
I liked the story overall, the premise is amazing, and I'm definitely looking forward to reading the rest of the series, the last chapter left me on a complete cliffhanger, and there were a lot of things that weren't solved in this book.
I was completely hooked since the first chapter and I felt kinda related to Maya, the characters were loveable, and I can't wait to know what they're going through next.

[Miia Salomäki · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free ebook in exchange of an honest review.
Starseed is a book about 16-year-old Maya who is able to see light and darkness in people. She moves to a new town with her mom and makes many new friends, including a boyfriend, Cay, who glows like she does, and finds out there’s much more to her life she ever could’ve imagined.
I liked the plot overall. This was a cute story that kept me entertained. I didn’t care how some mental health issues were dealt with, but overall the storyline was worth four stars.
What irked me most were the countless grammatical and spelling mistakes. Hopefully they will be ironed out in the final version of this book.

[Kira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Starseed was a great start to the new Shadow & Shifter series! I really enjoyed getting to know the characters and it set the stage well for what is to come. The MFC Maya has definitely not had the easiest time in life, but when she discovers the shadows she has always seen are not just her imagination, her world changes. I was intrigued by this new race that the author has created, and I look forward to learning more about them and what they can do. The ending was a little abrupt, but that only made me more excited for book 2!

[kaitlyns_library · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really interesting premise that made me quite intrigued to read. I did feel as if this book was written like it belonged in the early 2010s; which did disengage me a little. The big twist really hooked me in and I was shocked when it happened. I do believe there were some grammatical errors that were missed in the final editing of the book. This series has so much potential and it’ll be interesting to see where this goes.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

Thank you @oliviahillierauthor for a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: 12.01.2023

[ems_booknook · Rating 3 out of 5]

The idea behind this book drew me in immediately… unfortunately I think that I got the wrong idea with who it was aimed for. I kinda thought it would be aimed at a NA sort of age group, but it most definitely reads for an audience younger than me.

That’s not to say it was bad, I think this would be a really great series it’s just for me, it’s not my genre. I don’t tend to read YA a lot. The characters are too young, the situations are too young and I’m finding myself not resonating with it as much as I would like to.

[Lloyd Andrew Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the seeming simplicity of this young adult story by Olivia Hillier. The realistic framework the author uses to describe the confused young heroine effectively drew me into her world, and I loved her quiet positive enthusiasm. Several surprising plot twists pleasantly caught me off guard.
I'm looking forward to reading book two.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jasmina · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the beginning the story was a bit confusing, but after further reading everthing became clear. At first I thought the story wasn't for me, but as I progressed further into the story I wanted to know more, what will happen next. The story development was gradual and towards the end it had a unexpected turn. I liked how the main character grows throughout the story and learns here purpose. I'm glad I red it to the end and can't wait to start the second book.

[Chasity Myers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book, 4.5 stars!! I was hooked from the beginning and the ending left me ready for the next book!! Loved the characters and story development. This story gave me vibes similar to Shatter Me and The 5th Wave Series!! Just a few editing issues that I’m sure will be corrected before final publishing!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was sent this book by Olivia to read and I can honestly say that I didn’t expect to love it as much as I did, the main characters struggles with overcoming everything she is facing was amazing and to see the community she moved to really embrace her was so nice, I couldn’t put the book down I read it so quickly and cannot wait to read the second book. I really enjoyed this book I would definitely recommend it to anyone who finds an interesting in paranormal beings!

[Meranda Semeniuk-Wappel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book absolutely amazing and well written! Olivia Hillier makes you interested right from the first page to the last page! She engages her readers right from the get go and the way she writes makes you read even faster to read what is going on!

This book is the first in the series and it really sets the ground work for the rest and I cannot wait to read the rest of the books! I would highly recommend!

[Aerin Boook.aholic · Rating 2 out of 5]

The idea behind the book was what initially intrigued me.

Unfortunately for me it didn’t quite hit the mark. I felt that it lacked a complex world building element and for me personally at times the writing felt almost childlike. Possibly for a younger audience this would be a good read but with the presence of mental health disorders I think one has to be mindful of that.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Iris Van Der Meulen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is just everything if youre looking for a paranormal romance. It has plots that will take you of track. Throughout the book the author takes you along with the main character I couldnt put it away read it in one read. It was really amazing. I just loved it overall. Its abt a girl who is not entirely human and tries to find out why she is seeing things other people arent.

[Blanka H. Madow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absoultely loved the concept of this new creature and fell in love with discovering the truth behind the characters troubled shadows. The world building and magic building captured me and I read the book so fast just trying to see what will happend next. It has pain, realization, loneliness and for me it was really emotional. I cannot wait to see what the rest of the series will reveal.

[Donna (BookDragonGirl) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very unusual Paranormal Romance

This was really different!! I loved the unusual paranormal aspect of it! But there was so much more about this story, than just the paranormal romance. It is a very emotional story that really makes you think about how everything we do affects others.

I really enjoyed it, and look forward to reading book two of the Shadow & Shifter series.