Ok I'm pretty sure this is a debut and if so then I commend the author on an interesting tale. It is sadly full of a lot of tropes that readers of romance and fantasy will recognise but honestly they are storylines that many adore so how can I fault that ? Forced proximity and fated Mates are just two that spring to mind and although I didn't particularly warm to Enzo I always found myself routing for Elara who is very much alone and yet just keeps pushing those buttons !
I found the overall world building very interesting and very much look forward to what will follow as the Gods or should I say Stars will clearly want to regain control and devotion following what Elara does here. Enemies to lovers yes but also a slow burn romance with the most arrogant and yet the sweetest hero I've read about in some time. Yes I enjoyed it although I would hesitate to say it's perfect with perhaps some pacing issues but I will certainly look out for the follow up book which clearly is a recommendation in itself.
This voluntary take is of an advanced copy and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

- Stars as gods
- Light vs dark magic
- Slowwww burn
- Hidden identity

Why aren't more people talking about this book?! It's criminally underrated!

If you're a fan of ACOTAR and from blood and ash this is that same vibe.

The writing style is descriptive and the world is beautiful, the characters had depth and you feel like your with the FMC on this emotional journey. The slow burn is 😚🤌🏻

I know this is part of a series and I can't wait to see what else is in store for us!

FMC: 23
MMC's: 26

So, this was not what I was expecting. I went into this anticipating more of a fantasy romance rather than a romantasy. For the first 85% of the book, it feels like a standard romantasy, with the interesting world building glossed over for the usual tropes.
However, by the end, I was pleasantly surprised. There were a couple of twists I didn't see coming, and the ending was satisfying.

Elara is... fine. But I am intrigued as to what she'll be like in the next book. Enzo is a classic misunderstood, broody book boyfriend with a traumatic past. Their banter is fun and builds their connection well. But it's not going to get me to kick my feet and curl my toes.

Overall, I want to see more of the interesting lore that seems to underpin what is a par-for-the-course romantasy. I have a feeling I might get what I want in the next installment. We shall see.

4/5 - needed more lore and plot, less pining.

I absolutely loved this book - it was the perfect amount of slow burn, with so many different twists and turns. And I am absolutely in love with Enzo!

Ohmygod - or i should say Oh My Stars, a Love vs prophecy, a slow burn where the God's are Stars and there is a hunt from the god of war for the FMC. It has angst, burn, a little spice and all the stars and celestial feels. I loved this book, the last 10 percent had me in an absolute chokehold, such a good read and I highly reccomend!

I loved this book, you can just tell that so much work went into this book, with not only the plot and characters but the world building as well.

i've had my eye on this one since it was an indie book, and couldn't be more happy to see it being traditionally published!

This one might not be for everyone. For one, it is on the longer side (at 512 pages) and for me it felt quite slow and monotonous at times. I think this was when they were explaining a lot of the world building and magic systems, introducing the characters and setting up different plots/what would happen at the end of the book.

This is definitely a Romantasy book though! It was full of slow burn romance right from the very beginning, and i absolutely loved how Elara and Enzo interacted with each other, it was one of the bes couple dynamics i've seen for a really long time!

I thought that there were a lot of really interesting points to this story, the most obvious being how Princess Elara's kingdom is taken from her by a star called Ariete, and how she has to navigate escaping what is happening around her and the prophecy that links the two of them together through death. I mean come on!! i can safely say that i've never heard of a book opening with that kind of premise before, and it was so refreshing and engaging to read.

The main selling point (other than how cool the magic systems and world building is as a fantasy book) is obviously the amount of romance!
It is 10000% an enemies to lovers slow burn wrapped up with a bit of forbidden love. A massive part of this was exploring a will they wont they kind of relationship, and i couldn't put it down, it had me hooked. I think that the two of them complimented each other so well, and i am really glad that this story evolved into something other than a romance. Yes they were fighting their feelings for one another and falling in love, but they were also training, plotting and trying to come up with strategies to save their world from the threat of the stars!!

For a debut novel this is seriously worth a read. I don't think there was a second i was disappointed by what was happening, and even though it is a little bit on the slow side and does take a while to get through, i think everything that was mentioned and included was absolutely vital to the story!

