Title: Splintered Stars
Author: Rachel Madbury
Series: The Sevens #1
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Paranormal romance, Witches
Dates read: 28th February – 7th March 2021
Pace: Medium
Format: ARC, eBook, Novel
Publisher: Rachel Madbury
Year: 2021
5th sentence, 74th page: Her eyes went wide, the surprise and curiosity clear as she looked past him up the steps.

The greatest witch ever born doesn’t know she is one.

Some secrets aren’t best kept. Some powers can’t be contained. And for Haley Quinlan, when her sister is kidnapped she’ll learn that the life she’s built is a pale shadow to the one she’s meant for.

If she lives long enough.

He’s been watching her for three years but for the first time Lucas Turner sees the truth of who Haley is. It’s nothing he ever imagined. And it’s nothing he’s allowed to have. He’ll usher her into a world she’d been kept from and protect her life with his own, but when their connection sets them on a course filled with darkness and lies, will their greatest risk be each other?

When the world learns who she is, he’ll die for her without question, but what if she lives? What if he does?

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I’m slowly getting used to reading books on my Kobo. And it’s stories like this that help draw me in and make me want to read ebooks. They may never be my favourite form of literary enjoyment, but they are definitely growing very happily on me. There was something amazing and wonderful about Madbury’s story and I can’t wait to read more tales of The Sevens!

I love that one of the drivers for Haley throughout this story is her love for her sister. Although they are somewhat estranged, she is still trying to find her and putting everything at risk just to save her baby sister. As an older sister, this was such a beautiful and realistic portrayal of what it is like to have a younger sibling. Even in the moments when I have felt distanced from my sister (which all siblings go through), just like Haley, I still would have moved heaven and earth to find her. And the fact that within the epilogue, it is clear that Penny also feels the same about her big sister… it’s just beautiful.

The immediate reaction between Haley and Lucas was nice. But what I liked the most was the way that they both got to know each other and worked towards each other in their acceptance of their attraction. Sometimes it can be a bit on the nose having a story in which immediate attraction means immediate love. In the case of this story, the immediate attraction was tempered by their willingness to get to know each other. It’s incredibly fun and beautiful.

At first I thought that this was a witch – vampire kind of story. The fact that it’s not, and the Seven find other ways to prolong their life was intriguing. I loved how Madbury built this amazing world and lore in such a subtle and unique way. It helps to draw you further and further into her world. I can’t believe that I didn’t get the chance to read the prologue before this novel though, I’d be interested to see how the world was built from the very first.

Splintered Stars is a fantastic paranormal fantasy story. it is filled with magic, mayhem and conspiracies. There is also that wonderful dose of lust and love throughout the story. this may be a paranormal romance story, but it was the conspiracy and sibling relationship that I loved the most… and I can’t wait to read the next story and find out what happens to Penny! And which Seven she falls for…

<- Spark of Shadows

Sky of Ash ->

Image source: Goodreads