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The Starlight Chronicles #1
Lanterns In The Sky
Everything was normal for Lucy Maisfer until the day a star fell from the sky and knocked her out. Upon waking, she comes face-to-face with Jason Woods, who also happens to be the mysterious new guy in her best friend, Valarie's, life.
Then the strange dreams begin, and she learns about the Starlight Princess— who must not under any circumstance be reawakened. Driven to uncover the meaning of it, she finds herself caught up in a strange twist of events that eventually lead to bigger danger than she ever anticipated. Before long, Lucy is forced to make a choice between saving the world, or saving her best friend; only to discover that Valarie cannot be saved... that she has an even darker secret, and that her supposed star-crossed romance with Jason might not be so destined after all...
Then the strange dreams begin, and she learns about the Starlight Princess— who must not under any circumstance be reawakened. Driven to uncover the meaning of it, she finds herself caught up in a strange twist of events that eventually lead to bigger danger than she ever anticipated. Before long, Lucy is forced to make a choice between saving the world, or saving her best friend; only to discover that Valarie cannot be saved... that she has an even darker secret, and that her supposed star-crossed romance with Jason might not be so destined after all...
First published March 5, 2019
About the author
P.S. Malcolm
10 books37 followersP.S.Malcolm (Pagan) grew up in Proserpine, Queensland— a small, Australian country town on the edge of the Great Barrier Reef. She was a storyteller from a young age and spent years perfecting her craft.
For two years, she juggled waitressing in tourist filled coffee shops while undertaking two degrees in Creative Writing online— one specializing in children's fiction and publishing. She has always had an interest in writing, but never saw herself working in the industry until she made the choice to self-publish her debut novel, STUCK ON VACATION WITH RYAN RUPERT. Realizing that she loved the process of publishing her book, she pursued an internship at a publishing house and snagged a spot as Pen Name Publishing's Marketing Assistant Intern.
In between interning and writing, Pagan started her online business Paperback Kingdom and is now a copywriter and coach for ambitious fiction authors like herself— helping them to tell and sell their stories.
Pagan is a cat enthusiast, tea lover, and floral fanatic. She keeps a well-stocked tea collection, and if the 'florals' weren't a dead giveaway, she's a proud Hufflepuff and is crazy about the colour yellow.
Pagan also enjoys reading— particularly fantasy and paranormal. Some of her favourite and most influential authors include Amanda Gernentz Hanson, A.G. Howard, Marissa Meyer and Michele Jaffe.
Her latest and bestselling fantasy novel, LANTERNS IN THE SKY, was published The Parliament House Publishing in 2019. Get instant access the first three chapters for free here: https://bit.ly/2L5AFls
For two years, she juggled waitressing in tourist filled coffee shops while undertaking two degrees in Creative Writing online— one specializing in children's fiction and publishing. She has always had an interest in writing, but never saw herself working in the industry until she made the choice to self-publish her debut novel, STUCK ON VACATION WITH RYAN RUPERT. Realizing that she loved the process of publishing her book, she pursued an internship at a publishing house and snagged a spot as Pen Name Publishing's Marketing Assistant Intern.
In between interning and writing, Pagan started her online business Paperback Kingdom and is now a copywriter and coach for ambitious fiction authors like herself— helping them to tell and sell their stories.
Pagan is a cat enthusiast, tea lover, and floral fanatic. She keeps a well-stocked tea collection, and if the 'florals' weren't a dead giveaway, she's a proud Hufflepuff and is crazy about the colour yellow.
Pagan also enjoys reading— particularly fantasy and paranormal. Some of her favourite and most influential authors include Amanda Gernentz Hanson, A.G. Howard, Marissa Meyer and Michele Jaffe.
Her latest and bestselling fantasy novel, LANTERNS IN THE SKY, was published The Parliament House Publishing in 2019. Get instant access the first three chapters for free here: https://bit.ly/2L5AFls
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
November 15, 2019
1.5 to 2 stars!!!
Warning: unpopular opinion ahead.
Well, this book was an extremely frustrating read for me. I don't even understand how this has got 5 star ratings. There are several issues with this book which I will go into further in this review. I'll have to admit, when I chose this book I was hooked by the cover. It's extremely beautiful and the blurb was interesting enough to reel me in but sadly, I was mistaken as that's where the good stuff actually ended.
Firstly, the story has zero worldbuilding. There's literally no imagery or descriptions. There's some basic idea of the world that the characters live in but I found it to be just generic. In addition, the language is very simplistic and reads for a much younger age group even though the characters are at high-school and seem much older. I also found the history of Lorelei to be confusing. The imaginary country, Ersarence, is set in Europe but somehow everyone has American/English names which I found very jarring and unsettling. Furthermore, the magic system in place is equally inconsistent as there's mention of aliens (Urenphians) and angels. Those are two very different fantasy elements and because they were meshed together, the storyline wasn't complex enough as focus wasn't spent on developing those magical abilities. Don't get me wrong, I actually liked reading about the Urenphians and the Starlight people. However, I think the author should have just stuck with that instead of adding angels to the mix. I also found there to be an imbalance between the magical abilities which made the story even more tedious. There were many instances throughout the story where the angels were getting tired. Hello! They are meant to be supernatural beings. They shouldn't be getting tired. I also constantly felt that the story was stacked in favour of the evil beings which was annoying.
Secondly, I found the MC Lucy to be completely irritating. Half of the time, she seems to get herself into trouble and then needs to be rescued by the others. These instances were used as plot progressions which I felt were very weak. With regards to her character, I found that she wasn't fleshed out enough. She was whiny and bland - a complete Mary Sue. There's no spunk to her. She can't make one rational decision and yet the story revolves completely around her and her "snowflakeness". I also found her relationship with Valarie to be shallow. I honestly didn't even understand their friendship. She constantly seems to be wanting to save her which got repetitive very easily. Valarie equally has no spark. Actually none of the characters do. I couldn't really connect with any of them. They were very one-dimensional. I prefer characters that are multi-layered with flaws. I would have preferred to see more conflict - their raw emotions. For someone like Lucy whose world has been turned upside down, I would have liked to see her rise up to the occasion with confidence. I got none of that throughout the whole book. Furthermore, the minor characters lacked backstories and were just mere props for the Lucy/Valarie show.
Overall, a very dismal and average read. Although, the structure of the book made for a quick read. The storyline had several plot holes. I don't think much research or thought went into it. For example, there's one part where Valarie apparently constructs new clothes for everyone, that to armour. Yet she finishes them all in one night and somehow with the right materials? As someone who has studied fashion and materiality, that's so farfetched even for a fantasy novel. Since, the story is set on present day Earth, those kind of things take time. Seeing as she apparently also has no powers to magic it up, how would she have even done it? This is one of the many frustrating examples of implausibility in this novel. I would have liked to have enjoyed this story, I was really looking forward to it but honestly, I've read way better ones. The only reason, I gave this one even a 1.5 star was because of the ending. It did hold some shock value and to be fair, if the story had started out that way, I might have given it a higher rating. Unfortunately, we were stuck with a protagonist who was incredibly foolish with no winning points to her character. Therefore, although, the sequel looks more promising, I'll be giving this one a hard pass.
Warning: unpopular opinion ahead.
Well, this book was an extremely frustrating read for me. I don't even understand how this has got 5 star ratings. There are several issues with this book which I will go into further in this review. I'll have to admit, when I chose this book I was hooked by the cover. It's extremely beautiful and the blurb was interesting enough to reel me in but sadly, I was mistaken as that's where the good stuff actually ended.
Firstly, the story has zero worldbuilding. There's literally no imagery or descriptions. There's some basic idea of the world that the characters live in but I found it to be just generic. In addition, the language is very simplistic and reads for a much younger age group even though the characters are at high-school and seem much older. I also found the history of Lorelei to be confusing. The imaginary country, Ersarence, is set in Europe but somehow everyone has American/English names which I found very jarring and unsettling. Furthermore, the magic system in place is equally inconsistent as there's mention of aliens (Urenphians) and angels. Those are two very different fantasy elements and because they were meshed together, the storyline wasn't complex enough as focus wasn't spent on developing those magical abilities. Don't get me wrong, I actually liked reading about the Urenphians and the Starlight people. However, I think the author should have just stuck with that instead of adding angels to the mix. I also found there to be an imbalance between the magical abilities which made the story even more tedious. There were many instances throughout the story where the angels were getting tired. Hello! They are meant to be supernatural beings. They shouldn't be getting tired. I also constantly felt that the story was stacked in favour of the evil beings which was annoying.
