thank you net galley, the publisher, and the author for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

ok omg!? i actually regret asking for an arc of this book because i don’t think i can wait until december to read book two? that cliffhanger my god!!

i all but ate this one up in a matter of two days and it’s been a while since that’s been the case for me, even more so in the romantasy genre!!

i don’t want to say much because i tend to spoil but add this one to your tbr if you enjoy:
• found family dynamics
• banter
• magic!
• he falls first
• slowburn
• dual pov

oh but check trigger warnings!! my girl selene was a strong one my baby!
“i did not expect you.” my throat tightens. “but i was waiting for you.”

I don’t know where to start!! This book is OUTSTANDING. it took me a little to settle into as there’s a few characters introduced quickly but I went with it and this book will remain in my thoughts for months. It’s beautifully written, descriptive without being flowery, and all of the characters are fleshed out and worm into your heart.

I cannot wait to read book 2 and see what happens next. Biggest of thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read an arc. I really hope I can get one for book 2 or i don’t know what I’ll do!!

This had a very unique premise which unfolded well throughout the novel. I felt like the pace of the plot struggled after about 40% but overall I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Callan and Selene. I'm excited for the second novel!

5 stars from the first 100 pages, this book is breathtaking, this will be a hit and I need to read the next one - counting down till I can find out what happens to Callan and Selene

𝙄𝙨 𝙞𝙩 𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙞𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙪𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙮𝙚𝙨 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙩𝙮? 𝙄𝙨 𝙞𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙢𝙪𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚'𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚?

ೃ⁀➷ This book is what you call an unexpected gem. I’m so glad I was approved for an ARC—I never expected to be drowned in emotion so deeply.

Setting: A ship sailing through ocean mists

𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔 βօօҟͲąցʂ 𓍯𓂃

➸ He falls first
➸ Slowburn
➸ Ice queen x golden retriever
➸ Hurt/comfort
➸ Found family
➸ Silver-haired FMC
➸ Shadow magic
➸ Forced proximity
➸ Dual POV

CW: references to sexual assault

𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕋𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝔹𝕠𝕠𝕜 𝕀𝕤 𝔸𝕓𝕠𝕦𝕥: ℕ𝕒𝕟𝕔𝕪 𝔼𝕕𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 ᯓ★

To put it simply, this world has Faeytes and Caelumnai (plus us regular humans). Ten years ago, the Caelumnai massacred the Faeytes—and only one survived: Selene.

Now, she’s going back. Home. On a ship full of Caelumnai. Including its captain—Callan.

ೃ⁀➷ 𝕊𝕖𝕝𝕖𝕟𝕖 𝔸𝕞𝕒𝕣𝕚𝕤: 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙮 𝙫𝙤𝙞𝙘𝙚, 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙨, 𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝. "𝙄 𝙖𝙢 𝙚𝙭𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙡𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙢𝙚."

A woman who watched her sisters, her friends—everyone she knew—get slaughtered. Then she spent the next ten years enduring the worst: sold, abused, objectified.

That pain built her armor: she’s icy, emotionless, blank-eyed and monotone. But inside? Inside she burns—quietly, furiously. She is both soft and steel. She speaks with authority, commands a room, and refuses to let anyone turn her into a pawn. She doesn’t just survive—she owns her survival.

Final Verdict: She has 110% of my respect. No one is doing it like Selene.

ೃ⁀➷ ℂ𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕒𝕟 𝔼𝕕𝕘𝕖𝕓𝕠𝕣𝕟: 𝙄 𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙞𝙣 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙄 𝙨𝙖𝙬 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙝𝙞𝙛𝙩. 𝙒𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙣𝙤 𝙬𝙚𝙖𝙥𝙤𝙣𝙨, 𝙣𝙤 𝙖𝙧𝙢𝙤𝙧, 𝙛𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙝𝙖𝙞𝙧.

When I say we all need a Callan, I mean it.

He’s the sunshine to her storm, the warmth to her cold, the balm to her scars. He spends his days finding ways to make her smile. He counts her laughs. He studies the stars in her eyes.

"𝙄𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 - 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜?"
"𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙀𝙙𝙜𝙚𝙗𝙤𝙧𝙣."
"𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙚." 𝙈𝙮 𝙜𝙧𝙞𝙣 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙧. "𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜."

And when the moment comes?

This man CRAWLS for her. In front of an entire nation. Injured. Bound in chains. On his knees, in daylight—he crawls to her.

Final Verdict: Give me nothing. Give me no one. But please, give me Callan.

ೃ⁀➷ 𝕋𝕙𝕖 ℝ𝕠𝕞𝕒𝕟𝕔𝕖: 𝙃𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙨 𝙢𝙚. 𝘼𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨, 𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙨 𝙢𝙚.

The "slowburn" tag doesn’t begin to cover it. There wasn’t even 0.5% insta-love or lust. No immediate wow she’s hot, no instant soulmates. The affection unfolded slowly, organically. And can I just say? For once, I loved being in the guy’s head. There were no vulgar thoughts—just genuine admiration and quiet yearning.

𝕎𝕙𝕪 𝕚𝕥’𝕤 𝟜 𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕤, 𝕟𝕠𝕥 𝟝 ᯓ★

The first half was perfection. Enchanting. Addictive. But the second half stumbled. It dragged in places, meandered in others, and only picked itself back up towards the end. That uneven pacing pulled me out of the immersion a few times.

𝕀𝕟 ℂ𝕠𝕟𝕔𝕝𝕦𝕤𝕚𝕠𝕟 ᯓ★

This story was tender and devastating, quiet yet thunderous. A romance, yes - but also a journey of healing, survival, and learning to feel safe again.

