Honest Book Review of Written in Starlight
Author: Sloane Brooks
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An Interesting Concept That Fell Flat
Written in Starlight by Sloane Brooks had the kind of concept that immediately made me request the ARC. A storybook chambermaid and an intergalactic bounty hunter begin communicating through a magical book, bringing fantasy and science fiction together in one story. That sounded so different, and I was ready to see how it would all work.
Unfortunately, the idea was more interesting to me than the actual story.
What Is Written in Starlight About?
Della is a chambermaid living in what feels like a storybook world, while Ansel is an intergalactic bounty hunter from a completely different world. The two begin writing letters to each other through a magical book.
I loved the idea of two people from completely different worlds connecting through letters. It had so much potential for romance, mystery, and really interesting world building.
If you love the idea of two characters falling for each other through magical letters, I highly recommend Divine Rivals and Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross. The letters are one of my favorite parts of the duology, and the romance between Iris and Roman actually made me feel invested in their connection.
Why Written in Starlight Didnāt Work for Me
I couldnāt connect with Della at all. Her character felt flat, and I didnāt feel invested in what was happening to her.
Ansel had a lot more life to him. His character seemed really promising, and I was much more interested in learning about his world and what he was doing. Unfortunately, even Ansel wasnāt enough to keep me reading.
There was also so much internal dialogue and description of their personal lives. It felt like I was spending a lot of time inside their heads, but the actual story wasnāt moving forward.
The Characters and World Building
For a sci fi fantasy, I needed a lot more world building early on.
How did these two worlds work? What made them different? How did the magical book connect them?
Instead, I knew more about the charactersā thoughts and personal lives than I did about the worlds they were living in. The fantasy and science fiction parts were what made me want to read this book, but they kept getting pushed into the background.
The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon is a great example of sci fi fantasy done well, in my opinion. The world feels huge, the magic is interesting, and the charactersā personal stories are still connected to everything happening around them.
That balance was what I needed from Written in Starlight.
Why I DNFād Written in Starlight
The letters between Della and Ansel were confusing on my Kindle. I had trouble telling their narratives apart, and their voices started blending together. I kept having to stop and figure out whose letter I was reading.
Maybe the formatting is clearer in a physical copy, but it didnāt work well for me on Kindle.
By the time I reached 10 percent, the back and forth had been happening for quite a while, and it felt like the plot had completely stalled. I realized I had already lost interest and didnāt really care what happened next.
I ended up DNFing somewhere between 10 and 12 percent.
Who Might Still Enjoy This Book?
Readers who enjoy slower, character focused stories with a lot of internal dialogue may have a completely different experience with this one. The concept is unique, and Ansel seemed like he could have been an interesting character.
I just needed more world building, clearer letters, and more plot movement to pull me into the story.
Thank you to the publisher and author for providing me with an ARC. All opinions are my own.
Ā Advance Review Copy generously provided through NetGalley and by Atria Books in exchange for an honest review.
