review - https://booksteacupreviews.com/2023/06/13/the-lord-of-stariel-stariel-1-by-a-j-l...

The Lord of Stariel is an interesting cozy fantasy that revolves around Hetta Valstar who returns home, Sterial Estate, for her father’s funeral and choosing ceremony for the next Lord of the estate. She never wanted to be the lord nor expected with her elder brother, whom her father didn’t like and her father’s favorite nephew whom everyone thought would be the next lord but when she was chosen as lord her life turns upside down.

She expected to return to her modern life as a master of illusion in Noth but now she is stuck with accounts of the estate, family drama, the mystery of who rigged the ceremony, and the even bigger problem of the fae returning to the Mortal Realm and only the Lord of Stariel can keep the estate safe.

This is more a mix of fantasy, romance and cozy mystery with themes and layers of feminism, secrets, family custom, and social norms. Writing is straightforward, perky, and cozy which sets the tone of the story that is told from Hetta’s perspective.

The setting and time period is the most interesting part and so is the concept of Stariel Estate as a magical land that is connected to the family of Valstar. The chosen Lord gets the strongest sense of the land and also enhances his/her magic. The Estate’s borders are the border between the mortal and fae realm that Lord of the Estate can oversee and control.

We get most of the mortal world setting information in the first few chapters but we get the magic of the estate and how only Stariel has the magic and not its neighboring estate or village is more explained in the second half as the secrets are revealed and there are lots of secrets that most family members are keeping.

Family dynamic and drama is my favorite part. I enjoyed getting to know all Valstars along with Hetta. I had to make a list of them at first but once I was through the introduction part, I could easily tell who was who without getting confused.

Romance is friends to lovers trope and we see the crackling spark between them but for most of the story, they kept dodging their emotions and each other as Wyn had a secret too. It was no surprise he was a fae and his position in the household also makes him hesitate to turn friendship into a relationship. It isn’t exactly forbidden but also doesn’t make it proper for the era of the setting. By the end of the book we finally had the anticipated kiss between Wyn and Hetta. I can’t wait to see what trouble their relationship and estate is going to face in the next books.

Why 3 stars-

All mysteries and twists and turns were predictable. It was easy to guess things way before they were revealed. Even the big reveal, in the end, wasn’t surprising. I felt it was hinted quite clearly throughout the book which made the climax and the big reveal rather uninteresting and also anticlimactic.

I also feel the love triangle was unnecessary as it was clear Hetta liked Wyn. It kind of took away moments between Hetta and Wyn.

There isn’t much character development as this is just the first book and I’m fine with it but at the same time, I didn’t feel much for any characters. I think I know them all on a surface level, I could understand them but there wasn’t much emotional depth.

Overall, The Lord of Stariel is interesting, dramatic, and fast-paced cozy fantasy with amazing setting and concept. ( )

This was a very..... pleasant read.... it didn't have to much going in ways of action or wow! moments... it was very obvious on the 'who done it' part for me.

But it was sweet, the characters were a little lacking, except for Wyn because he's the only one who seemed to have something about him that was interesting and the main was fairly well written too, she had her morals and principles and wasnt an 'everyone loves her and she's super powerful' character.

the pace was slow but easy listening. It is a book you would read if you are drained and all worn out from reading/ listening to to many action packed thrilling and magical stories in to short a time and your brain is to fried to push another one.

its a comfort book. one you sit with a cup of tea (i dont drink tea by the way) on a swinging garden bench in the sun and read at a leisurely pace. It wasn't awful, but it its also not something I would usually pick up either, it was included in audible subscription.

I probably would read the other one if it got added to the subscription, but I wouldn't go out my way to spend a credit on it.

I feel like there was a moral of the story that was being pushed, and it was to chose your own path for the future you want, even if people dont like it. :)

( )

This was a very..... pleasant read.... it didn't have to much going in ways of action or wow! moments... it was very obvious on the 'who done it' part for me.

But it was sweet, the characters were a little lacking, except for Wyn because he's the only one who seemed to have something about him that was interesting and the main was fairly well written too, she had her morals and principles and wasnt an 'everyone loves her and she's super powerful' character.

the pace was slow but easy listening. It is a book you would read if you are drained and all worn out from reading/ listening to to many action packed thrilling and magical stories in to short a time and your brain is to fried to push another one.

its a comfort book. one you sit with a cup of tea (i dont drink tea by the way) on a swinging garden bench in the sun and read at a leisurely pace. It wasn't awful, but it its also not something I would usually pick up either, it was included in audible subscription.

