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To Drown Among The Stars
Not yet published
Expected 20 Jun 26In an unprecedented turn of events, Bastion emerges from his Trial of Knighthood a failure.
Certain the gods have abandoned him, he travels down the coast on a leave of absence, looking for solitude. Instead, he walks into trouble in the wake of a series of pirate attacks on seaside villages, where he meets Ulla, a deaf dragon-kin healer with secrets of her own.
Despite their initial, disastrous meeting, they’re drawn together by their mutual loneliness. Then, they discover the attacks aren’t random - they’re coordinated. The pirates are planning a large-scale attack on Moonwatch, the kingdom’s naval base, with the intent of stealing an ancient secret.
Together, Bastion and Ulla race to Moonwatch only to learn the commander has been drawn away by the attacks. Unable to deny his duty or his very nature, Bastion takes command of their diminished forces in the face of a pirate fleet armed with a mysterious weapon.
When Ulla is wounded, the world comes crashing down on Bastion and he must reveal his darkest secret to save her, even though it may mean losing her, after all.
This is a prequel that can be read as a standalone. It's an action/adventure, slow-burn romantasy featuring knights, pirates and semi-aquatic dragon people. It will appeal to fans of The Legend of Zelda, Tamora Pierce's Tortall books and Sabriel.
Certain the gods have abandoned him, he travels down the coast on a leave of absence, looking for solitude. Instead, he walks into trouble in the wake of a series of pirate attacks on seaside villages, where he meets Ulla, a deaf dragon-kin healer with secrets of her own.
Despite their initial, disastrous meeting, they’re drawn together by their mutual loneliness. Then, they discover the attacks aren’t random - they’re coordinated. The pirates are planning a large-scale attack on Moonwatch, the kingdom’s naval base, with the intent of stealing an ancient secret.
Together, Bastion and Ulla race to Moonwatch only to learn the commander has been drawn away by the attacks. Unable to deny his duty or his very nature, Bastion takes command of their diminished forces in the face of a pirate fleet armed with a mysterious weapon.
When Ulla is wounded, the world comes crashing down on Bastion and he must reveal his darkest secret to save her, even though it may mean losing her, after all.
This is a prequel that can be read as a standalone. It's an action/adventure, slow-burn romantasy featuring knights, pirates and semi-aquatic dragon people. It will appeal to fans of The Legend of Zelda, Tamora Pierce's Tortall books and Sabriel.
Kindle Edition
Expected publication June 20, 2026
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May 11, 2026
I received an eARC directly from the author and this is my honest review.
- single POV
- deaf rep
- green flag MMC
- fated mates
- pirates
- no spice
Overall, this was a three star read for me. Below I will explain why I had mixed feelings about this book.
First, the single POV of this book was the MMC's, which was unique! Books in this genre that are from a single POV are almost always from the MFC's POV. Therefore, it was nice to have a change up in the approach.
Generally, the MMC was a more mature and green flag MMC. He was thoughtful, kind, and understood the impact of his behavior on other people. For example, he made a few mistakes towards the MFC. He reflected and realized he was discriminating against MFC due to the fact that she was deaf. He then made an intentional choice to change his behavior and not to define her by her deafness. He also apologized when he made mistakes, he owned his behavior. I really loved all of this.
The MMC was also a very prideful man and his pride/ego was wounded. He failed his trial to be a knight and, therefore, became this self-deprecating man. This self-deprecation caused him to make huge mistakes and emotionally hurt the MFC. He was then challenged by many people in his life, causing him to grow quite substantially. He again owned his behavior and became a better person.
This little information given about the MFC showed that she was also an incredibly mature woman. She did not see failure as a flaw and challenged the MFC to get over it. She was kind, healed others, and stood up for herself, often and towards anyone.
The book was moderate to fast paced the whole time. There were several battle scenes that were action packed. There was a found family that already existed and a new one that developed quickly, all of which I enjoyed. There were also several twists and turns, some were predictable tropes in the genre and I expected them, but some were surprises. I liked the hybrid of being surprised while also guessing things correctly. Lastly, I appreciated the diversity represented in this book, from different species falling in love to the MFC being deaf and fighting society to not define her by this.
Why three stars and not more?
While I get that this book was shorter (under 300 pages), it lacked any world building. I was confused at times about where the characters were, who were the gods, what was happening, etc. This book would have been much better if some time, not a lot, had been dedicated to showing us more about the world.
Second, at 35% into the book, I really knew nothing about the MFC, even though she was a main character. By the end of the book, I still felt this way. This book had very little dedicated time to who the MFC was and the MC's interacting to establish and develop their relationship. This book, unfortunately, was a great example of when a fated bond does not explain why these two love each other. Yes, there was one small moment where the MMC shared that he was attracted to the MFC beyond her looks and then described the characteristics he loved about her, but that was it. These two fought battles together and saved each other because they had a connection (the bond), but that was really it.... We were just told they loved each other. There were almost no moments between them that created a relationship. Because of this and the book being from the MMC's POV, I really knew nothing about the MFC. I was bummed about this.
Additionally, I was confused by MFC's behavior. For example, during one part of the book, the MFC saved the MMC, left her own people for him, rescued a child with him, but then eyed him suspiciously AND showed him her fangs when he wanted to take the child on a horse with him? What? She just did all of this for and with him... he saved the child. Yet, she is acting like this? Since there was no explanation about her thoughts and feelings, I didn’t understand her behavior. I genuinely did not know her by the end.
Lastly, since this was a short book I was confused on why so many pages were retelling the details of the events that happened earlier in the book. For example, the MMC survived many battles, which we were shown. Then, later, there are pages about the MMC telling his friend, and then AGAIN later to the king, about the battles. We already know what happened, why are we being told again and again? This happened a few times. I did not get why so many pages were retelling us what happened when there were so many details missing from the book. I wished the author had one sentence stating, "and I told her everything that happened the last few weeks." The author could have saved us time from rereading the same information AND opened up space to spend more time giving us more depth about the characters and world. Also, because this book was so short, we JUST read those battle scenes, we did not need them repeated. If this were a 700 page book and the battle happened at page 50 and we are now on page 650, fine, a reminder maybe was warranted, but the whole book being less than 300 pages to be shown/told the same two battles...
- single POV
- deaf rep
- green flag MMC
- fated mates
- pirates
- no spice
Overall, this was a three star read for me. Below I will explain why I had mixed feelings about this book.
First, the single POV of this book was the MMC's, which was unique! Books in this genre that are from a single POV are almost always from the MFC's POV. Therefore, it was nice to have a change up in the approach.
Generally, the MMC was a more mature and green flag MMC. He was thoughtful, kind, and understood the impact of his behavior on other people. For example, he made a few mistakes towards the MFC. He reflected and realized he was discriminating against MFC due to the fact that she was deaf. He then made an intentional choice to change his behavior and not to define her by her deafness. He also apologized when he made mistakes, he owned his behavior. I really loved all of this.
The MMC was also a very prideful man and his pride/ego was wounded. He failed his trial to be a knight and, therefore, became this self-deprecating man. This self-deprecation caused him to make huge mistakes and emotionally hurt the MFC. He was then challenged by many people in his life, causing him to grow quite substantially. He again owned his behavior and became a better person.
This little information given about the MFC showed that she was also an incredibly mature woman. She did not see failure as a flaw and challenged the MFC to get over it. She was kind, healed others, and stood up for herself, often and towards anyone.
The book was moderate to fast paced the whole time. There were several battle scenes that were action packed. There was a found family that already existed and a new one that developed quickly, all of which I enjoyed. There were also several twists and turns, some were predictable tropes in the genre and I expected them, but some were surprises. I liked the hybrid of being surprised while also guessing things correctly. Lastly, I appreciated the diversity represented in this book, from different species falling in love to the MFC being deaf and fighting society to not define her by this.
Why three stars and not more?
While I get that this book was shorter (under 300 pages), it lacked any world building. I was confused at times about where the characters were, who were the gods, what was happening, etc. This book would have been much better if some time, not a lot, had been dedicated to showing us more about the world.
Second, at 35% into the book, I really knew nothing about the MFC, even though she was a main character. By the end of the book, I still felt this way. This book had very little dedicated time to who the MFC was and the MC's interacting to establish and develop their relationship. This book, unfortunately, was a great example of when a fated bond does not explain why these two love each other. Yes, there was one small moment where the MMC shared that he was attracted to the MFC beyond her looks and then described the characteristics he loved about her, but that was it. These two fought battles together and saved each other because they had a connection (the bond), but that was really it.... We were just told they loved each other. There were almost no moments between them that created a relationship. Because of this and the book being from the MMC's POV, I really knew nothing about the MFC. I was bummed about this.
Additionally, I was confused by MFC's behavior. For example, during one part of the book, the MFC saved the MMC, left her own people for him, rescued a child with him, but then eyed him suspiciously AND showed him her fangs when he wanted to take the child on a horse with him? What? She just did all of this for and with him... he saved the child. Yet, she is acting like this? Since there was no explanation about her thoughts and feelings, I didn’t understand her behavior. I genuinely did not know her by the end.
Lastly, since this was a short book I was confused on why so many pages were retelling the details of the events that happened earlier in the book. For example, the MMC survived many battles, which we were shown. Then, later, there are pages about the MMC telling his friend, and then AGAIN later to the king, about the battles. We already know what happened, why are we being told again and again? This happened a few times. I did not get why so many pages were retelling us what happened when there were so many details missing from the book. I wished the author had one sentence stating, "and I told her everything that happened the last few weeks." The author could have saved us time from rereading the same information AND opened up space to spend more time giving us more depth about the characters and world. Also, because this book was so short, we JUST read those battle scenes, we did not need them repeated. If this were a 700 page book and the battle happened at page 50 and we are now on page 650, fine, a reminder maybe was warranted, but the whole book being less than 300 pages to be shown/told the same two battles...
Did Not Finish
May 23, 2026Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.
I just wasn't feeling this one at all.
There was a severe lack of world building. Way too much telling rather than showing. A great deal of times when a character would tell us how another character was feeling with absolutely nothing to back it up.
Overall, disappointed.
I just wasn't feeling this one at all.
There was a severe lack of world building. Way too much telling rather than showing. A great deal of times when a character would tell us how another character was feeling with absolutely nothing to back it up.
Overall, disappointed.
May 31, 2026
REVIEW OF ADVANCED COPY RECEIVED FROM AUTHOR
First, thank you so much to the author for providing me with the ARC! It was truly a privilege to be able to read this as my first arc read!
Overall, this was a fun book. I really did enjoy the prose and the writing style, and I could easily imagine what was going on in my mind. The pacing was good. The fight seems were written so well, and I did appreciate a point of view from a MMC which is unusual in romantasy books!
That being said, I so wish we got the point of view of Ulla as well. I would’ve loved to see her thought process and just see things from her view.
I will also say that I think there needed to be more world building for me to understand context and characters and plot points. It felt like being dropped into the middle of a story you’ve never heard of before, and trying to make sense of certain things. From my understanding this is a stand alone prequel that sets up a much larger story, but I truly feel that there needs to be more world building in this as I did feel so confused at times. I do not think the method of having a prequel be published first works here… if ever.
I am interested to see where this goes, though! I would be interested in more stories down the line once the world is expanded!
Favorite quote: “Failure is inevitable. Try again or move on!”
First, thank you so much to the author for providing me with the ARC! It was truly a privilege to be able to read this as my first arc read!
Overall, this was a fun book. I really did enjoy the prose and the writing style, and I could easily imagine what was going on in my mind. The pacing was good. The fight seems were written so well, and I did appreciate a point of view from a MMC which is unusual in romantasy books!
That being said, I so wish we got the point of view of Ulla as well. I would’ve loved to see her thought process and just see things from her view.
