Amid Stars and Darkness by Chani Lynn Feener | Book Review

Title: Amid Stars and Darkness

Author: Chani Lynn Feener

Series: The Xenith Trilogy #1

Genre: Young Adult, Sci-fi, Futuristic, Romance

Publisher: Swoon Reads

Publication date: July 18th, 2017

Pages: 368

My rating:

Delaney’s entire world is thrown into chaos after she is mistaken for Lissa Olena, an alien princess hiding out on Earth in order to escape an arranged marriage.

Kidnapped by the princess’s head bodyguard, Ruckus, and imprisoned in an alien palace, Delaney is forced to impersonate the princess until Olena can be found. If she fails, it will lead to an alien war and the eventual enslavement of the entire human race.

No pressure or anything.

Factor in Trystan, the princess’s terrifying betrothed who is intent on unraveling all her secrets, and her own growing feelings for Ruckus, and Delaney is in way over her head.

“One definite good thing about having such a large bed: There were more than enough blankets and pillows to help muffle her sobs.”

Okay, I was super excited to read this book because I’ve heard nothing but amazing and positive things about it, and since the sequel was about to come out this month, I decided to pick it up and see if it was as good as everyone’s been saying, and though I had some issues here and there, I must admit it was a very addicting and fun read, and I cannot wait to read the sequel after that cliffhanger at the end!

I guess one of the main issues I had was that I was expecting a very sci-fi focused story, with lots of world building and a very complex plot, and this book wasn’t that at all. I would say it’s more of a love story with lots of drama but set in space, and the world building was pretty much lacking. It was more a character driven type of novel, and my main complain was that I wish I knew more about the world, because though we get a small picture of it throughout the story and about the alien’s society, there wasn’t much.

However, it was a very action packed and fast paced story, and if you’re looking for a fun and entertaining read maybe this one will be perfect for you, because though those elements I’ve mentioned before weren’t as developed, I had such a good time reading it, and it was a super addicting read. I couldn’t stop reading, and yes, there were some revelations that were a bit predictable, but I was having a good time, so I didn’t really mind that.

“I don’t care that I don’t know what you really look like, don’t you get that? It’s not the package that I’m interested in here. It’s you. The girl who fought off three tellers with nothing but her smarts.”

The characters were okay, though I wasn’t super impressed by them. I would say they are your typical YA romance main character and love interest, but I’d say the protagonist had a nice development throughout the story, and despite being quite annoying at times and not making the best decisions (does it ring a bell?), I enjoyed reading from her perspective and getting to know everything that was happening to her.

The romance didn’t blow my mind. I guess I was expecting something different, and though it took its time to happen (I cannot remember if it was insta love-y, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t as hardcore as other books I’ve read), there was something about the relationship between those characters that made me feel I’ve read that before.

But I have to admit that Amid Stars and Darkness had a very interesting antagonist. At the beginning I wasn’t the biggest fan of him, but as I continued reading the story, I started to find him more and more interesting and mysterious, and after the ending I would really like to see how he’s going to be in the sequel.

Overall, though the plot and the world building were pretty simple and it was more a character driven type of story, it was a very fun and entertaining book and I really enjoyed the ending, so of course, despite not being in love with this first installment, I’ll be picking up the next one!