A revengeful former Fury, a smart Ironborn girl, a kind-hearted fae prince, and his grumpy guardian must come together to uncover secrets that have fuelled the murders of Ironborn, hybrid spawn of humans and faes, in Toronto while the queer-normative world, divided into mortal and immortal realms, establishes an urban setting where fae and other fantastical creatures spin around a mystery through a narration that focuses on multiple perspectives. Despite a slow pace that tires the plot and the swinging tone that doesn't stabilise the voice of the many characters as an entity, this extremely queer fae fantasy does hold potential and can be fun for the right audience—even interesting enough to seek the sequel if time permits.

I don't know how I feel about this one. It was one of my anticipated reads of the year and many reviewers with whom I usually feel similar about books loved it. And I liked the world and the characters, I loved how queer it was, and the plot was fun but it also took me ten months to get through it.

I think my main problem is how long this book is. It could have easily been 100 or 200 pages shorter without taking anything from the plot, there are so many filler scenes. I also think there were too many POVs - we really didn't need four, it could have easily been just two or only one. I always find it hard to care about the characters when we jump from one POV to another.

Also, I've seen reviewers of colour point out how white this book is, especially since it's set in superdiverse Toronto, and it bothered me as well.

Sadly, I don't think I'll be continuing this series.

A Dark and Hollow Star was one of my most anticipated books of the year when it was first released, but because I couldn't get to it immediately, my interest in it dipped. But now I am so annoyed at myself that I didn't get to it earlier because I am in love with this book.

The four main characters within A Dark and Hollow Star were brilliant and complimented each other so well. Each of the characters had their own personality that shone off the page, and there was never any confusion when the POV switched as they were all so distinct and individual. I particularly loved Arlo and Nausicaä, but I think this is probably down to us spending a bit more time with them than we did Vehan and Aurelian. Nausicaä has no filter, which I adored as she just says what she thinks at any moment. I also loved some of the supporting characters, and I feel that we got to know them; I hope that we get to see even more of them in the next book.

I will warn you that A Dark and Hollow Star does start quite slow, so much so that it took me five days to get through the first 100 pages, but once you push through that, it very quickly picks up the pace. A Dark and Hollow Star is a little bit slow at the beginning because of the immense world building that Ashley Shuttleworth has done. Everything is described in such detail, and every possible base is covered. Ashley Shuttleworth has thought about every little detail and has made them come to life. I also loved the idea of it being predominantly being set in Toronto and Nevada, which is a different setting to the typical urban fantasy book where the setting is normally London or New York.

Because the world building and magic system is so extensive, it took me a little time to remember who everyone was and what powers they possessed. But Ashley Shuttleworth has such a great way of introducing characters at one point and then reintroducing them again when they become relevant without it becoming boring. To help with this, I would love some sort of character list at the beginning of the next book because there are so many, and there would be no chance of spoilers.

I do have to give a special mention to the final 50 pages, Ashley Shuttleworth blew my mind several times, and I don't think I have ever consumed the ending of a book so quickly. The way the story has left off has made me want to pick up the sequel as soon as it is released; there will be no waiting for me next time.

I cannot recommend A Dark and Hollow Star enough; if you love any kind of fae fantasy with brilliant characters, you need to pick up this book.

I loved this book I went out and brought a copy to have on my shelves. Ashley Shuttleworth created a vivid world and characters that jump out form the page. I was intrigued in the story from the first page and did not want to put the book down.
A great collection and diversity of characters that are each clear in your mind as you're reading. Each has separate personalities and traits and none feel like they have been added just for added inclusion.
The story kept me gripped and the ending has me needing the sequel as soon as possible.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately I DNFd this book at 65% as I just coukdnt get into it. I didn't like that the characters still hadn't all met, and I wasn't overly invested in any of the storylines. I was also struggling to follow what was going on.

This was surprisingly good in an extremely overcrowded YA Fae urban fantasy market. The world building was very well conceived and the storyline was good too. The characters were a bit flat though and it did seem to take a long time to get the plot moving along. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.

DNF, it was not the book, it was me. I don't enjoy fantasy as much anymore. Maybe one day I will get back into the genre, but for now, this is not something I can read and enjoy...

Four unlikely queer protagonists lead this book, working together to discover the evil that has been killing the iron born faeries. The concept for this book is great, the pace was very slow that it took me a long time of dragging to get through and on top of that the chapters written in Vahan’s and Aurelian’s POV were dull and I couldn’t get through them quick enough. Arlo’a and Nausicaas’s on the other hand we’re great and the book would have definitely benefitted if more of their chapters were included.

This story follows 4 people who are caught up in murders and have to come together to solve.

It was an ok read but I did feel like it could have been shorter as I found my attention wandering there in some points.

Arlo was my fave although Vehan was so sweet, the queer rep was fantastic and the world building was a real strong point.