I will also say that I think there needed to be more world building for me to understand context and characters and plot points. It felt like being dropped into the middle of a story you’ve never heard of before, and trying to make sense of certain things. From my understanding this is a stand alone prequel that sets up a much larger story, but I truly feel that there needs to be more world building in this as I did feel so confused at times. I do not think the method of having a prequel be published first works here… if ever.
I am interested to see where this goes, though! I would be interested in more stories down the line once the world is expanded!
Favorite quote: “Failure is inevitable. Try again or move on!”
May 18, 2026
Thank you to the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this phenomenal story.
I loved the premise, loved the magic and the world building. There were very few lags and everything seemed well thought out and thoughtfully included. Not a single page seemed wasted.
The cover art is what captured my interest initially and I must commend the author and her art team for integrating the ethereal imagery with the book’s content.
I did not catch any grammatical errors or instances of failed continuity, which is a huge plus in my eyes!
I loved the premise, loved the magic and the world building. There were very few lags and everything seemed well thought out and thoughtfully included. Not a single page seemed wasted.
The cover art is what captured my interest initially and I must commend the author and her art team for integrating the ethereal imagery with the book’s content.
I did not catch any grammatical errors or instances of failed continuity, which is a huge plus in my eyes!
May 24, 2026
ARC received from the author.
Wow! I really enjoyed this book! It did take me a little time to get into it, but, once I did, I was invested.
I really liked Bastion as the MMC. He’s a great character, with a good heart. I also liked Ulla, the FMC. She has a great personality and they both have wonderful chemistry.
This book is definitely just the beginning. I feel there is so much potential when it comes to world building, and of course Ulla and Bastion’s relationship. I really hope the next book gets into that more.
It was a fun read and I can’t wait for more!
Wow! I really enjoyed this book! It did take me a little time to get into it, but, once I did, I was invested.
I really liked Bastion as the MMC. He’s a great character, with a good heart. I also liked Ulla, the FMC. She has a great personality and they both have wonderful chemistry.
This book is definitely just the beginning. I feel there is so much potential when it comes to world building, and of course Ulla and Bastion’s relationship. I really hope the next book gets into that more.
It was a fun read and I can’t wait for more!
May 10, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC!
3.5✨
It’s probably my own fault, but I wish I knew this was a prequel to a series that hasn’t been written before I started. Now knowing that and finishing, it does make sense. It’s a short read with good back bones to the set up of whatever the future series will entail. It did move quickly, not letting you really connect to characters or get full explanations but again, it was a short prequel where maybe more will be answered in the future.
The writing was easy to follow for the most part and it was strange but refreshing to be reading from the MMCs perspective the entire book.
Am I intrigued enough to pick up the series when it exists? Maybe - I’ll have to wait and see.
3.5✨
It’s probably my own fault, but I wish I knew this was a prequel to a series that hasn’t been written before I started. Now knowing that and finishing, it does make sense. It’s a short read with good back bones to the set up of whatever the future series will entail. It did move quickly, not letting you really connect to characters or get full explanations but again, it was a short prequel where maybe more will be answered in the future.
The writing was easy to follow for the most part and it was strange but refreshing to be reading from the MMCs perspective the entire book.
Am I intrigued enough to pick up the series when it exists? Maybe - I’ll have to wait and see.
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May 15, 2026
3.5 ⭐️’s feedback to follow
May 14, 2026
ARC READ 🩵✨
A million thank you’s to the author and publisher for letting me have the opportunity to read this book ahead of release.
3.7 Stars ⭐️ For this being the prequel (thanks for dropping that tidbit in the discord), I am pleasantly impressed! I usually steer clear of books that are like “omg this is like this other piece of media!!!” But this actually does a pretty good job at differentiating itself from Zelda. You only really get aspects of the story if you’re played the game and you recognize some of the same themes.
What I think stood out to me the most about this book is that we have a deaf main character. Throughout the story, we learn to communicate with her and how her voice plays a role in the decisions being made, even if she doesn’t actually speak. I thought it was a really unique experience and gave some nodes to the fact that link in the game doesn’t speak (I don’t know if that was intentional or not, but I loved it). Thank you to the author for writing out the signs as well. I think that was a nice touch.
All-in-all, I think this was a great and short read!! I loved the action scenes in this and the overall plot/characters. I think one thing I would love to see more is an expanded world building, which I’m sure we will get in the rest of the series.
I recommend this for anyone needing a lighter story read or just loves Zelda!! The romantic subplot in this is adorable and will leave you kicking your feet wanting more. 🩵
A million thank you’s to the author and publisher for letting me have the opportunity to read this book ahead of release.
3.7 Stars ⭐️ For this being the prequel (thanks for dropping that tidbit in the discord), I am pleasantly impressed! I usually steer clear of books that are like “omg this is like this other piece of media!!!” But this actually does a pretty good job at differentiating itself from Zelda. You only really get aspects of the story if you’re played the game and you recognize some of the same themes.
What I think stood out to me the most about this book is that we have a deaf main character. Throughout the story, we learn to communicate with her and how her voice plays a role in the decisions being made, even if she doesn’t actually speak. I thought it was a really unique experience and gave some nodes to the fact that link in the game doesn’t speak (I don’t know if that was intentional or not, but I loved it). Thank you to the author for writing out the signs as well. I think that was a nice touch.
All-in-all, I think this was a great and short read!! I loved the action scenes in this and the overall plot/characters. I think one thing I would love to see more is an expanded world building, which I’m sure we will get in the rest of the series.
I recommend this for anyone needing a lighter story read or just loves Zelda!! The romantic subplot in this is adorable and will leave you kicking your feet wanting more. 🩵
Review of advance copy received from Author
I have just finished reading To Drown Among The Stars by @L.K. Frost. A slow burn, action packed romantasy, with knights, pirates, semi aquatic- dragon characters and a very peculiar horse.
What I liked the most about this book is how vulnerable, unique, kind-hearted and real, both, the MMC and the MFC are. Bastion, a soon to be knight, faces a situation that shattered once of his high desires. In searching for answers and ways to deal with the disappointment, he intends to isolate himself, yet he comes across with a deaf semi-aquatic female, Ulla, with struggles on her own, and who will challenge him to truly face and find his true heart, purpose and soul. This beautiful story is written in such a way that made me love and feel empathy for the main characters, but also in many instances made me reflect on my own vulnerabilities.
I highly recommend it.
To Drown Among the Stars is released on June 21st 2026
What I liked the most about this book is how vulnerable, unique, kind-hearted and real, both, the MMC and the MFC are. Bastion, a soon to be knight, faces a situation that shattered once of his high desires. In searching for answers and ways to deal with the disappointment, he intends to isolate himself, yet he comes across with a deaf semi-aquatic female, Ulla, with struggles on her own, and who will challenge him to truly face and find his true heart, purpose and soul. This beautiful story is written in such a way that made me love and feel empathy for the main characters, but also in many instances made me reflect on my own vulnerabilities.
I highly recommend it.
To Drown Among the Stars is released on June 21st 2026
May 25, 2026
Review of ARC directly from the author.
This Zelda-inspired adventure is a truly unique one. It isn’t often I have found books like these told solely from the MMC’s point of view, but I can’t say I’m disappointed! Bastion is prideful and strong, yet lost and broody. His story is one of discovering self-worth while yearning over and protecting a truly magical FMC.
Where I found this story to be lacking was the world and character building. While I did like the cast, it was hard to connect with them. They were missing depth and back story. Many of the characters were introduced solely from Bastion’s POV, and he didn’t give us much. The imagery in the battle scenes was wonderful, but again, the lack of world building made it hard to connect to the land.
Overall a three star read for me. I truly hope to see more depth in the characters and the world throughout the rest of the series!
This Zelda-inspired adventure is a truly unique one. It isn’t often I have found books like these told solely from the MMC’s point of view, but I can’t say I’m disappointed! Bastion is prideful and strong, yet lost and broody. His story is one of discovering self-worth while yearning over and protecting a truly magical FMC.
Where I found this story to be lacking was the world and character building. While I did like the cast, it was hard to connect with them. They were missing depth and back story. Many of the characters were introduced solely from Bastion’s POV, and he didn’t give us much. The imagery in the battle scenes was wonderful, but again, the lack of world building made it hard to connect to the land.
Overall a three star read for me. I truly hope to see more depth in the characters and the world throughout the rest of the series!
May 19, 2026
Thank you to the author for giving me the opportunity to ARC read this book! All my opinions and thoughts are my honest and genuine ones!
I really liked this story from page one! Bastion is the absolute cutest MMC and the greenest flag! He’s not only kind, thoughtful and cute: he also stands for what’s right and is brave! I also really liked the FMC Ulla, a badass deaf semi aquatic dragon kin who takes no shit. Who doesn’t want that? And I absolutely loved the crazy horse as well. He was also a badass one😌🤭
I really liked that the story starts right away and that the action and mystery takes speed from the start! I really like the author’s writing style! It flowed really nice and I easily got a feel for the vibe and characters. And to get the story mostly from the MMC point of view was really refreshing.
A really good book inspired by Zelda that includes pirates, knights, slow burn, “touch her and die” and deaf representation🫶🏻
I really liked this story from page one! Bastion is the absolute cutest MMC and the greenest flag! He’s not only kind, thoughtful and cute: he also stands for what’s right and is brave! I also really liked the FMC Ulla, a badass deaf semi aquatic dragon kin who takes no shit. Who doesn’t want that? And I absolutely loved the crazy horse as well. He was also a badass one😌🤭
I really liked that the story starts right away and that the action and mystery takes speed from the start! I really like the author’s writing style! It flowed really nice and I easily got a feel for the vibe and characters. And to get the story mostly from the MMC point of view was really refreshing.
A really good book inspired by Zelda that includes pirates, knights, slow burn, “touch her and die” and deaf representation🫶🏻
May 18, 2026
Absolutely loved this prequel! 💕
Bastion is such a cinnamon roll for her 😍 and as an orphan who made sure being a knight would be everything he felt unworthy after failing his trial. Bearing no godmark but little did he know the gods had a different plan for him 🤭
Ulla is such a fierce woman 🔥 she never went down without a fight and how she made sure Bastion would regret his actions of thinking of letting her go.
Nearing the end it felt like the chapters became longer and it felt a bit prolonged but them coming together was well worth the wait 🥹
Recommend this to all Romantasy lovers that love a pining cinnamon roll mmc that will gladly bleed and die for her ⚔️✨
Bastion is such a cinnamon roll for her 😍 and as an orphan who made sure being a knight would be everything he felt unworthy after failing his trial. Bearing no godmark but little did he know the gods had a different plan for him 🤭
Ulla is such a fierce woman 🔥 she never went down without a fight and how she made sure Bastion would regret his actions of thinking of letting her go.
Nearing the end it felt like the chapters became longer and it felt a bit prolonged but them coming together was well worth the wait 🥹
Recommend this to all Romantasy lovers that love a pining cinnamon roll mmc that will gladly bleed and die for her ⚔️✨
Review of advance copy received from Author
This is a debut!!? And what a wonderful debut it is!!
When I read it I kept thinking it could easely be a Disney movie or something! Can you imagine a deaf FMC and an orphan knight working together to find out what the pirates are up to!? I most certainly can!!!
POV is from the MMC point of view!
In the Kingdom of Etruria knights has a trial of knighthood to receive their "Godmark" to show that they're worthy of being knighted. Bastion, our MMC, feels that he failed his trial due to not receiving a mark from any of the gods.
This is where I first could feel the shift in him from thinking the Gods watch over me and everyone, helping us along the way. To him feeling lost, that the Gods has no interest in him and that he is a failure. I don't personally believe in anything but I still could feel his sadness over it on page. His anxiety and selfloathing is very much present in his thoughts and his decitions.
When he takes a break to be by himself and process, is when the story really starts!
He meets Ulla (FMC) who's an Yvri healer (one of the dragon kind) in a village that had suffered a pirate attack. The confusion he has in the beginning and feeling a type of way before he finds out that she's deaf is a pretty normal human reaction and his nerves after that makes him fumble and put his foot in his mouth is kind of funny.
