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The Lord of Stariel Kindle Edition

by AJ Lancaster (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 3,666 ratings
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The Lord of Stariel is dead. Long live the Lord of Stariel. Whoever that is.

Everyone knows who the magical estate will choose for its next ruler. Or do they?

Will it be the lord’s eldest son, who he despised?

His favourite nephew, with the strongest magical land-sense?

His scandalous daughter, who ran away from home years ago to study illusion?

Hetta knows it won’t be her, and she’s glad of it. Returning home for her father’s funeral, all Hetta has to do is survive the family drama and avoid entanglements with irritatingly attractive local men until the Choosing. Then she can leave.

But whoever Stariel chooses will have bigger problems than eccentric relatives to deal with. Winged, beautifully deadly problems. For the first time in centuries, the fae are returning to the Mortal Realm, and only the Lord of Stariel can keep the estate safe.

The Lord of Stariel is the first book in the Stariel quartet, a romantic cozy fantasy series about fae, magical estates, and complicated families.
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  1. Book 1 of 5
    Stariel
  2. Print length
    322 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publication date
    November 1, 2018
  6. File size
    4018 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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  1. How lowering it was to find that one’s childhood hero was only a mortal man after all.
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  2. She felt, for the first time in her life, a wholly discernible emotion from the land. It was satisfaction.
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  3. I beg you not to look at me as if I am about to expire; it pricks my vanity.
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From the Publisher

A magical estate that chooses its own ruler
Fantasy, strong heroine, castle, magic

Editorial Reviews

Review

"If you are looking for something delightful and heartwarming that explores themes of family and homecoming, I highly recommend this book." —SBTB

"...something that feels just a half-step away from our world, full of characters that breathe on and off the page, a romance that hits all the right notes, and a plot that keeps you engaged" — Bookworm Blues

"...quirky and fantastical, with a pinch of country house mystery." —The Fantasy Hive
"The Lord of Stariel is what would happen if Downton Abbey was set in a Fantasy world."—Queen's Book Asylum

From the Author

Go to ajlancaster.com/details if you're a reader who prefers to know certain details about my books upfront (such as sexual content, violence levels, and presence of common triggers).

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07HD681WN
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Camberion Press (November 1, 2018)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 1, 2018
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 4018 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 322 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 3,666 ratings

About the author

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AJ Lancaster

AJ Lancaster

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AJ Lancaster writes romantic, whimsical fantasy and lives in New Zealand with two ridiculous cats and far too many house plants.

Go to ajlancaster.com/details if you're a reader who prefers to know certain details about my books upfront (such as sexual content, violence levels, and presence of common triggers).

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
3,666 global ratings
Hypnotizing
5 Stars
Hypnotizing
It’s no secret that mystical fae adventures are all the rage right now. If you’re into a tale that hooks you, and takes you on a wild ride this story is perfect for you. I actually listened to the story on Audible first… but loved it so much I wanted it on my shelf, accessible, and so I could read at my own pace and maybe pick up things I missed. Boy did I. A wonderful adventure, full of love, loss, strength, action, and plenty of twists. Can’t beat it. I’ve recommended it to almost everyone I know who’s into these kinds of stories. One of my new favorites!
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Top reviews from the United States

Ashton Edwards
5.0 out of 5 stars Magic, whimsy, and wit
Reviewed in the United States on February 25, 2024
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This was just an entirely lovely experience. Each character had a full personality and you wanted to get to know them. The magic was fun and the romance slow and sweet. Hetta is a witty and confident (mostly) FMC. She is a free spirit that refuses to be constrained by the expectations of polite society and how they think a woman should act. If you like regency stories and magic is this a great book for you!
4 people found this helpful
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K. Cutchlow
4.0 out of 5 stars Better than expected
Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2024
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I think if you're a fan of fantasy, you will find "The Lord of Stariel" to have an engaging protagonist and a magical universe. Even while it isn't flawless, it's still a strong beginning for a promising series.

Better than expected! 3.75 ⭐
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superstardrifter
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent start!
Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2020
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This is the story of Henrietta Valstar, who is an illusionist working with an acting troupe, happily living her life exiled from her home of Stariel, an estate across the land. But, her father has died, and as tradition states, she returns home for the funeral and a ritual known as ‘The Choosing’. You see, Stariel, while it is not necessarily sentient, is a magical land, and it chooses its own ruler. So, when Choosing day rolls around, Hetta, as well as her brothers and cousins and everyone else in her family, touch a magical stone to see who Stariel chooses. And it’s not her older brother Marius, nor is it her almost-certainly-the-most-qualified-for-this-job cousin Jack. It chooses her.