Secondly, I found the MC Lucy to be completely irritating. Half of the time, she seems to get herself into trouble and then needs to be rescued by the others. These instances were used as plot progressions which I felt were very weak. With regards to her character, I found that she wasn't fleshed out enough. She was whiny and bland - a complete Mary Sue. There's no spunk to her. She can't make one rational decision and yet the story revolves completely around her and her "snowflakeness". I also found her relationship with Valarie to be shallow. I honestly didn't even understand their friendship. She constantly seems to be wanting to save her which got repetitive very easily. Valarie equally has no spark. Actually none of the characters do. I couldn't really connect with any of them. They were very one-dimensional. I prefer characters that are multi-layered with flaws. I would have preferred to see more conflict - their raw emotions. For someone like Lucy whose world has been turned upside down, I would have liked to see her rise up to the occasion with confidence. I got none of that throughout the whole book. Furthermore, the minor characters lacked backstories and were just mere props for the Lucy/Valarie show.
Overall, a very dismal and average read. Although, the structure of the book made for a quick read. The storyline had several plot holes. I don't think much research or thought went into it. For example, there's one part where Valarie apparently constructs new clothes for everyone, that to armour. Yet she finishes them all in one night and somehow with the right materials? As someone who has studied fashion and materiality, that's so farfetched even for a fantasy novel. Since, the story is set on present day Earth, those kind of things take time. Seeing as she apparently also has no powers to magic it up, how would she have even done it? This is one of the many frustrating examples of implausibility in this novel. I would have liked to have enjoyed this story, I was really looking forward to it but honestly, I've read way better ones. The only reason, I gave this one even a 1.5 star was because of the ending. It did hold some shock value and to be fair, if the story had started out that way, I might have given it a higher rating. Unfortunately, we were stuck with a protagonist who was incredibly foolish with no winning points to her character. Therefore, although, the sequel looks more promising, I'll be giving this one a hard pass.
March 7, 2019
LANTERNS IN THE SKY (The Starlight Chronicles #1)
•
•
• ⭐️:4,7/5
•
•
💬: I am so happy! This book was an amazing journey. Where two best friends needs to find out how to save the world with the help of angels and an immortal boy.
Lucy is the reincarnation of a Princess that can save the world from the bad people and after getting her memories from her previous life she needs to get ready to save the world after unwillingly breaking a barrier that was protecting everyone. She needs to learn how to fight, how to do magic and in who to trust. All of that while having to deal with a boy who tried to kill her when she was a princess and with the manipulation going on around her as well as missing her family and trying to protect her best friend.
So, Lucy is having a tiresome and dangerous adventure that has a lot of amazing world building and relationships developing. I was immersed in the flashbacks and how the author created this new fantastical world, with angels, evil things that possess people and princesses.
I'm literally dying to see what is going to happen in the story after that shocking epilogue!!!!
•
•
• ⭐️:4,7/5
•
•
💬: I am so happy! This book was an amazing journey. Where two best friends needs to find out how to save the world with the help of angels and an immortal boy.
Lucy is the reincarnation of a Princess that can save the world from the bad people and after getting her memories from her previous life she needs to get ready to save the world after unwillingly breaking a barrier that was protecting everyone. She needs to learn how to fight, how to do magic and in who to trust. All of that while having to deal with a boy who tried to kill her when she was a princess and with the manipulation going on around her as well as missing her family and trying to protect her best friend.
So, Lucy is having a tiresome and dangerous adventure that has a lot of amazing world building and relationships developing. I was immersed in the flashbacks and how the author created this new fantastical world, with angels, evil things that possess people and princesses.
I'm literally dying to see what is going to happen in the story after that shocking epilogue!!!!
January 13, 2020
DNF at 50%
I really wanted to like this book. It sounded pretty cool, and the cover is gorgeous!
Unfortunately, I found that reading this book made me not want to read at all. I realized I was reading it out of obligation instead of enjoyment. So when I hit 50% and still wasn't enjoying it, I stopped.
The characters were very one dimensional and I found that they could have traded places part way through the book and I wouldn't have even noticed. They were not relatable, they were not developed, and I didn't care about any of them.
The world building was also confusing. I assumed, from the names of characters, the language, and the high school party experience that opens the book, that this book was set in America. Then it was casually mentioned that it was in a (fictional) European country, and my brain just locked that away in a box to ignore because it made absolutely no sense at all.
Then there was the plot, which was both all over the place and too basic at once. And I'm not even sure how that can be true, but it is. I felt like a lot of the information we got was dumped in lengthy paragraphs of characters explaining to other characters instead of a more exciting way (like the flashbacks that we got in the beginning of the book).
I'm sad that this book wasn't for me. I really did go into it hoping to love it.
*I received a digital ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
I really wanted to like this book. It sounded pretty cool, and the cover is gorgeous!
Unfortunately, I found that reading this book made me not want to read at all. I realized I was reading it out of obligation instead of enjoyment. So when I hit 50% and still wasn't enjoying it, I stopped.
The characters were very one dimensional and I found that they could have traded places part way through the book and I wouldn't have even noticed. They were not relatable, they were not developed, and I didn't care about any of them.
The world building was also confusing. I assumed, from the names of characters, the language, and the high school party experience that opens the book, that this book was set in America. Then it was casually mentioned that it was in a (fictional) European country, and my brain just locked that away in a box to ignore because it made absolutely no sense at all.
Then there was the plot, which was both all over the place and too basic at once. And I'm not even sure how that can be true, but it is. I felt like a lot of the information we got was dumped in lengthy paragraphs of characters explaining to other characters instead of a more exciting way (like the flashbacks that we got in the beginning of the book).
I'm sad that this book wasn't for me. I really did go into it hoping to love it.
*I received a digital ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
January 17, 2021
This book made for a quick read, one that I finished in one sitting. I found the writing style really engaging, which made it easy and enjoyable for me to read. The main character was a bit average, as was the plot. What I really missed was any world-building. I overall enjoyed it, but it definitely missed the mark on some points, which I think is a shame, as it had a lot of potential.
June 7, 2019
This is the second or third book I've read by P.S. Malcolm, and it is exactly in-line with what I have come to expect from her.
I love the idea of a Starlight Princess and the magical elements incorporated into this story. (Although - no spoilers - Lucy goes through quite a lot, so although I'm not keen on being a Starlight Princess, I definitely think it's a lovely idea to imagine a world with one.) I was also tickled by some of the character name choices, which were absolutely delightful. (Kale, anyone?)
The book is written in Australian English, rather than American English, so it took a little bit of acclimating on my part, but otherwise a wonderful summer read.
I love the idea of a Starlight Princess and the magical elements incorporated into this story. (Although - no spoilers - Lucy goes through quite a lot, so although I'm not keen on being a Starlight Princess, I definitely think it's a lovely idea to imagine a world with one.) I was also tickled by some of the character name choices, which were absolutely delightful. (Kale, anyone?)
The book is written in Australian English, rather than American English, so it took a little bit of acclimating on my part, but otherwise a wonderful summer read.
July 25, 2017
Lucy used to think she led an ordinary life until a star fell and almost killed her. That's when things started happening. Just loved it and ready for the next.
April 8, 2019
Great story and totally movie worthy. I loved the magic and the influence of the past on the present. And then the epilogue just knocked it out of the park! Can't wait for the next one!
February 10, 2020
**Disclaimer: I was given a free e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review from Xpresso Book Tours via NetGalley.**
Title Lanterns in the Sky (Starlight Chronicles #1)
Author P.S. Malcolm
Description
Everything was normal for Lucy Maisfer until the day a star fell from the sky and knocked her out. Upon waking, she comes face-to-face with Jason Woods, who also happens to be the mysterious new guy in her best friend, Valarie’s, life.
Then the strange dreams begin, and she learns about the Starlight Princess— who must not under any circumstance be reawakened. Driven to uncover the meaning of it, she finds herself caught up in a strange twist of events that eventually lead to bigger danger than she ever anticipated. Before long, Lucy is forced to make a choice between saving the world, or saving her best friend; only to discover that Valarie cannot be saved… that she has an even darker secret, and that her supposed star-crossed romance with Jason might not be so destined after all…
Release Date March 5, 2019
Initial Thoughts
I signed up for the Blitz for this book thinking that it sounded interesting. I didn’t know that I would receive a copy of the book as part of the process – so that was a very pleasant surprise.
