[ARC Review] When Stars Come Out by Scarlett St. Clair

Publisher's synopsis: Anora Silby can see the dead and turn spirits into gold coins, two things she would prefer to keep secret as she tries to lead a normal life at her new school. After all, she didn't change her identity for nothing.

Hiding her weirdness is just one of many challenges. By the end of her first day, she's claimed the soul of a dead girl on campus and lost the coin. Turns out, the coin gives others the ability to steal souls, and when a classmate ends up dead, there's no mistaking the murder weapon.

Navigating the loss of her Poppa, the mistrust of her mother, the attention of gorgeous and enigmatic Shy, and Roundtable, an anonymous student gossip app threatening to expose her, are hard enough. Now she must find the person who stole her coin before more lives are lost, but that means making herself a target for the Order, an organization that governs the dead on Earth―and they want Anora and her powers for themselves.

My thoughts: [My original review for When Stars Come Out was written for Under the Covers Book Blog. Parts of my review below appear in that submitted review.]

Fans of Scarlett St. Clair’s Hades X Persephone series may struggle a bit with this new YA retelling from the bestselling author. St. Clair has always taken liberty with her mythological retellings, but while When Stars Come Out has been repeatedly billed as an Orpheus and Eurydice retelling, I found it distinctly lacking any true Greek myth outside of St. Clair’s use of names like Eurydice and Charon. The Eurydice myth - one of faith in love as Orpheus leads Eurydice out of the Underworld, only to doom her there in the end - has absolutely no presence in this story. In fact, the use of Eurydice in When Stars Come Out actually portrays the character in the opposite light, taking her from the one being doomed by others and turning her into the one doing the dooming. While the overall story and plot was interesting and unique, the story itself truly has no comparison to the myth it is supposedly based on. 

Outside of the false advertising, I was drawn into Anora’s story right from the start. It’s clear she is struggling; unfortunately, Anora doesn’t find much help in the form of her mother or her new friends. Left to make all these discoveries about herself on her own, only to find out the role she actually plays in the grand scheme of things, the story has all the necessary elements for a classic YA Chosen One trope. 

I love paranormal fiction/romance, and there were plenty of those elements in this story. From fated mates to shapeshifting, fans of the paranormal will enjoy the way St. Clair incorporated these elements into her story. 

Meant for younger readers, there is a lack of spice or even tension in When Stars Come Out. Likely due to other issues between the main characters, I felt no real chemistry between two characters who I presume will end up together in later books. I do see the potential between them, though, so I look forward to their journey as Anora learns to trust and becomes more comfortable around the male main character. 

Overall, When Stars Come Out is a solid four stars from me. The plot was interesting and unique, even while not holding up to the pre-release Eurydice/Orpheus retelling hype. Readers who enjoyed Jennifer L. Armentrout’s Dark Elements, Harbinger, and Covenant series will find something similar to love in this YA paranormal retelling in terms of action, plot development, and Anora’s journey to becoming her true self. 

A huge thank you to Bloom Books for providing an advanced review copy of When Stars Come Out.

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Release date: 7/26/22 Format: eARC

eARC provided via: Edelweiss