Despite the pacing issues in the second half, this book carved out a place in my heart. It reminded me that softness can be powerful, and love—when built patiently—is a force unlike any other.

I didn’t expect to love it this much. But I did. And I’ll be thinking about it for a long time.

This was such a good book..kinda gives off Emma and Killian (Captain Hook) vibes from once upon a time. This is a slow burn romance between Selene and Callan. They have such a good dynamic and chemistry. Can’t wait for book 2.

I devoured this book in a couple of days, I’m so thankful I was given this Arc to read.

Firstly, I really connected to Selene, what a great FMC. Secondly, where can I find myself a Callan?!

The story is really interesting and I felt there was some new ideas that’s I’ve not read in a Romantasy before, so this was great (not going to spoil it for anyone). Loved the world setting, LOVED the slow burn romance (which was done perfectly) and all the themes of loss, grief, love, etc.

Can’t wait to read the second book! Thanks so much for an amazing read!

I’m so grateful I was chosen as an ARC reader for this absolute gem of a book. This was EVERYTHING I wanted and more. From the opening pages, I was completely hooked by the incredible plot and unique worldbuilding. Evelyn has created a fantasy universe that feels both fresh and emotionally immersive.

What truly stole my heart, though, was the chosen family dynamic. If you love stories where the made family, bickers, teases, protects, and loves each other fiercely—with plenty of humor to go with the heartache—this book will sweep you away. The character interactions felt so natural and real, and I genuinely fell in love with every single one of them.

And Leo? No matter what happens in this series… he must be protected at all costs. If anything happens to him, I will riot🫶

The slow-burn romance was absolute perfection—just the right amount of tension, heart, and emotional payoff. Evelyn also balances heavier themes like grief, loss, and pain with hope, love, and loyalty in such a thoughtful and layered way. It never felt forced—just deeply human.

Of course, it ended on a cliffhanger (how dare you, Evelyn 😭), and now I’ll be thinking about this book constantly until the next installment arrives. This is a new favorite for me, and I can’t recommend it enough for fantasy fans who love character-driven stories, chosen families, emotional depth, and slow-burn tension that pays off.

You’ll teach them to fly, and I’ll catch them when they fall.” 🖤

Overall, a great first book in the series. The characters are well developed and likable, and the plot was unique and written well. The storyline got a little slow in parts, which surprised me because the story starts off fast. I am looking forward to see what happens next!
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Stars Above the Never Sea by new to me author Evelyn Flood, is the first book in The Last Faeyte Series.
The beginning of Selene and Callan's story is told in this first installment.
Callan is a ship captain who just wants to survive, Selene is on her way back home after being away for 10 years. A story full of drama and intrigue that ends in a cliffie and continues in the next book.
It took me a moment to get into the story, there is no easying in. First it was a bit stilted imo, but soon I connected with story and characters.

Selene ha esperado toda su vida por el día de su Ascensión: el momento en que dejará de ser una niña y será reconocida como una verdadera faeyte, bendecida por la diosa Hala. Pero su sueño se transforma en pesadilla cuando su hogar, el santuario sagrado de Asteria, es atacado brutalmente por los Caelumnai. En lugar de un ritual de iniciación, Selene se ve forzada a huir, despojada de todo lo que conocía, mientras su mundo se desmorona a su alrededor.

En un abrir y cerrar de ojos, pierde a su familia, su hogar, su propósito… y hasta su nombre. Lo que sigue es una historia desgarradora y poderosa sobre el dolor de crecer entre ruinas, la lucha por sobrevivir cuando todo parece perdido, y la chispa de rabia que se convierte en fuego cuando ya no queda nada que perder.

Alternando entre los puntos de vista de Selene y Callan, un soldado con su propia carga moral y conexión con los conquistadores, la novela construye lentamente una tensión narrativa que mezcla fantasía épica con una fuerte crítica al colonialismo y al fanatismo institucionalizado.


-

Cuando se revelo la identidad de cierto personaje tuve que releer sus interaciones con ___.





Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest

AN EASY 5 5-star read

I all but devoured this book in one night. It had me kicking my feet, giggling and crying all in one. I truly can’t put into words how amazing this book is. I was not expecting some of the plot twists. I feel like the last 15% of the book, I was on the edge of my seat, not wanting the book to end.
I fell in love with Selene and Callum; their dynamic is perfect, and their banter is top tier.
I found that the characters were incredibly relatable, which helped in connecting more deeply with the book.

I am anxiously awaiting book 2 to see where Selene and Callum's story goes!

This was my first Evelyn Flood, and I can without a doubt say I will be reading more of her work.

Thank you so much, Evelyn, for this arc copy of Stars Above the Never Sea.

A great book. I fell in love with Selene and Callum. And that cliffhanger??!! I want to know what happens next.
The characters are very relatable which is meaningful in a fantasy novel with magic users. You can really understand the motivations of not just the main characters, but the side characters as well.
The plot lagged a little in places, but it was quickly made up for in other places where it ran. I found my eyes skipping ahead down the page in wanting to know what was happening.
Overall, a very good book.

INCREDIBLE!! If there’s one thing Evelyn Flood knows how to do, it’s making me cry! I truly can’t put into words how amazing this book was, I had no idea where this book was going to go and I was on the edge of my seat reading it! I finished in less than 12 hours that’s how addictive it was! The storyline, the characters, the found family were all 10/10!! The cliffhanger was insane, like WHAT!!! What I am supposed to do with myself now? Amazing, I can’t wait to read the next book!

Amazing book! Sped through it in like a day or two, I could not put it down! Love love love this author as well! The writing style was so easy to understand!