A Cruel and Fated Light (The Hollow Star Saga #2) by Ashley Shuttleworth #bookreview #YA #urbanfantasy #LGBTQ #TuesdayBookBlog

On By Teri PolenIn Book Reviews

Half-fae Arlo becomes entangled in the courtly intrigue at the Seelie Summer palace as danger for ironborns mounts in this gripping sequel to A Dark and Hollow Star that’s The Cruel Prince meets City of Bones.

After thwarting the man behind the gruesome ironborn murders—and breaking several fae laws to do so—all Arlo wants is a quiet summer. As the deity of luck’s Hollow Star, capable of bringing about endless possibilities, this shouldn’t be too much to ask, right?

But someone is still trying to summon the mythical Seven Deadly Sins. All signs point to immortal meddling, and if this is the gods’ attempt at returning to the Mortal Realm, it’s Arlo they’re going to use to do it.

When Queen Riadne offers to host Arlo at the Seelie Summer palace, she jumps at the chance. She’ll get to see more of Vehan and Aurelian and perhaps even work out her complicated feelings for the gorgeous ex-Fury, Nausicaä. But no one trusts the infamous Queen of Light, even as Arlo wonders if she’s just been greatly misunderstood.

With the Summer Solstice quickly approaching, everyone expects Riadne to finally challenge the High King for his crown. And as Arlo struggles to get control of her powers and take charge of her destiny, she’ll soon be faced with a choice that won’t only change the fate of the Mortal Realm forever but could condemn it to a cruelty the likes of which the Courts have never known.

The first book in this series was one of my favorite reads last year – it’s not often you come across an urban fantasy set in Canada – and I couldn’t wait to catch up with these characters again.

Where do I even begin? So much going on. So many secrets revealed. When Queen Riadne tosses out an invite to host Arlo at the Seelie Summer palace, you just know it’s not out of the goodness of her black heart. Riadne never does anything without it benefiting her, and being iron born and all but ignored by her extended family, Arlo is thrilled at the opportunity to finally be accepted for who she is. High Prince Celadon, her cousin and best friend, insists on accompanying her both for protection and to find out what scheming Riadne is up to. Let the games begin.

These characters stole my heart in the first book, but Nausicaa (such lovable snark) and Celadon (smarter than most in the room) continue to be my favorites. Such a diverse cast is cause for celebration with this series, as is the intricately mapped plot. This book weighs in at a hefty 640 pages, but with political machinations, alchemy, immortals, questionable motivations, a challenge for the crown, dark secrets, and sweet romances, the pages flew by for me.

The ending gutted me and leaves fates hanging in the balance, along with a body count – no spoilers here. It looks like there are two more books coming in this series, and I’ve already added both on my Goodreads list. Highly recommend for urban fantasy fans!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

26 thoughts on “A Cruel and Fated Light (The Hollow Star Saga #2) by Ashley Shuttleworth #bookreview #YA #urbanfantasy #LGBTQ #TuesdayBookBlog”

    1. I guarantee you’d love this series, Tessa. It was one of my favorite reads last year, and I might have squealed (something I don’t do often) with excitement when I got an ARC. Thanks for stopping by!

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      1. haha! It was definitely a close blogger friend and she sure does! 🙂 I hope so too!! I was planning on getting to it this month but …. covid definitely stole a lot of time from me. lol

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    1. Definitely not a shortage, Miriam. You know you’re invested in characters when you start yelling at them or shouting at other characters not to kill them, lol. Thanks for visiting!

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    1. Alchemy has always snagged my attention also, Teagan. There’s another series I started several years ago where alchemy was a large part of the story, but I still have book two waiting on my Kindle. *sigh* So many books to read!

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