As I'm deaf in one ear I can still hear, though I misunderstand, hear wrong and when there's many people I look at lips to help simultaneously while I'm listening. When people don't know why, I can feel them withdrawing and being imberassed about it.
Ulla is very reserved, a loner if you will, and I could tell she was very used to being by herself and not communicating to anyone. She signs but only one other person knows it to talk to her too. I understand her though and her reasons. So when she can see him hesitating and having pre conceived notions about her for being deaf, I understand her reactions well.
When they are captured, on the way to warn about the attacks, they get thrown into a quest of their own. They have to figure out what the pirates are doing, what their agenda is and they're forced to trust eacother and work together to save the kingdom and protecting it's ancient secret. Along the way they meet Haddrick, a human healer and his son Rowan and I love them!!
Oh and, aaand!! There's a horse called Finn who's also the largest horse. His race, the Thatians, has a bad reputation. Both Finn and Bastion learns to trust eacother, though Bastion could've gotten there sooner!
In the end where Bastion has to deside wether or not to save Ulla and reveal his secret, there still was a bit of do I trust you vibe. I get that they have a connection and all but still after everything there are still signs of mistrust. Also se don't get much background information on either of them, less so on Ulla. I wanted a bit more of that to connect with them on a deeper level. I connected to her by her deafness but other than that I had bearly anything to go on and same goes for Bastion.
When it's a standalone it could easely had been longer to get some of that in there without it being too long! So that's what's making me go from 5 to 4 stars.
A quote that resonated with me and recognised myself and my husband in, was this:
"Time is an illusion that less decisive men lean on to justify not taking action. When souls recognize each other, time does not matter”
⚔️ Knights
⚔️ Semi-aquatic dragon people
⚔️ Deaf rep
⚔️ Zelda inspired
⚔️ Aragorn coded
⚔️ Anxiety rep
Thank you for the gifted book, from both the author and from netgalley! I leave this review voluntary.
When I read it I kept thinking it could easely be a Disney movie or something! Can you imagine a deaf FMC and an orphan knight working together to find out what the pirates are up to!? I most certainly can!!!
POV is from the MMC point of view!
In the Kingdom of Etruria knights has a trial of knighthood to receive their "Godmark" to show that they're worthy of being knighted. Bastion, our MMC, feels that he failed his trial due to not receiving a mark from any of the gods.
This is where I first could feel the shift in him from thinking the Gods watch over me and everyone, helping us along the way. To him feeling lost, that the Gods has no interest in him and that he is a failure. I don't personally believe in anything but I still could feel his sadness over it on page. His anxiety and selfloathing is very much present in his thoughts and his decitions.
When he takes a break to be by himself and process, is when the story really starts!
He meets Ulla (FMC) who's an Yvri healer (one of the dragon kind) in a village that had suffered a pirate attack. The confusion he has in the beginning and feeling a type of way before he finds out that she's deaf is a pretty normal human reaction and his nerves after that makes him fumble and put his foot in his mouth is kind of funny.
As I'm deaf in one ear I can still hear, though I misunderstand, hear wrong and when there's many people I look at lips to help simultaneously while I'm listening. When people don't know why, I can feel them withdrawing and being imberassed about it.
Ulla is very reserved, a loner if you will, and I could tell she was very used to being by herself and not communicating to anyone. She signs but only one other person knows it to talk to her too. I understand her though and her reasons. So when she can see him hesitating and having pre conceived notions about her for being deaf, I understand her reactions well.
When they are captured, on the way to warn about the attacks, they get thrown into a quest of their own. They have to figure out what the pirates are doing, what their agenda is and they're forced to trust eacother and work together to save the kingdom and protecting it's ancient secret. Along the way they meet Haddrick, a human healer and his son Rowan and I love them!!
Oh and, aaand!! There's a horse called Finn who's also the largest horse. His race, the Thatians, has a bad reputation. Both Finn and Bastion learns to trust eacother, though Bastion could've gotten there sooner!
In the end where Bastion has to deside wether or not to save Ulla and reveal his secret, there still was a bit of do I trust you vibe. I get that they have a connection and all but still after everything there are still signs of mistrust. Also se don't get much background information on either of them, less so on Ulla. I wanted a bit more of that to connect with them on a deeper level. I connected to her by her deafness but other than that I had bearly anything to go on and same goes for Bastion.
When it's a standalone it could easely had been longer to get some of that in there without it being too long! So that's what's making me go from 5 to 4 stars.
A quote that resonated with me and recognised myself and my husband in, was this:
"Time is an illusion that less decisive men lean on to justify not taking action. When souls recognize each other, time does not matter”
⚔️ Knights
⚔️ Semi-aquatic dragon people
⚔️ Deaf rep
⚔️ Zelda inspired
⚔️ Aragorn coded
⚔️ Anxiety rep
Thank you for the gifted book, from both the author and from netgalley! I leave this review voluntary.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Thank you for the arc L.K. Frost.
There was a lot to love about this short and cute romantasy:
- Unique Male POV (It was refreshing to get the male's thoughts in this genre when it's a sea of female centered perspectives only)
-Deaf fmc representation (I wish we would get more in romantasy).
-Pirates, dragon merfolk, knights oh my. Yes please, give me all the fantasy creatures and occupations. I loved the variety, it made the world feel full and magical.
-Cinnamon roll mc and feral fmc
-Good actions scenes
The reasons why I'm giving this unique novel 3 stars is because:
-Romance felt a little weak, we were told how strong their bond was and not actually shown enough how much they loved each other. They barely talked, I know she is deaf, but I was hoping they would talk more through the journal and get to know more intimate details about each other. They never talked about their pasts, dreams, or wants for the future. I felt like they barely knew each other. I was hoping he would learn sign language by the end of the book, and he never seemed to try really hard to learn except ask her what three words meant. Like I get their souls know each other (occasional telepathy wasn't enough), but I need actions to back that up.
-The gods and what being god marked means was never explained. I still don't really understand if he was God marked or not, or did he really fail the test. If he was meant to fail it by the gods, why? How did it benefit them and why would the gods care so much that they ended up together? I have so many questions and maybe this will be explained in other books, but I think some more info could have been revealed to understand what was happening with the gods.
-The novel could have really benefitted by being longer so more back lore could be explained, and more meaningful actions could occur between the main characters to make their relationship stronger. They were very cute and I really adored the idea of their relationship but give me more, romantic, cute, and tension filled moments.
-I wanted to know more about the fmc, I felt like I hardly knew her. A dragon water creature who wanted to heal people and forge her own path from her pod was so intriguing, but we never got to really know anything about her. Her character design was so cool, but we didn't know much about her besides being a healer, that she was deaf, and fierce in battle. Please tell me more either through dual pov or them figuring how to communicate better through writing or sign language.
-I think we spent a little too much time on how depressed and worthless he felt about failing the trial. He was so stuck in his head about it, that he couldn't listen to how the fmc felt. It just got a little frustrating when she told him she didn't care about his failures and just wanted to be with him; he just couldn't accept their bond fully until the 98 percent point. I think waiting to the last two pages was just too long for such a pivotal moment.
The world was intriguing and the author has a very nice writing voice, but for me the world and main relationship wasn't expanded on enough. Curious to see if she writes anymore in their world though.
There was a lot to love about this short and cute romantasy:
- Unique Male POV (It was refreshing to get the male's thoughts in this genre when it's a sea of female centered perspectives only)
-Deaf fmc representation (I wish we would get more in romantasy).
-Pirates, dragon merfolk, knights oh my. Yes please, give me all the fantasy creatures and occupations. I loved the variety, it made the world feel full and magical.
-Cinnamon roll mc and feral fmc
-Good actions scenes
The reasons why I'm giving this unique novel 3 stars is because:
-Romance felt a little weak, we were told how strong their bond was and not actually shown enough how much they loved each other. They barely talked, I know she is deaf, but I was hoping they would talk more through the journal and get to know more intimate details about each other. They never talked about their pasts, dreams, or wants for the future. I felt like they barely knew each other. I was hoping he would learn sign language by the end of the book, and he never seemed to try really hard to learn except ask her what three words meant. Like I get their souls know each other (occasional telepathy wasn't enough), but I need actions to back that up.
-The gods and what being god marked means was never explained. I still don't really understand if he was God marked or not, or did he really fail the test. If he was meant to fail it by the gods, why? How did it benefit them and why would the gods care so much that they ended up together? I have so many questions and maybe this will be explained in other books, but I think some more info could have been revealed to understand what was happening with the gods.
-The novel could have really benefitted by being longer so more back lore could be explained, and more meaningful actions could occur between the main characters to make their relationship stronger. They were very cute and I really adored the idea of their relationship but give me more, romantic, cute, and tension filled moments.
-I wanted to know more about the fmc, I felt like I hardly knew her. A dragon water creature who wanted to heal people and forge her own path from her pod was so intriguing, but we never got to really know anything about her. Her character design was so cool, but we didn't know much about her besides being a healer, that she was deaf, and fierce in battle. Please tell me more either through dual pov or them figuring how to communicate better through writing or sign language.
-I think we spent a little too much time on how depressed and worthless he felt about failing the trial. He was so stuck in his head about it, that he couldn't listen to how the fmc felt. It just got a little frustrating when she told him she didn't care about his failures and just wanted to be with him; he just couldn't accept their bond fully until the 98 percent point. I think waiting to the last two pages was just too long for such a pivotal moment.
The world was intriguing and the author has a very nice writing voice, but for me the world and main relationship wasn't expanded on enough. Curious to see if she writes anymore in their world though.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I was anticipating the ARC release for this so much and I am so happy to say that it didn't let me down! I enjoyed this book and it's world immensely and cannot wait for the rest of the books in the series to come out.
Bastion was a strong main character. It's unique to read a fantasy/romance novel that is from a man's perspective completely. I like that Bastion was flawed (impulsive, indecisive, insecure) and that some of these flaws were addressed and tackled. I like that this book was more so (in my interpretation at least) about his self-worth and his journey towards accepting himself than just the romance. I do think it was powerful that he found his worth himself and wasn't necessarily just told by Ulla that he was worthy (her encouragement helped though). Ulla wasn't as strong of a main character as Bastion. I felt like I didn't see enough of her character shine through and her relationship with Bastion seemed very driven by infatuation (at least on his end). I wish they had more moments to communicate so we could understand their feelings for each other.
The story itself was interesting, though could have been cleaned up and tightened in my opinion, just so that things flowed better. The story leaves a lot of open-ended questions that will hopefully be answered in the next book, but this didn't bother me too much. The fight scenes were inventive and descriptive. Frost's writing as a whole is very descriptive, though I wish the actual environment could've been described a bit more. I really loved her setting so I wanted to see more of it!
I liked the found family aspect that the book seemed like it was gearing up towards with Bastion, Ulla, Rowan, and Finn. I know the author has stated that the next book in this series won't follow Bastion and Ulla anymore, but in my heart I hope someday we will see these four together again! I was really pleasantly surprised by how much character both Rowan and Finn (even though he was a horse) had and I can't wait to hopefully see more. I also really liked the other supporting cast members (Endre, Nesrin, Taro, the royal family and the advisors).
My biggest issue with the book and the only thing that holds me back from giving a higher review is that I felt like there just wasn't enough in this book. It sort of felt like as a reader I was dropped into a world and expected to know certain things about the story that I just didn't. I know that to some extent you are supposed to piece things together yourself, but there wasn't enough information for me to fully understand what was going on (needed more context surrounding Godsmarks, the significance of Gods, the goddesses, the political state between different species(?), the Yvri as a whole, human healers, etc). Also, Bastion name drops characters and places without much context so at times it can be hard to follow.
