The Starless Crown by James Rollins – 5 Star Book Review

A gifted student foretells an apocalypse. Her reward is a sentence of death.

I was granted audio ARC access to The Starless Crown by James Rollins by the publisher, Macmillan Audio, through NetGalley. Thank you to the publicity team at Macmillan Audio for reaching out! My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.

Please note that this post contains affiliate links, which means there is no additional cost to you if you shop using my links, but I will earn a small percentage in commission. A program-specific disclaimer is at the bottom of this post.

About the Book

The Starless Crown
Moon Fall Book One
by James Rollins

Print/eBook
Publishing 4 January 2022
Tor Books
Page Count: 560

Audiobook
Publishing 4 January 2022
Macmillan Audio
Length: 22 hours and 5 minutes
Narrator: Nicola Barber

Genre: Epic Fantasy
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!

An alliance embarks on a dangerous journey to uncover the secrets of the distant past and save their world in this captivating, deeply visionary adventure from #1 New York Times bestselling thriller-master James Rollins.

A gifted student foretells an apocalypse. Her reward is a sentence of death.

Fleeing into the unknown she is drawn into a team of outcasts:

A broken soldier, who once again takes up the weapons he’s forbidden to wield and carves a trail back home.

A drunken prince, who steps out from his beloved brother’s shadow and claims a purpose of his own.

An imprisoned thief, who escapes the crushing dark and discovers a gleaming artifact – one that will ignite a power struggle across the globe.

On the run, hunted by enemies old and new, they must learn to trust each other in order to survive in a world evolved in strange, beautiful, and deadly ways, and uncover ancient secrets that hold the key to their salvation.

But with each passing moment, doom draws closer.

WHO WILL CLAIM THE STARLESS CROWN?

Amazon US | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Audible
Try Audible for free!

My Review

My Rating: 5 Stars
Consider liking my review on Goodreads.

Surprisingly considering the Rollins’ backlist and the fact that he’s prominent in the SF/F category, this was my first experience with a James Rollins title. Fittingly, it was his first foray into fantasy, so it’s a first all around! I will definitely check out Rollins’ science fiction books now. This is a must-read author!

Although this was Rollins’ first fantasy novel, his experience and skill shines through. The Starless Crown is beautifully written in a way that makes it nearly impossible to put it down (or hit pause.) Less experienced authors might stumble over the size of the cast and the number of POVs, but Rollins pulls it all off amazingly well.

I’m absolutely in love with the idea of a world where bats are a hive mind diety, bronze statues can come to life, and airships are a primary method of long-distance travel. Give me more!

Of the four main characters, Nyx was my favourite. Nearly-blind, orphaned, and academically gifted, Nyx survives a poisoning and wakes up changed. How changed? It’ll take the whole book to get a glimpse, but it has repercussions for the whole world. I love the name choice, too. Let’s just say if you’re familiar with Greek mythology…

It seems like in most books with many POVs, there’s always going to be one I prefer least. I wouldn’t say I didn’t enjoy any of the POVs in this book because they were all well done, but the one I was occasionally disappointed to switch to or ready to switch away from early was Kanthe, the “Prince in the Cupboard.” Nyx is going on a massive coming-of-age adventure in a world where she’s far more important and powerful than she ever could have dreamed. Raifth, the thief, is going through a period of moral growth as he chases after the bronze woman. Graylin is experiencing all the awkward and overwhelming emotions of suddenly playing an active role in the life of the now-grown child he never knew. Kanthe? Kanthe is naively noble. He tries too hard and trusts too easily. I can see his type of character working well as the main in a single-POV story, but The Starless Crown doesn’t feel like his story, and the effect is that his naïveté is frustrating to read.

At 560 pages this book is certainly not short. No matter how much you don’t want to put it down, you’re probably going to have to put it down at some point. As an audiobook on 2x playback speed, I listened in 5 sessions. If you like short and sweet fluffier reads, this one is not going to be your cup of tea. If you like epics full of marvelous detail, lots of character building, and a rich world, this is a must-read!

Narrator Nicola Barber’s performance is excellent! Her pacing is perfect, pronunciation is clear, and each character retains the unique narrative voices Rollins gave them. I will definitely not hesitate to pick up other titles narrated by Nicola Barber.

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.