We Are Bound by Stars is a solid fantasy story, full of myth and magic and masks, which works well as a standalone, taking place in the same world as Kesia Lupo's debut, We Are Blood And Thunder but on a different continent. 

It starts off with an info dump of a list of the nine gods and their magics, but that info never really plays a huge part. The story of the masks and the triplets, however...

The story takes place entirely in the city of Scarossa, which seems to be based on Vienna, but never does it feel confined or restricted by this, as it is a big city with a long history and a hidden underworld. Our two main characters, 'Vico' and Beatrice, don't even interact until late in the novel, but there's enough mystery and magic in their disparate storylines that I didn't even mind, and when they finally do meet, all hell has broken loose.

As a YA fantasy, We Are Bound by Stars does the job perfectly, and I know my teen self would have loved this. Furthermore, I read this in just two days, which speaks volumes for the fast-paced plot and writing.

Serving as a companion novel to Lupo's previous novel 'We Are Blood and Thunder', we are introduced to a world plagued by masked assassins on an island controlled by a god of chaos and secrets. On this island are Beatrice, a mask maker, and Livio - the descendant of the islands most powerful family. Together they make an unlikely pair, however they find that their destinies are bond together in ways they never expected as they are both drawn into a plot that could bring down the gods themselves. 

I really enjoyed the magic system here, which centres around masks invoking certain powers in the wearer. The world building is also really well done, with rich descriptions of the various gods and lore as well as the wider world. You can tell a lot of thought has gone into describing and building this world and mythology, and the pay off shows. I also enjoyed the two main characters, especially Beatrice. All her life she has been told of one set path that she and her sisters must walk down, however she rides above what is expected of her, choosing her own destiny. I liked her character development, and found that her overall character arc to be well executed. Livio's story is perhaps more secondary to Beatrice's, and is used more as a plot device to introduce the reader to this new island and mythology, however I did enjoy their interactions with Beatrice and thought that the two personalities complimented each other well. 

What I will say is that I found the pacing to be a bit all over the place. It's quite slow to start, especially Livio's chapters, before building to a crescendo that doesn't quite pay off. The ending feels rushed and a bit of a let down given how much time it takes to get to it. A more subtle conclusion would have been appreciated. I also found the story itself a little predictable. I'm finding it harder and harder to find YA fantasy that really stands out above the crowd, and unfortunately I don't think this really managed it. 

Overall a decent YA fantasy that has a unique magical system and good world building, but lacks any kind of diverse plot to help it stand out. Would recommend to lovers of YA fantasy, or those new to the genre who might not notice the obvious tropes.

I really liked Kesia's first book We are Blood and Thunder, so I had high hope for this one. And it did not disappoint. Set in the same world as the first book, but a whole new set of characters and a different part of the world. It was a really good book.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for letting me read this book. I really enjoyed this book. I liked the plot and the characters and the book read really well. I highly recommend this book. I gave it 4 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley, Bloomsbury & Kesia Lupo for my arc of We Are Bound by Stars in exchange for an honest review. 

Synopsis: Set in the original fantasy world of We Are Blood and Thunder the new book from Kesia Lupo finds Livio, descendant of the greatest family on a mysterious island in the heart of the wishes. Livio is the first Male descendant in many years, and he doesn't want his fate. But fate has a different idea. Beatrice is one of three mask makers, fated triplets destined to make the magical masks worn by the powerful guards. Together they must save their island and the future of the islands of wishes. 

While I didn't enjoy this quite as much as the first book it was still a good read. I liked the characters and the world building was fantastic I love stories that feature masks, they're always something I've found fascinating and beautiful. It was great to see more of the world from We Are Blood and Thunder and the little tie ins were done nicely. My only real criticism is that the pacing was a bit off. 3/4 of the book were a great pace but the ending felt a little rushed with everything happening quickly and I think that could have been stretched out a bit more. Other than that an enjoyable read that could be read as part of the series or as a standalone.

While I didn't enjoy this quite as much as We Are Blood and Thunder I did still like it a lot. Following Livio and Beatrice we got to see two different perspectives and I enjoyed both of them. Livio was adorable though I really wished we had got to see more of his romatic relationship and I felt really sorry for Beatrice all the way through. The plot was well thought out and overall the pacing was good. There were definitely some surprising moments and some sad moments.

I really liked Kesia's first book We are Blood and Thunder, so I had high hope for this one. And it did not disappoint. Set in the same world as the first book, but a whole new set of characters and a different part of the world. It was a really good book.

I really enjoyed this book! Kesia Lupo's writing is so wonderful and magical and I love the characters so much. I found it so easy to fall into the world of this book as the world-building is done so well and in-depth. Bea and Livio were both so interesting and had so much complexity to them that I found it so easy to root for them and follow along their journey easily. The book being told in two perspectives also adds to the fun that I had reading this. Highly recommend to everyone! 