I know now that this was meant as a prequel (though it was not advertised as such), so I'm hoping the next book is a lot more expansive, longer, and takes the time for us to learn more about the world.
Regardless of the above issues, I am still very excited for the next book. I really did love the world and want to know more about it. I liked the characters and hope we can see more of them. I can't wait for Book 1!
Bastion was a strong main character. It's unique to read a fantasy/romance novel that is from a man's perspective completely. I like that Bastion was flawed (impulsive, indecisive, insecure) and that some of these flaws were addressed and tackled. I like that this book was more so (in my interpretation at least) about his self-worth and his journey towards accepting himself than just the romance. I do think it was powerful that he found his worth himself and wasn't necessarily just told by Ulla that he was worthy (her encouragement helped though). Ulla wasn't as strong of a main character as Bastion. I felt like I didn't see enough of her character shine through and her relationship with Bastion seemed very driven by infatuation (at least on his end). I wish they had more moments to communicate so we could understand their feelings for each other.
The story itself was interesting, though could have been cleaned up and tightened in my opinion, just so that things flowed better. The story leaves a lot of open-ended questions that will hopefully be answered in the next book, but this didn't bother me too much. The fight scenes were inventive and descriptive. Frost's writing as a whole is very descriptive, though I wish the actual environment could've been described a bit more. I really loved her setting so I wanted to see more of it!
I liked the found family aspect that the book seemed like it was gearing up towards with Bastion, Ulla, Rowan, and Finn. I know the author has stated that the next book in this series won't follow Bastion and Ulla anymore, but in my heart I hope someday we will see these four together again! I was really pleasantly surprised by how much character both Rowan and Finn (even though he was a horse) had and I can't wait to hopefully see more. I also really liked the other supporting cast members (Endre, Nesrin, Taro, the royal family and the advisors).
My biggest issue with the book and the only thing that holds me back from giving a higher review is that I felt like there just wasn't enough in this book. It sort of felt like as a reader I was dropped into a world and expected to know certain things about the story that I just didn't. I know that to some extent you are supposed to piece things together yourself, but there wasn't enough information for me to fully understand what was going on (needed more context surrounding Godsmarks, the significance of Gods, the goddesses, the political state between different species(?), the Yvri as a whole, human healers, etc). Also, Bastion name drops characters and places without much context so at times it can be hard to follow.
I know now that this was meant as a prequel (though it was not advertised as such), so I'm hoping the next book is a lot more expansive, longer, and takes the time for us to learn more about the world.
Regardless of the above issues, I am still very excited for the next book. I really did love the world and want to know more about it. I liked the characters and hope we can see more of them. I can't wait for Book 1!
Review of advance copy
This book was received as an ARC, super happy to be involved!
Pros:
- Green flag MMC
- Disability rep
- Zelda references, iykyk
- A fast pace, it's go-go-go
Cons:
- Plot is plotting straight out the gate
- World needs a bit more definition
- Not a slow-burn romance
- Not enough on the FMC
I enjoyed this book overall, it was a fun/vibes read for me. I did find out afterwards that it's a prequel to a series to be written (or is in progress?) in the future. Knowing that made me re-think the story and characters, but didn't take away from the enjoyment.
I'd say the first thing is the story is incredibly fast-paced, from maybe the first 3-4 chapters it's literally all go. This took a bit of getting used to, as I normally like a bit more world-building and slow pacing in the beginning, but once I got into the actual bulk of the story it felt a bit more moderately paced. Still quick though!
It's written from the perspective of the MMC, a walking green-flag, which was a nice change of pace. The MMC taking accountability for mistakes, realising when he'd said or did something wrong, and then course corrected all felt very human - despite being in a fantasy book.
The FMC being disabled and having that be part of her character but not defined by it felt like good disability and diversity rep. It's nice when a character has something that makes them unique, but to not have that thing be their entire personality. Again, it felt written very naturally. I would've liked to learn more about the FMC though, some of her backstory maybe or something written from her POV? I wanted to get to know her a bit better, definitely would've helped me understand her motivations and perspectives. Some of her reactions at times were a bit confusing, so her POV would've been good.
The story felt fleshed out for the most part, however because the book was quite short, there were some parts of it where it felt like it could've done with a bit more detail or leaned slightly repetitive? Again, I'd say it doesn't take away from the vibes of the book, but if world-building/backstory etc are your thing, this might not be up there for you. However, the actual story included battle/fight scenes (which imo were written incredibly well), romance, found family, accepting what's happened has happened, green flag characters, animal companions, diversity, and magic.
One thing that did confuse me was the romance element to it. For me this wasn't slow-burn romance, it's romancing very quickly. The MMC sees the FMC and then immediately he's in love? Very forced fated mates sort of thing, their relationship felt less like being in love and more like there is a bond therefore they must be together. The quickness of it was hard for me to get behind, again it's definitely a preference, but I like slow-burn to be actual slow-burn.
Overall:
- Very excited to see what Frost comes out with next
- Happy for Zelda references scattered throughout (FMC felt Midna-coded to me)
- Definite vibes read, here for a good time but not a long time
- World and magic needs more detail, but it's enough to grow into sequels
Pros:
- Green flag MMC
- Disability rep
- Zelda references, iykyk
- A fast pace, it's go-go-go
Cons:
- Plot is plotting straight out the gate
- World needs a bit more definition
- Not a slow-burn romance
- Not enough on the FMC
I enjoyed this book overall, it was a fun/vibes read for me. I did find out afterwards that it's a prequel to a series to be written (or is in progress?) in the future. Knowing that made me re-think the story and characters, but didn't take away from the enjoyment.
I'd say the first thing is the story is incredibly fast-paced, from maybe the first 3-4 chapters it's literally all go. This took a bit of getting used to, as I normally like a bit more world-building and slow pacing in the beginning, but once I got into the actual bulk of the story it felt a bit more moderately paced. Still quick though!
It's written from the perspective of the MMC, a walking green-flag, which was a nice change of pace. The MMC taking accountability for mistakes, realising when he'd said or did something wrong, and then course corrected all felt very human - despite being in a fantasy book.
The FMC being disabled and having that be part of her character but not defined by it felt like good disability and diversity rep. It's nice when a character has something that makes them unique, but to not have that thing be their entire personality. Again, it felt written very naturally. I would've liked to learn more about the FMC though, some of her backstory maybe or something written from her POV? I wanted to get to know her a bit better, definitely would've helped me understand her motivations and perspectives. Some of her reactions at times were a bit confusing, so her POV would've been good.
The story felt fleshed out for the most part, however because the book was quite short, there were some parts of it where it felt like it could've done with a bit more detail or leaned slightly repetitive? Again, I'd say it doesn't take away from the vibes of the book, but if world-building/backstory etc are your thing, this might not be up there for you. However, the actual story included battle/fight scenes (which imo were written incredibly well), romance, found family, accepting what's happened has happened, green flag characters, animal companions, diversity, and magic.
One thing that did confuse me was the romance element to it. For me this wasn't slow-burn romance, it's romancing very quickly. The MMC sees the FMC and then immediately he's in love? Very forced fated mates sort of thing, their relationship felt less like being in love and more like there is a bond therefore they must be together. The quickness of it was hard for me to get behind, again it's definitely a preference, but I like slow-burn to be actual slow-burn.
Overall:
- Very excited to see what Frost comes out with next
- Happy for Zelda references scattered throughout (FMC felt Midna-coded to me)
- Definite vibes read, here for a good time but not a long time
- World and magic needs more detail, but it's enough to grow into sequels
May 27, 2026
4⭐️
I greatly enjoyed this book, though it didn’t quite reach the heights I’d hoped for in a couple of areas. However, it was still a very fun ride and I would easily recommend it to anyone looking for an action-packed romantasy.
The characters were written pretty well, both the MMC/FMC and the side characters. I enjoyed reading about them and routing for (or against, in the main villain’s case) them throughout the story.
The book is written in the MMC’s POV, which is not something I’ve seen a lot of in the romantasy genre so it was a neat change of pace. I liked him a lot, and enjoyed getting to see the world/plot through his eyes as he struggled to face his fears of failure and overcome his insecurities. The FMC was by far my favorite character, though, even if I felt like I didn’t get to know her quite as well as I wanted to by the end of the book.
I liked the relationship between the MMC and FMC for the most part. They had chemistry, and overall it was a very sweet and sincere romance. However, there were a couple of things about the romance that bugged me. For one, it did not feel like a slow-burn at all, which is how it was advertised. Just because two characters don’t become an official couple right away doesn’t make it a slow-burn when the MMC is pretty much infatuated with the FMC from the first time he lays eyes on her. I’d rather have had the two leads spend time getting to know one another before any sort of romantic feelings began developing. Second, there was an annoying miscommunication/“refusal to talk about our feelings” trope towards the end of the book that just greatly reduced my enjoyment of the romance plot line. I don’t want to go into more detail in order to avoid spoilers, but to me it just read as an unnecessary and kind of out of character thing that was only used to extend the relationship drama for as long as possible.
The non-romance half of the plot, though? Fantastic, no notes. I loved how action-packed and high stakes everything felt. The fight/battle scenes were amazing, the villains felt like real, tangible threats, and I greatly enjoyed the MMC’s more personal struggle with finding acceptance with both himself and others. There were enough (intentional) loose ends left at the end of the book to leave me excited for whatever might come next.
The only other thing I wished I’d gotten more out of was the world-building. What little I did see of the fantasy world was intriguing, and I wanted to learn more than I actually got to. It unfortunately just wasn’t as fleshed out as I’d hoped for, but I’m hoping that we will get to learn more if/when there’s a sequel or a different story set in this world.
TL;DR: A very good romantasy that had overall strong characters, a strong plot, but missed the mark a little bit when it came to the world-building and romance. I’m looking forward to seeing what else the author might write in this setting in the future!
Disclaimer: I received a free eARC from the author. No review was required to receive the eARC, and I’m leaving this review of my own volition. All thought and opinions expressed above are my own.
I greatly enjoyed this book, though it didn’t quite reach the heights I’d hoped for in a couple of areas. However, it was still a very fun ride and I would easily recommend it to anyone looking for an action-packed romantasy.
The characters were written pretty well, both the MMC/FMC and the side characters. I enjoyed reading about them and routing for (or against, in the main villain’s case) them throughout the story.
The book is written in the MMC’s POV, which is not something I’ve seen a lot of in the romantasy genre so it was a neat change of pace. I liked him a lot, and enjoyed getting to see the world/plot through his eyes as he struggled to face his fears of failure and overcome his insecurities. The FMC was by far my favorite character, though, even if I felt like I didn’t get to know her quite as well as I wanted to by the end of the book.
I liked the relationship between the MMC and FMC for the most part. They had chemistry, and overall it was a very sweet and sincere romance. However, there were a couple of things about the romance that bugged me. For one, it did not feel like a slow-burn at all, which is how it was advertised. Just because two characters don’t become an official couple right away doesn’t make it a slow-burn when the MMC is pretty much infatuated with the FMC from the first time he lays eyes on her. I’d rather have had the two leads spend time getting to know one another before any sort of romantic feelings began developing. Second, there was an annoying miscommunication/“refusal to talk about our feelings” trope towards the end of the book that just greatly reduced my enjoyment of the romance plot line. I don’t want to go into more detail in order to avoid spoilers, but to me it just read as an unnecessary and kind of out of character thing that was only used to extend the relationship drama for as long as possible.
The non-romance half of the plot, though? Fantastic, no notes. I loved how action-packed and high stakes everything felt. The fight/battle scenes were amazing, the villains felt like real, tangible threats, and I greatly enjoyed the MMC’s more personal struggle with finding acceptance with both himself and others. There were enough (intentional) loose ends left at the end of the book to leave me excited for whatever might come next.
The only other thing I wished I’d gotten more out of was the world-building. What little I did see of the fantasy world was intriguing, and I wanted to learn more than I actually got to. It unfortunately just wasn’t as fleshed out as I’d hoped for, but I’m hoping that we will get to learn more if/when there’s a sequel or a different story set in this world.