Some Things I Liked
World building. I thought the world building was an interesting continuation of what we saw in Starlight. I liked the way the magic system was explained as well as the different species magical beings Lucy interacted with.
Single POV. I liked that Lucy was the only narrator here. I thought it made the story feel more mysterious. It definitely kept me on the edge of my seat.
One Thing I Wasn’t Crazy About
I wasn’t a fan of the setting change. I read the novella first and the setting was much more fantasy-oriented (as opposed to the modern setting in Lanterns in the Sky). I much preferred that setting.
Series Value
I would continue with this series. I can’t promise it would be right away, but I’d like to know what the next chapter of this series has in store for these characters.
Final Thoughts
I enjoyed this book. It was a bit of a change from the novella, Starlight, that I read first, but I thought the parts of the story that were continuations of the novella were well done. I would keep reading this series.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Recommendations for Further Reading
Furyborn by Claire Legrand – if you like the idea of lost royals and secrets, give this series by Claire Legrand a try.
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard – if you liked the idea of a lost heir mixed with forbidden magic, try this series.
Caraval by Stephanie Garber – if you like the description of the world in Starlight, try this series, it gave me several similar vibes.
Title Lanterns in the Sky (Starlight Chronicles #1)
Author P.S. Malcolm
Description
Everything was normal for Lucy Maisfer until the day a star fell from the sky and knocked her out. Upon waking, she comes face-to-face with Jason Woods, who also happens to be the mysterious new guy in her best friend, Valarie’s, life.
Then the strange dreams begin, and she learns about the Starlight Princess— who must not under any circumstance be reawakened. Driven to uncover the meaning of it, she finds herself caught up in a strange twist of events that eventually lead to bigger danger than she ever anticipated. Before long, Lucy is forced to make a choice between saving the world, or saving her best friend; only to discover that Valarie cannot be saved… that she has an even darker secret, and that her supposed star-crossed romance with Jason might not be so destined after all…
Release Date March 5, 2019
Initial Thoughts
I signed up for the Blitz for this book thinking that it sounded interesting. I didn’t know that I would receive a copy of the book as part of the process – so that was a very pleasant surprise.
Some Things I Liked
World building. I thought the world building was an interesting continuation of what we saw in Starlight. I liked the way the magic system was explained as well as the different species magical beings Lucy interacted with.
Single POV. I liked that Lucy was the only narrator here. I thought it made the story feel more mysterious. It definitely kept me on the edge of my seat.
One Thing I Wasn’t Crazy About
I wasn’t a fan of the setting change. I read the novella first and the setting was much more fantasy-oriented (as opposed to the modern setting in Lanterns in the Sky). I much preferred that setting.
Series Value
I would continue with this series. I can’t promise it would be right away, but I’d like to know what the next chapter of this series has in store for these characters.
Final Thoughts
I enjoyed this book. It was a bit of a change from the novella, Starlight, that I read first, but I thought the parts of the story that were continuations of the novella were well done. I would keep reading this series.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Recommendations for Further Reading
Furyborn by Claire Legrand – if you like the idea of lost royals and secrets, give this series by Claire Legrand a try.
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard – if you liked the idea of a lost heir mixed with forbidden magic, try this series.
Caraval by Stephanie Garber – if you like the description of the world in Starlight, try this series, it gave me several similar vibes.
March 24, 2020
AHHHH nooo! I wanted to love this book so much! I mean Loog at the cover! The premise and just the blurb had me so ready to love it, but damn it! I just couldn't. I mean it's not a bad book but I am a very descriptive reader and I'm also a character driven reader. This book for me was not fully finished in either aspect. Thats just my personal opinion. The plot and idea for this book is awesome, truly, its fantastic I just felt like it was unfinished. The world need more foundation and explination and the dialogue.... it lacks the integrity of a real conversation no mater when or where you have it you still need character chemistry.
It was hard to picture the world but even harder to really grasp what the characters were like physically and through out the book even intellectually. I needed more descriptions and information, On everything.
I will try nd read the authors books again for sure, but this one just felt like it needed a little more fine tuning.
2.5 stars
This book was given to me by net galley for an honest review.
It was hard to picture the world but even harder to really grasp what the characters were like physically and through out the book even intellectually. I needed more descriptions and information, On everything.
I will try nd read the authors books again for sure, but this one just felt like it needed a little more fine tuning.
2.5 stars
This book was given to me by net galley for an honest review.
February 10, 2020
The blurb on this book sounded interesting, but unfortunately this just fell short. There was an extreme lack of world building and character development. There was not enough in some areas and then just so much going on in others that I had to re-read it just to figure out what was going on.
I can't recommend this to anyone unfortunately. There are just too many amazing stories out there to pick this one up.
I can't recommend this to anyone unfortunately. There are just too many amazing stories out there to pick this one up.
March 4, 2020
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review.
I gotta say, this book was rough for me from the beginning. A lot of technical issues. However, I will say I started this book with very low expectations, especially after reading the prologue, and ended up enjoying the story well enough. Pleasantly surprised!
I will start with where I take issues with this book. From the 1st page, there wasn't a strong control of language and description. It was extremely repetitive, clumsy, and the descriptive vocabulary was very weak. If you can get past the prologue, you should be fine. Maybe even skip it altogether, honestly. Throughout the book, the writing seems a bit juvenile and some of the scenarios are poorly developed while the dialogue can be a bit cheesy in places, only worsening the juvenile feeling. The world building could do with some work, not entirely informative and a messy timeline. But it has potential. And thank goodness the actual story was good because that's what saved it for me.
A very interesting premise that intrigued me enough to continue reading. I obviously had problems with the technicalities of this book, but the story itself is what held me and enabled me to finish. The build got better and better as the book progressed. Particularly the last few chapters, it really picked up the story for me. There was much better pacing and seemed more put together in general. However, it must be noted that aliens and angels in one book is jarring. They do not belong in the same universe. Not enough explanation for either and really they just dont mesh. Also, the magic/powers, especially coming from the angels and our freaking MC, Lucy, were so weak. Why were they so weak and constantly fatigued?! I mean at several points I was just confused as to how anyone was still alive after the constant mistakes made and the overall pathetic-ness of the group.
I have to say I did not particularly care for any of the characters, except maybe Andrew. I liked him. But our main character, Lucy, was terrible for me. So impulsive, unwise, and childish. I couldn't stand her most of the time. And her half baked devotion and deep friendship with Valerie. I didnt get it or believe it. It seemed so forced and overdone. There was no foundation or chemistry to be honest. And not just between them two. That goes for all the characters. But I digress.
I would read the next book to see how everything unfolds and if the writing gets a bit better. With that epilogue ending, I am very intrigued to see what happens. And hopefully Lucy will get some romance. An Andrew/Lucy ship perhaps. We shall see!
I gotta say, this book was rough for me from the beginning. A lot of technical issues. However, I will say I started this book with very low expectations, especially after reading the prologue, and ended up enjoying the story well enough. Pleasantly surprised!
I will start with where I take issues with this book. From the 1st page, there wasn't a strong control of language and description. It was extremely repetitive, clumsy, and the descriptive vocabulary was very weak. If you can get past the prologue, you should be fine. Maybe even skip it altogether, honestly. Throughout the book, the writing seems a bit juvenile and some of the scenarios are poorly developed while the dialogue can be a bit cheesy in places, only worsening the juvenile feeling. The world building could do with some work, not entirely informative and a messy timeline. But it has potential. And thank goodness the actual story was good because that's what saved it for me.
A very interesting premise that intrigued me enough to continue reading. I obviously had problems with the technicalities of this book, but the story itself is what held me and enabled me to finish. The build got better and better as the book progressed. Particularly the last few chapters, it really picked up the story for me. There was much better pacing and seemed more put together in general. However, it must be noted that aliens and angels in one book is jarring. They do not belong in the same universe. Not enough explanation for either and really they just dont mesh. Also, the magic/powers, especially coming from the angels and our freaking MC, Lucy, were so weak. Why were they so weak and constantly fatigued?! I mean at several points I was just confused as to how anyone was still alive after the constant mistakes made and the overall pathetic-ness of the group.
