Claim Now Amid Stars And Darkness (The Xenith Trilogy #1) Assembled By Chani Lynn Feener File Format PDF

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I absolutely enjoyed reading this book, It was more than I was expecting and I loved it, Even though I had no very high expectations on it, I was quite excited to read this book because the premise totally intrigued me and that beautiful cover made it even more irresistible so I knew I had to read this.
I've already read the author's Beguiling Trickery which is my first book from her but sadly, it didn't worked out for me.
I'm so glad this one turned out to be so entertaining and amazing, I loved every aspect of this book! I loved the characters, the plot and the swoony romance,

Delaney is a normal human girl who is having fun with her friend Mariana at a club but suddenly her life turns into a chaos when she gets kidnapped by an alien bodyguard Ruckus who mistaken's her for  Lissa Olena, alien princess of  Vakar who is hiding on earth to escape from an arranged marriage with the prince of their enemy planet Kint.
After realizing their mistake, Ruckus has no choice but to force Delaney to impersonate Lissa until they found the real princess for the sake of saving both of their planets.
Now Delaney has to act like the spoiled princess Lissa who seems quite opposite to her personality but the real surprise comes in the form of her betrothed prince Trystan of Kint who looks alluring but he's terrifying as hell.
They totally hate each other but they both agreed to this marriage to keep the peace between their planets, When Trystan meets her, he gets pretty surprised by her sudden change of behavior and is intent on finding out all her secrets that she's hiding.
With her developing feelings towards Ruckus, Delaney needs to convince Trystan that she's princess Lissa until they find the real princess and get her back.


    I loved Delaney! She's pretty great in this book and I totally loved her personality, She's smart, funny, stubborn, witty and brave, Despite being thrown into such a difficult situation, she always stood strong and acted smart, She's never afraid to speak her mind and never gives up without a fight, Ander Ruckus is totally swoon worthy character, He is loyal, fun, protective and handsome, He feels sorry for kidnapping Delaney from her home and later forcing her to act as an alien princess but with the dangerous situation they're in with the Kints he got no choice.
I loved the slow burn romance between Delaney and Ruckus, It was sweet, fun and swoon worthy, Trystan is quite an intriguing character, He acts like a Jerk but I still think he's not such a bad guy and I can't wait to know more about him.
Despite I enjoyed every interaction between Trystan and Delaney, I'm still rooting for Ruckus, The secondary characters are also good but they're not fleshed out well enough to know much about them, I liked Mariana, Gibus and Pettus, Mariana who is best friend of Delaney is a fiesty and fun character,  I hope we get to see more of her in the next book because this book needs more girl friendship.
 

The plot is entertaining and engaging! Even though it was a bit predictable, it was well executed and I enjoyed it till the end.
It's a fast paced story filled with action, sweet romance, drama and intrigue, I was hooked to the plot from the first page and It never left me bored, The writing style of the author is pretty good and easy to understand, The whole book is told in third person POV,  I liked the world the author created but sadly, there isn't much world building in this book because most of the story is set inside the castle of Vakar.
I hope the next book has more world building because I really want to explore more of this world, The aliens in this book looks just like humans except for their height and eyes, I liked the unique culture of Vakar and their tandem games,  

Overall, It was a great read! The book finally concludes with a huge cliffhanger which I already saw it coming but it still left me dying for the next book.
I can't wait to read the next book, I hope the author releases it as soon as possible,   I wasn't sure what to expect with this one, but it was pretty interesting,

I loved Delaney, She's sassy and strong and smart, She stands up for herself and knows how to defend herself and I was really entertained by reading her go through this.
Ruckus and Trystan are both interesting characters in their own ways,

Plot wise, it's pretty fast paced, It's starts off with a bang and doesn't quite let go, There are explosions and gun fights and swoons and sweetness and banter for days, My only real complaint is that the ending is a horrible cliffhanger, If I would have known that, I probably would have waited to read it,

Overall, this was an intriguing read with characters I really liked, I can't wait to read the next one,

Huge thanks to Swoon Reads for providing the arc free of charge Delaney is at the wrong place when she runs into Lissa at a bar.
Lissa is an alien princess on the run, and she zaps Delaney with a device that makes Delaney look like Lissa.


When Lisas bodyguard Ruckus finds Delaney, he doesnt believe her pleas that shes not Lissa and takes her back to their home planet.


They quickly realize they have the wrong girl, but since Lissa is missing and they have a perfect body double, Delaney has to pretend to be the princess until they can find the real one.
Which also means tricking Alissas clever betrothed Trystan, or else the peace treaty will be broken and Earth will be invaded.


No pressure.


So you might think this a typical YA romance with a love triangle, But this book has excellent world building, Delaney is a great character, Shes smart, much more clever than Lissa, and shes selfless,

Its more of a space fantasy than SciFi, I really enjoyed it. .stars

With superficial worldbuilding, a predictable plot with kickass action, and a sweet romance that I never really got invested in, Amid Stars and Darkness was a fun, light adventure in space.
However, "light" is all it really was, and I found myself taking quick breaks while reading just because it never really offered anything other than cute antics with the very likable and downtoearth heroine and the situation she gets caught up in.