TL;DR: A very good romantasy that had overall strong characters, a strong plot, but missed the mark a little bit when it came to the world-building and romance. I’m looking forward to seeing what else the author might write in this setting in the future!
Disclaimer: I received a free eARC from the author. No review was required to receive the eARC, and I’m leaving this review of my own volition. All thought and opinions expressed above are my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
A story that had a lot of potential, but didn't quite reach it
2.5⭐
First, I wanted to make it clear that the fact that I work editing and writing books probably affected my reading experience, as always happens. And I ended up paying too much attention to the details. But I think the problem with the book is that it came out at the wrong time. Let me explain...
Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. I wanted to start with what I liked. The premise is very promising, the idea is quite unique actually, if you stop to think about it. It's very refreshing to see a protagonist who isn't toxic in any way (or who at least tries very hard not to be). The story is very easy to read, and short, but I confess that I strongly advocate for it to be longer (I'll explain why later).
I also really liked the representation, and I don't know if the book went through a sensitive reading beforehand, but I felt that much of it was quite well constructed without major problems. Only a few moments bothered me, but nothing that spoiled the reading experience.
The universe is very interesting and promising, but I felt it lacked a bit more development. For much of the book, not very relevant information was given, and some things were repeated unnecessarily; perhaps the ideal would have been to remove these parts and focus more on world-building. These cuts could also have been used to add more information and depth to the characters. Unfortunately, they remained very flat throughout the story.
The relationship was the book's strongest point, but it could have been explored in more depth. Although the two couldn't literally talk to each other, we know from the beginning that the female character knows how to write, so I expected them to end up communicating more through writing. I felt that we knew little about them, and they knew even less about each other, which was a shame because it was clearly a relationship with enormous potential.
Now let's get to the book's biggest problem: timing. From what is indicated here, the book is a prequel to a series... that doesn't yet exist. This leads me to assume that the author probably wrote at least the first book in this series before writing this prequel, and I believe she built the universe well there, which is why she didn't consider doing it again in the prequel. This is quite normal when dealing with series, and if the prequel were for readers of the series, after there were already books in the series to read, there wouldn't be so much of a problem with the lack of world-building.
I believe that with an edit done by a professional, especially someone accustomed to fantasy series, the book has great potential. I wish I had liked it more, and I believe the book would benefit greatly from the edit. If the author edits the book and improves these points, I would definitely read it again and leave a new review.
2.5⭐
First, I wanted to make it clear that the fact that I work editing and writing books probably affected my reading experience, as always happens. And I ended up paying too much attention to the details. But I think the problem with the book is that it came out at the wrong time. Let me explain...
Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. I wanted to start with what I liked. The premise is very promising, the idea is quite unique actually, if you stop to think about it. It's very refreshing to see a protagonist who isn't toxic in any way (or who at least tries very hard not to be). The story is very easy to read, and short, but I confess that I strongly advocate for it to be longer (I'll explain why later).
I also really liked the representation, and I don't know if the book went through a sensitive reading beforehand, but I felt that much of it was quite well constructed without major problems. Only a few moments bothered me, but nothing that spoiled the reading experience.
The universe is very interesting and promising, but I felt it lacked a bit more development. For much of the book, not very relevant information was given, and some things were repeated unnecessarily; perhaps the ideal would have been to remove these parts and focus more on world-building. These cuts could also have been used to add more information and depth to the characters. Unfortunately, they remained very flat throughout the story.
The relationship was the book's strongest point, but it could have been explored in more depth. Although the two couldn't literally talk to each other, we know from the beginning that the female character knows how to write, so I expected them to end up communicating more through writing. I felt that we knew little about them, and they knew even less about each other, which was a shame because it was clearly a relationship with enormous potential.
Now let's get to the book's biggest problem: timing. From what is indicated here, the book is a prequel to a series... that doesn't yet exist. This leads me to assume that the author probably wrote at least the first book in this series before writing this prequel, and I believe she built the universe well there, which is why she didn't consider doing it again in the prequel. This is quite normal when dealing with series, and if the prequel were for readers of the series, after there were already books in the series to read, there wouldn't be so much of a problem with the lack of world-building.
I believe that with an edit done by a professional, especially someone accustomed to fantasy series, the book has great potential. I wish I had liked it more, and I believe the book would benefit greatly from the edit. If the author edits the book and improves these points, I would definitely read it again and leave a new review.
June 7, 2026
4.5
ARC REVIEW
I want to thank the Author for this advanced reader copy.
Man!!!! I absolutely fell in love with this book. The plot and main characters had me hooked. The story of how they fall in love with each other had me on the edge of my seat! I was going thru it yall!! This author had me in my feels 😤😤💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
For some reason I had predetermined Bastion (the MMC) as like having a golden retriever personality….BOY WAS I WRONG!!!! The man was a freaking bad ass of a soldier. He was so strong and capable and had the highest regard for Ulla (the FMC) I was fan girling whenever he’d be yearning for her and then yelling at him when he’d put distance between them 😆 the man had his reasons but still!! 😭 Bastion for me was the literal definition of “touch her and die” and it wasn’t cringy or stupid or out of place. The author did a phenomenal job in writing his character.
Ulla 🥹🥹my girl!! She wasn’t some damsel in distress…she was feisty and damn it the woman HELD her own!! She didn’t let her disability stop her. Those closes to her tried to but her in a box because they saw her as fragile BUT She proved them wrong!! I absolutely loved her confidence and out look on life. She was definitely the strongest character in the book and it was portrayed in such a way you didn’t need a major back story to know all she had to go through to become the woman she was when Bastion met her.
(Muah! Chefs kiss)
The side characters were also heartwarming. Nesrin….my hero 🤩. Endre ever the optimist 🤣🤣 i absolutely loved him even tho he wasn’t in the book a lot. And little Rowan….can I adopt him please 😭😭that little boy was so precious.
I absolutely loved the authors writing style. The book is fast paced and the plot was clear to follow. We follow Bastion as he’s internally navigating his self worth after failing the most important test of his life to become a knight. While on leave he finds out his kingdom is about to face a big threat, meets Ulla and is now trying to get word to his King before it’s too late. The book was only 200 + pages but so much happened!!! And I’m super SUPER excited for book two!!
Cons:
This story was so damn good but I personally wanted more!
This story reads like I was thrown into the middle of a situation with no explanation of the world or what was happening. I found myself thinking I was reading a sequel and had missed all the information of the world building. It is explained as you read and of course I understood there was magic in this book, but personally for me I wanted a bit more lore.
Also, there wasn’t enough back story on Bastion. Yes, it’s explained towards the end and it makes sense to why he made certain decisions but I found myself having a hard time emotionally responding to his reactions/behaviors because of it. Especially when he was the one character that was going thru the most character development.
Other than these two things I absolutely loved it. Bastion and Ulla are my new favorite couple!!! ♥️♥️🥹🥹
ARC REVIEW
I want to thank the Author for this advanced reader copy.
Man!!!! I absolutely fell in love with this book. The plot and main characters had me hooked. The story of how they fall in love with each other had me on the edge of my seat! I was going thru it yall!! This author had me in my feels 😤😤💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
For some reason I had predetermined Bastion (the MMC) as like having a golden retriever personality….BOY WAS I WRONG!!!! The man was a freaking bad ass of a soldier. He was so strong and capable and had the highest regard for Ulla (the FMC) I was fan girling whenever he’d be yearning for her and then yelling at him when he’d put distance between them 😆 the man had his reasons but still!! 😭 Bastion for me was the literal definition of “touch her and die” and it wasn’t cringy or stupid or out of place. The author did a phenomenal job in writing his character.
Ulla 🥹🥹my girl!! She wasn’t some damsel in distress…she was feisty and damn it the woman HELD her own!! She didn’t let her disability stop her. Those closes to her tried to but her in a box because they saw her as fragile BUT She proved them wrong!! I absolutely loved her confidence and out look on life. She was definitely the strongest character in the book and it was portrayed in such a way you didn’t need a major back story to know all she had to go through to become the woman she was when Bastion met her.
(Muah! Chefs kiss)
The side characters were also heartwarming. Nesrin….my hero 🤩. Endre ever the optimist 🤣🤣 i absolutely loved him even tho he wasn’t in the book a lot. And little Rowan….can I adopt him please 😭😭that little boy was so precious.
I absolutely loved the authors writing style. The book is fast paced and the plot was clear to follow. We follow Bastion as he’s internally navigating his self worth after failing the most important test of his life to become a knight. While on leave he finds out his kingdom is about to face a big threat, meets Ulla and is now trying to get word to his King before it’s too late. The book was only 200 + pages but so much happened!!! And I’m super SUPER excited for book two!!
Cons:
This story was so damn good but I personally wanted more!
This story reads like I was thrown into the middle of a situation with no explanation of the world or what was happening. I found myself thinking I was reading a sequel and had missed all the information of the world building. It is explained as you read and of course I understood there was magic in this book, but personally for me I wanted a bit more lore.
Also, there wasn’t enough back story on Bastion. Yes, it’s explained towards the end and it makes sense to why he made certain decisions but I found myself having a hard time emotionally responding to his reactions/behaviors because of it. Especially when he was the one character that was going thru the most character development.
Other than these two things I absolutely loved it. Bastion and Ulla are my new favorite couple!!! ♥️♥️🥹🥹
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I must say first and foremost that I deeply enjoyed this book. It delivered what it promised to deliver, it was touching and epic and fantastical all at once. I could see all of the influences the author listed come through strongly in this work, but it also developed its own clear world and the characters had their own distinct personalities. It was truly a wonderful read.
I very much enjoyed the FMC especially. She is fierce, determined, and knows what she wants and who she is without question. I never had reason to doubt her decisisons or her reactions to situations. Her backstory added to that, and it made a great deal of sense how she ended up the way that she did. It was also lovely to see a deaf/vocally mute character represented as a strong, take no shit type of lady. I'd definitely fall in love with her, too.
The MMC was great and I appreciated his doubts about himself, his religion, those around him accepting him and his need to keep some things to himself. I also, of course, appreciated the reactions the things he kept to himself got when he finally opened up. He clearly surrounded himself with ther right people. Props to this hardworking man!
The reason this is four stars instead of five is NOT because the story was lacking majorly or the characters were not loveable. I appreciated it all. I think the author was clearly excited about this story and due to this the beginning felt a little rushed. The action made sense, but the love felt a bit too close to "insta love" for comfort for me. It made a little sense later in the story, but I still would have liked more an an 'intrigued/interested but not fully invested yet' period between the FMC and MMC. Of course, there is something charming about a man just immediately being dopey over a woman, but for things to end up where they did I would have loved just a BIT more build-up.
I also thought some of the references were a *little* on the nose, cheesily derivitive you might say. However, I am also a fan of the things referenced, so the other half of me was screaming, 'I GET THAT REFERNCE!' and was sastisfied by them? Still, the direct paralelles to The Legend of Zelda MAYBE could have been a tad toned down. Even so, it seems to work so far for the story the author is wanting to tell, so I am optimistic (if not a bit anxious) to see how things continue in future books.
And there BETTER be future books! This ARC left me going, 'BUT WHAT NEXT? WHAT ABOUT THAT ONE THING? WHAT ABOUT THAT OTHER THING?!' I will absolutely be investing my time and attention in this author and series in the future. Highly recommend the read and cannot wait to see this author and her stories grow over time!
I very much enjoyed the FMC especially. She is fierce, determined, and knows what she wants and who she is without question. I never had reason to doubt her decisisons or her reactions to situations. Her backstory added to that, and it made a great deal of sense how she ended up the way that she did. It was also lovely to see a deaf/vocally mute character represented as a strong, take no shit type of lady. I'd definitely fall in love with her, too.