A Dark and Hollow star is the gift that 15-year-old me needed. ADAHS feels so much like so many of my favourite urban/fae fantasies - City of Bones, Crescent City, The Cruel Prince etc - but with queerness at it’s core. To see all my favourite tropes painted onto a much more diverse cast of characters is so meaningful for me, and ADAHS definitely deserves to be placed alongside those titles. Next time anyone says to me that they just read and loved a Sarah J Maas/Cassie Clare/Holly Black book, my next sentence is going to be ‘have you read A Dark and Hollow Star?’

Packed full of pop culture references (that Twilight reference GOT ME) and sarcasm, ADAHS has so many central plot pillars that it weaves together to culminate in a really interesting story full of complex character dynamics, with a central mystery at it’s core - it really does give me very similar vibes to House of Blood and Earth, but is equally unique in it’s own right, so you must pick ADAHS up if HOEAB was one of your 2020 faves! I can’t resist a mystery at the centre of a fantasy novel, so where it took a little while for me to get to grips with some of the characters and the world building, the mystery kept me questioning and engaged.

This is a bit of a hard one for me to rate. It was a bit info-dumpy and had a huge amount of world building. I struggled with the pacing and at times was a little confused BUT I did like the characters.

It definitely has potential so I think I’ll read the second book when it comes out and then make my decision.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review

This fabulously queer and action packed debut exceeded all of my expectations to become a new favourite.

I loved that the story involved romance, but it didn't overshadow the exciting and intricate plot. I do hope we get just a teensy bit more kissing in the next book though!

Shuttleworth did the most impressive job of world building (both real and imaginary) by transporting me onto the streets of Toronto and into the halls of the Fairy Courts. I felt like I was walking the streets of the city right alongside Arlo and the gang.

My only very minor complaint was the villain of this book turning into a little bit of a caricature villain during the climatic confrontation, but other than that this book was practically flawless.

I expected quite a lot from Ashley Shuttleworth’s debut A Dark and Hollow Star - and though I did not enjoy certain aspects of the book, it is still a series I am excited to see take shape.

The story is set in an alternative today’s Toronto, one entrenched in the magic of the fae, the folk and gods of other realms. These were the key elements of my interest for the book as Urban Fantasy is a long time favourite sub genre of mine, and the additional layers of world building caught my attention immediately. The pacing is a bit drawn out in places and mainly it felt like a book building lovable characters, then a story that can stand on its own.

We are following mainly four main characters, though there are additional POVs from other major ‘players’ in the book, and I am sad to say that one of the downsides for me was the fact that there were so many peoples emotions and back grounds to keep a hold off that I didn’t feel like I got to know any of them as well as I would have liked.

Nausicaa Kraken was hands down my favourite, followed closely by Vehan, the prince.
However I was not the biggest fan of our half human Arlo, as her lack of self confidence felt more like a hinderance to the plot then a actual character flaw.

What did save the book for me though was the very casual queerness (though one of the main romances felt a little forced for me) and a couple of key scenes I wish had been longer. Also! I am very interested in knowing more about our non-binary God-being Luck and more about the Titans.

So, a solid start, but am more excited about what comes next.

I loved this entertaining urban fantasy. It kept me hooked and had a lot of fun.
The world building is interesting, I liked the humor and the characters are fleshed out.
It's the first book i read by this author and won't surely be the last.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This was an interesting read. I really liked the mystery and the way we jumped between the different characters throughout the story. The book made me laugh (one character came across as the Jokester!) and I was also surprised but kinda laughed at the D and D references. What an interesting way to include them in a fiction read!

I think i would have loved this book if i had read a physical copy. I loved Arlo and i will buy the sequel, because she was a brilliant character. I enjoyed the story, i was just confused with all the different POVS? once i knew who each character was, the storylines fit better but i did struggle.

Written beautifully though!!!