Nonetheless, I would recommend this to readers ready for a quick adventure without too much thinking, Other interspacial hah see what I did there romance fans with aliens like the Lux series by Jennifer L Armentrout and Alienated by Melissa Landers will also enjoy this one.


Full review to come! Alien romance, Thats what this book is, The dialogue is delightful, and the character dynamics are so delicious, Very much a lighthearted read, It was just what I needed, Im reading bookin the hopes that my ship will sail, his book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review,

Theres a popular term being bandied about more and more lately, . . Space Opera. I mean, it seems a bit selfexplanatory but at the same time Im like, “What does that even mean” Its not a new term, popular movies like The Fifth Element or the Star Wars franchise are squarely inside the Space Opera genre.
And I've read multiple books in the past couple years that claim the label but it's been awhile since I've found one that captured me so thoroughly from the getgo as did AMID STARS AND DARKNESS.


This book is addicting, I love storylines that take a somewhat clueless earthbound human and thrust them into the thick of alien madness, I think, in a way, it's being able to relate to the main character more easily that sucks me in so quickly.
Learning a new scifi or

fantasy world just makes more sense when you're learning it right along with the main character.
. . in this case Delaney. I loved the author's choices,

Royalty, romance, and intergalactic relations, . . what more could you want from a space opera! How about kidnapping and assassination, . . Intrigued, right! Like I said, it's addicting from the very beginning, I was so pleasantly surprised, not many books in this genre get me hooked that fast, The pace was incredible, quick and then slow, in all the right places, Actionpacked and full of interesting relationships, The author keeps you entertained and guessing in equal measure,

Let's talk about that romance and the drama, Once you read it you'll understand that this entire book feels like an amazing buildup to something even better but you don't know what that better is yet.
. . because the romance in this one is pretty darn good all it's own, BUT there's more coming and I don't want to spoil anything so I won't say any more on the subject.


It's not a perfect book although I obviously enjoyed the heck out of it, There were some sections that I thought were a little sparse, Some world and culture building that I thought needed more detail and attention, But really, the strength of the relationships and action sequences that the author built let me easily overlook the bits I thought needed touch more.


Cliffhanger. You have been warned. This cliffhanger is decent sized and left me anxious for more, I can't wait for book!, . . won't you join me in the waiting, because I highly recommend AMID STARS AND DARKNESS, This book was a quick read simply because I COULD NOT put it down, At no point did I lose interest, The ending is a cliffhanger, but in a good way, It made me excited for what comes next,

It's a space romance, and thankfully doesn't get bogged down with worldbuilding details, There's enough to give you an idea of how the world works, but the focus is on the character development.
Essentially, in this alternate world, there is earth and two alien kingdoms, Delaney, our very human protagonist, in a case of mistaken identity gets abducted into space as an alien princess, Ruckus is her love interest and guard, Trystan is her fiancé, the prince from the other alien kingdom, If she doesn't successfully pose as the princess and fool her fiancé, then war will be the result, and earth will be destroyed.


The heroine is easy to root for, She's strong, but she's also realistic, She's human, and behaves like we'd expect her to, but through her challenges grows to be more surefooted,

The real draw though is the possibility of a love triangle, Ruckus is an easy choice, He's gorgeous and protective, and so sweet, He's her foundation in unfamiliar territory, It's easy to see why she falls for him, Buuuut I'm not a huge fan of easy,

Which leads me to Trystan, fans herself Our protagonist hasn't fallen for him, Not even close. They're enemies, and argue constantly, He's dangerous and volatile, but saves her repeatedly even though he doesn't want to marry her, Despite her appearance as the princess, Lissa Olena, he can still see past her disguise for who she is, though he doesn't understand what he sees.
He's not a white knight character, but he's not a villain either, He's got some edge to his goodness, but that makes him all the more appealing, I'm totally rooting for this character!

I'm so curious to see how the story unfolds in the next book.
Lissa Olena is definitely not fit to lead her kingdom, and Delaney can't just go back to living the boring life of a human, can she

Overall, this book was AMAZING and left me wanting to dive straight into the next! Nope nope nope.


sitelink posted on The Eater of Books! blog

Amid Darkness and Stars by Chani Lynn Feener
Book One of the Xenith trilogy
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Publication Date: July,
Rating:stars
Source: ARC sent by the publisher

Summary from Goodreads:

Delaneys 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 princesss 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 princesss 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.


Get lost Amid Stars and Darkness, in this YA scifi romance from debut author Chani Lynn Feener,

What I Liked:

Dear Lord, please grant me the patience to deal with the Swoon Reads novels I keep subjecting myself to.
Don't get me wrong, there are a few that I've really enjoyed namely, Cindy Anstey's books, But so many of Swoon Reads' publications have been terrible for me,

In this story, Delaney is mistaken for an alien princess and she is dragged onto a ship and flown across the galaxy to another planet.
On the way, the bodyguard who kidnapped her realizes that she's isn't Lissa Olena, But the damage is done, because Lissa Olena has been expected back at the home planet for quite some time rumor has it that Olena has been running from her politically arranged betrothal.
Delaney will have to play the role of Olena, convincing everyone including her terrifying fiance Trystan that she is a conceited, selfish princess who cares about no one.
If she doesn't, she risks the alliance being called off by the Rex Trystan's father, and war breaking out between the Vakars and the Kints.


