King of Star-Cast Skies was so good from start to finish! I only wish that I had a copy of the first book so I could know more of the backstory, needless to say I will be immediately requesting it from our local library!

Such a beautiful story! I fell in love with The Queen of Shifting Sands last year, and have been waiting for this sequel to be released! I really loved Elerek’s development as a character.

King of Star-Cast Skies - Kaitlyn Carter Brown
Instagram Review (posted 22/05/2025)
Goodreads Review (21/05/2025)
(Arc Review) - 4/5 🌟

“How would freedom feel tingling in his fingers? If his skin no longer held the touch of death?”

Firstly, I would like to thank Whimsical Publishing for allowing me an ARC. King of Star-Cast Skies by Kaitlyn Carter Brown is the second part of a duology in the Instanolde Chronicles, a young adult fantasy series. The narrative follows Queen Lystra, who, after the devastating loss of her betrothed, forms a marriage alliance with Prince Elerek to save their desert kingdom, Instanolde, and to break a deadly curse afflicting him. As the curse intensifies and their homeland faces invasion, Lystra, Elerek, and their companion Razhar embark on a perilous journey across the desert to find a cure. Elerek grapples with the duality of his curse, which is both a death sentence and a source of immense power, while Razhar confronts his own hidden past and the moral dilemmas it presents. The story weaves themes of love, sacrifice, and redemption, culminating in a high-stakes adventure that tests the limits of duty and the resilience of the human spirit .

I wish I had realized this novel was part of a duology—King of Star-Cast Skies was beautifully written, especially in the way the characters spoke. I found myself highlighting so many lines! Even though I had no idea it was the second book, the narrative was easy to follow, and I connected with the characters quickly—especially Razhar. I appreciate also the disability representation with Elerek as sadly we don’t normally see these especially in fantasy novels. Moreover, I wish there was more conversation between Lystra and Elerek as I found more chemistry between her and Razhar than the actual main couple. Despite jumping in mid-series, the story still felt whole and immersive. It’s a heartfelt tale I’d recommend to anyone looking for a YA fantasy with world-building and emotional depth. ❤️

"We cannot grow weary of life."

When I tell you this is now one of my favorite fantasy duologies EVER I'm not exaggerating ;-; I'm not normally the girlie who says "this book ruined me, you should also read it" but I will make an exception in this case. I need more people to suffer with me. Please.

Queen of Shifting Sands was one of my top reads of 2024, but it was only the first part of the story, and I was eagerly waiting for this finale. I knew it was going to hurt, and it did, but oh, it hurt so good. The fight for Instanolde is nothing short of epic, and while world-saving is certainly on the agenda for this novel, there's so much time and heart put into the journeys of each character individually. The biblical allegory is STRONG here, but it's also just a cool fantasy, complete with prophecies, curses, and political maneuverings. It's a rollercoaster, truly, and I'd advise properly strapping in before you begin. You won't be able to get off. Or rather, you won't want to get off until the very end.

I cried actual tears. For that alone, it would get a high rating, but there are many reasons I have to give it 5 stars. Brilliant. Heart-breaking. Healing. 10/10 I recommend.

alexa, play "fortnight" by taylor swift, I love them, it's ruining my life

**I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. A positive review was not required. All opinions are my own.**

2.5☆

This was, underneath it all, a good book. I enjoyed the presence of the stars in lore and magic, though I wish it were more clear how exactly they move with such fluidity, given that actual stars can't do such things. Which had me wondering what these stars actually are, how close they are, etc.

My main issue comes in the repetition of phrases & words. "one summer to live" "curse and counter curse" "the cost" "cursed water" "clothed in skin" "star-cast skies" "shifting sands" stars, starlight, hope, etc. The reiteration of these and other words/phrases, often word for word each and every time, left me frustrated.

The frequency of them also felt like the author was spoon feeding me the same information constantly. There needs to be some level of trust in the readers comprehensive abilities, and there's a line to walk for sure, but Kaitlyn Carter-Brown erred too far on the side of caution, and it left me feeling more like my intelligence was being doubted.

The first of the two major deaths at the end also felt rushed. I got no real satisfaction or dread involving it. It was distant and underwhelming, suddenly over. The second at least got a small reflection after the fact, and several moments of grief from main characters, but in the moment, it was so quick I had to reread it, unsure I had read it correctly.

Overall, I believe Kaitlyn Carter-Brown has some real potential in her storytelling, but her craft needs work to set her apart.

Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Rating: YA

Another beautiful story, and the conclusion to Queen of Shifting Sands that I was hoping for 🥹

Elerek is cursed, and anyone he touches will eventually turn to water. The book picks up where book 1 ended, and Elerek, Lystra, and Razhar are held captive by the Jarkins. Many of the Jarkins were cursed in the struggle, so they take our MC’s into the desert on a journey to break the curse.

I love Lystra, she’s so strong and fierce, yet empathetic and kind. She’s a beautiful character who has experienced grief, and heartache, yet is still able to see beauty and hope in the world. Her relationship with Elerek is still developing when this book starts, but he’s struggling with his own grief and guilt over the loss of his brother, and all those who succumbed to the curse after his touch. I love Razhar’s role in this book and the truths that he kept hidden for so long.

It did take me a bit of time to fully get into this book, but once I did I flew through it - I did also have 3 books on the go though 🙃 And I also would’ve LOVED an epilogue to get a glimpse into the future that they didn’t think they’d get. There are themes of sacrifice, grief, guilt, betrayal, and forgiveness, and the writing is just beautiful 💛✨!!

Linger in the desert as readers’ beloved Lystra, Elerek & Razhar desperately cling to life.

The desert inspired fantasy world continues to engage the reader with new life-threatening obstacles at every turn.

Loved Razhar’s character growth in this story and the addition of his POV to portray it.

This book continues exploring themes of grief but through a different lens from the first installment which I found engaging.

My favorite character is Tiniah the fiesty cardant!

The worldbuilding and writing is so beautiful and totally felt like a journey to another world. A rich story with a mixture of action, heartbreak, love, sacrifice, hope and forgiveness written in a style that truly took my breath away, so wonderfully tragic. The characters are complex yet so human in a way that feels raw and real. I was hooked from the very beginning and it’s a great continuation from the first book. A powerful and emotional read that stayed in my mind even after finishing.

There isn't a way to read this on kindle or the kindle app, so unfortunately I won't be reading. The NetGalley app is way too glitchy and it's unfeasible to read on my phone.

A stunning finish to this beautiful duology! Where do I start?!? I adore Razhar and so love that he is a POV character in this one. Finding out the secrets he’s been keeping had me feeling all the feels. So did El and Lystra and their finally (FINALLY) admitting and acting on their feelings. Each character’s arc is solid and so very satisfying, and I cried at least three times as the Jarkins, the curse, the secrets, and grandma’s plotting all came to a head. Do not miss this duology!

I actually liked this book better than the first.

Be forewarned that this book is HEARTBREAKING. Absolutely heartbreaking.

The world building, as usual, was absolutely immaculate. The author builds amazing visuals and scenes and history. It’s like watching a painter paint and I loved every minute of it. You can tell that so much went into the background of this story.

And I adored Lystra. It’s rare we get a female character that’s so bad ass without being extra-worldly (though…. I guess technically at the very end she was. But for 95% of the book she wasn’t superhuman.)

She showed emotion and weakness but still had strength. She was bred to be a queen and she acted as such from start to finish. She was smart and cunning and capable. Seriously, she was such a well developed character. She was bad ass because she had been crafted to be that way her whole life and it was amazing to watch.

My biggest issue with this book was actually the same I had with the last book. It dragged for about 50% of the book before picking up. I felt like a lot of the time in the desert could have been cut out. And it would have benefitted more to see what was happening back in Instanolde.

An amazing conclusion to this duology though and definitely worth the read.

🌌📖ARC REVIEW📖🌌

King of Star-Cast Skies by Kaitlyn Carter Brown
🎉HAPPY PUB DAY🎉

Thank you to the author and Whimsical Publishing for a free advanced reader copy of this book and including me on the street team!

💭BLURB💭
One summer to live becomes one night to die.

A curse, a consequence, and a choice. Elerek, Lystra, and Razhar work to save their kingdom, their people, and hopefully themselves.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Coming full circle again, Queen of Shifting Sands was one of my ARCs I reviewed, so being able to be in this street team is such an honor.

This book is the perfect conclusion to this story. The found family, the romance, it all wraps up in a heart wrenchingly beautiful way. I loved the addition of Razhar’s POV. The growth of the characters was well paced and done so well.

Definitely don’t skip this one.