I have to say I did not particularly care for any of the characters, except maybe Andrew. I liked him. But our main character, Lucy, was terrible for me. So impulsive, unwise, and childish. I couldn't stand her most of the time. And her half baked devotion and deep friendship with Valerie. I didnt get it or believe it. It seemed so forced and overdone. There was no foundation or chemistry to be honest. And not just between them two. That goes for all the characters. But I digress.
I would read the next book to see how everything unfolds and if the writing gets a bit better. With that epilogue ending, I am very intrigued to see what happens. And hopefully Lucy will get some romance. An Andrew/Lucy ship perhaps. We shall see!
January 20, 2020
ARC from NetGalley
1.5 stars
Well that was bad. I need a glass of wine.
No worldbuilding. I barely had any idea what the characters even looked like, let alone anything around them. The story was childish and seemingly put together as the author went, which can be done well but was not in this instance. The dialogue was juvenile. The story was juvenile. There were so many plot holes. I actually started to get angry as I read this book. The only reason I finished it was because I am going to meet my reading goal damnit.
I am going to start swearing and spoiling now
Too many plot holes. Too little worldbuilding. No character development at all. Uninteresting and unbelievable story. This is an ARC, so it is possibly going to get another look-over by the editor before publishing, but believe me that it needs it. There were lots of errors. This book reads more like it was geared towards tweens than teens/young adults. It was not good. I regret wasting my time on it. As I continue to write this, more irritating things keep coming to mind but whatever. I need to move on with my life *sips wine*
1.5 stars
Well that was bad. I need a glass of wine.
No worldbuilding. I barely had any idea what the characters even looked like, let alone anything around them. The story was childish and seemingly put together as the author went, which can be done well but was not in this instance. The dialogue was juvenile. The story was juvenile. There were so many plot holes. I actually started to get angry as I read this book. The only reason I finished it was because I am going to meet my reading goal damnit.
I am going to start swearing and spoiling now
Too many plot holes. Too little worldbuilding. No character development at all. Uninteresting and unbelievable story. This is an ARC, so it is possibly going to get another look-over by the editor before publishing, but believe me that it needs it. There were lots of errors. This book reads more like it was geared towards tweens than teens/young adults. It was not good. I regret wasting my time on it. As I continue to write this, more irritating things keep coming to mind but whatever. I need to move on with my life *sips wine*
April 6, 2019
Publisher- the parliament house
Length- 275
Cover – Cover is beautiful and mesmerizing .
Title – The title is very suitable for book and help to define the plot .
Blurb- It is full of twist and turns with an exciting plot . It is a story of two girls Lucy and Valarie who are childhood best friends . Valarie is depressed by an event happens with her in the past and Lucy tries to console her . Everything remains normal until a star fell from sky and hits Lucy’s head. There she met the mysterious boy Jason , whom she have seen in a photograph which was in Valerie’s drawer . After getting knocked by the star , she starts seeing memory dreams in which the starlight princess gets killed by a knight which looks similar to Jason. A girl name Adrina tries to save the princess who was a look-like of Valarie . Destiny throws the thunderstorm on Lucy and she learned about the reincarnated starlight princess who must stop a war from past life to save the world . Lucy tries to protect her best friend and the story unravel the secret of each character which leads to an unexpected ending . What is the secret of Valarie with Jason ? Did the starlight princess stops the war and save the world?
My Review – This book is an action pack tale . It is wonderful to read and story soon gets the reader involved . Each chapter is more exciting than the last one . I couldn’t put down the book because of the secret that unfold with the development of each character . I really appreciate the humour in the book which is shown through Lucy’s character . Main plot revolves around the reincarnation of starlight princess and the emergency to save the world . Language is realistic and the narration is simple . One of the best thing about the book is the way the author gets you to know about the relation between each character and facts from the navigation of universe . The unexpected ending and the epilogue leaves me astonished .
I feel that the story is slow pacing and I’m expecting more from Lucy’s character . There are few errors in the book .
I will give this book 4 stars 
In my opinion this book should be read by the people who love adventure , royality ,romance , about stars and story about best friends kicking ass .
Length- 275
Cover – Cover is beautiful and mesmerizing .
Title – The title is very suitable for book and help to define the plot .
Blurb- It is full of twist and turns with an exciting plot . It is a story of two girls Lucy and Valarie who are childhood best friends . Valarie is depressed by an event happens with her in the past and Lucy tries to console her . Everything remains normal until a star fell from sky and hits Lucy’s head. There she met the mysterious boy Jason , whom she have seen in a photograph which was in Valerie’s drawer . After getting knocked by the star , she starts seeing memory dreams in which the starlight princess gets killed by a knight which looks similar to Jason. A girl name Adrina tries to save the princess who was a look-like of Valarie . Destiny throws the thunderstorm on Lucy and she learned about the reincarnated starlight princess who must stop a war from past life to save the world . Lucy tries to protect her best friend and the story unravel the secret of each character which leads to an unexpected ending . What is the secret of Valarie with Jason ? Did the starlight princess stops the war and save the world?
My Review – This book is an action pack tale . It is wonderful to read and story soon gets the reader involved . Each chapter is more exciting than the last one . I couldn’t put down the book because of the secret that unfold with the development of each character . I really appreciate the humour in the book which is shown through Lucy’s character . Main plot revolves around the reincarnation of starlight princess and the emergency to save the world . Language is realistic and the narration is simple . One of the best thing about the book is the way the author gets you to know about the relation between each character and facts from the navigation of universe . The unexpected ending and the epilogue leaves me astonished .
I feel that the story is slow pacing and I’m expecting more from Lucy’s character . There are few errors in the book .
I will give this book 4 stars 
In my opinion this book should be read by the people who love adventure , royality ,romance , about stars and story about best friends kicking ass .
August 20, 2021
★★★☆☆ (3.5 / 5 stars)
Lucy’s life was normal, her life dominated by the mundane of school and her friends. Most of her time is devoted between her family and her best friend, Valerie. But one day, when a falling star knocks her out, her entire life changes. Suddenly, her past unravels. She learns that she is the reincarnated Starlight Princess…and she holds the key to protect the world from impending shadoews. Meanwhile, her friend Valerie, her supposed sister in a past life, has been kidnapped. Can Lucy, as well as Jason and a cohort of angels, save the world and find Valerie in the process? Or will she cause darkness to fall?
I was drawn to Lanterns in the Sky after reading Starlight a little over a year ago. While Starlight takes place in a more “high fantasy” type of world though, Lanterns in the Sky takes place today. But I’m so glad I read Starlight first – it gave a better perspective on Lucy, Valerie, Jason, and the angels. Rather than diving headfirst into the conflict, I could see the starting points. I think without it, I would have ended up confused and unsure of what was happening.
Ultimately, the story itself is fast paced, focusing on one thing not explored too often in writing: friendship between two women. Lucy and Valerie do everything for each other. While Jason tries to infiltrate it with his own agenda, it’s their friendship (and ultimately sisterhood) that shines. They’ll do anything for each other, as well as work together to save the world.
And I hope that will continue…despite the twist at the end!
Yet, the fast-paced nature of this story is what hurts it as well. The story could easily have two novels in it: the first half when they rescue Valerie, and the second half as they confront the shadoews while the Starlight Barrier falls. This would have allowed for more worldbuilding and cleared some things up for readers who hadn’t read the Starlight novella.
I did enjoy the overall story though and can’t wait to read what happens next. So many questions hang in the air: Jason’s loyalties and feelings, what Lucy will do late, and Valerie’s destiny! I am sure the next book will throw us in for another rollercoaster adventure with this crew!
Lucy’s life was normal, her life dominated by the mundane of school and her friends. Most of her time is devoted between her family and her best friend, Valerie. But one day, when a falling star knocks her out, her entire life changes. Suddenly, her past unravels. She learns that she is the reincarnated Starlight Princess…and she holds the key to protect the world from impending shadoews. Meanwhile, her friend Valerie, her supposed sister in a past life, has been kidnapped. Can Lucy, as well as Jason and a cohort of angels, save the world and find Valerie in the process? Or will she cause darkness to fall?
I was drawn to Lanterns in the Sky after reading Starlight a little over a year ago. While Starlight takes place in a more “high fantasy” type of world though, Lanterns in the Sky takes place today. But I’m so glad I read Starlight first – it gave a better perspective on Lucy, Valerie, Jason, and the angels. Rather than diving headfirst into the conflict, I could see the starting points. I think without it, I would have ended up confused and unsure of what was happening.