The MMC was great and I appreciated his doubts about himself, his religion, those around him accepting him and his need to keep some things to himself. I also, of course, appreciated the reactions the things he kept to himself got when he finally opened up. He clearly surrounded himself with ther right people. Props to this hardworking man!
The reason this is four stars instead of five is NOT because the story was lacking majorly or the characters were not loveable. I appreciated it all. I think the author was clearly excited about this story and due to this the beginning felt a little rushed. The action made sense, but the love felt a bit too close to "insta love" for comfort for me. It made a little sense later in the story, but I still would have liked more an an 'intrigued/interested but not fully invested yet' period between the FMC and MMC. Of course, there is something charming about a man just immediately being dopey over a woman, but for things to end up where they did I would have loved just a BIT more build-up.
I also thought some of the references were a *little* on the nose, cheesily derivitive you might say. However, I am also a fan of the things referenced, so the other half of me was screaming, 'I GET THAT REFERNCE!' and was sastisfied by them? Still, the direct paralelles to The Legend of Zelda MAYBE could have been a tad toned down. Even so, it seems to work so far for the story the author is wanting to tell, so I am optimistic (if not a bit anxious) to see how things continue in future books.
And there BETTER be future books! This ARC left me going, 'BUT WHAT NEXT? WHAT ABOUT THAT ONE THING? WHAT ABOUT THAT OTHER THING?!' I will absolutely be investing my time and attention in this author and series in the future. Highly recommend the read and cannot wait to see this author and her stories grow over time!
Review of advance copy received from Author
First of all, thank you to the author who provided me with an ARC. I saw character arts and "tropes" on social media and was excited about this book. I really really wanted to like but unfortunately I just didn't connect with it.
I'll start with the positives: an MMC who takes accountability for his actions and words, a deaf FMC - good representation and done well. The description of things were well done and some of the "bond" scenes were also nice. The premise is great and has tons of potential.
Where it fell short for me. I am one of those readers who enjoys prose foremost. If the prose doesn't grip me, it's one star off. It was verbose and felt like trying too hard to be lyrical which made the prose cluttered. Some of the modern word choices, slang or phrases were a bit jarring. Also, the passive voice for most of the MMCs reactions put a narrative distance for me.
There was barely any interiority with the MMC and a whole lot of telling instead of showing. If the telling was minimal, that would have been fine but it wasn't.
Like many mentioned, the worldbuilding was too sparse and more focus was given on descriptions in the first 20%. A lot of things were unanswered and vague terms put in. I considered DNFing after the first two chapters but wanted to give it a try in hopes it got better. Between 60-80% of the book, a lot of information was dumped. But also by then I was skimming through the book as I just wanted to finish it. There was a scene where an inconsistency appears: during a fight, the villain has the MMCs sword and in the next paragraph, the MMC is described as using his sword.
This might be a personal thing, but we do not need more SA/ attempted SA scenes in books that do not add anything. The FMC starts as a damsel in distress in these situations until the MMC provides a foothold for her to take charge.
The transition between scenes were abrupt and a lot of things were explained after we already see it happen.
Despite all of these, the FMC was intriguing and the deaf representation was carefully done. There was one chapter from her pov which was a little jarring because the book is from the MMCs pov. Had it been written in dual POV, we would have known more about the FMC than the drip-fed information. I understand from other comments that this is a prequel. I'm not sure if it was the best strategy to release the prequel before the first book of the story. There was great bones to the story and it just needs to fleshed out.
With a good editor, this book has potential to be a 4 star read. It needs a developmental editor and definitely a line editor as well.
I'll start with the positives: an MMC who takes accountability for his actions and words, a deaf FMC - good representation and done well. The description of things were well done and some of the "bond" scenes were also nice. The premise is great and has tons of potential.
Where it fell short for me. I am one of those readers who enjoys prose foremost. If the prose doesn't grip me, it's one star off. It was verbose and felt like trying too hard to be lyrical which made the prose cluttered. Some of the modern word choices, slang or phrases were a bit jarring. Also, the passive voice for most of the MMCs reactions put a narrative distance for me.
There was barely any interiority with the MMC and a whole lot of telling instead of showing. If the telling was minimal, that would have been fine but it wasn't.
Like many mentioned, the worldbuilding was too sparse and more focus was given on descriptions in the first 20%. A lot of things were unanswered and vague terms put in. I considered DNFing after the first two chapters but wanted to give it a try in hopes it got better. Between 60-80% of the book, a lot of information was dumped. But also by then I was skimming through the book as I just wanted to finish it. There was a scene where an inconsistency appears: during a fight, the villain has the MMCs sword and in the next paragraph, the MMC is described as using his sword.
This might be a personal thing, but we do not need more SA/ attempted SA scenes in books that do not add anything. The FMC starts as a damsel in distress in these situations until the MMC provides a foothold for her to take charge.
The transition between scenes were abrupt and a lot of things were explained after we already see it happen.
Despite all of these, the FMC was intriguing and the deaf representation was carefully done. There was one chapter from her pov which was a little jarring because the book is from the MMCs pov. Had it been written in dual POV, we would have known more about the FMC than the drip-fed information. I understand from other comments that this is a prequel. I'm not sure if it was the best strategy to release the prequel before the first book of the story. There was great bones to the story and it just needs to fleshed out.
With a good editor, this book has potential to be a 4 star read. It needs a developmental editor and definitely a line editor as well.
Review of advance copy received from Author
In one line, this book was just me screaming: "WHAT???? WHY??? NOOOOO!!!!! I NEED TO READ THE NEXT ONE NOW!!"
To Drown Among the Stars by L.K. Frost is one of those books that are so beautifully written from the start to the very end that you want to take your time reading them and enjoy every bit of. In this book, the writing style was more of a page-turning factor than anything else for me (actually I'm not really sure about that because I loved the characters too but more on that later) because it is just so well written, I wish I could highlight the entire book. And if I was actually good at annotating my books, this book would be like my personal diary!
The world building was solid from the very start. The first chapter hooks you right into the plot and it's not one of those books where the beginning is pretty crisp but the plot loosens as the story progresses. Something or the other was always happening and the story was progressing at all times at a balanced, well-planned pace.
The book is written in a 3rd person POV and I loved how it focused aptly on setting up the scene and conveying the emotions of the main characters alike. And let me start by talking about the side characters because in this story they have my heart! I loved, loved, LOVED every one of them and I hate that I love them so much because now the author can easily play with my emotions but I can't help it! Especially Rowan! He is so precious, my heart can't take it! But it's not just him, Endre and Finn?? And every other character? I LOVE THEM ALL.
The main characters, Bastian and Ulla, are just the crème de la crème! The way Bastian's emotions are written and his thought process is conveyed is formidable! I could not have imagined a better way. It's nice to see flawed characters, overcoming their negative emotions and grow throughout the book. And for a change not read a book about the "always awesome" main characters. It's so realistic and the author quickly brings the characters to life from the very first scene. And their chemistry is just undeniable! I thought it would be difficult to imagine and feel the exact emotions because of Ulla (you'll know why) but the execution of this ship is just unbelievably good. They are just so good together, I cannot get enough of them! And Ulla? Talk about feminine rage! I thoroughly enjoyed this book but what I loved the most was that she wasn't some damsel in distress. She always fought back and she fought back hard which I loved seeing in the book.
I can not think of one thing that makes this book even an inch short of perfect. The characters, the plot, the writing style...everything was amazing and I can't wait to read book 2! A big thanks to the author for letting me ARC read for her because this book is truly a gem.
To Drown Among the Stars by L.K. Frost is one of those books that are so beautifully written from the start to the very end that you want to take your time reading them and enjoy every bit of. In this book, the writing style was more of a page-turning factor than anything else for me (actually I'm not really sure about that because I loved the characters too but more on that later) because it is just so well written, I wish I could highlight the entire book. And if I was actually good at annotating my books, this book would be like my personal diary!
The world building was solid from the very start. The first chapter hooks you right into the plot and it's not one of those books where the beginning is pretty crisp but the plot loosens as the story progresses. Something or the other was always happening and the story was progressing at all times at a balanced, well-planned pace.
The book is written in a 3rd person POV and I loved how it focused aptly on setting up the scene and conveying the emotions of the main characters alike. And let me start by talking about the side characters because in this story they have my heart! I loved, loved, LOVED every one of them and I hate that I love them so much because now the author can easily play with my emotions but I can't help it! Especially Rowan! He is so precious, my heart can't take it! But it's not just him, Endre and Finn?? And every other character? I LOVE THEM ALL.
The main characters, Bastian and Ulla, are just the crème de la crème! The way Bastian's emotions are written and his thought process is conveyed is formidable! I could not have imagined a better way. It's nice to see flawed characters, overcoming their negative emotions and grow throughout the book. And for a change not read a book about the "always awesome" main characters. It's so realistic and the author quickly brings the characters to life from the very first scene. And their chemistry is just undeniable! I thought it would be difficult to imagine and feel the exact emotions because of Ulla (you'll know why) but the execution of this ship is just unbelievably good. They are just so good together, I cannot get enough of them! And Ulla? Talk about feminine rage! I thoroughly enjoyed this book but what I loved the most was that she wasn't some damsel in distress. She always fought back and she fought back hard which I loved seeing in the book.
I can not think of one thing that makes this book even an inch short of perfect. The characters, the plot, the writing style...everything was amazing and I can't wait to read book 2! A big thanks to the author for letting me ARC read for her because this book is truly a gem.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
An Impeccable, Unputdownable Nautical Romantasy
I was fortunate enough to receive an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book, and I want to extend a huge thank you to L.K. Frost and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review it early!
From the very first chapter, I was completely hooked and simply couldn’t put it down. The pacing was absolutely perfect, creating an addictive momentum that made it impossible to set aside. To Drown Among the Stars delivers a brilliantly original storyline that breathes fresh air into the epic nautical romantasy subgenre.
What it's about: After failing his knighthood trial, a warrior seeks isolation but instead crosses paths with a dragon-kin healer. When coordinated pirate raids threaten the kingdom's naval base and put her life in peril, they must team up. To defeat the invasion and save the woman he's falling for, he must finally confront his darkest, most dangerous secret.
L.K. Frost masterfully constructs this otherworldly, high-seas fantasy setting filled with pirates, strategic seafaring warfare, and powerful magic, all while keeping the narrative grounded in deep, character-driven emotional conflict. What truly elevated this story for me was how it handled its characters. While it features a wonderful, beautifully paced slow-burn romance, the book doesn’t shy away from dealing with some incredibly serious and heavy themes. Watching the characters navigate their respective grief, trauma, and haunting secrets added a layer of emotional maturity and grit that I wasn't entirely expecting but deeply appreciated.
For readers who prefer plot and emotional tension over explicit content, you will be pleased to know the spice level is non-existent. Instead, the story relies on genuine chemistry, mutual healing, and a gripping plot to keep you turning the pages long into the night!!
If you love nautical adventures, complex characters, and a slow-burn love story that feels earned, I cannot recommend this impeccable read enough. It’s a fantastic introduction to this world, and I cannot wait for the next installation!
⚠️ Content Warnings: Potential readers should note that the book deals with some serious and heavy themes, including trauma, grief, and the psychological aftermath of failure and abandonment.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
I was fortunate enough to receive an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book, and I want to extend a huge thank you to L.K. Frost and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review it early!
From the very first chapter, I was completely hooked and simply couldn’t put it down. The pacing was absolutely perfect, creating an addictive momentum that made it impossible to set aside. To Drown Among the Stars delivers a brilliantly original storyline that breathes fresh air into the epic nautical romantasy subgenre.
What it's about: After failing his knighthood trial, a warrior seeks isolation but instead crosses paths with a dragon-kin healer. When coordinated pirate raids threaten the kingdom's naval base and put her life in peril, they must team up. To defeat the invasion and save the woman he's falling for, he must finally confront his darkest, most dangerous secret.