This book has been on my tbr for the longest time and I was excited to finally sit down with it.

To be honest, it was a bit of mixed experience for me.

I liked the plot, the magic system was great and unique. I liked the characters.

The pacing felt a bit all over the place and this threw me off when I started reading - I found it hard to get into. It grew on me but I definitely had to persevere to begin with.

The character’s really make this book. The main character is feisty, strong and I loved seeing her take on everything unflinchingly. She’s the sort of main character that I love to read about and her character really helped to drive the story. The supporting cast of characters complimented her and brought the story to life.

This was an enjoyable read but im hoping the pacing is better through the rest of the series.

This has really surprised mem as I was intrigued by this book's blurb. And it has completely wowed me. It's definitley a 5 star read. The author has such an interesting writing style which kept me glued to the book. Elara and Enzo were such interesting characers. They faced many twists and turns let alone challenges throughout the book which develiped as characters. With the ending of this book I was completely surprised as I hadn't expected it, I am definitely wanting to continue this series.

A complete curve ball that I was not expecting this year has arrived in this brilliant new fantasy adventure. Watch out 2025, there's about to be a new megastar Romantasy author!

The premise…

We join Princess Elara in the aftermath of her kingdom’s downfall at the hands of the Star of Wrath and War, her parents dead and her friends held captive in the castle. She is smuggled into the neighbouring Helios, where their king tasks his son, Prince Lorenzo, with training Elara into a weapon, one that can take on the might of the tyrannical ruling Stars.
With no other option but to comply, Elara must fight not only against the fate already laid out for her, but also against her growing pull towards Lorenzo...

My thoughts…

I loved the world and found the worldbuilding very natural and easy to follow throughout. It felt fresh, but never overwhelming, which isn’t easy to achieve!
Elara was a fun FMC and she had good chemistry with Lorenzo with some really enjoyable angst between them.
Though I liked the cast, I didn’t feel super attached to them and I think that’s because there are filter words (i.e. she heard, she saw, she felt, etc) absolutely everywhere.
Overall, whilst the prose aren’t my favourite in this book, the story was enough to suck me in anyway!

Perfect for fans of...
Star-crossed lovers with a healthy dose of angst!

5 stars - fantasy romance with magic and ruling stars.

In a world ruled by the 12 stars, based on the zodiac, a prophecy is made that immortal princess Elara will fall in love with the king of stars but it will be both of their ends. Star king Ariete hunts Elara down to stop this prophecy whilst Elara is kidnapped by the King of Helios - Elaras enemy kingdom - and a deal is made that his son, prince Enzo, train Elara to kill the Ariete saving her from the prophecy and enacting revenge on Ariete, who has just murdered her parents.

A fantastic start to the series and such a unique concept with the stars based on the zodiac. It took me a little while to understand the world and the different types of powers but it didn’t take long for me to be hooked!

I absolutely loved Elara and Enzo - from enemies to allies to lovers - slow burn at its finest. Lots of steamy tension and kicking my feet moments.

Special mentions to Sofia, Marissa, Isra and Leo - the death of one of these had me in tears as did Elaras strength and how she dealt with the situation.

I had a feeling a twist was coming and boy did it - I wasn’t expecting the reveal and the ending! I need book 2.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

‘That little dream you just had? Only a shade of what I could do with you.’

‘I dare you. Tell me now that you just want to be friends. Allies. Tell me that this is nothing.’

‘I loved him more than the dark loves the night. And he loved me more than the day loves the light-‘

Tropes: Enemies To Lovers, Magic, Forced Proximity, Slow Burn, He Falls First, Touch Her You 💀, Protective MMC, Forbidden Love, Fated Mates

A cursed fate & haunting prophecies… Elara finds her parents killed, her kingdom left without rule & herself kidnapped by the opposing kingdom. They call her a weapon, but she’s way more than just a weapon..
High stakes enemies to lovers, with slow burn romance.

This book is what I consider a ‘perfect’ fantasy novel, it ticks all the boxes! And it doesn’t feel forced doing it either. I love the story, so many twists/ turns my jaw was on the floor multiple times.
I also really enjoyed the pacing of this book. Some books suffer from a midway slump, but not this one, I was just being traumatised 😅😂
And as for the last third of the book… Truly a rollercoaster, I was going through it with every page!! (My literal notes: chapter 62 - WTF this can’t be real. Chapter 65 - 🫨 I’m losing it.)

