Please note that this book is not for me - I have read the book, However I had to DNF and because i do not like to give negative reviews I will not review this book fully - there is no specific reason for not liking this book. I found it a struggle to read and did not enjoy trying to force myself to read this book.

Apologies for any inconvenience caused and thank you for the opportunity to read this book

Absolutely love this book! I cant wait for the second book to be released. Review being posted on my website.

I have received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Secrets of the Starcrossed was one of those books that had it's boring moments but I also couldn't look away or put it down. I just feel like it had potential to be a lot better though. Don't get me wrong, I was entertained for most of this book but the whole love triangle thing just threw me off. They never really work for me anymore and I honestly didn't really care who she ended up with or without.

Plus the whole push/pull thing for romances is completely overrated for me and it's just annoying as well.

Then there's the pace and the world building. Eh, they were okay but also had potential to be better. I feel like if the pace was more consistent then I probably would've devoured this all in one sitting without little breaks here and there. As for the world building, I definitely needed more in this one so I'm hoping that the second book might have it? Just to redeem itself (in a way)

In the end, I already have the next book so I might as well dive into it and see if things get better. Especially after that little cliffhanger..

Secrets of the Starcrossed is a story of forbidden attraction, ancient magic and duty. Cassandra Shelton has never questioned her place in Londinium as the donna matched with Marcus Courtenay, society's favorite son. That is, until she hides a piece of forbidden tech for her classmate Devyn, a broody boy searching for a girl with magic in her blood. Devyn awakens something inside of Cassandra, something magical and ancient that makes her question everything she has ever known about Londinium and herself. As a mysterious illness sweeps through the city, Cassandra realizes a plot afoot set in motion by Londinium's elite to use her latent power for their own devious ends, and Cassandra must make a choice between the boy she was always meant to marry and her duty to Londinium, or the boy whose magic calls to her own.
I enjoyed this book a lot. The premise of this book is really fascinating: set in an alternate version of London where the Roman Empire never fell. The world-building in this book was masterclass, and I loved delving deep into the world of Brittania and the Celts. I really enjoyed all the magic in this book and how the author employs elements of Celtic and British myth and magic. I also really liked the plot itself, and watching Cassandra as she wrestles with the truth of who she is and her feelings for Devyn, although I think I like Marcus more than Devyn and kind of ship her with Marcus more, but I enjoy the way the author set up this triangle of sorts. This book has a similar feel to The Selection and Divergent but stood on its own two feet well enough. I will say that this book gets a little history and detail dense in spots that made parts of the book drag a little. While I really enjoyed some of this as a historian by trade, for the common reader this could get to be a little difficult to get through. Secrets of the Starcrossed draws upon fascinating history to create a brand new world, one where one girl must choose between conformity and destiny, and love and duty.

In Londinium, the last Roman stronghold in Britannia, Cassandra is betrothed to Marcus, the most eligible bachelor in the city. But then she meets Devyn, a boy who has been on her periphery for years but she’s never taken notice of before, who ignites something in her and gives her reason to doubt everything she has ever known.

This is one of those books that are difficult to review because I did enjoy reading it, but when I try to think about what was good about it, I can come up with very little. In fact, it’s much easier to come up with what was bad. The writing style is engaging enough and the world-building is almost really good, but it never quite gets there. I struggled with the premise of a modern Roman Empire – it sounded like sort of a good idea but then also felt quite jarring at times. Unfortunately the author trashed all over her possibly good idea with her lazy writing: One example is that the characters use the phrase “to Hades” as a sort of curse… Hades the Greek god of the underworld… GREEK. Not Roman. Mistakes like this are pure laziness.

Another feature of the story which felt lazy to me was the romance between Cassandra and Devyn, and the love triangle introduced by Marcus. The whole thing is a will-they-won’t-they teen drama, to an excessive extent, and all Cassandra seems to think about is sex, despite the actually quite serious events unfolding around her and threatening to completely derail her life. I know this is a teen novel, but COME ON.

I think that the plot was actually probably quite good, and the world had a lot of potential, but it got lost in the teenage angst and O’Connor definitely didn’t do a good enough job of explaining the universe that she has created.

Secrets of the Starcrossed follows Cassandra in an alternate world where the Roman Empire never fell. She's betrothed to Marcus, the most eligible bachelor in the city, but then she meets Devyn, a boy searching for a girl with magic in her blood who will make her believe in soulmates. These two starcrossed lovers will fight to ignite the spark of rebellion.

I loved the setting of this book, it takes place in Londinium, the last stronghold of the Romans in Britannia protected by the walls that keep out the ancient Kingdoms surrounding it. I liked the alternate history and mythology that created this world, and I liked that the countries were all called by their name in their original language, Scotland is Alba, Wales is Cymru etc.

I loved Cassandra, she's thrown into a whole new world when the truth of her identity is revealed to her and she handles it really well. She's a privileged elite citizen and we see her grow to realise that she is really privileged and soon she wants to help those who aren't. Her relationship with Devyn is really sweet, they have their ups and downs and apart from the fact it's instalove I think it's a realistic relationship.