Thanks to netgalley for sending me a copy to review!

This threw me off a bit because it features different characters to the first book. But i certainly enjoyed the book even more than the first one. The characters were alright given that I'm not big on YA. I enjoyed the writing style.

I enjoyed the beginning but things started to drag a lot in the middle. There was a bit to much explaining and then re-explaining for me. 

The world building was strong though and I'd consider reading more from this author.

After reading the first book in this series (and sadly not enjoying it), I gave this book a go but unfortunately it just isn't for me. The writing has improved from the first book but I just don't feel invested in the world or the characters.

Well, did this book surprise me or what!? I read We Are Blood and Thunder earlier on this year, and I really did not like it. If I remember correctly, I did not like either of the main characters and the world-building was lacking for me. So it definitely wasn't looking too good for the sequel.. but thankfully that was not the case!


This time, we follow Beatrice and Livio POV. I really liked both of these characters, especially Beatrice. I really looked forward to her chapters, as I loved getting to know more about her and her sisters, and the relationship that they have with one another. One thing that I struggled with Livio's POV was his already developed romance (a LGTQ+ one). We were thrust into it from the very beginning and I would have liked more of a back story to it, just to really develop the chemistry between the two.


I can't fault either of the characters, they were full of depth and both equally interesting. I hope to see more of them in the future!


The world-building was a lot more fluid this time around and kept my attention, as I wanted to know more! I didn't find the magical system as confusing this time and it was a lot more interesting.


The ending did feel just a tad rush towards the end and I would have liked more of an interaction between Livio & Beatrice.


We Are Bound By Stars felt purely action and mystery which I absolutely adored. I loved how the author used family as a central theme. I only wish this book had been a bit longer!


5 stars!

I really enjoyed Kesia Lupo's first book We Are Blood And Thunder and the world that was introduced in this book so I'm super excited to explore the world again and see what happens in the latest edition to the series!

It took me a minute or two to get my head back into the world because its been a hot minute since I read We are Blood and Thunder, but thankfully there's a a new map for the new island of Scarossa and also a list of the different disciples. I'm glad there was a quick recap of the disciples, the temple/magic system, it was cleverly embedded in the story so it didn't feel out of place (though the map and list of disciples are at the beginning of the book).

The pacing was great, it didn't feel rushed. I enjoyed the world building and I thought the magic system was really unique. I enjoyed the dual POVs, it was interesting to see the different parts of Scarossa, the lives and different responsibilities both characters had and also how Beatrice and Livio's lives intertwined. I enjoyed Bea's relationship with her sisters, as someone with two sisters myself I felt the relationship between the three sisters was portrayed pretty accurately haha. 

I really enjoyed this book, it was a quick, fun read with some cool twists so FOUR stars from me!

I enjoyed this so much, but I did really enjoy we are Blood and Thunder though so I was pretty sure going in I was going to love this too,  this is just as an amazing read as the first,  think I just clicked a bit more with the first book. Kesia’s writing again is beautiful and stirring, I adore Bea and Livio so much , she writes characters with depth and that you root for and you watch them grow as you journey with them through the story. This book is just everything, magic, intrigue, beautifully written and full of wonder. Highly recommended for those with heart and imagination 


Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

This book was very predictable which only made the book ok for me. Even at the halfway point nothing had happened, it was only around the 60% mark that things started to get going and even then it was very choppy and goes from one thing to another, I did like the dual perspectives and that we could see the 2 sides of the story which meant that we got the opinions of both Beatrice and Livio. The big build up was too fast and the ending could have been extended as it was here is the big fight scene and 10 pages later the book was over.

The book is told in dual perspectives which is similar to the previous book, and I found both stories to be as interesting as the other.

Livio’s story is a bit more slow paced and focuses more on magic and world building whilst Beatrice’s chapters are more exciting and detail her role as a mask maker but also her personal struggle with not fitting in with her role and how she is different from her sisters. I liked both characters and their unique voices, I also liked the balance between the action and the emotional parts of the story and their struggles.

I really enjoyed the writing style of the book and loved how everything was paced. Not much happens in terms of plot/action because the book does develop on a lot of points so is not focused on action however, I did like this as it helped me connect to the story and characters.

Everything was so well paced however I was conscious that the story was near ending and there was not a climax/resolve which I felt was rushed and disappointing. The reveal was predictable and there was such a build up to the main villain who ends up being defeated way to easily. I was also disappointed by the romance in the story, only Livio has a romance subplot and his love interest was in the story for such a brief time at the start and then again near the  ending and then it ends so abruptly.  