Meanwhile, Stariel is more than just a magical land, it is a fae land, sitting right on the magical border of Faerie, and with the death of one Lord of Stariel and the new one being not-quite-so-powerful, the fae have plans to take advantage of this fact and come into the human world to enact some fae shenanigans.

This was a very entertaining read, to me! It takes place in a very interesting world, which is not unlike our own. The days of the week are the same, the months are the same. There is electricity, telephones, and cars, but these are fairly new technologies, so this one felt, not Victorian or Steampunk, but sort of adjacent to them at times. Turn of the century-ish. There is of course magic in this world, as the fae are a fairly big presence in this story, though to the humans, they are as much fairy tales as they would be in our world. There is still magic outside of that, however. Hetta has some skill with pyromancy, and is an illusionist by trade, and she is very good at what she does. But, her talent and desire to work magic put her at odds with her father, and so she has been exiled from Stariel for some years.

Before really diving in here, I was under the impression that this was a YA novel, but it is not. The main character is in her twenties, for a start, but there are a couple of love interests present as well who are in their later-ish twenties. Hetta is not a pure virginal flower. She enjoys flirting, and it is fairly heavily implied that she enjoys the thoroughly enjoyable things in life that flirting can lead to. Hetta often speaks her mind, and doesn’t generally take crap from anyone, and as such I cheered for her, and cheered for her hard. I absolutely loved Hetta as a character, which as you can imagine, made this one an easy read for me. I wanted her to win the day, to find out the mystery, to get the guy, to give the antagonists their comeuppance, and all sorts of other good things one wants for a good protagonist.

There is enough romance and potential romance here that I was lead right along in the story hoping that canoodling between people I wanted to canoodle would happen. There are two potential love interests, but I would not consider the relationship between Hetta and her two potential beaus a love triangle, which was nice. I tend to like romances less when there is all sorts of spitefulness and fighting for affections, and whatnot. Usually. Sometimes I am surprised. :D

It was well written, flowed well, was never boring, so I can safely say that I thoroughly enjoyed The Lord of Stariel. I even bought the sequel about halfway through it, because I think I kind of need more Hetta in my life at this point, and I am going to go ahead and just have that thing. It ends in a way that encourages reading the next book without being a cliffhanger. I definitely enjoyed my time!
83 people found this helpful
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mofree36
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting story!
Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2024
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I liked this book! It was a little slow to start but kept getting more and more interesting! All the characters felt alive and real and likable!
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@plotsandreviews
3.0 out of 5 stars VERY VERY SLOW but okay
Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2024
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Hetta was like a pillow; of some use, interesting on a bed and aesthetically pleasing (allegedly) but with no true focus beyond wanting to be liked. She lacked objectivity, direction… this whole story just happened around her 😬.

“Special Stone of a land is stolen and the family MUST find it to put the land at ease. As the family goes through the potential suspects, the culprit will be closer to home than anyone would have thought”.

AND BAM! THAT is the whole story without ONE MENTION of irrelevant Hetta. 😬 I dislike characters like these. BLEH, BLEHHHH people. 💀

In any case - it’s an okay read if you aren’t too bothered by irrelevant, white livered and weak focused women.
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Lourena Phillips
4.0 out of 5 stars Slow but delicious
Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2024
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I loved the characters and the sweetness of the romance. I loved the magic of the land’s connection to the heroine. I loved the mystery and chaos of a large extended family. The strong humor was fun, but the random gay insertion was jarring.
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Cheyenne
5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful book
Reviewed in the United States on October 5, 2020
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This was a fun read and a bit different from mainstream, but I loved it all the more for that. The setting kind of feels like an industrial England where the more urban areas are more "modern" (i.e. women may wear makeup or trousers) and the countryside is more conservative (i.e. traditional gender roles, women in dresses, etc.). There is magic, but for the most part it is a working-man's thing. Enter our heroine, Hetta. She grew up in the countryside on get ancestral land of Stariel, which is a magical land that bonds with it's inhabitants and quite unique. When she was younger, she was banished from her home by her father, the Lord of Stariel, for practicing magic, which was considered untoward for her to do. She has since carved out a lifestyle which she enjoys in the city doing illusion magic for a theatre house. When her father dies, she returns home for a special (magical) ceremony to determine the next Lord of Stariel. And then mystery upon mystery appears. The world building and plot lines are on point. There lots to tease the mind.