"Dying for her was easy, the best and most responsible thing he could do. No, he wanted to live. To give her each glorious sunrise filled with the splendor of a thousand possibilities...To see what might grow from the barren soil of their grief and to rise from the ashes of every ravaging fire."

Books that can make me cry are a rare thing. This one absolutely wrecked me.

Queen of Shifting Sands was a book where the mounting threat and growing tension piled up like a wave behind a dam. But the full fury of the situations, consequences, and characters broke in King of Star-Cast Skies. Instead of a city with its royal palace, vibrant night markets, and side characters aplenty offering support in the bonds of family and friendship, this book pushed its characters to the razor edge of survival in the Sancen wilds.

As someone who grew up enjoying adventure and survival stories, I thrived on the tension created not only from the Jarkin threat, but the Sancen itself. The characters were fighting a desperate war for survival on all fronts, while battling their own inner demons, which made for a compelling read that kept me turning the pages, desperate to find out how it ended.

The tension throughout was so intensely crafted that I was legitimately afraid for every single character. I've read a lot of books where I felt like the characters had so much plot armor that the tension and stakes weren't real enough to concern me, but this wasn't at all one of those. I was tense every time one of the characters (or multiple of them) experienced a life threatening situation, and let me say there were a LOT of those.

I won't spoil anything but I will say the ending shredded my heart into tiny pieces and I can't wait for this book to release and have yet more readers so that I have more people to cry over it with...

When I see stars, l think I will remember these characters, and their story. I will remember to not grow weary of life.

Queen of Shifting Sands and King of Star-Cast Skies has epic worldbuilding, beautiful prose, characters to love, sympathize with (or hate), real and raw themes, and a satisfying conclusion.

Kaitlyn Carter Brown is an amazing storyteller and I am so thankful for her words.

As a person, a reader, and a writer, I will be thinking of this duology for a long time.

(Please read it and fangirl with me!)

Wow! Felt all the feelings with this book! Action, strife, love and sacrifice that leads to an epic conclusion. Full of vivid descriptions, heart wrenching moments and beautiful moments.

-Multi POVs
-A dangerous desert journey
-A deadly curse
-Secrets & sacrifices
-Friendships tested
-Love ❤️

*I received an ARC from NetGalley. Opinions are my own.

King of Star-Cast Skies is such a good book! Kaithyn Carter Brown is a genious! I totally recommend everyone to read this book as fast as they can because it's really good and the characters are fantastic.

Oh my heart. I'm not crying. This is a long heart string tugging adventure. One of love and hope. Of realizing your own worth. One of sacrifice. Discovering your strengths. And realizing your weaknesses. I have loved this series from the beginning.

I have no words. This book was perfectly heartbreaking yet hopeful. Beautiful yet tragic. A back and forth pull of giving into the darkness and holding onto starlight. 😭😍🤩

The first book started slow, then once it picked up I loved it, so I was afraid this one would be the same, but no. King of Star-Cast Skies started with so much tension and never stopped for the entire book. I literally couldn’t put it down!! 😆😱 You have no choice but to keep turning the pages to see what would happen next, if the characters would find healing amidst all the lies, secrets, and betrayals, if they would make it through the harrowing journey across the desert with cruel captors taunting them, if the cursed king and fierce queen would reconcile and find happiness in stolen moments, if it could even possibly end without their deaths.

I won’t give any spoilers, but I am thoroughly satisfied (if a little sad) with the ending! The author had the events happen in such a way that I hadn’t thought of, and that fit the book so well. Things aren’t perfect. Deaths and sorrow riddle our MCs, but there’s also life. Hope. Love. Starlight. ✨

Lystra and Elerek were such great characters, each broken and imperfect, but striving to save their kingdom whatever the cost! And they literally gave their everything to it. I loved loved LOVED their relationship and watching the romance finally take flight!! 😍😍😍 The ending was so sweet. 🥹 Rahzar was an intricate character and I really enjoyed getting his POV as well. There was so much hurt yet sacrificial love in him, and my heart broke for what he went through. 😭 But again, I think the author did such a great job writing him and his ending!

Also can we take a moment to appreciate the GORGEOUS covers for both this book and Queen of Shifting Sands??!!!! Stunning!

If you love adventure, curses that doom you to die, clean romance that grows despite the adversity, friendships, themes of forgiveness, hatred, redemption, and finding hope, an immersive desert world that will teleport you to beautiful yet dangerous lands, and so much more, I HIGHLY recommend this duology!! 😆😍

/I received an ARC from the author and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own/