L.K. Frost masterfully constructs this otherworldly, high-seas fantasy setting filled with pirates, strategic seafaring warfare, and powerful magic, all while keeping the narrative grounded in deep, character-driven emotional conflict. What truly elevated this story for me was how it handled its characters. While it features a wonderful, beautifully paced slow-burn romance, the book doesn’t shy away from dealing with some incredibly serious and heavy themes. Watching the characters navigate their respective grief, trauma, and haunting secrets added a layer of emotional maturity and grit that I wasn't entirely expecting but deeply appreciated.
For readers who prefer plot and emotional tension over explicit content, you will be pleased to know the spice level is non-existent. Instead, the story relies on genuine chemistry, mutual healing, and a gripping plot to keep you turning the pages long into the night!!
If you love nautical adventures, complex characters, and a slow-burn love story that feels earned, I cannot recommend this impeccable read enough. It’s a fantastic introduction to this world, and I cannot wait for the next installation!
⚠️ Content Warnings: Potential readers should note that the book deals with some serious and heavy themes, including trauma, grief, and the psychological aftermath of failure and abandonment.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Thank you very much to L.K Frost for having me on her ARC team and providing me with a copy to review ahead of release. I am leaving this review for free and completely of my own thoughts and opinions.
I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did. It is a prequel novel for L.K's upcoming romantasy series but is technically meant to be able to be read as a standalone. And I do not believe it works in this format. Potentially, once the first book in the series is released, if you came back to reread, this would be a stronger book. As it stands, I did not find it had a strong basis in world building or character personality and I struggled to get through it.
This book is told completely through the MMC, Bastiens perspective and I did enjoy that, we don't often get romantasy books where the main PoV character is male. I also think that did make the difficulties of communication and learning about the FMC a stronger part of the novel as it contrasted nicely with her disability and the rep for it.
Beyond that however, I didn't connect with Bastion at all. We learn very little about him or his personality beyond the fact he is quite hard on himself and he really wants to be a knight. There wasn't much given to him beyond this. We don't learn any hobbies or likes/dislikes. We know the bare minimum of his upbringing.
And the same can be said for basically every other character in the book. We get the bare bones of these characters and there is just nothing there to draw you in. It's all very surface level.
I didn't believe the romance at all. It felt like any and all actual building that could have been done was glossed over with the excuse of a fated bond. Which was a shame because there were some moments where I could understand what the characters could potentially see in each other, if it was just fleshed out more.
That continues with the world building. It was not very strong. None of the races or differences between them are properly explored. Is there magic beyond healing and beyond the dragon kin? Maybe? It was unclear.
It felt like a huge deal was made out of certain elements but as there was no context given behind them, the urgency was not there for why we should care.
I thought the battle scenes were done decently well and were some of the most interesting parts of the book.
Over all I was just left disappointed and wanting a lot more.
I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did. It is a prequel novel for L.K's upcoming romantasy series but is technically meant to be able to be read as a standalone. And I do not believe it works in this format. Potentially, once the first book in the series is released, if you came back to reread, this would be a stronger book. As it stands, I did not find it had a strong basis in world building or character personality and I struggled to get through it.
This book is told completely through the MMC, Bastiens perspective and I did enjoy that, we don't often get romantasy books where the main PoV character is male. I also think that did make the difficulties of communication and learning about the FMC a stronger part of the novel as it contrasted nicely with her disability and the rep for it.
Beyond that however, I didn't connect with Bastion at all. We learn very little about him or his personality beyond the fact he is quite hard on himself and he really wants to be a knight. There wasn't much given to him beyond this. We don't learn any hobbies or likes/dislikes. We know the bare minimum of his upbringing.
And the same can be said for basically every other character in the book. We get the bare bones of these characters and there is just nothing there to draw you in. It's all very surface level.
I didn't believe the romance at all. It felt like any and all actual building that could have been done was glossed over with the excuse of a fated bond. Which was a shame because there were some moments where I could understand what the characters could potentially see in each other, if it was just fleshed out more.
That continues with the world building. It was not very strong. None of the races or differences between them are properly explored. Is there magic beyond healing and beyond the dragon kin? Maybe? It was unclear.
It felt like a huge deal was made out of certain elements but as there was no context given behind them, the urgency was not there for why we should care.
I thought the battle scenes were done decently well and were some of the most interesting parts of the book.
Over all I was just left disappointed and wanting a lot more.
Read
May 30, 2026This is the first time I have had the pleasure of reading an advanced copy of a book, and I must admit that I am not disappointed. L.K. Frost is a great storyteller and you could tell that the story and the characters were truly dear to her. To Drown Among the Stars is marketed as a Zelda Inspired slow burn romance and the book does reach those expectations. With notes of Lord of the Rings and Princess Bride, Frost weaves a tale of a young man recently humbled by an important experience. We find him on the tail end of something that was supposed to project him into a successful future as a high ranking knight. Bastion felt real and vulnerable and it was an incredibly refreshing take on masculinity and perceived success. As we follow Bastion on his journey we experience a rich landscape, but it feels as though we have only unlocked a portion of the map in a video game. Clearly there is more to this world than what is shown in this story, and at times it is frustrating as a reader. I wanted to know more. I wanted to have more details into the history of the world and the gods that live in it as they are really only ever mentioned by name despite their importance to the plot. At times it felt like the reader was dropped onto the middle of a series with no background knowledge and are expected to understand the origins of the story. Where Frost really excelled, however, was her rich character development. Within the first few pages I felt so much for the main character. And she continued that across each character she brought into the story. It felt as though each had a rich, developed background. This was especially true for the main female character, Ulla. Frost created her own take on dragon-kin, making them aquatic to fit her coastal adventure. Despite her nature as a healer, Ulla is a deeply fierce, protective, and independent woman. She deals with her own struggles resulting from her mysterious background and deafness. Notwithstanding this, she is perfectly expressive and has an impressive amount of depth to her.
I truly enjoyed this book, burning through it in just three days. Even though I personally struggled with the lack of clear world building I have recommended this book to several individuals already! It was soft, and exciting, and the vibes were immaculate. Thank you L.K. Frost for this opportunity and I look forward to seeing more in this series.
I truly enjoyed this book, burning through it in just three days. Even though I personally struggled with the lack of clear world building I have recommended this book to several individuals already! It was soft, and exciting, and the vibes were immaculate. Thank you L.K. Frost for this opportunity and I look forward to seeing more in this series.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
✧˖°. ⤷ thank you to netgalley, L.K. Frost for the ARC. honest thoughts as always, from me to you ♡
☁️ author: L.K. Frost
☁️ genre: romantasy / adventure fantasy
☁️ mood: adventurous / slow-burn / oceanic / bittersweet
🌙 Mini Synopsis:
After failing his Trial of Knighthood, Bastion sets off down the coast looking for solitude and finds trouble instead — a series of coordinated pirate attacks and Ulla, a deaf dragon-kin healer with secrets of her own. Drawn together by loneliness and a growing threat, they race to protect the kingdom's naval base from a pirate fleet armed with a mysterious ancient weapon. But Bastion is keeping a secret that could change everything — and when Ulla is wounded, he may have no choice but to reveal it.
🍃 thoughts
✧ the bones of this story are solid — the pacing moved well, the stakes felt reasonable, and the mysterious weapon and ancient artifact at the heart of the pirate plot genuinely intrigued me. there's clearly some foundational world-building being laid for a sequel, and I think the story has enough potential to make that worth exploring
✧ my biggest letdown was expectations vs reality. this book is marketed as Legend of Zelda inspired, and I went in fully ready to feel that energy, but it never quite landed for me. the nods were there but it felt more like Zelda peoples being placed into a different story rather than a world that captured that same sense of wonder and adventure. if I'd gone in without that expectation, I likely would have enjoyed it more
✧ the characters felt a little flat for me and the plot leaned on the simpler and more linear side, a little too convenient and predictable in places for my taste. I also found the prose occasionally trying a little too hard, with elevated vocabulary that sometimes felt choppy rather than atmospheric. that said, the disability representation with Ulla as a deaf FMC was genuinely well done and felt thoughtful and considered throughout
🌸 favorite things
♡ the disability rep — Ulla's deafness was woven into the story with real care and never felt like a plot device
♡ the slow burn between Bastion and Ulla — quiet and grounded, even if a little predictable
♡ the mysterious artifact and weapon — genuinely intriguing and enough to make me curious about where the series goes next
✧ verdict from my little reading nook → ★★★☆☆
☁️ author: L.K. Frost
☁️ genre: romantasy / adventure fantasy
☁️ mood: adventurous / slow-burn / oceanic / bittersweet
🌙 Mini Synopsis:
After failing his Trial of Knighthood, Bastion sets off down the coast looking for solitude and finds trouble instead — a series of coordinated pirate attacks and Ulla, a deaf dragon-kin healer with secrets of her own. Drawn together by loneliness and a growing threat, they race to protect the kingdom's naval base from a pirate fleet armed with a mysterious ancient weapon. But Bastion is keeping a secret that could change everything — and when Ulla is wounded, he may have no choice but to reveal it.
🍃 thoughts
✧ the bones of this story are solid — the pacing moved well, the stakes felt reasonable, and the mysterious weapon and ancient artifact at the heart of the pirate plot genuinely intrigued me. there's clearly some foundational world-building being laid for a sequel, and I think the story has enough potential to make that worth exploring
✧ my biggest letdown was expectations vs reality. this book is marketed as Legend of Zelda inspired, and I went in fully ready to feel that energy, but it never quite landed for me. the nods were there but it felt more like Zelda peoples being placed into a different story rather than a world that captured that same sense of wonder and adventure. if I'd gone in without that expectation, I likely would have enjoyed it more
✧ the characters felt a little flat for me and the plot leaned on the simpler and more linear side, a little too convenient and predictable in places for my taste. I also found the prose occasionally trying a little too hard, with elevated vocabulary that sometimes felt choppy rather than atmospheric. that said, the disability representation with Ulla as a deaf FMC was genuinely well done and felt thoughtful and considered throughout
🌸 favorite things
♡ the disability rep — Ulla's deafness was woven into the story with real care and never felt like a plot device
♡ the slow burn between Bastion and Ulla — quiet and grounded, even if a little predictable
♡ the mysterious artifact and weapon — genuinely intriguing and enough to make me curious about where the series goes next
✧ verdict from my little reading nook → ★★★☆☆
Review of advance copy received from Author
I was super excited for this book, and I am so grateful for the chance to ARC read this before release! Big thank you to the author for this opportunity!
This was a good read, I really like Bastion and Ulla! However, I didn’t super vibe with this story because there was not as much world building as I had hoped. At times, it felt like I was dropped into this world with zero knowledge of much of anything sometimes.
I understand the whole Knight trial thing, and becoming God Marked and stuff. But otherwise, I don’t really have any knowledge of the magic system or the world or much of anything else.
This story was entirely from the MMC’s POV which was unique and I did enjoy that, but unfortunately I have zero idea who our FMC is. Yes, I get that Ulla is a different kind of creature, and I absolutely appreciate the representation of her deafness and how well Bastion adapted to it and helped embraced it in her. However, other than the fact that she’s a deaf Yvri, I don’t really know anything about her? So I had a hard time connecting, I think. And I want to know more about the Yvri, they seem like really complex, cool creatures, but we don’t get much knowledge about them!!
Also I understand that our main characters are bonded, but I don’t understand WHY or HOW? It just is like, a thing, but I feel pretty blind to anything about their relationship and why the heck they’re fated. Just missing a lot of information, I think.
Same goes for the rest of the characters. They seemed like they’d have a lot of depth and I think the found family in this could be really phenomenal, but we didn’t get enough background information, I think? We just kind of meet these random characters throughout the book with pretty much zero explanation of who they are and why they’re significant.
