After reading the Scepter and Crown series by C. F. E. Black last year, I decided to pick up her next book, The Starlit Prince, part of the Fae Secrets series of standalone romantasy novels. This story was inspired by the Spanish fairytale The Lily and the Bear, but could also be compared to Beauty and the Beast, one of my favorite fairytales.

Before we dive in to the review on the book, here is a reminder of how I rate what I read (these will be on a scale of 1-10, 1 being low, 10 being high):

• Plot Structure: How well the story was put together.
• Character Development: Level of growth a character achieves and how well the author makes them feel “real.”
• Language: Level of swearing, innuendos, verbal abuse, and other triggers.
• Violence: Level of fight scenes and gore.
• Sexual Content: Level of physical intimacy.

Something new this year will also be my star ratings. As I’m a reviewing with Reedsy Discovery, I will be sharing more of those books here as well. They have a specific star rating system that I will be using when rating books.

Here are the star ratings and what they mean:

Anything less than two stars will not be posted as I don’t want to waste your time or mine.

If you would like an editorial review for your own book with content ratings, you can contact me directly, or request me as your reviewer on Reedsy Discovery.

Disclaimer: The more I write, the more I critique books harder on plot structure and how the various elements work together. Thus my reviews reflect this. However, if you see a book appear on the blog, it’s because I enjoyed reading and thought you, as a fellow bookie, would enjoy it as well. As always, reading is subjective and what resonates with me may not resonate with you. And that’s OK! We’re in this to discover new books that are family appropriate and worth taking the time to read.

Book Description:

A bride. A sacrifice. A marriage that will shake a kingdom. 

Talia’s future is stolen the night her landlord’s cruelty shatters her dreams. To save her family from ruin, she will be forced into a marriage with the very man who betrayed her. But just as all hope seems lost, a mysterious stranger offers a surprising bargain: marry him instead, and he’ll free her family from the landlord’s grasp.

In a whirlwind, Talia is swept into a marriage with Rafael, a fae who harbors secrets darker than her worst nightmares. As she leaves behind the life she knew, she’s thrust into a world of magic, deception, and danger, where every truth she uncovers about her husband only deepens the mystery of his intentions. Despite what he did for her, Rafael is no savior—he is a tormented soul, bound to secrets that could cost her everything.

But as Talia unravels the layers of their magical union, she realizes the line between love and survival is razor-thin. To unlock the truth, she must confront her own fears and risk the one thing she has left: her heart.

The Starlit Prince is a haunting, magical romance inspired by the Spanish fairytale The Lily and the Bear, blending Beauty and the Beast vibes with the star-crossed love of a fierce, determined heroine and a tortured hero who may just be the love of her life—or her greatest undoing. Perfect for fans of dark fairytales, complex characters, and hard-won happily ever afters. This is a no-spice romance with darker themes set in a world of connected standalone books.

My Review:

The Starlit Prince starts out with Talia chasing down horse thieves in a borrowed party dress. When she discovers her father’s prized horse is stolen, she takes matters into her own hands, because if she didn’t she’d be married off to a man her family is indebted to.

Talia and her friend chase the thief into a distant town, narrowly escaping magical beasts, part of the “Wild Hunt,” that lay outside the city walls. Once inside, Talia locates the horse, but it has already been sold, and her dream of freedom is shrinking fast.

The man who brokered the horse sale, offers Talia a proposition that alters her life. If she will marry him, he’ll ensure her father has a horse to win the race, and pay off their debts.

Talia accepts, and that’s when things get interesting.

The Spanish vibes in this story provide a beautiful backdrop to the characters. We see rolling countrysides that are also hot and dusty. When we enter the fae realm, the scenery shifts to unpredictable and dangerous, along with a healthy does of intrigue.

The Starlit Prince has more of the typical romantic fantasy plot line of a girl in distress and the man saving her from a terrible fate. However, this book takes things in a little different direction with making Rafael our initial antagonist.

Rafael, cursed to become a bear when the daylight shines, is not marrying Talia for love, or because he thinks her beautiful. Instead he marries her to take on his curse and free him from becoming a bear permenantly. This added depth to Rafael’s character and the eventual redemption arc was a refreshing twist. The turmoil he feels over Talia taking his curse made me as a reader holding my breath.

Another thing I appreciated was the fact that Talia and Rafael don’t automatically fall for one another. We see moments where they start to fall and then pull back either because of misunderstanding, regret, guilt, or anger. Then, when they do get closer, the reader is left biting their nails because if they fall in love, Talia dies.

I will say, one thing that would have helped this book to get a five would have been making Talia’s taking on of Rafael’s curse more dangerous. The ending felt too quick, and in some areas, too easy. Also, there wasn’t enough need for Talia to go to the new king’s palace and the dancing competition that happened there.

However, despite that, I really enjoyed reading this book and would definitely recommend it for romantasy readers who want something with a good plot and no spice.

How I rated this series:

• Plot Structure: 8/10; There were lots of things to love about this story. One thing that could have made it better would have been to drag out Rafael falling for Talia. For someone who was willing to sacrifice another person to regain his life, he gave up his ambitions too fast.
• Character Development: 8/10; Talia and Rafael both felt well-rounded. Their needs and desires felt true and resonate with the reader.
• Language: 2/10; In-world curses, but very minimal.
• Violence: 3/10; The battle between Rafael and his brother is the only big fight in this story. Nothing gory, nor graphic is mentioned.
• Sexual Content: 2/10; Talia stumbles on Rafael with his shirt off, but he quickly dresses. Talia and Rafael kiss a couple times. nothing beyond that.

Conclusion:

The Starlit Prince is a great story. Black’s storytelling ability grows with every book and I can’t wait to read the next story in her series, The Shadow Heir. To learn more about C. F. E. Black you can visit her website and follow her on Instagram.