A Dark And Hollow Star is set in modern day Toronto, and follows four characters: Arlo, a half human, half fairy teenager who just wants to be accepted into the fairy world alongside her family; Nausicaa, an ex-fury who sets about wreaking havoc to get revenge on those who wronged her; Vehan, a fae prince just trying his hardest; and Aurelian, Vehan’s bodyguard and once closest friend. A series of deaths bring the four together as they hunt for the answers no one wants to hear.
I was so excited to read this book as I have such a soft spot for Fae books set in the real world (totally thanks to reading The Mortal Instruments as a tween), and the cast of canonical queer characters made my heart throb. Imagine my disappointment when it took me well over a month to read because I just couldn’t connect. I ended up having to get the audiobook just to finish it so I could listen to it on my commute without getting distracted.
Before I start the review I just have to say that I love the author. I love that they were able to publish a book that meant so much to them in terms of exploring what gender and sexuality mean to them, and I am so happy that other readers may get to see themselves in this book. Though it didn't work for me, if it reaches someone who needs it then I am genuinely, wholeheartedly happy.
I’ll start with the positive things first, because this book wasn’t all bad. The characters were fun, and I loved Nausicaa and her sassy humour. The way they all interacted with each other was really natural and believable, and I loved the way conflict was interwoven between them. Arlo and Vehan were my second favourites after Nausicaa, they were good and kind people who just wanted to help and prove themselves. They were a little annoying at times, but nothing too bad. I started off liking Aurelian, but as the book went on I ended up preferring to read about him from the other’s points of view as opposed to his own, as his inner monologue was quite repetitive.
I thought the author’s writing was really solid and natural, the dialogue seemed natural and they managed to portray the different voices of the points of view really well. However, there were just a few too many things I didn’t like. I thought the plot was both convoluted and simplistic at the same time: there were a lot of steps involved in various locations with different results and consequences, but at the end basically none of them seemed necessary. There were a lot of instances of telling rather than showing, and so many conversations that I thought were obsolete. The magic and the magical world was quite confusing to understand - I still don’t really know the difference between the Lesidhe, Sidhe, Seelie and Unseelie.
My biggest gripe, however, is the villain. They were the weakest villain I have read in a while, and such a disappointment. They had no tie to the story at all, it was literally just a random person who from the beginning the reader knew was evil. Unless I missed something, their motivation was unexplained, and they could have been replaced with absolutely anyone and it would have changed nothing. There was nothing to keep me hooked, no twists or turns or suspenseful moments that made me have to read the next chapter. I cannot stress enough how annoyed I was with the villain, they were just so underwhelming.
The one saving grace right at the end was the epilogue, which I thought was a good set up for the next book, and I am still thinking of reading it.
I realise this review may come across as me saying that this book is not worth a read, but I would still (cautiously) recommend it to people if they were interested in a modern day Fae book. I would just preface it with a big notice that there is a lacklustre plot, ridiculous villain, and very little explanation of any of the magic involved.
Thank you to Netgalley for the e-Arc of this book.

I absolutely loved this book! It was faced paced, exciting, and so fun!
The characters were awesome and I loved everyone!
I can’t wait for book 2!!!

3.75 stars

Overall, this was a really good story. Even if it was a bit long and dragged in bits, I was invested for the most part and I will pick up the sequel at some point when it comes out. Maybe not straight away, but I am intrigued by where this story is going.

There’s a lot of world-building in the first 150 pages and a lot of different characters to keep track of within the multiple POVs, so it’s slightly confusing if you’re not paying attention. However, that’s not necessarily a bad thing to have a lot of characters and the author does a great job in subtly reminding their reader who is who when we switch perspectives again. Still, I think that maybe they could have spread it out a bit as it’s a little info dumpy, but hopefully, the plot will progress quicker in the second book of the duology as we’ve got the foundations of the world out of the way. I think if you have to keep explaining things, then that’s not good writing. I do feel like the story was bogged down with info dumping and repetitive world building, which took me out of the story. Overall, I think the plot could’ve been progressed in the first 100 pages in favour of the world building.

However, something I did appreciate: the open queerness of the characters. There’s canon bi, gay, lesbian and gender fluid representation, as well as neo-pronoun rep, which is amazing and from what I’ve heard, is handled brilliantly. To have such non-stigmatised queer rep in YA is a really positive step forward for the genre and I would like to see more of this in the future.

Saying that, it lists racism as a trigger warning, yet there are literally no POC characters. There’s one governor at the start and a reference to different cultural restaurants, but that’s it. Everyone is white, or has different undertones to their skin BUT NO BLACK OR BROWN CHARACTERS. What is that about? How can you say there’s racism, yet not have the communities who are affected by it? It also seems a little disingenuous to have openly queer characters yet not have any BIPOC queer characters, considering the history of the LGBTQIA+ community. That aspect disappointed me the most, and I hope Ashley Shuttleworth incorporates more BIPOC characters into the sequel.

Furthermore, there are five POVs in this book and I was confused with the sheer amount of different characters mentioned in each of them. It was hard to keep track of all of them, and I think if Shuttleworth cut them down and introduced more people in a longer space of time, it wouldn’t be so confusing. There’s a lot of telling rather than showing and all the characters started looking the same after a while.

This did let me down a little bit because it had been so hyped up but I think if you like a slower paced book with mystery and intrigue and queer characters, you’ll love it. By no means is it an awful book, because it has a lot of good things in it, but I think this could’ve done with a few more rounds of editing and cutting down on information and WHY DID THE EDITORS NOT PICK UP ON THE ALL WHITE CAST???? I digress. If you want to read this, go ahead, but please check the triggers because this is dark from the start.

Trigger Warnings (as listed on author’s content warning on GR and in the book): Violence, Sexist Language, Classism, Anger, Arson, Blood, Gore, Body Horror, Death of a Child, Depression, Disownment, Divorce, Drug Use/Addiction, Grief, Human Trafficking, Poverty, Psychopathy, Stalking, Suicide and Suicide Ideation, Toxic Relationship/Manipulation, Trauma/PTSD, Gun Violence and Racism

Unfortunately I did not finish this book...

I read just over 150 pages and just could not get into it. The world building I found quite confusing and none of the characters really interested me...
I tried a few times to pick it up again but this story was just not for me. It did not grab my attention enough to be willing to power through it.

I have to give a rating so I will give 2 stars only, but do not take it as me saying this is a bad book. As I did not finish it I cannot judge its entirety.
I do enjoy and read a lot of YA but somehow, this one was a miss for me.