Hetta is a lot of fun. She is a modern gal that at times struggles a bit with her more traditional heritage and a major theme in her character arc is her coming to terms with the home (family, friends, and land) she loves and the life she didn't want to leave in the city. She's very active and engaging, which makes the story fly by.

The side characters are also great. I loved Wyn, Marius, and Grandmamma, as well as the rest of the family. They are each distinct and loveable, in their own way.

I highly recommend this book if you enjoy historical fantasy with a strong mystery element. I definitely plan on reading the rest of the books!
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Vera Soroka
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it!
Reviewed in Canada on January 28, 2021
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I loved this faerie story. Especially Wyn. If you like a
Iittle mystery, you will like this story by this author. I look forward to the next one.
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Ananya
5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliantly written debut
Reviewed in India on October 30, 2022
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I absolutely, unequivocally loved this book! It was a totally random find and goodness, am I glad I found it.

It's got:
- A sentient estate (how interesting is that!)
- A historical alt-British kind of setting, which I'm a total sucker for
- A strong, practical, matter-of-fact kind of female protagonist whose beauty is not expounded upon (and isn't that rare in fantasy?)
- The title of "Lord" being gender-neutral
- Fairies (ahem, "Fae")
- ...and more!

What's not to like! It's also drily funny, and there's nothing I love more than dry humour....
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rita.andotherstories
5.0 out of 5 stars The Lord of Stariel
Reviewed in Germany on August 31, 2021
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"The Lord of Stariel" war mein erstes Buch der Autorin und ich war von Anfang an in diese Serie verliebt. Ich hab so einen Stil selten gelesen, wo man ein "Bridgerton" oder "Downtown Abbey" Gefühl hat, gemixt mit der magischen Welt - einfach traumhaft.
Die Schreibweise bzw. der Stil war mega angenehm, und ich hatte einen sehr leichten Einstieg. Hetta und Wyn machen es einem aber auch sehr leicht :)

Buch 1 ist für mich wirklich so der Einstieg in die komplette Geschichte. Man lernt die Familie kennen, man bekommt einen Einblick in Hettas Leben, das Haus, und ein Gefühl dafür, wo die Reise hingehen könnte. Denn auch wenn man glaubt, es geht so und so weiter, passiert es doch wieder ganz anders.

Es ist ein Kennenlernen der besonderen Art. Das Zusammenspiel von Hetta und Wyn fand ich sehr erheiternd, erfrischend und einfach anders. Ja, es gibt Drama, Gefühle, etc., aber alles in Maß und Ziel und es war einfach so toll, wenn man nicht eeeeeewig auf das Probleme lösen warten muss. Für mich hat da alles gepasst und ich freu mich auf Buch 2.
3 people found this helpful
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L&S Platownslia
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfully written
Reviewed in Italy on August 22, 2021
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I wasn't sure what to expect with this book, having gotten it without looking into the blurb or summary, just taking the word of a friend who recommended it. Oh man, it was great. I loved the description of the world, and the way the main character grew into her role, and the way I was rooting for her the whole time.
Highly recommended and I can't wait to dive into book 2!
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Alix
5.0 out of 5 stars What a charming book!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 9, 2021
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If you're looking for fast-paced action, this is not the book for you. But to me, this is what makes it even more attractive! (I usually tend to skip the big battle scenes in fantasy books!)
The strength of this book lies in its intricate family relations description, with a bit of mystery and some magic thrown in for good measure. Think of it a bit like Downton Abbey with faes. It's interesting that people have perceived the time setting as Victorian, but I immediately got a 1920s vibe, with bobbed hairstyles and early magic-fuelled automobiles and electricity.
The author weaves a lovely, delicate, well-crafted world with believable, likeable characters that defy tropes. Hetta, the main character is strong, knows her own mind and is not afraid to ruffle the feathers of convention. There is a loving step-mother and step-siblings that actually get along. There are love interests that challenge sensibility over sense. And then there is the land that is magic and reason and all in between.
People have complained that the pacing is off, but that is one of the things I enjoyed the most. The pace allows me to savour the wonderful writing and the witty dialogue.
I very much enjoyed this book and I can't wait to read the other ones in the series. Thank goodness there are a few out there already, though the series will only complete in August 21.
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