Ultimately, the story itself is fast paced, focusing on one thing not explored too often in writing: friendship between two women. Lucy and Valerie do everything for each other. While Jason tries to infiltrate it with his own agenda, it’s their friendship (and ultimately sisterhood) that shines. They’ll do anything for each other, as well as work together to save the world.
And I hope that will continue…despite the twist at the end!
Yet, the fast-paced nature of this story is what hurts it as well. The story could easily have two novels in it: the first half when they rescue Valerie, and the second half as they confront the shadoews while the Starlight Barrier falls. This would have allowed for more worldbuilding and cleared some things up for readers who hadn’t read the Starlight novella.
I did enjoy the overall story though and can’t wait to read what happens next. So many questions hang in the air: Jason’s loyalties and feelings, what Lucy will do late, and Valerie’s destiny! I am sure the next book will throw us in for another rollercoaster adventure with this crew!
April 29, 2020
#netgalley #arcreview #spoilerwarning
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🌺
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Lanterns in the Sky - P.S. Malcom
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🌺
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Lucy is just an regular girl till one day she is hit by an object and everything is gonna change...
✨
Overall I liked the storyline and the second half of the book was much better than the first.
I had some struggles with some characters and their development and how they interacted with each other ...
There are so many things going on that sometimes you get lost and it stays an bit superficial, while if the story was an bit more focused on the biggest points there was room to deepen the characters and their roles more..
✨
Lucy is the main character and I had an love hate relationship with her..
She is an bit whining and insecure and than spending some time with Andrew and it’s like snapping your fingers and she is totally different.. even one of the characters mock her about it.. but it makes you feel it as well 🤔 I don’t know if that’s an good thing.
✨
The ending is just an WTF moment, and makes me looking forward to book two 📖.
✨
Genre; fantasy, SciFi, YA
Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️
✨
Recommendation; yes but be prepared for maybe an disappointment, so if you start reading this without any expectation it can surprise you 😊 it’s how I read this book 💕
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🌺
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Description
Everything was normal for Lucy Maisfer until the day a star fell from the sky and knocked her out. Upon waking, she comes face-to-face with Jason Woods, who also happens to be the mysterious new guy in her best friend, Valarie's, life.
Then the strange dreams begin, and she learns about the Starlight Princess— who must not under any circumstance be reawakened. Driven to uncover the meaning of it, she finds herself caught up in a strange twist of events that eventually lead to bigger danger than she ever anticipated. Before long, Lucy is forced to make a choice between saving the world, or saving her best friend; only to discover that Valarie cannot be saved... that she has an even darker secret, and that her supposed star-crossed romance with Jason might not be so destined after all...
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🌺
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#lanternsinthesky #review #bookreview #tbr #stars #scifi #fantasy #adventure #reincarnation #powers #aliens #angels #bookstagram
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🌺
.
Lanterns in the Sky - P.S. Malcom
.
🌺
.
Lucy is just an regular girl till one day she is hit by an object and everything is gonna change...
✨
Overall I liked the storyline and the second half of the book was much better than the first.
I had some struggles with some characters and their development and how they interacted with each other ...
There are so many things going on that sometimes you get lost and it stays an bit superficial, while if the story was an bit more focused on the biggest points there was room to deepen the characters and their roles more..
✨
Lucy is the main character and I had an love hate relationship with her..
She is an bit whining and insecure and than spending some time with Andrew and it’s like snapping your fingers and she is totally different.. even one of the characters mock her about it.. but it makes you feel it as well 🤔 I don’t know if that’s an good thing.
✨
The ending is just an WTF moment, and makes me looking forward to book two 📖.
✨
Genre; fantasy, SciFi, YA
Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️
✨
Recommendation; yes but be prepared for maybe an disappointment, so if you start reading this without any expectation it can surprise you 😊 it’s how I read this book 💕
.
🌺
.
Description
Everything was normal for Lucy Maisfer until the day a star fell from the sky and knocked her out. Upon waking, she comes face-to-face with Jason Woods, who also happens to be the mysterious new guy in her best friend, Valarie's, life.
Then the strange dreams begin, and she learns about the Starlight Princess— who must not under any circumstance be reawakened. Driven to uncover the meaning of it, she finds herself caught up in a strange twist of events that eventually lead to bigger danger than she ever anticipated. Before long, Lucy is forced to make a choice between saving the world, or saving her best friend; only to discover that Valarie cannot be saved... that she has an even darker secret, and that her supposed star-crossed romance with Jason might not be so destined after all...
.
🌺
.
#lanternsinthesky #review #bookreview #tbr #stars #scifi #fantasy #adventure #reincarnation #powers #aliens #angels #bookstagram
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 22, 2020
What a different read from some of the other fantasy novels I’ve dove into lately. Lucy comes in contact with a fallen star and a mysterious new guy in one evening. What ensues is a catalyst of world-as-we-know-it ending proportions and some heavy secret reveals.
There’s a few different things going on here and I have to admit I didn’t see a lot of it coming. There is a mixture of “aliens” and angels that left some background and world building to be desired. I am still a little confused on how these two separate entities can mesh in the world. I think a little more discovery into their histories and how they fit the Starlight and Earth worlds would help this out (maybe book 2). The two worlds were an intriguing idea by the author but I feel more was needed there as well. They held an almost unrealistic feel in the fantasy element if that makes any sense.
There’s a part of me that felt this could almost be a middlegrade read based on character personality, content and writing style. The pace is quick and the narration is easy to follow in cadence. The characters develop in personality slowly and I preferred the final portion of the novel to the beginning. Lucy definitely has some growing to do as a character. The ending was a well disguised cliffhanger and I think readers who stick with the story will like that plot twist.
Overall, there are pros and cons with this one. I liked the unique plot perspective into the Starlight world. The cover is beautiful and I can see potential for the second book in this series. Thank you to Parliament Press for the opportunity to listen to this novel via audible for an honest and unbiased review. True rating 2.75, rounded for Goodreads.
There’s a few different things going on here and I have to admit I didn’t see a lot of it coming. There is a mixture of “aliens” and angels that left some background and world building to be desired. I am still a little confused on how these two separate entities can mesh in the world. I think a little more discovery into their histories and how they fit the Starlight and Earth worlds would help this out (maybe book 2). The two worlds were an intriguing idea by the author but I feel more was needed there as well. They held an almost unrealistic feel in the fantasy element if that makes any sense.
There’s a part of me that felt this could almost be a middlegrade read based on character personality, content and writing style. The pace is quick and the narration is easy to follow in cadence. The characters develop in personality slowly and I preferred the final portion of the novel to the beginning. Lucy definitely has some growing to do as a character. The ending was a well disguised cliffhanger and I think readers who stick with the story will like that plot twist.
Overall, there are pros and cons with this one. I liked the unique plot perspective into the Starlight world. The cover is beautiful and I can see potential for the second book in this series. Thank you to Parliament Press for the opportunity to listen to this novel via audible for an honest and unbiased review. True rating 2.75, rounded for Goodreads.
March 7, 2019
*I was sent a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own*
I enjoyed this one more than I thought I would, but it was definitely a slow start. The story didn't seem to really get going until I was about 23% through the story, but then it didn't stop through the rest of the story. It was an interesting concept, especially for someone that can't typically get into books that are sci-fi like, like this one. My main complaint with this was that it fell into the "the chosen one" trope that can sometimes get tedious because the main character is automatically good at everything.
I liked the characters (well, most of them) and I loved how thought out the world building was for this story. A lot of times I've found that some books have great concepts, but the world building is not the best so I am left confused for most of the story. I also loved how complex the relationships between the characters were. The alternating timelines and how interesting and tense some of the scenes were between Lucy, Valerie, and Jason were.
Overall, I'd say that if you are looking for a quick intro to sci-fi and aren't wanting to go in expecting a super complicated world, this would be a great one to start with. Also, I'd recommend this for people who love stories with alternating timelines since we are seeing more and more of those in YA recently.
I enjoyed this one more than I thought I would, but it was definitely a slow start. The story didn't seem to really get going until I was about 23% through the story, but then it didn't stop through the rest of the story. It was an interesting concept, especially for someone that can't typically get into books that are sci-fi like, like this one. My main complaint with this was that it fell into the "the chosen one" trope that can sometimes get tedious because the main character is automatically good at everything.