The plot revolves around a mysterious illness that appears to effect those with Celtic magic lying dormant in their blood. I really liked the story, it was maybe a little repetitive at some points with them trying and failing at something multiple times, but these events still allowed us to learn new information that I assume is going to be important later on. I think it was a good introduction to the trilogy and the ending has set up the next book well! A tiny issue is that Hades is referenced a lot when he's a Greek God not a Roman one which was a little annoying but the author has blended together a lot of different mythologies so maybe Greek will be one of them later on.

Overall I think fans of mythology, romance and magic will love it!

I really enjoyed the world and the characters in Secrets of the Starcrossed.

It is set in the Roman Empire where it never collapsed which was definitely interesting to explore but was annoying when there was inaccuracies in phrases that was said in relation to the world and the period it is set.

The characters Devyn and Cassandra built an interesting relationship one which changes quiet a bit. I am interested in seeing how it plays out in the next book.

Thank you to One More Chapter for my copy of this book via Netgalley. This is only the second audiobook I have listened to on Netgalley shelf. The app has come a long way since the first one I tried and I will definitely be requesting more.

Our main character is Cassandra. She's not the most likeable of characters if I'm honest. She's a bit winy and has only really just noticed the world she lives in is not the same as those of the poor. Then there's Marcus, her intended and Devyn, the bad boy.

The dating seems to be in the dark ages with chaperons and scandals when two characters merely kiss but then you have the code and the technology of the future.

This book is set in a world like ours but it's not quite right. The places and the names are the same or similar but it is very much not the London we know and love. This sort of thing. I love working out the differences between our world and theirs. Working out things like the code and who is controlling everyone. And of course why, This book is big on intrigue and secrets. There's a much bigger plan than just what we see on the surface.

The non-world building parts were really easy to read. I was very interested in this sickness. Why were these people getting sick? Could anyone help them? Would anyone help them or did they simply not care?

I liked the world but some of the world-building was a bit clunky. It wasn't easy to follow for someone like me who isn't a history buff. I hope we get to see more of the Britons as the series progresses as I think there will be some interesting characters there. I am excited to see more of their powers and what the hell is going to happen next!

A slow start which built to a great story. The amount of information needed to set the scene initially was rather bewildering, but as I became more engaged in Cassandra's and Devyn's lives, it started to make more sense. The pace of the story definitely quickened in the second half and I'm intrigued to find out what happens in the next part of their stories.

Part historical fiction, part dystopia, Secrets of the Starcrossed appealed to me on so many levels. Clara O’Connor has created a series that presents a clever twist on history, entwining hints of real British history with a reimaged world where the Roman Empire still reigned supreme. From a history perspective, I particularly enjoyed the inclusion of familiar names such as Owain Glyndwr, Elizabeth Twdwr, and the Plantagenets, and how their stories had shifted in this alternate world.

As we follow Cassandra to her classes, I found myself picturing ultra modern monorails whizzing around the Colosseum in Rome and the amphitheatre in Verona. The landscape of Londinium with its street and area names that I have walked many times was easily recognisable, but at the same time strange and unknown, and I found this intriguing. The concept of taking something so familiar, both in terms of geography and history, and twisting it into something so very different made this book absolutely fascinating to me right from the start.

As soon as I finished reading I had to dash to Amazon to pre-order the next two books, and I am very interested to find out what happens next and hopefully learn more about the people of Britannia.

Intense, intricate and exciting tale.

I absolutely loved how the author interwove Roman history, crossed with alternative reality, alternate futuristic, dystopian YA.

So much happened in this book that I’m left demanding more and, rather thankfully, don’t have too much longer to wait for the 2nd instalment!

The tale of Cassandra, Devyn and Marcus is not one to be missed.

This was AMAZING! Strong world-building, realistic character development, intriguing premise, steady pacing. It has all the hallmarks of just a fantastic YA fantasy book. The cliffhanger made me so upset! I need the next book now!

This book has a lot of potential as far as story telling and character development. I really liked Cassandra's character and her plight. Unfortunately, I couldn't connect with the story as a whole.

DNF at 9% - Unfortunately, this book was not for me and I was finding I was not gripped for it - I don't think I am the intended audience for this.

I can't say that this is my favourite book, the pacing was a bit slow but the actual plot was interesting

This one hooked me immediately! I loved everything about it from the cover to the premise to the incredible world-building. What if Rome never fell? Absolutely brilliant. Plus, I adored Devyn's character! The blending of various mythologies made it an interesting imagining. I found it to be a fresh and exciting take!

I sadly decided to mark this book as a DNF (did not finish) at the 230 page mark. While I do think this book is a relatively engaging and easy read, something about the world building didn't stick with me. Occasionally there would be point where historical accounts would be introduced that seemed a bit info-dumpy, and I struggled to retain the information or see how it was entirely relevant. I understood the general basis of the conflict between societies/races of people, but when people started going into they lineage and such it just lost me. I couldn't seem to mould together the various influences, and it became clear to me that it would take a lot of convincing via the world building for me to see how things I already recognise separately (such as the Tudor dynasty, Roman Empire, and Celtic folklore) to be seen as one. Between this and the book not holding my interest throughout the month of January, I decided to set it aside, which is a shame.

