An enchanting story

Beautifully narrated. A story of warmth, mystery and magic. The characters are interesting and have depth, it is well-written and holds the attention. I loved it.

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Surprisingly Enjoyable

I didn't really know to expect when I chose this book as the reviews are quite mixed but I was pleasantly surprised. It's a tale of magic, fae, love and righteousness. There are a few unexpected twists which I loved. It's an easy tale to listen to, I'd definitely recommend.

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Easy listening

Got as was free, but Simple story and a nice easy listen, looking forward to book two worth the credit to see what happens next.

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A great story

The Lord of Stariel is a great start to a series of book about fae and Mortals. A J Lancaster has written a compelling tale about land and magic.

When the Lord of Stariel dies, his family comes together to mourn him and to welcome the new Lord, who everyone thinks will be Jack, the old Lords nephew. However, the star stone (which chooses the next Lord) is taken and Hetta finds herself as the new Lord. This does not sit comfortably with her, as she's not been back to Stariel for 6 years, making a living as an illusionist in the city of Meriden. She also finds out that Wyn, a childhood friend and butler in the house, is far more than he seems.

I first read this book (and the sequels) a couple of years ago and have found them on audio recently. I think the choice of Finty Williams as narrator is good, and she makes voices for each character, so you can tell who is speaking.

A great listen.

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Childlike

Magical goings on in a family estate. Charming without ever really gaining any substance. Very much the set up for future stories.

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Good series

Very enjoyable series, first book takes a little while to get going but the series has a rich and interesting magic lore

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Perfect for fans of Howl'sMovingCastle + HalfASoul

Excellent fae romance with cool world building and a fierce protagonist. The plot is a little predictable, but the characters are excellent, and the central romance feels genuine and un-clichéd. A must read for fantasy romance fans.

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if you want tranquil with a very slow story...

...and very little world building, this is the book for you!

I do enjoy low drama books. At the moment I am not a huge fan of fighting, blood and gore, nor too much suspense or horror, so I appreciate a great story with a slower pace and something that keeps my interest. They are especially helpful for calming or winding down before sleep.

It is also the reason I am drawn to children's books.

Stories involving folklore, Fae and magic are especially fun.

This book, however, did not make it on that list. Yes it's calm tranquil and includes some aspects of magic and fae, BUT it was also quite dull. It was very difficult to hook my interest and concentrate for the first 5 hours. It felt like we were dropped in a land called Stariel, and the rest of the book was main characters running around the house/land looking for things.
The setting is a little hard to place in time (no electricity, patriarchal family structure and heteronormative conventions -and that's about it). There are some terms referring to magic at the start of the book (land-sense) but the author doesn't develop or make us understand how this power works, why it's important and how it affects the wielder, until the end of the book and beginning of the next book (the preview of book 2 at the end).
The Fae are introduced in the 5th hour, but not much more is discovered after that, it's all very contained within the walls of stariel.

Some of the main characters are interesting, Heta, Marius, Wyn and Jack are well rounded and have some 3D aspects to their personalities.

And some of the writing sounded a little forced, or unnatural which came out in the narration.

I have heard other books narrated by Finty Williams and really enjoyed them. I think she gave some life to this book, but the writing just needed more.

I guess my point is, there are many audiobooks that are not very dramatic, are slow burners and calm but ALSO well developed and interesting to listen to. The Lord of Stariel has potential, but is not on that list. I'm not sure if the next book will be better, and I'm not sure if I would be willing to spend a credit to find out. I'm glad this first book was free!

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Well written but not very exciting

I really liked the characters and the writing style but it took a long time for the plot to take off and the stakes never seemed very high. The romance was nice but a bit dull.

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A magical who done it

Thoroughly enjoyable and engaging. This is a cosy, magical mystery set in a well developed, complex world with multi-dimensional, interesting characters.

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