I liked the characters (well, most of them) and I loved how thought out the world building was for this story. A lot of times I've found that some books have great concepts, but the world building is not the best so I am left confused for most of the story. I also loved how complex the relationships between the characters were. The alternating timelines and how interesting and tense some of the scenes were between Lucy, Valerie, and Jason were.
Overall, I'd say that if you are looking for a quick intro to sci-fi and aren't wanting to go in expecting a super complicated world, this would be a great one to start with. Also, I'd recommend this for people who love stories with alternating timelines since we are seeing more and more of those in YA recently.
November 22, 2019
After reading the prequel I was intrigued to see where this story was heading so downloaded the first book of the series. And I have to say this is not what I expected. I assumed this was going to be set in an alternate world, but instead it is based in the modern day with familiar and recognisable elements throughout. Yes, the country is fictional however it is geographically placed within Europe and is not dissimilar to what most would recognise as contemporary society. There are elements of fantasy involved such as angels, starlight, and gods, but they are placed in this world not an alternative universe.
I found it more difficult to engage with the characters here than I did in 'Starlight', and did not feel there was much growth or development to them. Again it was easy to read and the story easy to follow, but it seemed to progress both too slowly and too quickly somehow - hard to explain really but that's how it left me feeling. There was an unexpected twist at the end which was good as it left me wanting to know more and find out what is going to happen next.
I found it more difficult to engage with the characters here than I did in 'Starlight', and did not feel there was much growth or development to them. Again it was easy to read and the story easy to follow, but it seemed to progress both too slowly and too quickly somehow - hard to explain really but that's how it left me feeling. There was an unexpected twist at the end which was good as it left me wanting to know more and find out what is going to happen next.
June 29, 2019
WOW. I read the Amazon reviews before reading this book, and I didn't understand what they meant by 'cinematic'. Now I do. This is BEGGING to be made into a movie. The idea is so original, and the descriptions and story line are breathtaking. The characters are dynamic and so interesting and I can't wait to see what happens with them.
I couldn't put this book down! I wish I had read it earlier.. and at the same time, wish I had waited until the rest of the books were out so I could binge them all!
Now that we've got my reaction out of the way..
This fantasy is a must read for those who love magic, royalty, and surprises while they're reading. There's a budding romance too, but it's definitely taken a back seat to the action--there's no time for that with everything that's going on in this book! If you love Princesses who are strong enough to save themselves, you have GOT to read this book.
I couldn't put this book down! I wish I had read it earlier.. and at the same time, wish I had waited until the rest of the books were out so I could binge them all!
Now that we've got my reaction out of the way..
This fantasy is a must read for those who love magic, royalty, and surprises while they're reading. There's a budding romance too, but it's definitely taken a back seat to the action--there's no time for that with everything that's going on in this book! If you love Princesses who are strong enough to save themselves, you have GOT to read this book.
January 21, 2020
So let's start by saying that the cover of this book is absolutely gorgeous and that is definitely what grabbed my attention. If only the rest of the book was as good as the cover led me to believe, I wouldn't have felt the need to leave a one-star review.
Let me start out by addressing the over usage of italics in this book. For me, italics should be rare and they should used to either emphasize something extremely important or for inner dialogue. In this book, every page had 5-8 words italicized and that was so distracting for me and had the absolute opposite effect than what I think was intended. Verbs and adjectives were italicized frequently, which I really don't get. In terms of writing style, that was my major concern.
The character development was another major concern in terms of content. The main character, Lucy, is a classic Mary Sue. A "perfect" female character who, with no experience or knowledge of battle, warfare or magic, suddenly develops this super ability to be great at all of it. In addition to her unrealistic abilities, her personality was extremely unlikable. Lucy is an incredibly whiny character and I found that to be so annoying. Her meltdown and extreme judmental-ness when her best friend wanted to go to a party (like the majority of teenagers do) left such a major bad taste in my mouth and after that, I found that I couldn't stand her holier-than-thou attitude. I also did not buy her friendship with Valarie, at all. Lucy treated her terribly but wanted to act like everyone should sacrifice themselves for her. I just couldn't reconcile their interactions with Lucy's extreme protectiveness. The villain in this novel was also not well developed; I didn't really understand her motivation nor did I find her to be particularly crafty or effective.
My other major concern is the number of fantasy elements that were present in this book. It had a rebellion, missing princess, reincarnation, aliens life forms, angels/fallen angels, magical abilities, mind control, super spying skills... it was just a lot. Limiting the number of elements to two or three would have really helped.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Let me start out by addressing the over usage of italics in this book. For me, italics should be rare and they should used to either emphasize something extremely important or for inner dialogue. In this book, every page had 5-8 words italicized and that was so distracting for me and had the absolute opposite effect than what I think was intended. Verbs and adjectives were italicized frequently, which I really don't get. In terms of writing style, that was my major concern.
The character development was another major concern in terms of content. The main character, Lucy, is a classic Mary Sue. A "perfect" female character who, with no experience or knowledge of battle, warfare or magic, suddenly develops this super ability to be great at all of it. In addition to her unrealistic abilities, her personality was extremely unlikable. Lucy is an incredibly whiny character and I found that to be so annoying. Her meltdown and extreme judmental-ness when her best friend wanted to go to a party (like the majority of teenagers do) left such a major bad taste in my mouth and after that, I found that I couldn't stand her holier-than-thou attitude. I also did not buy her friendship with Valarie, at all. Lucy treated her terribly but wanted to act like everyone should sacrifice themselves for her. I just couldn't reconcile their interactions with Lucy's extreme protectiveness. The villain in this novel was also not well developed; I didn't really understand her motivation nor did I find her to be particularly crafty or effective.
My other major concern is the number of fantasy elements that were present in this book. It had a rebellion, missing princess, reincarnation, aliens life forms, angels/fallen angels, magical abilities, mind control, super spying skills... it was just a lot. Limiting the number of elements to two or three would have really helped.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Read
February 4, 2020(I received an eARC from Netgalley for a voluntary and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.)
Book review: Lanterns in the sky (The Starlight chronicles #1) by P. S. Malcolm (3 stars)
Lanterns in the sky (The Starlight chronicles #1) by P. S. Malcolm
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Sci-fi, Romance
Rating: 3/5 stars
(Review)
(DISCLAIMER: All thoughts and opinions are my own.)
This book was pretty fast paced, but I didn’t feel that the characters were developed enough. It definitely showed great promise and almost reminded me of the Lux series.
I wasn’t a big fan of Jason but I did like Andrew. I liked the concept and the flow of the story, but I didn’t care or relate to the characters. Overall, I actually did enjoy the book, but wasn’t a fan of the characters enough to want to read the next book.
Book review: Lanterns in the sky (The Starlight chronicles #1) by P. S. Malcolm (3 stars)
Lanterns in the sky (The Starlight chronicles #1) by P. S. Malcolm
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Sci-fi, Romance
Rating: 3/5 stars
(Review)
(DISCLAIMER: All thoughts and opinions are my own.)
This book was pretty fast paced, but I didn’t feel that the characters were developed enough. It definitely showed great promise and almost reminded me of the Lux series.
I wasn’t a big fan of Jason but I did like Andrew. I liked the concept and the flow of the story, but I didn’t care or relate to the characters. Overall, I actually did enjoy the book, but wasn’t a fan of the characters enough to want to read the next book.
January 17, 2020
Lanterns in the Sky was the second book I read in January and it’s unfortunate that I found it to be easily forgettable and even though I didn’t come into this book with high expectations I was greatly disappointed. This book is about Lucy, a girl in high school who encounters a fallen star, then starts having dreams about the Starlight Princess; the setting is in our current world but in a fictional country.
Lucy, her best friend Valarie, and love interest Jason are the main characters that we follow and I had a hard time connecting with any of them. A lot of the things that they did throughout the book either didn’t make sense or were just too convenient. By the end I knew more about Valarie than Lucy and that was from information provided at the beginning.
The main setting for the story, Lorelei, had some real potential, but even though it was supposed to be in Europe everything just felt Americanized. The world building truly did suffer from a lack of information; throughout the story different locations are travelled to while little information is given about them.
The plot contained some things that had great potential, but they didn’t work well with others and at times it just felt like a big mess. In my opinion, if some of the extra things were stripped from the plot and there was more attention to detail the story would have been more enjoyable.