Secrets of the Starcrossed is the first book in Clara O’Connor’s The Once and Future Queen trilogy. It’s set in a world where the Roman Empire never fell and where two starcrossed lovers try to escape the empire.

The worldbuilding is very unique which also made it quite complicated. It took me a while before I got into it. Think Roman Empire meets advanced technology.

The story was very compelling but at times it also felt like too many threads were running rampant. I did enjoy the various twists and turns. But I wish we could’ve learned more about the different kinds of magic and explore that further.

The characters were okay but didn’t compel me into rooting for them or connect to them that much. I hope the author will explore their background more in the next book.

All in all I enjoyed this read but there were also a few things that I didn’t enjoy or wished that it was explored more. That’s why I found it difficult to rate this book. My rating is 3.5 stars and I will continue this series because I’m curious about what’ll happen next.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a digital ARC for review via NetGalley. Secrets of the Starcrossed is the first book in a new series which combines the Roman Empire, technology and Celtic mythology. Cassandra is the daughter of a prominent family and a student in the city of Londinium. She is betrothed to Marcus, who comes from the most important family. However, she gets tangled up with Devyn, a mysterious classmate who has his own secrets relating to Briton magic. A mysterious illness brings talk of magic to Londinium and Cassandra gets tangled up in schemes far bigger than herself.

Unfortunately, the only thing I actually liked about this book was the world-building concept. This is a fantasy book of an alternate universe where Rome never fell, and Londinium was a Roman city. There's also an element of Arthurian legend which sounded so cool! I just don't think the execution quite lived up to the description, because I didn't feel that the different mythologies and histories really fit together and I just wanted more detail. Still, I was intrigued to see how it would play out.

I think the biggest problem I had with this book is that I didn't like any of the characters. I didn't like the main character, Cassandra - I just found her annoying, especially her dialogue. Now I read a lot of YA, and I rarely have problems, but Cassandra just irritated me a lot. She seemed to say things that were very stupid and ignorant all throughout the book, so I didn't see much character development. I also felt that the characterisations of Marcus and Devyn were a bit jumbled. I didn't like either of them as love interests, which definitely hindered my enjoyment because the romance was a big focus.

One scene in particular really made me uncomfortable. I don't have a specific page number, but around 71% in to the book there is a scene where Cass is drugged by her mother with an aphrodisiac type tea meant to encourage contact between couples. Cass knows what it is when she drinks it, and knows its effects, but even though she and the love interest both acknowledge she is drugged, they continue with what they were doing and that just felt off to me. I didn't get along with their relationship at all.

I'm the type of person that doesn't DNF books often (although I completely understand why people do) mainly because there is usually some part of the book I am invested in, whether it's a character or a plot point. This was a very fast read, but I did take a big break after I hit 50% because I just wanted to read other things. I'd been hoping throughout that there would be more development in the magic and world-building, because that was what really interested me about the book, but there was so much focus on the romance and I just couldn't get into it. And despite the ending, I'm not at all invested in what might happen, so I was just really disappointed, and I might have DNFed if it wasn't a review copy and a fairly quick read.

Overall, I just think I was expecting something very different from the synopsis, as it didn't go in the direction I expected. I'm sure some people may enjoy this - if you like the characters and the romance, you probably will - but this was not for me at all. Sometimes I can still enjoy a book even if I don't particularly care about the characters, but that's usually only if the world-building is really well explored, which I unfortunately didn't find in this book.

1.5/5 stars

5/5 stars

Genre: New Adult Fantasy

Description: Secrets of the Starcrossed is the first novel in the epic The Once and Future Queen fantasy series by Clara O'Connor.

An absolute must-read for fans of The Hunger Games…

In a world where the Roman Empire never fell, two starcrossed lovers fight to ignite the spark of rebellion…

Londinium, the last stronghold of the Romans left in Britannia, remains in a delicate state of peace with the pagan kingdoms that surround it. Within its mighty walls defiance means death and capital punishment is decreed by public vote.

As the only daughter of a powerful merchant, Cassandra is betrothed to Marcus, the most eligible bachelor in the city and the last scion of the Old Blood.

But then she meets Devyn, the boy with the strange midnight eyes searching for a girl with magic in her blood. A mythical guardian from an ancient Celtic kingdom with a debt to pay to a Northern lord…

A boy who will make her believe in soulmates.

When a mysterious virus rips through the slums leeching the life from citizens with Celtic power lying dormant in their veins, the imperial council hide behind locked doors, scheming. But the question remains: is magic the cure or the curse?

Panem meets the Grishaverse in this explosive new YA trilogy perfect for readers of Marie Lu, Bella Forrest, and Cassandra Clare.

Pros:

- Great character development!
- The story is captivating and keeps you engaged.
- The world is very thought through and fascinating.
- The author has a way with details.
- This book definitely left me wanting more of this story and universe.

Cons:

- The cover was a little confusing to me at first. I wasn't sure if the title was Secrets of the Starcrossed or The Once and Future Queen. The artwork is beautiful though.
- It is written in first person which was a little off-putting for me at first but it was easily gotten over.

Would I recommend it?

Yes.