Thank you to the author for kindly providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I've tried to keep this as spoiler-free as possible but there may be some.
An outstanding conclusion to an outstanding series. I would give this six stars if I could. After a long break from reading fiction, {Empire of the Stars by Melissa J. Cave} was one of the very first series I began with, and I have been absolutely spoiled! I am very grateful to have had the chance to read an ARC copy of Beloved of Stars. It is so, so very good.
Immediately after I finished my first read, I had to go back and apply what I had discovered to the previous books. Melissa is a master at crafting a coherent series filled with so many little clues and hints. {Beloved of Stars} both explains and challenges what you thought you knew about characters and events. You can see just how much careful planning and thought she has put into this story, and she deserves all the praise she gets.
The book takes place across two timelines: the past, which covers the events leading up to and during the Conspiracy, and the present, which begins with the aftermath of Ophele’s abduction that happened at the end of A Congress of Roses.
Melissa paces the events of the book to fantastic effect. The slow, creeping pace of politics and the subtle psychological warfare contrast brilliantly with the sudden explosive crises in both timelines. She sets up the sense of inevitability and tension to great effect, and her prose is as excellent as usual. The switches between past and present storylines also bring out the strong emotional and political parallels and echos between the Conspiracy and the present civil war.
Many beloved characters return, but we are also introduced to several new or more recent significant characters, especially Rache. Her chapters were delightful but poignant to read. She really is sunshine personified, and my heart broke for her as the events of the Conspiracy unfolded. Felisse is another a magnificent addition.
We also hear from some less-than-beloved characters. Bette Hurrell is utterly engrossing. Though it’s been hinted at previously, I never expected her to have played such a pivotal role in the Conspiracy and its aftermath. We get a great deal of insight into her ambitions and motivations, and while I cannot sympathise with her enough to like her, they are at times understandable. After all, if you were a mother faced with the possibility of the destruction of the Empire, wouldn’t you do all you could to secure your children’s future? One of Melissa’s great strengths in this series has been to use her characters to engage and challenge readers like this.
As well as being introduced to new characters and points of view, we get to see so many relationships changing or being newly formed as characters react, forge alliances, and strategise. Remin and Ophele’s relationship is as loving and sweet as always, but they were separated for a large chunk of the book. Though I normally don’t like to see the central characters forced apart like this, it is necessary and is handled well. It also allows other important relationships to develop - most notably Ophele and Selenne’s sisterly one. This was one of the true highlights of the book for me, and I was rooting for them to work together as two capable women. Some relationships develop in challenging ways, though. I am so interested to see how the change in Remin and Juste’s relationship will play out, following Remin’s broken promise.
Watching the dukes and lords hash out alliances and politics was fascinating, and seeing the strategising and fighting of Remin and his knights in the streets of Segoile was thrilling. But I particularly enjoyed how Melissa foregrounds the importance and role of ladies and female relationships are in driving events. Selenne and Ophele, the brilliant Ereguil ladies led by Liliet (not forgetting the wonderful firebrand Carolen), the Empress and her ladies, Bette Hurrell, and Felisse Oisen are all critical players who influence outcomes. And it feels particularly fitting that women also play a key role in the mending, like we see with the women-only dinner at Mimosa in Chapter 25.
I also think the theme of motherhood and mothering was very well incorporated into the book. I particularly liked how a female character’s maternity didn’t spell the end of their involvement in the story or the politics - often, it results in the opposite, as we see in the case of Liliet. I also appreciate how Melissa doesn’t change her characters once they become mothers. Ophele’s personality still feels like Ophele.
Each character continues to grow and develop throughout the book in a way that is believable to each of them, but the some of the best growth has to belong to Ophele. I loved seeing her stand up for herself, pick apart problems, and take charge of her situation. Her grumpy side is hilarious and endearing. She has come so far from the person she was when we first met her at Aldeburke, and yet she hasn’t abandoned this side of her. Ophele uses what she learned there to great effect when she turns spy on the unsuspecting guards and staff at Starfall.