Overall I think this was a good story, but it was lacking for me, unfortunately. I missed a lot of world building and depth. I’m not sure if this is a prequel (it feels like it) to a bigger world and story, but if so I think it has a TON of potential. Also the complete lack of spice could absolutely develop into a beautiful relationship if this world continues.
Super grateful for the advanced copy of this book, I think it will be perfect for some readers!
This was a good read, I really like Bastion and Ulla! However, I didn’t super vibe with this story because there was not as much world building as I had hoped. At times, it felt like I was dropped into this world with zero knowledge of much of anything sometimes.
I understand the whole Knight trial thing, and becoming God Marked and stuff. But otherwise, I don’t really have any knowledge of the magic system or the world or much of anything else.
This story was entirely from the MMC’s POV which was unique and I did enjoy that, but unfortunately I have zero idea who our FMC is. Yes, I get that Ulla is a different kind of creature, and I absolutely appreciate the representation of her deafness and how well Bastion adapted to it and helped embraced it in her. However, other than the fact that she’s a deaf Yvri, I don’t really know anything about her? So I had a hard time connecting, I think. And I want to know more about the Yvri, they seem like really complex, cool creatures, but we don’t get much knowledge about them!!
Also I understand that our main characters are bonded, but I don’t understand WHY or HOW? It just is like, a thing, but I feel pretty blind to anything about their relationship and why the heck they’re fated. Just missing a lot of information, I think.
Same goes for the rest of the characters. They seemed like they’d have a lot of depth and I think the found family in this could be really phenomenal, but we didn’t get enough background information, I think? We just kind of meet these random characters throughout the book with pretty much zero explanation of who they are and why they’re significant.
Overall I think this was a good story, but it was lacking for me, unfortunately. I missed a lot of world building and depth. I’m not sure if this is a prequel (it feels like it) to a bigger world and story, but if so I think it has a TON of potential. Also the complete lack of spice could absolutely develop into a beautiful relationship if this world continues.
Super grateful for the advanced copy of this book, I think it will be perfect for some readers!
June 2, 2026
I received this book as an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
If you love-
Cinnamon Roll MMC
Deaf FMC
Touch her and die
Slow burn
Zelda inspired
Pirates! Knights!
No spice
To Drown Among the Stars is a debut from author L.K.Frost and is a prequel story with a cover that I most certainly judged. It’s gorgeous! This book is unique in that it is written from the MMC’s POV, which is rare in romantasy. I felt the POV change was refreshing as it’s not something I am used to. To Drown Among the Stars follows Bastion, on a journey of self discovery after failing his Knighthood trials. Along the way he meets Ulla, a dragon-kin healer who is deaf. I immediately became concerned upon discovering Ulla is deaf because of the inability to communicate with our MMC but they made it work. Sometimes authors add a disability representation to their book and it just feels all wrong but I do think Ulla’s disability was handled very well by Frost. The development of the relationship between Bastion and Ulla felt natural and genuine but could have been fleshed out even more. I would like to know more about Ulla’s kind, but because this is a prequel- maybe we will get more information when the series is released.
This is a Zelda inspired story and as an 80’s baby I did find myself attracted to the book for this reason and noticed there are some Easter eggs included for those of us that remember. While I enjoyed the inspired aspect, I do think the world building was lacking… but, with that being said I also realize this is a prequel.
Overall, this was good but I do think it could have been longer,included more world building, and more information about Ulla’s kind. I would love more information about the trials too as it felt that we were just dropped into the world after the failure of the trials. I do think I will read the series when it is released just so I can come back to the prequel and see if it really adds to the story. The author is so sweet and I truly want to thank her for the chance to read To Drown Among the Stars.
My rating is subject to change once the next book is released. I think this was a great introduction but we need more. 3.5⭐️
If you love-
Cinnamon Roll MMC
Deaf FMC
Touch her and die
Slow burn
Zelda inspired
Pirates! Knights!
No spice
To Drown Among the Stars is a debut from author L.K.Frost and is a prequel story with a cover that I most certainly judged. It’s gorgeous! This book is unique in that it is written from the MMC’s POV, which is rare in romantasy. I felt the POV change was refreshing as it’s not something I am used to. To Drown Among the Stars follows Bastion, on a journey of self discovery after failing his Knighthood trials. Along the way he meets Ulla, a dragon-kin healer who is deaf. I immediately became concerned upon discovering Ulla is deaf because of the inability to communicate with our MMC but they made it work. Sometimes authors add a disability representation to their book and it just feels all wrong but I do think Ulla’s disability was handled very well by Frost. The development of the relationship between Bastion and Ulla felt natural and genuine but could have been fleshed out even more. I would like to know more about Ulla’s kind, but because this is a prequel- maybe we will get more information when the series is released.
This is a Zelda inspired story and as an 80’s baby I did find myself attracted to the book for this reason and noticed there are some Easter eggs included for those of us that remember. While I enjoyed the inspired aspect, I do think the world building was lacking… but, with that being said I also realize this is a prequel.
Overall, this was good but I do think it could have been longer,included more world building, and more information about Ulla’s kind. I would love more information about the trials too as it felt that we were just dropped into the world after the failure of the trials. I do think I will read the series when it is released just so I can come back to the prequel and see if it really adds to the story. The author is so sweet and I truly want to thank her for the chance to read To Drown Among the Stars.
My rating is subject to change once the next book is released. I think this was a great introduction but we need more. 3.5⭐️
Review of advance copy received from Author
To Drown Among the Stars had a lot of potential (the premise sounded interesting to me!) but unfortunately it fell short of expectations.
Each scene in isolation is pretty decently written (immersively descriptive) but the transitions between them were abrupt or the catalyst in a change of action seemed random and unrealistic. Multiple times throughout the story, Bastion ends up wandering around for time to think or for some unexplained "leave of absence" that didn't feel nature with the flow of the greater story.
The writing was too verbose on aspects that don't matter. Instead of spending a few sentences describing an empty pint rolling along the ship floor, those lines could've been spent doing more world building or moving the plot forward. I actually had to check if this was a sequel in a series because it read as if world building and character backstories were covered in a previous book.
The characters are not fully developed; they felt flat. The reader is told by other characters how they would characterize Bastion (a man of high moral character), but the story didn't show his personality. Am I supposed to view him as a young knight-to-be who's still building his confidence? or an experienced swordsman with authority? The characterization flipped flopped between the two personas without a it being clear on what type of person Bastion is supposed to be.
The romance between the main characters came off more as infatuation rather than actual romance (there's a lot of focus on how Bastion feels when he's interacting with Ulla, and not as much about what he loves/cares about her as he spends more time with her). Despite being depicted as independent and capable, the female lead Ulla is just a narrative accessory for Bastion's journey rather than a fully autonomous character.
While I was excited to read this, I had a hard time staying engaged in the story and feeling invested in the characters. There's some major improvements that I'd want to see before I recommended this book to someone.
---
https://thegiantpencil.blogspot.com/2...
Each scene in isolation is pretty decently written (immersively descriptive) but the transitions between them were abrupt or the catalyst in a change of action seemed random and unrealistic. Multiple times throughout the story, Bastion ends up wandering around for time to think or for some unexplained "leave of absence" that didn't feel nature with the flow of the greater story.
The writing was too verbose on aspects that don't matter. Instead of spending a few sentences describing an empty pint rolling along the ship floor, those lines could've been spent doing more world building or moving the plot forward. I actually had to check if this was a sequel in a series because it read as if world building and character backstories were covered in a previous book.
The characters are not fully developed; they felt flat. The reader is told by other characters how they would characterize Bastion (a man of high moral character), but the story didn't show his personality. Am I supposed to view him as a young knight-to-be who's still building his confidence? or an experienced swordsman with authority? The characterization flipped flopped between the two personas without a it being clear on what type of person Bastion is supposed to be.
The romance between the main characters came off more as infatuation rather than actual romance (there's a lot of focus on how Bastion feels when he's interacting with Ulla, and not as much about what he loves/cares about her as he spends more time with her). Despite being depicted as independent and capable, the female lead Ulla is just a narrative accessory for Bastion's journey rather than a fully autonomous character.
While I was excited to read this, I had a hard time staying engaged in the story and feeling invested in the characters. There's some major improvements that I'd want to see before I recommended this book to someone.
---
https://thegiantpencil.blogspot.com/2...
Review of advance copy received from Author
"His origins may be humble, but he has often acted more nobly than those who now hold his fate in their hands." - To Drown Among The Stars
Tropes:
Deaf FMC
Zelda/LOTR Inspired
Aragorn coded MMC
Slow Burn
Knights & Pirates
This was such a cute book! When I read that this book was supposed to be Zelda/ Aragorn coded, I wasn't exactly sure how it could be. But after reading it, I absolutely understand the vibes. The entire time, I kept thinking about how Bastion really did make me think about Aragorn. I absolutely loved the entire story plot, and I genuinely had some connections to Lord of the Rings (particularly that of Helm's Deep), and Tamora Pierce's Song of the Lioness.
Bastion is the epitome of a knight, and I mean a GOOD knight. He is kind, compassionate, and he serves his people. He is very much one of the good guys, and I was so here for a non-shadow-daddy-extremely-powerful character (it's way overdone). This man is someone I would leave my kids with (if I had any) and they would be well-fed, happy, and likely laughing or playing with swords.
I'll admit I have NEVER read a book where the FMC is deaf. I LOVED this. I loved that there were other ways to communicate language than just talking. Our girl, Ulla (WHO IS BASICALLY A WATER DRAGON), is the epitome of a strong but soft character. Ulla helped heal basically everyone she could, and she still was a fighter. I don't mean a fighter as in great with swords (she may have used a frying pan like Samwise Gamgee), but I mean a fighter as in she didn't let people knock her around. She was feisty when she needed to be, but we really got to see a kind character that didn't use sarcasm as her entire personality. She was such a great character, and I absolutely loved her and Bastion.
Overall, you likely get the idea that I love this book, LoTR, and Tamora Pierce, which you'd be right. Having a book that enbodies all three is just perfect. It was a cute easy ready, and I so greatly loved it! I also have to admit that this may be one of my most favorite book covers ever. It is absolute perfection, and Ulla is so beautiful!
Tropes:
Deaf FMC
Zelda/LOTR Inspired
Aragorn coded MMC
Slow Burn
Knights & Pirates
This was such a cute book! When I read that this book was supposed to be Zelda/ Aragorn coded, I wasn't exactly sure how it could be. But after reading it, I absolutely understand the vibes. The entire time, I kept thinking about how Bastion really did make me think about Aragorn. I absolutely loved the entire story plot, and I genuinely had some connections to Lord of the Rings (particularly that of Helm's Deep), and Tamora Pierce's Song of the Lioness.
Bastion is the epitome of a knight, and I mean a GOOD knight. He is kind, compassionate, and he serves his people. He is very much one of the good guys, and I was so here for a non-shadow-daddy-extremely-powerful character (it's way overdone). This man is someone I would leave my kids with (if I had any) and they would be well-fed, happy, and likely laughing or playing with swords.
I'll admit I have NEVER read a book where the FMC is deaf. I LOVED this. I loved that there were other ways to communicate language than just talking. Our girl, Ulla (WHO IS BASICALLY A WATER DRAGON), is the epitome of a strong but soft character. Ulla helped heal basically everyone she could, and she still was a fighter. I don't mean a fighter as in great with swords (she may have used a frying pan like Samwise Gamgee), but I mean a fighter as in she didn't let people knock her around. She was feisty when she needed to be, but we really got to see a kind character that didn't use sarcasm as her entire personality. She was such a great character, and I absolutely loved her and Bastion.
Overall, you likely get the idea that I love this book, LoTR, and Tamora Pierce, which you'd be right. Having a book that enbodies all three is just perfect. It was a cute easy ready, and I so greatly loved it! I also have to admit that this may be one of my most favorite book covers ever. It is absolute perfection, and Ulla is so beautiful!
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