Review: Amid Stars and Darkness by Chani Lynn Feener [Giveaway]

Amid Stars and Darkness
(The Xenith Trilogy #1)
by Chani Lynn Feener
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Publication Date: July 18, 2017
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Rating:

Delaney’s 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 princess’s 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 princess’s 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 sci-fi romance from debut author Chani Lynn Feener.

 

 

My thoughts…

Amid Stars and Darkness is a fun read about a girl who gets abducted by aliens when she’s mistaken as their rogue princess. I shouldn’t really say mistaken though, because it’s not some doppelgänger type thing. The princess actually had some high-tech device that allowed her to alter a person’s appearance to her own. So, when she needed to give her royal guards the slip, she used it on Delaney without anyone realizing what had happened until it was too late. Unfortunately for Delaney, the Princess is betrothed to a prince from another planet, a hostile planet that would like nothing more than to have an excuse to eradicate both her kind, and the human race on Earth. It’s up to Delaney to keep up the facade until the guards are able to locate the real Lissa Olena on Earth and bring her back home. The only problem is, there are a lot of extremists who don’t want to see this alliance made, one of which is the princess’ own betrothed.

Amid Stars and Darkness is a light read and doesn’t get too heavy in the sci-fi aspect. There are a few cool things that take place like witnessing a specific creature or some of their technology but this isn’t really a sci-fi novel. It’s more of a light fantasy romance. You’re told that they are aliens and that Delaney’s on another planet but it all felt normal. Everyone was a humanoid, and a lot of the customs and living settings were the same as with humans. Now, I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, I don’t tend to like a lot of sci-fi novels that dive deep into the unknown because I end up getting bored with all the descriptions. However, I would have liked if the author made the aliens, or their planet a little bit more distinct and separate from Earth. I honestly kept forgetting they were supposed to be on a different planet.

There was a bit of mystery and suspense what with Delaney always nearly getting assassinated at every turn. You’re never quite sure if it’s her betrothed, some group of radicals, or possibly someone in her own group. I liked that the author always had you guessing and second guessing who could be behind the attacks. Not to mention, she also wrote the princess’ betrothed, Trystan, in a manner that always made you wonder if he was as dangerous as you’re led to believe.

Amid Stars and Darkness was a fun read. It was a lot lighter on the fantasy/sci-fi aspect that I would have liked but I still found myself wondering what would happen next and whether or not Delaney would ever make it home. This is the first book in a trilogy, so there’s more to the story. So who knows, maybe Delaney gets to grow old on Earth or maybe she has to stay on the alien planet. I can’t wait to see what the author has in store for the characters next.

 

Favorite quote…

“I don’t care that I don’t know what you really look like, don’t you get that? It’s not the package that I’m interested in here. It’s you. The girl who fought off three tellers with nothing but her smarts. And who stood up to the Basileus.”

 

 

Meet the author…

Chani Lynn Feener has wanted to be a writer since the age of ten during fifth grade story time. She majored in Creative Writing at Johnson State College in Vermont, and graduated in 2012. To pay her bills, she has worked many odd jobs, including, but not limited to, telemarketing, order picking in a warehouse, and filling ink cartridges. When she isn’t writing, she’s binging TV shows, drawing, or frequenting zoos/aquariums. Chani is the author of Amid Stars and Darkness and the teen paranormal series the Underworld Saga, originally written under the penname Tempest C. Avery. She currently resides in Connecticut.

Website | Twitter | Goodreads

 

 

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7 Thoughts on “Review: Amid Stars and Darkness by Chani Lynn Feener [Giveaway]

  1. I am not a fan of SciFi, but looks like an exciting read.

  2. Great review! This sounds like a fun read and well written overall! 🙂

  3. Being lighter with the fantasy/sci-fi would probably work for me. I’m not a big reader of either genre – I get overwhelmed O_o

    For What It’s Worth

  4. This sounds really good. I really like aliens or alien planets in stories.

  5. I just stumbled upon your blog, and I absolutely love it! I’ll definitely have to check this book out further! Thanks for introducing it to me, and for an awesome review! I also love how you picked and featured your favorite quotation.

    I’m new to blogging and book reviewing, and I was wondering if you had any tips for newbie bloggers and book reviewers.

    If you have the time, please check out my blog @breenysbooks. I’d love any feedback. Have a wonderful day.

  6. I guess he is a real sweetie underneath then

  7. Amid Stars and Darkness sounds like a pretty fun read but I’m always a little bit cautious with Swoon Reads books… I’ve stumbled across some really good ones, Queens of Geek and Been Here All Along, but so many more just meh ones, and honestly I hate meh books more than I hate books I actually hate cause they leave me feeling kinda empty… which is pretty much my least favorite feeling….

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