While Lanterns in the Sky is marketed as a young adult book the writing is lazy and immature with some more mature themes, so it would be difficult to recommend. Even if someone needed an easy introduction to fantasy I feel that there are better written books available.
Advanced e-copy provided by NetGalley.
Lucy, her best friend Valarie, and love interest Jason are the main characters that we follow and I had a hard time connecting with any of them. A lot of the things that they did throughout the book either didn’t make sense or were just too convenient. By the end I knew more about Valarie than Lucy and that was from information provided at the beginning.
The main setting for the story, Lorelei, had some real potential, but even though it was supposed to be in Europe everything just felt Americanized. The world building truly did suffer from a lack of information; throughout the story different locations are travelled to while little information is given about them.
The plot contained some things that had great potential, but they didn’t work well with others and at times it just felt like a big mess. In my opinion, if some of the extra things were stripped from the plot and there was more attention to detail the story would have been more enjoyable.
While Lanterns in the Sky is marketed as a young adult book the writing is lazy and immature with some more mature themes, so it would be difficult to recommend. Even if someone needed an easy introduction to fantasy I feel that there are better written books available.
Advanced e-copy provided by NetGalley.
January 12, 2020
Complete waste of time, effort, and energy. It didn’t make a single bit of sense. I re-read pages and pages trying to understand and decided to skip ahead to the ending and decided it was just a piece of crap. Thank goodness it was just an ARC. The idea that someone wants to actually publish this garbage is beyond me. It was also excessively violent for a book about teenagers.
I was provided with an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I was provided with an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
February 3, 2021
Unpopular review.
I have never hated a character as much as I hated the main character in this book. Every thing surrounding her logic and decisions made her life and her friends lives worse. It was painful read.
I have never hated a character as much as I hated the main character in this book. Every thing surrounding her logic and decisions made her life and her friends lives worse. It was painful read.
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April 6, 2020The premise sounded interesting but it was too all over the place/ several issues, so DNF’d.
July 19, 2019
This is the first book I have read by P.S. Malcolm and I thoroughly enjoyed it...
Lucy was a normal teenager until a star fell from the sky and knocked her unconscious...
This is definitely worth Hollywood....loved the characters and the storyline...
Can't wait to read the next book (if there is one)
Lucy was a normal teenager until a star fell from the sky and knocked her unconscious...
This is definitely worth Hollywood....loved the characters and the storyline...
Can't wait to read the next book (if there is one)
June 29, 2020
You can check out this review and my other reviews at Writing the Universe
Title: Lanterns in the Sky (The Starlight Chronicles #1)
Author: P.S. Malcolm
Pub. Date: March 5, 2020
Rating: 2 / DNF at 50%
This will be a spoiler free review, and I want to thank NetGalley for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review.
The cover is what initially drew me to this book, and then I read the synopsis. I pretty much impulse requested it on NetGalley and got the approval email. My expectations weren’t high for this book, but based on the synopsis, I did have high hopes. It sounded really unique and something I’d like.
Ya’ll this book just didn’t work.
I tried to convince myself to finish it, but between the writing style, the messy plot full of plot holes, the world building and the one-dimensional characters I just can’t stay invested.
Right off the bat, I wasn’t a fan of the writing style. It was really bland and basic. Writing style isn’t a make it or break it thing for me, so I pushed through my dislike, since the concept of the book sounded really interesting and cool.
Then there’s the plot.
Things happen in this book.
Well, obviously. I don’t know where I was going with that sentence.
Things happen in this book, some of it makes sense, other things are just weird and there’s such a strange mix of fantasy elements that it all just gets confusing and lost. I also didn’t quite understand the magic system, or how there are magical princess, aliens and angels…like I said, lots of fantasy elements that don’t quite mesh together. So much happens, but also like nothing happens of any real consequence? It’s like all the emotional weights were gone?
And the worldbuilding. I get the feel the author was going for, but a fictionalized European country, nestled amongst Easter European countries, but heavily influenced by Britain and everyone has American sounding names…
It’s also very confusing.
I get that the author was trying to go for a quintessential European feel, kind of reminded me of Switzerland in the very basic way it was described, but overall, it just felt very generic, flat and was supposed to be pretty. Almost a magical backdrop. Like, if you were to look up Travel Destinations in Switzerland, hilly, mountainous, gorgeous, that’s the vibe I was getting, but wasn’t quite picturing based on the descriptions given.
Now the characters…I wasn’t a fan of Lucy, or Valarie. Chrissy is just a stereotypical mean girl on steroids…basically Regina George. Jason was…well, to be honest, I didn’t care. None of the characters sparked anything in me. They were one-dimensional and at no moment was I rooting for them. Every character seemed to exist to further Lucy and Valarie along, adding really noting substantial to the rest of the story. For having their worlds upended, and pasts revealed, and everything else that happens, Lucy doesn’t ever really react? She sort of just takes it in stride, and suddenly with no training or anything, can just do things. I get that there’s magic involved in this, and that explains why, but come on. No one is just going to be okay with being thrust into a ever raging war, not without first losing their shit.
Ultimately, to my disappointment, this book just didn’t do it for me. Overall, it was just kind of a mess and I don’t want to recommend this to anyone. It’s just not worth it.
UPDATE: I went and read some of the Goodreads reviews once I’d finished writing my own, and I honestly feel like I read a different book form the 5-star reviews. Between the 5 and 1- & 2-star reviews, it a huge difference in opinion. I don’t know what it is, but the 5 -star reviews almost feel ingenuine – like, they’re too glowing…if that makes sense. They just read weird, or maybe it’s just me. I don’t recommend this book, but if you’re interested, I’ll leave the GR link – here – and you can check them out yourselves.
Title: Lanterns in the Sky (The Starlight Chronicles #1)
Author: P.S. Malcolm
Pub. Date: March 5, 2020
Rating: 2 / DNF at 50%
This will be a spoiler free review, and I want to thank NetGalley for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review.
The cover is what initially drew me to this book, and then I read the synopsis. I pretty much impulse requested it on NetGalley and got the approval email. My expectations weren’t high for this book, but based on the synopsis, I did have high hopes. It sounded really unique and something I’d like.
Ya’ll this book just didn’t work.
I tried to convince myself to finish it, but between the writing style, the messy plot full of plot holes, the world building and the one-dimensional characters I just can’t stay invested.
Right off the bat, I wasn’t a fan of the writing style. It was really bland and basic. Writing style isn’t a make it or break it thing for me, so I pushed through my dislike, since the concept of the book sounded really interesting and cool.
Then there’s the plot.
Things happen in this book.
Well, obviously. I don’t know where I was going with that sentence.
Things happen in this book, some of it makes sense, other things are just weird and there’s such a strange mix of fantasy elements that it all just gets confusing and lost. I also didn’t quite understand the magic system, or how there are magical princess, aliens and angels…like I said, lots of fantasy elements that don’t quite mesh together. So much happens, but also like nothing happens of any real consequence? It’s like all the emotional weights were gone?
And the worldbuilding. I get the feel the author was going for, but a fictionalized European country, nestled amongst Easter European countries, but heavily influenced by Britain and everyone has American sounding names…
It’s also very confusing.
I get that the author was trying to go for a quintessential European feel, kind of reminded me of Switzerland in the very basic way it was described, but overall, it just felt very generic, flat and was supposed to be pretty. Almost a magical backdrop. Like, if you were to look up Travel Destinations in Switzerland, hilly, mountainous, gorgeous, that’s the vibe I was getting, but wasn’t quite picturing based on the descriptions given.
Now the characters…I wasn’t a fan of Lucy, or Valarie. Chrissy is just a stereotypical mean girl on steroids…basically Regina George. Jason was…well, to be honest, I didn’t care. None of the characters sparked anything in me. They were one-dimensional and at no moment was I rooting for them. Every character seemed to exist to further Lucy and Valarie along, adding really noting substantial to the rest of the story. For having their worlds upended, and pasts revealed, and everything else that happens, Lucy doesn’t ever really react? She sort of just takes it in stride, and suddenly with no training or anything, can just do things. I get that there’s magic involved in this, and that explains why, but come on. No one is just going to be okay with being thrust into a ever raging war, not without first losing their shit.
Ultimately, to my disappointment, this book just didn’t do it for me. Overall, it was just kind of a mess and I don’t want to recommend this to anyone. It’s just not worth it.