4/5

R E V I E W. We Are Bound By Stars by @kesialupoauthor - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - thanks so much to @bloomsburyya and @netgalley for this advanced copy to review.

Posting this one a couple of days early today because Thursday is not just the publication day for Kesia’s second book, We Are Bound But Stars, but my second book, One Pan Pescatarian too - please, please do pre-order them both!

I loved her first book, We Are Blood And Thunder earlier this year and loved the addictive writing and fascinating new world of magic temples. This book is set in the same world as We Are Blood And Thunder but on a new island, and while a whole new cast of characters.

Beatrice, my favourite character is the middle sister of the latest in a line of triplets who are kept hidden, making magical masks that enhance a mage’s power in service of a faceless god. When one sister dies, all three die and the next generation of triplets step up to take their place. However, she’s always dreamed of a different life, a life of her choice where she is allowed to see something of the world outside of their house.

Livio - the grandson of the Contessa who rules over the island - lives a secret double life, sneaking out into the city at night and shying away from his family duty training at the temple. However, when a horrific series of events cuts him off from his other life, and turns everything Beatrice thought she knew about herself and her life on its head it becomes up to them both to save the lives they know, and create the futures they want for themselves - the futures that they had never thought possible.

A compelling, fast paced YA fantasy novel perfect for people into complex world building and magic systems, and strong characters who have to choose between what is right and their own happiness. The only reason I’ve given this 4 stars rather than the 5 I gave We Are Blood And Thunder is I saw the twist coming a mile off this time, whilst the one in the first book took me totally by surprise!

Thank you to nets galley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc of this book.

This is a companion sequel to We Are Blood And Thunder which I read last year and loved!

This one I didn't love as much but still really enjoyed it. The world building is great and the writing style is such an easy one to read that I devoured the second half of this book. 

However, it took me to about 30% to fully get into the book which resulted in me deducting a star - I love the characters and the diversity in this book and all the twists and intricacies that I didn't predict

We Are Bound by Stars is the follow on to We Are Blood And Thunder, the story follows Livio, who is destined for great things. He is destined for a life he has worked so hard to stay away from, but it is time for him to inherit the family legacy. The story also follows Beatrice, who is one of three sisters, who are all mask-makers. It isn’t until an assassin cause great problems for both Beatrice and Livio, that the two finally meet. There is a great tragedy in both of their lives, but can they stop what caused it?

So firstly, thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for allowing me to read the ARC for the above book.

The story has the same kind of feels for me as the last one, although this is a sequel, I think that it can be read without having read We Are Blood and Thunder. I don’t feel as though there is really a link at all between the two, apart from the relations between Constance & Livio. So it isn’t entirely necessary to read the first beforehand, but it does make sense when the character Constance is mentioned.

Again I feel like a lot lacking in the book, there wasn’t much suspense, and I felt like it was also a bit of a chore to finish and it’s not the kind of feeling anyone wants to have with a book. It just didn’t grasp my attention as much as I would have hoped, and it wasn’t a particularly fast-paced book either. But also, like the last, I felt like the end is incredibly rushed when it could have perhaps been delved into a little more.

I did like the relationship Beatrice has with her sisters in the book, it’s a very love-hate kind of relationship, which I can completely relate to, being the oldest of my siblings, we can definitely have that in our household! And also how Beatrice was kind of the ‘black sheep’ out of the three, she wanted freedom, whereas her sisters would much rather prefer to have the easy life they currently had. The life that was chosen for them.

I also liked Livio as a character, where at the beginning of the book he is someone else to the world, but at home, he is almost royalty and now destined to take over with the death of his cousin coming to light.

Both characters long for freedom but neither can have it, as their futures were already determined long before either was born, and I think that’s the most grasping part of the story for both characters, alongside the tragedy within Beatrice’s life as the book goes on.

It may be because it is a YA/Fantasy that I didn’t particularly enjoy it as much as I would have hoped, therefore I would probably recommend this to anyone below the age of perhaps 16? It’s definitely a book that I would have perhaps been more invested in maybe five or so years ago! I know a lot of my readers enjoy a lot of YA – so perhaps I’m even growing out of it now! Who knows? – I personally hope I haven’t!!!

A fast paced and exciting story filled with the twists and turns we come to hope for from Kesia Lupo.  Told from two perspectives, Beatrice and Livio, their stories become intertwined and it is a fascinating dual narrative.  
Both characters are well written and believable, though Beatrice feels the stronger of the two towards the end.  

Though a sequel, it can be read and enjoyed as a stand alone book.  I will go back to the first at some point again and am hopeful for more to come from this new talent in YA!

This was an enthralling and brilliant book- kept me reading late into the night before I could bare to be parted from it.