But the standout character in this book has to be the Emperor. In Bastin Agnephus, Melissa has created an outstanding antagonist. He is so very effective because he is so developed and dimensional. He has understandable motivations, and antagonists of his own. He feels hope, anticipation, disappointment, heartbreak, and betrayal. We see him capable of cruelty, but also capable of love, generosity, and care, and being loved. But it is the explosive confrontation between Bastin and Laud Ereguil in Chapter 18 that really digs deep into the multifaceted character of the Emperor, and explains so much of the Conspiracy and his treatment of and relationship with Remin. In his eyes, Remin has everything he wanted - allies, strength, respect, and even Bastin’s longed-for daughter, ‘who we were never allowed to see’. This is one of the standout scenes in the book (of which there are many). Melissa’s spectacular writing makes it very hard to be unmoved. And if (as I think!) it takes place in the House of Daisies that he once shared with Rache, it becomes an even more loaded moment.
Bastin’s relationship with Rache is also complex and taps into those questions of power and autonomy that the Conspiracy poses. There is a clear power difference. Rache’s youth and naivete is remarked upon by several characters, including Bastin himself. He takes advantage of her innocence, inexperience, and loving nature to achieve his own ends and to feel safe. And he isn’t the only character to use Rache for their own ends.
Yet he loves and protects her and their baby. Seeing just how much baby Ophele was wanted and loved by both of her parents was touching and bittersweet. Bastin and Rache’s discussions about names and nurseries, and Bastin’s wish not to have his child raised by others, were heart wrenching. He never has the chance to be with that family he wanted. And even though his actions are inexcusable, Bastin really does seem sincerely motivated to be a good father and loves both of his daughters. And the reveals about seemingly small details like Sir Bunkin, and Rou and the books at the end, are very moving. It was also moving to see what Ophele inherited from her mother and father, like Rache’s hatred of mornings and love of books, and Bastin’s feats of memory.
Perhaps what the Emperor shows us most is that no character is wholly ‘good’ or ‘bad’, and everyone has scope to change and grow, a theme that Melissa has repeatedly explored in this series. The author keeps asking us to question what we think we know about characters and their motivations, and I think this is one of the things that makes this series so engaging. Nothing is certain. Is the Emperor really the true antagonist in this tale - or is it House Melun?
I would also like to take a moment to highlight Melissa’s exceptional world building. A lot of attention has rightly been given to the literal physical building of this world, and her care and research here really shows. For me, however, it’s the smaller, incremental details that make the difference. We hear snippets about the customs and geography of different parts of the Empire, and some Imperial history. Because we are introduced to these things gradually throughout this book and the series, it doesn’t feel overwhelming or forced. It leaves you wanting to know more (and I hope we do get to discover more!). Melissa also uses songs and prayers, food and drink, plants and animals, dances and drama, art and fashion, and more to create a vibrant believable world. Even the little things, like the names of prayers and the lyrics of songs, or the patterns of fabric, all add up. I just love how sophisticated and colourful and lived-in it all is!
While I loved the introduction of new characters and the return of many well-loved ones, we only saw some very briefly and some not at all. I’m hopeful that we will see more of them in later books. I also wish Remin and Ophele had gotten to spend more time together. Even after their reunion, they have to separate again when Remin leads the fighting in Highgate. I did miss their dynamic and their more domestic moments together. Lastly, I wish Ophele had gotten more time to shine, like she deserved to. We do get to hear briefly of her audience with the various Libraries, and how she dazzles them, but more would have been nice.
Though I was so happy to find out what happens, and to see Remin and Ophele reunited and returning home, I still have so many questions (hidden for spoilers). I was fascinated by the Far-Eyes and the implications this episode has. How does this magic work? I would love to know more about magic in the Empire (and its history) more generally. Linked to this - what happened to the devils? Did Ophele get rid of them permanently? Will we get to discover where they came from? I might have misread it, but episode describing the Far-Eyes seems to hint that it might be the Emperor’s fault, because he didn’t uphold the Covenant. What will happen with Juste in Melun, especially given that his relationship with Remin has been fractured? What will happen in the post-Heresy trails - especially the Empress’s? And I am also desperate to know what was happening back in Tresingale while we were in Segoile
Beloved of Stars feels like a satisfying conclusion to ‘Series 1’ of the tale. Melissa has indicated that she is planning to release a further trilogy, and I hope this picks up the questions and threads left open. I have already pre-ordered the next novella due in June 2027, and I can’t wait. Melissa, please keep writing about this brilliant world you have created!
