A Dark and Hollow Star

Product Information

For all that the High Prince delighted in ruffling the feathers of aristocracy, there wasn’t anyone she knew who could turn more heads. The cast of characters was GREAT (though admittedly Aurelian was a bit of a weak link though I have incredible hope that he’ll win me over completely in the next book). They were all quite varied from each other and I’ll be real I would totally want to spend the day with Arlo and her cousins, but not her mom, because her mom terrifies me lol.

A Cruel and Fated Light by Ashley Shuttleworth | Goodreads A Cruel and Fated Light by Ashley Shuttleworth | Goodreads

From way up high, the city looked like an open maw. Night draped ebony velvet over the fang points of its numerous buildings, disguising their promise of death, and the many glowing lights woven into this deceptive veil reminded Nausicaä of the souls the stars kept watch over. The Cruel Prince meets City of Bones in this thrilling urban fantasy set in the magical underworld of Toronto that follows a queer cast of characters racing to stop a serial killer whose crimes could expose the hidden world of faeries to humans.

As you know,” Celadon continued, “we base the ironborn Maturity timeline on the human standards of puberty. It’s expected that their magic will develop before the age of eighteen, but that isn’t the way for the folk, is it? That isn’t the way for fae, many of whom can only play around with bursts of breezes or electric sparks or puffs of flame before our own coming-of-age, which can happen any time between eighteen and twenty-five.” While the Seelie Court's base is in Nevada—run by their *only* Queen Riadne, the Unseelie Court are the ones who have true power, living in good ol' Toronto, with their High King Azurean. Hero, a twenty-eight-year-old ironborn, was working at NevaLife Pharmaceutical when he was sought out by a Hunter, due to his tendency to do experiments. At first, he was very nervous, but Lethe calmed him, taking him into his employment, and making him remember. Thalo and Celadon looked eerily alike, despite the fact they were only first cousins. Her mother looked so much younger than her forty-two years, and with the same twilight-glow complexion, willowy height, russet hair, and lovely features as Celadon, it was a fair assumption to make that they were siblings, when in fact it was the High King and Thalo’s mother—the princess Cyanine—who were brother and sister. This boy, whom death loved dearly for his years of worship, for the souls he’d sent like offerings to death’s altar, made him a deal - an offering of his own: immortality for service.”

A Dark and Hollow Star by Ashley Shuttleworth | Goodreads A Dark and Hollow Star by Ashley Shuttleworth | Goodreads

Beautifully written and deliciously complex, A Dark and Hollow Star is utterly engrossing. The magic is bloody, the humor sharp, and the murder mystery drenched in violence and intrigue. Like a fallen Fury set on vengeance, I couldn’t get enough." Only her husband, the man at Councillor Larsen’s side—short by fae standards, golden-tanned and very blond—showed no surprise at her words. The rest looked up at their Headship in confusion. An air of finality bled from the stands. Arlo’s desperate attempt to explain herself failed with her courage.This quartet all have plenty of their own problems – and most of their stories don’t even intersect in any real way for at least the first half of the novel. But the thoughtful, deft way they all come together is both entertaining and natural, and you’ll find yourself rooting for all of them by the end. A Dark and Hollow Star: Complex plotting and worldbuilding

A Dark and Hollow Star Quotes by Ashley Shuttleworth - Goodreads A Dark and Hollow Star Quotes by Ashley Shuttleworth - Goodreads

Celadon allowed silence to infuse the room a moment longer than what was comfortable for anyone. Even Arlo shifted at his side, her heart beginning again to flutter in panic.She loved reading stories about people taking off on adventures, discovering they were natural leaders born to make a difference in the world, but a hero? But in Arlo’s opinion, there were only two paths her future could conceivably take. The Council was surely humoring Celadon and the possibility that he could make their lives miserable for what Sylvain had said. It was highly unlikely that Arlo was too fae to possess any magic right now. No matter how or what she and her family had tried over the years to coax it out of her, she’d simply never shown a hint of promise in that area. Do you need to know a person to feel sympathy for them? You’re kind, Arlo, and you feel things deeply. That’s not something to be embarrassed about, you know? There’s a great many people who go their whole lives without every learning to feel that compassion, and it my opinion, it’s better to feel too much of that than to look on at suffering and feel nothing at all.” Anyway, these four are all separately dragged into the same mystery and before we know it, we have a budding Scooby gang and the mystery is one that has powerful repercussions through their world and ours.