Name: Ashlee's review of Darken the Stars by Amy A. Bartol
Item: Darken the Stars
Rating: 5
Author: Ashlee

Amy A. Bartol

Kyon Ensin finally has what he's always wanted: possession of Kricket Hollowell, the priestess who foresees the future. Together, their combined power will be unrivaled. Kricket, however, doesn't crave the crown of Ethar--she has an unbreakable desire to live life on her own terms, a life that she desperately wants to share with her love, Trey Allairis. As conspiracies rage in the war for Ethar, Kricket's so-called allies want to use her as a spy. Even those held closest cannot be trusted--including Astrid, her sister, and Giffen, a member of a mysterious order with a hidden agenda. But Kricket's resolve will not allow her to be used as anyone's pawn, even as the Brotherhood sharpens its plans to cut out her heart. As the destiny prophesied by her mother approaches, Kricket will backtrack through her fiery future to reshape it. For she knows one thing above all else: the only person she can truly count on is herself.

Darken the Stars

Ashlee

Vesselina

Elise Soper

I did not like this one 

I loved the first two books but this book was a deal 
breaker for me, i dont like how it ended whatsoever. I felt like she could’ve been and done so much more but it’s authors choice I guess I just wasn’t a fan.

Lysha Taynish

It wasn’t that bad...but I somehow expected more 🤷🏽‍♀️❤️

Ali Dane

I've never not been able to finish a series that I have started. I'm to a point now where I can't even go on reading this book anymore. I loved the first book. Raved about it. This is so disappointing. I don't know why I'm surprised with how long it took to put the books out. I cannot stand the direction this book is taking. Romanticism of a plainly abusive relationship and a complete disregard for any character development the story has had. She got rid of everything that was working for the story, and made me feel bad for even reading this. It was actually making me feel gross to read the interactions between Kyon and Kricket. what. the actual. F@$&.

Kristen

I did not love this as much as the first two. As always, I loved Kricket and her spunk, and I love how fast paced the story can be. In many places, it's one thing after another for Kricket, and I love that.

However, I feel like it's unfinished. Too much is left to the reader's imagination and the ending is a gaping hole. It's not BAD, and the series is definitely worth reading. I just think the author purposefully left things hanging open either in case she decided to add on to the series or for the readers to imagine their own ending when Kricket is older. 

I liked the book overall. The final book in a series, in my opinion, usually underperforms when its predecessors were particularly good. 

I enjoyed the Kyon/Kricket angle, because I loved learning more about Kyon and watching his tortured soul become an antihero instead of a villain, but Kricket still lost a lot of my respect in this book. There are just things that I value, and clearly she doesn't hold those values as highly as I do, which was a lot of my problem with this book. She tried. I will give her that. But when you hold the power to break someone you claim to love, you have to commit one way or the other. I was left feeling very confused and unsure, and I don't like that when I leave a series I feel invested in.

It's definitely the weakest link in the series, and because it was supposed to be an ending, that was pretty disappointing. If the author adds to this series, my opinions would probably change. As a middle book, the unfinished ending wouldn't be a problem. However, the way things are now, this is how I feel. I would absolutely, in a half second, pick up a fourth book in this series.

Emma Myers

Physical and mental abuse equals the BeSt lOvE sToRy. 

Wow. I can't even with this series. I literally regret finishing it. If you haven't read it. Don't. It's the worst of all the series. I cared very little about anyone but Trey in the series and even HE WAS PROBLEMATIC. However, the book decides to take a hard right turn on anything they demonstrated in the first books. I would have rather gone blind then even pick this up. 

0/5

4.5 (This review may have some mild spoilers, but nothing explicitly stated.)

What can I say about this book? First of all, I am writing this review about three months after having originally read it and am so happy I waited. I found myself with a terrible book hangover after finishing this. I loved it, but also wasn't sure what to think of it and really just needed to give myself time to process it. After some time, I really feel differently about it than I did when I first finished.


  "I think I’m the most hurt by the fact that I’m not like him. I would’ve chosen him over everything else. The whole world could’ve burned down and I would’ve pulled him from the wreckage of it."


Let me start by saying that this book does not have the pace of the previous two books in the least. Additionally, there is a certain male character that I came to love immensely that does not have as big of a role in this installment as he did in the previous two. At first I found myself very frustrated by this as he was my favorite character in the series and I just wanted more and more of him. Looking back, I do still wish we had more of a look at what he was doing throughout this story when he wasn't present. I really found myself questioning his actions and motives and would love more insight into his mind and what he was thinking at the time. Needless to say, it felt a little personal, as if someone had broken a promise to me. 


  "I found her. I lost her. I found her. I lost her. I found her."


On the other hand, there is another male character we get a WHOLE LOT OF. A whole lot I did not want or desire initially, but Bartol really knows how to make you go from loving to hate a character to wanting to love them. This is exactly how I felt. Now, let me also make a reference to this character's history throughout the story. He has done some really horrible things and despite the explanations in this story for his actions, I did not feel like they were excusable at all. On the other hand, I still grew to have feelings for him as the story progressed and felt myself even pitying and rooting for him at times. One cannot deny that him and Kricket would make a ruthless and powerful team, as this installment hints at. 


  "Deep down, however, I fear that I’ve come to love a lie."


Now, onto Kricket herself. It is apparent that Kricket is not the same person she was when this story started. Where are her loyalties? As this story progresses, its clear that Kricket's heart and mind are at war with each other and she is trying hard to understand who can be trusted and who does not have her best interests at heart. Those she was certain would always support her aren't around and those she told herself to guard against are willing to do anything for her, even if they didn't intend for that to happen either. However, perhaps Kricket hasn't changed as much as it appears. The most important person in Kricket's life is herself and at the end of the day she must make the choice that is best for her and so that's exactly what she does. With a little bit of revenge, cunning and fury tossed in there too.

The ending to this story was not at all what I expected. I am not a "must have my HEA!" type person, but this ending really took me by surprise and left me feeling a little unsettled. I totally support and understand Kricket's choice, but I also wish there could have been another way. 

Now, if you read this and are wanting more, take a stroll over to Bartol's blog as there is a little sampling of what could be a progression of this story and why she has not published more (at this point). That being said, I feel like there is so much more to be told about this story - Kricket, Trey, Kyon, Ethar & Earth, our boys Jax and Wayra, Charisma and Trey's family, Giffen and Astrid and more. I don't want to be one of THOSE people but if any series could continue past where it was meant to end, this one would be my choice. (I hope you're reading this, 47North!)

At the end of the day, despite the ending taking me by surprise, this is still one of my all-time favorite series and one I will continue to cherish as time goes on.

Ashlee &
Darken the Stars by Amy A. Bartol

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Darken the Stars by Amy A. Bartol