I feel like the enemies to lovers truly is amazing in this book. The banter, sass & venom that Elara & Enzo throw at each other is a riot! Providing laughs & sizzlingly hot moments as their romance blooms.
I also loved the magic system contrasting her shadows with his light *chefs kiss*

This is a must read fantasy for me & one of my favourite reads of the year! It’s one of the few books that has scratched that ‘ACOTAR itch’. I will be recommending it to literally every reader I know!

Thank you Imani Erriu, Penguin & NetGalley for the review copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved this book - the world building was unique and the plot kept me guessing! Can’t wait for the next in the series.

I would turn the world to darkness for you. In a world ruled by the Stars, cruel and merciless gods, Elara has been cursed by fate. A prophecy promises she will fall for a Star and it will kill them both. Yet when the Star of Wrath and War descends to hunt Elara, the neighbouring kingdom sees an opportunity to take her from her home.

Where she strides straight into the arms of an enemy prince. Elara is forced to either let Prince Lorenzo train her into a weapon worthy of battling against the tyrannical reign of the Stars, or to accept her fate. But there are shadows even in a kingdom filled with light, and they threaten to reveal the darkness in the prince’s pass and the ancient magic that slumbers in her veins.
A beautifully written prose that brings this story to life with a cast of nuanced characters, a swoon worthy romance and a world filled with magic and mayhem. There will always be those of us who can tell where the twists are going but even so the plot was enjoyable and the characters well written. A perfect novel for someone who loves a whimsical fantasy setting and a prominent romance plot line within a story and a world filled with magic.

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐧 𝐑𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 | 𝐕𝐢𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐁𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐈𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢 𝐄𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐮

I loved this so much that I bought a physical copy and went to an event with the author! The show burn was giving and there we plenty of twists and turns that kept me guessing and kept my jaw on the floor. I just loved it, all of the characters were amazing and well fleshed out. I can’t wait for the next one 🙈

Wow what a debut this book has been on my tbr since forever. It was beautiful written with the most stunning fantasy setting ever.
True enemies to lovers that needs to work together for a common enemy.
It's celestial, fated prophecy and what feel like star crossed lovers. I love the concept of the Gods in this one truly
Highly recommend!!

Heavenly Bodies was such a beautifully written story that had me visualising the world and its contents with ease. I’m a huge lover of Romance in the books that I read as it gives me something to root for amidst the chaos of a plot and this book did not disappoint. I loved how prominent the enemies-to-lovers progression between Elara and Enzo was and I’m very keen to see what happens next in book two. Some of the twists were a little on the predictable side and some of the re-spelling of certain words felt a little pointless for the sake of being different, but nonetheless I didn’t want to put this book down and left with such an enjoyable experience. I definitely highly recommend Heavenly Bodies to those like me who like a prominent romance in a beautiful and whimsical Fantasy setting, and I’ve already placed my preorder for book two as something to look forward to.

3.5 ⭐️

Overall I really liked this book. It’s a solid Romantasy with a well thought-out world inspired by mythology and astrological elements, intriguing characters and enough twists and turns to keep you hooked.

I would have liked there to have been more of the enemies to lovers aspect however, as whilst it was a slow-burn in terms of spice, I felt like the tension and build up were at times heavy handed, so it felt like they left their enemies status behind a bit too quickly. I also found the dialogue too much at times and their banter didn’t hit for me especially towards the end.

But still a great ride and I will be reading the next book in the series.

This book gave me mixed feelings. The first half was awesome. I liked the quick pace and the quickly developing tension between the characters. The second half just didn't work for me. The plot was still interesting, but the pace was all over the place, with loads of twists and revelations given too quickly in the last few chapters. It felt chaotic. I also got bored of the constant back-and-forth between Elara and Enzo. Some spicy scenes seemed a little forced. Overall, a good read, but with a few things to improve—the reason I dropped stars. The plot is quite interesting, though, so I would recommend it to fantasy lovers.