I probably would read the other one if it got added to the subscription, but I wouldn't go out my way to spend a credit on it.

I feel like there was a moral of the story that was being pushed, and it was to chose your own path for the future you want, even if people dont like it. :) ( )

Fun read. Like-able, yet imperfect characters. The good ending and evolution of the relationships between the characters’ gives a book that could have been mediocre and shallow just enough depth to be satisfying, thought-provoking, and real. The ending rings true. The booked looked at first like it might be one of those books where a woman with awesome magical powers still spends most of the book being saved by men (or worse princes). Fortunately, this book didn’t do that. This heroine is the one saving herself (and some others too). ( )

Upon the death of her father, Hetta returns home to Stariel for the funeral and the choosing of the new Lord. Her entire family is there as well as the staff of the great estate including long-time butler Wyn, Hetta's friend. And there's the good-looking neighbor, Hetta's childhood crush.
This is an interesting take on magic and the Fae and an enjoyable read. It's a bit slow in places; the love triangle was unnecessary in my opinion without a lot of chemistry on anyone's part, and the family dynamics felt a little too Downton Abbey-ish. But the magic in Stariel and the attempted invasion by the Fae bumped this up to 3 1/2 stars rounded up. ( )

I found this book charming. It was different from what I expected: it didn't have increasing levels of conflict, battles against fairies, and a protagonist who has to do everything to save everyone. Instead, it had interesting, non-clichéd characters with integrity who worked together even though they didn't like each other, all in a wonderful setting. It made me feel peaceful and happy to read it. I always appreciate fantasy stories that don't rely on violence to keep the plot moving.

I've never read a "cozy mystery" but it occurred to me that the story seems like it could be called a cozy mystery, but set in a fantasy world with magic. Numerous threads run through it as the characters try to figure out what's going on. Some threads turn out to be red herrings, whereas others are related but not necessarily in the way you think. I guessed about half of what was coming before the characters (which gave me that pleasant feeling of achievement that accompanies reading mysteries) but still had some surprises. ( )

I got this because I liked the cover from the SPFBO contest.

This has exactly the kind of romance that I like, where it's super slow-burning, but the characters already knew each other so it still doesn't feel like a poor life choice. And it's in another one of those pseudo-regency/early-1900's-but-with-magic! settings, which are always a love-it-or-hate-it affair with me. The will-they-won't-they also had enough justification that I wasn't too mad with it taking the whole book to resolve.

I really enjoyed the humanity of every character. Everybody obviously had their own goals and motivations, and obviously worked towards them. But most people also had a basic, fundamental empathy, so I didn't have to worry about Hetta having a Fitz-like sobfest through the middle portion.

For my own personal bugbear, it had a reasonable response to women's roles in the universe. Not incredibly well-justified, but it was fleshed out enough for me to not angrily demand why the world was a certain way.

I guess my only complaint is that it ended up having really small stakes. I kept thinking it would ramp up, and it didn't. But it was also consistent with the way the story was set up, so eh. Just my general dislike of small scale books speaking, I guess.

I'd like to pick up the next one after I make it through all of these library books! ( )

Illusionist and thespian Hetta returns to the family estate for her father's funeral. What starts off as a tiresome duty becomes complicated when it becomes evident someone is interfering in family politics and more.

The story introduces a host of suspicious characters who have interestingly different agendas. I particularly enjoyed the family dynamics. The author plants clues and drops hints at a decent rate as Hetta's understanding of the situation(s) that face her unfolds.

The prose was clean, and I didn't notice any typos (though I did spot a pesky missing full stop somewhere...)

The pacing is leisurely with relatively little dramatic action. I think it was slowed down further by over-repetition. For my tastes, we spend too much time inside Hetta's head, with all her thoughts about what the other characters are thinking and feeling. Added to that, I get a distinct impression of the narrator frequently tapping me on the shoulder and pointing out what's in a character's head, just in case I hadn't noticed already. I wonder if the intended readership is quite young.

Overall, a pleasant read with a gentle pace.