UPDATE: I went and read some of the Goodreads reviews once I’d finished writing my own, and I honestly feel like I read a different book form the 5-star reviews. Between the 5 and 1- & 2-star reviews, it a huge difference in opinion. I don’t know what it is, but the 5 -star reviews almost feel ingenuine – like, they’re too glowing…if that makes sense. They just read weird, or maybe it’s just me. I don’t recommend this book, but if you’re interested, I’ll leave the GR link – here – and you can check them out yourselves.
May 29, 2019
Wow, this book was absolutely incredible! It was like Stardust meets Fallen but so different and unique. The writing flowed nicely, I could totally see this being made into a movie. It had a great story line that I haven't read before in the YA genre! I could not put it down once I was invested! Everything about it drew me in more and more, especially the prologue, talk about a great way to open a book.
I really loved all the characters even the ones that I probably shouldn't have (you'll understand what I mean when you read it.) The main character Lucy, was so well developed throughout the book. She got so much tougher as the story went on. I really loved how she cared for her bestfriend, Valarie. She would surely be someone I'd want to befriend in the real world.
I can't recommend this book enough! The ending was a bit of a cliffhanger so I'll have to try and patiently wait for the next installment, which seriously can't come fast enough. I'm very much looking forward to continuing my journey with Lucy and the rest of her gang in what's turning out to be an incredible YA fantasy series. This is a must read for all YA lovers.
I really loved all the characters even the ones that I probably shouldn't have (you'll understand what I mean when you read it.) The main character Lucy, was so well developed throughout the book. She got so much tougher as the story went on. I really loved how she cared for her bestfriend, Valarie. She would surely be someone I'd want to befriend in the real world.
I can't recommend this book enough! The ending was a bit of a cliffhanger so I'll have to try and patiently wait for the next installment, which seriously can't come fast enough. I'm very much looking forward to continuing my journey with Lucy and the rest of her gang in what's turning out to be an incredible YA fantasy series. This is a must read for all YA lovers.
June 22, 2020
#netgalley #arcreview #spoilerwarning
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🌺
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Lanterns in the Sky - P.S. Malcom
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🌺
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Lucy is just an regular girl till one day she is hit by an object and everything is gonna change...
✨
Overall I liked the storyline and the second half of the book was much better than the first.
I had some struggles with some characters and their development and how they interacted with each other ...
There are so many things going on that sometimes you get lost and it stays an bit superficial, while if the story was an bit more focused on the biggest points there was room to deepen the characters and their roles more..
✨
Lucy is the main character and I had an love hate relationship with her..
She is an bit whining and insecure and than spending some time with Andrew and it’s like snapping your fingers and she is totally different.. even one of the characters mock her about it.. but it makes you feel it as well 🤔 I don’t know if that’s an good thing.
✨
The ending is just an WTF moment, and makes me looking forward to book two 📖.
✨
Genre; fantasy, SciFi, YA
Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️
✨
Recommendation; yes but be prepared for maybe an disappointment, so if you start reading this without any expectation it can surprise you 😊 it’s how I read this book 💕
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🌺
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Description
Everything was normal for Lucy Maisfer until the day a star fell from the sky and knocked her out. Upon waking, she comes face-to-face with Jason Woods, who also happens to be the mysterious new guy in her best friend, Valarie's, life.
Then the strange dreams begin, and she learns about the Starlight Princess— who must not under any circumstance be reawakened. Driven to uncover the meaning of it, she finds herself caught up in a strange twist of events that eventually lead to bigger danger than she ever anticipated. Before long, Lucy is forced to make a choice between saving the world, or saving her best friend; only to discover that Valarie cannot be saved... that she has an even darker secret, and that her supposed star-crossed romance with Jason might not be so destined after all...
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🌺
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#lanternsinthesky #review #bookreview #tbr #stars #scifi #fantasy #adventure #reincarnation #powers #aliens #angels #bookstagram
.
🌺
.
Lanterns in the Sky - P.S. Malcom
.
🌺
.
Lucy is just an regular girl till one day she is hit by an object and everything is gonna change...
✨
Overall I liked the storyline and the second half of the book was much better than the first.
I had some struggles with some characters and their development and how they interacted with each other ...
There are so many things going on that sometimes you get lost and it stays an bit superficial, while if the story was an bit more focused on the biggest points there was room to deepen the characters and their roles more..
✨
Lucy is the main character and I had an love hate relationship with her..
She is an bit whining and insecure and than spending some time with Andrew and it’s like snapping your fingers and she is totally different.. even one of the characters mock her about it.. but it makes you feel it as well 🤔 I don’t know if that’s an good thing.
✨
The ending is just an WTF moment, and makes me looking forward to book two 📖.
✨
Genre; fantasy, SciFi, YA
Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️
✨
Recommendation; yes but be prepared for maybe an disappointment, so if you start reading this without any expectation it can surprise you 😊 it’s how I read this book 💕
.
🌺
.
Description
Everything was normal for Lucy Maisfer until the day a star fell from the sky and knocked her out. Upon waking, she comes face-to-face with Jason Woods, who also happens to be the mysterious new guy in her best friend, Valarie's, life.
Then the strange dreams begin, and she learns about the Starlight Princess— who must not under any circumstance be reawakened. Driven to uncover the meaning of it, she finds herself caught up in a strange twist of events that eventually lead to bigger danger than she ever anticipated. Before long, Lucy is forced to make a choice between saving the world, or saving her best friend; only to discover that Valarie cannot be saved... that she has an even darker secret, and that her supposed star-crossed romance with Jason might not be so destined after all...
.
🌺
.
#lanternsinthesky #review #bookreview #tbr #stars #scifi #fantasy #adventure #reincarnation #powers #aliens #angels #bookstagram
February 14, 2020
Thank you to NetGalley and The Parliament House for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. These opinions are exclusively my own.
With such a beautiful cover, I expected equal greatness inside, but this book just was not it. Sure it sounded promising, but sadly, it did not deliver.
This book involves the first evolved humans after dinosaurs, called Starlight people, evil aliens, and angels.
For almost the entirety of this book, I was rolling my eyes at their idiocy or scratching my head in confusion. Sure this book moves at a fast pace, but it does so in a very messy choppy way. We were either given no information at all or random pieces of information, that seemed valuable but really just jumbled my brain even worse, there was no in between. The plot was so messy and convoluted that I just gave up trying to understand. The more I questioned either information or characters’ actions, the more annoyed I became.
The characters were lackluster, and I really did not feel connected with any of them. Their actions and plans had so many holes.
There was little to no world building, which made it difficult to fully dive into this world. Other than its set somewhere in Europe near Austria (though if the author hadn’t explicitly said it, I would have guessed it was the USA. Everything seems very Americanized), there was no world building about the ancient Kingdoms.
Even the writing was pretty juvenile. Again, it just didn't entice me into the story.
I gave it an additional star only because the last 5% caught my attention (i know im being generous). Sadly though, I will not be continuing this series despite that interesting reveal. I *barely* made it through this book without DNFing it, I dont think i can make it through a second time.
This book really did not work for me, but it might work for you so consider borrowing it from your local library, if available.
With such a beautiful cover, I expected equal greatness inside, but this book just was not it. Sure it sounded promising, but sadly, it did not deliver.
This book involves the first evolved humans after dinosaurs, called Starlight people, evil aliens, and angels.
For almost the entirety of this book, I was rolling my eyes at their idiocy or scratching my head in confusion. Sure this book moves at a fast pace, but it does so in a very messy choppy way. We were either given no information at all or random pieces of information, that seemed valuable but really just jumbled my brain even worse, there was no in between. The plot was so messy and convoluted that I just gave up trying to understand. The more I questioned either information or characters’ actions, the more annoyed I became.
The characters were lackluster, and I really did not feel connected with any of them. Their actions and plans had so many holes.
There was little to no world building, which made it difficult to fully dive into this world. Other than its set somewhere in Europe near Austria (though if the author hadn’t explicitly said it, I would have guessed it was the USA. Everything seems very Americanized), there was no world building about the ancient Kingdoms.
Even the writing was pretty juvenile. Again, it just didn't entice me into the story.
I gave it an additional star only because the last 5% caught my attention (i know im being generous). Sadly though, I will not be continuing this series despite that interesting reveal. I *barely* made it through this book without DNFing it, I dont think i can make it through a second time.
This book really did not work for me, but it might work for you so consider borrowing it from your local library, if available.
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