A twisty sequel that raises the stakes for its main characters.
A woman is torn between her lover and the enigmatic ruler of a rival kingdom in the conclusion to this romantasy duology.
Following the events of The Starlight Heir (2025), Suraya Saab has been revealed to be a Starkeeper, the only source of naturally occurring magic in the kingdom of Oryndhr. Her abilities were the key to placing Roshan Acharia, illegitimate son of the former ruler, on the throne. First friends and then lovers, they thought they had surmounted most of their obstacles. But as Roshan fights to retain his power, he begins to corrupt Suraya’s magic. Roshan’s desire to subjugate the kingdom is at odds with the man Suraya loves and thought she knew. A shadowy figure soon emerges in her dreams, a man who feels both dangerous and protective. When an assassination attempt on Suraya goes awry, she’s rescued by a mythical dragon-like creature who transports her to the enemy kingdom of Everlea. Ruled by the Night King Darrius, Everlea is teeming with magic and possibility. Suraya instantly recognizes Darrius as the man in her dreams. Darrius has his own connection to Suraya; she’s his fated mate and the woman he’s destined to kill. Caught between the two men and their kingdoms, Suraya must navigate the threat of war, ancient gods, and complex romantic dynamics. Howard expands the richly crafted mythology and worldbuilding from The Starlight Heir, introducing another kingdom with its own distinct culture and community. With all the pining and yearning going on, emotion feel as integral to the book as physical action, though introducing a second love interest does slow down the pace. Everything is wrapped up, but right at the last second.
A twisty sequel that raises the stakes for its main characters.Pub Date: March 17, 2026
ISBN: 9780063355897
Page Count: 480
Publisher: Avon/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Dec. 20, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2026
A cleverly titled, cozy SF romance that marks Thorne as a writer to watch.
After purchasing a dilapidated, century-old starship called the Destitute, Torian Razner discovers that the moss covering it is, in fact, a deeply sarcastic sentient computer with abandonment issues.
Torian’s sister, Celise, is dying. Determined to save her life by getting her to a distant planet with air she can breathe, Torian ignores her former captain Amelia Perrosk’s warning that it’s an impossible task (along with any romantic feelings she might have for Amelia). Using the only ionite bars she has to her name, Torian purchases an ancient, moss-covered alien starship that appears to be on its last legs, so to speak. She hardly expected the moss to be a sentient computer or for it to hold a century-old grudge against its former alien captain. Moss quickly proves itself to be acerbic, intelligent, and rightly angry after being having been left behind for 100 years by its former captain. The two form a reluctant and surprising alliance, Torian proving to Moss that not all captains are “dog-turd fungus,” and they both gradually evolve into the best versions of themselves, human or otherwise. It’s obvious from the early pages that Thorne has crafted a story tailored to fans of Becky Chambers’ Monk & Robot series and Martha Wells’ Murderbot Diaries. Falling somewhere between the two, this is a delightful mashup of romance, found family, and a touch of violence as Moss grapples with its feelings about its former captain and the unexpected kindness that Torian shows. Sweet without being overly saccharine, it’s a book for readers who want the adventure that comes with the vastness of outer space without its harsher realities.
A cleverly titled, cozy SF romance that marks Thorne as a writer to watch.Pub Date: July 7, 2026
ISBN: 9781250414144
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Bramble Books
Review Posted Online: April 20, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.
On the orders of her mother, a woman goes to dragon-riding school.
Even though her mother is a general in Navarre’s army, 20-year-old Violet Sorrengail was raised by her father to follow his path as a scribe. After his death, though, Violet's mother shocks her by forcing her to enter the elite and deadly dragon rider academy at Basgiath War College. Most students die at the War College: during training sessions, at the hands of their classmates, or by the very dragons they hope to one day be paired with. From Day One, Violet is targeted by her classmates, some because they hate her mother, others because they think she’s too physically frail to succeed. She must survive a daily gauntlet of physical challenges and the deadly attacks of classmates, which she does with the help of secret knowledge handed down by her two older siblings, who'd been students there before her. Violet is at the mercy of the plot rather than being in charge of it, hurtling through one obstacle after another. As a result, the story is action-packed and fast-paced, but Violet is a strange mix of pure competence and total passivity, always managing to come out on the winning side. The book is categorized as romantasy, with Violet pulled between the comforting love she feels from her childhood best friend, Dain Aetos, and the incendiary attraction she feels for family enemy Xaden Riorson. However, the way Dain constantly undermines Violet's abilities and his lack of character development make this an unconvincing storyline. The plots and subplots aren’t well-integrated, with the first half purely focused on Violet’s training, followed by a brief detour for romance, and then a final focus on outside threats.
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9781649374042
Page Count: 528
Publisher: Red Tower
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2024
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
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