Okay. I don't have a ton of things that I actually liked, but there are a few, I didn't really care for any of the characters except Ruckus, who is a sweetheart, He is the commander of security and Olena's personal bodyguard, and he takes his duty very seriously, Everyone hated Olena and couldn't stand to be around her, but he did his job, Ruckus is an smart, loyal, protective alpha male who is also kind and attentive, And he has a charming side, I liked him a lot and was really on board with him being the love interest,

For the most part, I wasn't bored or disinterested in the story, The plot moved at a good pace and I wasn't in danger of setting this book aside, I read this one fairly quickly and was interested in finding out what would happen at the end, So I have to give the author points for that,

What else I suppose the worldbuilding is wellwritten, This book is set on a different planet, and there is a love of technological advancement on the Vakar planet.
Also, everyone except Delaney is an alien, which is cool, There are a lot of neat scientific inventions and advancements in this book, though I would have loved to see more science behind them.


Aaaand we're moving on to dislikes,

What I Did Not Like:

I'm going to go a little out of order and all over the place with my dislikes.
I'll start with the ones that bother me the most,

The romance is a tricky thing and overall I think it bothered me too much for me to love it.
The good thing: Ruckus knows that Delaney is not Olena from early on, They fall for each other, and I believe Ruckus's feelings are genuinely for Delaney, because he was never in love or attracted to Olena.
I'm all for Ruckus and Delaney and really shipped them, My problem is the fiance, Trystan, It was clear in the beginning that Olena and Trystan hated each other, and Delaney quickly grows to hate Trystan.
And she falls in love with Ruckus, BUT. Towards the end, Trystan's feelings change, He takes a bullet for Delaney, He loses some of his cruel attitudes, He definitely feels something for Delaney. And I definitely could see, in future books in this series, Delaney falling for him and this turning into a stupid, ridiculous love triangle.
Never mind that Olena comes back into the picture in this book, Never mind that she and Ruckus take their relationship to high levels, Given some lines at the end of this book, I could definitely see the author having Delaney fall for Trystan, which makes me want to retch.
Also, the acknowledgements of the book, "Team Trystan" Stop. Please stop. He organized an assassination attempt to kill Delaney "Olena", He grabbed her and frightened her, None of this is forgivable nor should it be,

Oh and I hated the ending, It involves Trystan and it makes my blood boil, The ending would have been perfect, minus a few paragraphs, In some ways, I want to know what happens next because I hate being so angry about the ending, On the other hand, I think it's better for my sanity if I try and forget I ever read this book and avoid talk of the next two books.


I didn't really feel invested in any of the characters, except maybe Ruckus, All of the characters seemed a little onedimensional Like cardboard cutouts I didn't connect with Delaney, though I felt bad for her situation.
I feel like she didn't put up enough of a fight to get back home, initially and throughout the story.
The war that would break out if it was discovered that Olena had fled It would be between aliens, . . and entirely NOT Delaney's fault, or problem, Any logical human being would have found a way to escape, Stolen a ship, bribed someone since she is now a princess, etc, There are ALWAYS options, and the author took the unrealistic one, If Delaney were half as brazen as she tried to act, she would have been sneaking around, trying to find a way out, in addition to playing princess.
That seems logical to me,

I hated Trystan, Who sets up an assassination attempt on you and then you forgive him Well, I hope Delaney doesn't forgive him.
She doesn't, in this, but since I'm convinced the author wants to make Trystan a legitimate love interest, I'm sure Delaney will forgive him in future books.
Ewwwww, love triangles.

Can I go on a mini rant Why are so many Swoon Reads books full of love triangles I understand the workings of the Swoon Reads community it's very different from the contracted work that you see announced on Publishers Weekly but why is it that so many of the manuscripts spit out love triangles Especially with so many readers not interested This book is getting a low rating from me mostly because of the love triangle though not entirely so.
Do better, Swoon Reads!

Would I Recommend It:

I do not recommend this book to anyone, even if you don't mind love triangles.
It's not the most impressive spacey science fiction novel in YA lit out there, and it's not an impressive debut.
I want to say that I expect better from Swoon Reads but then, I really don't, Skip this book and save yourself the frustration, Especially since this book is part of a trilogy, and we all know how YA authors love to do stupid things with romances in trilogies!

If you want to read a spacey science fiction YA book, try the Starbound trilogy by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner, or the Across the Universe trilogy by Beth Revis, or The Diabolic by S.
J. Kincaid, or the Alienated trilogy by Melissa Landers, or the Starflight duology by Melissa Landers, Literally so many better YA science fiction books out there!

Rating:

,gt rounded up tostars, Maybe I should round down I think I'm being generous for no reason, Well, there are a few reasons above, This book wasn't all bad, but I won't be remembering it fondly, Heck, I won't be remembering it at all, Hopefully.



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