Cities of Smoke and Starlight

Gate Chronicles, Book 1

By: Alli Earnest

Narrated by: Magnus Carlssen

Perfect for fans of Dune, Pride & Prejudice, and anyone who believed Rogue One needed a romantic subplot.

Two tortured souls. One world on the brink of war.

Kase Shackley is an embittered hover pilot still reeling from the night his sister died in his arms. He's a screw up in every sense, so when a pilot nearly dies on his watch, he faces serious charges. Seeking to clear his name, he flies a ragtag crew to a lost and dangerous land from which they might never return. If only he didn't have to work with the infuriating bookshop girl who insulted him with Shakespeare

Hallie Walker, top scholar at the University, is jaded by the glittering society shed always dreamed of joining. Raised in the mountains, she fled to the city to forget her painful past. When she loses her bookshop job and the promise of school tuition, she agrees to a top-secret government mission if only for the promised substantial sum upon her return. Now if she could just ignore the ungrateful, arrogant prat of a pilot

In a world of hoverships and crumbling First Earth artifacts, it's up to Hallie and Kase to accomplish the impossible: secure an alliance with an elusive, mystical race to help defend against a kingdom with dangerous technology and ancient magic. If they fail, the war will be lost before it even begins.

Cities of Smoke & Starlight is a heart-wrenching, character-driven steampunk novel featuring a clean, slow burn enemies-to-lovers romance.

©2022 Dragon Page Entertainment (P)2023 Dragon Page Entertainment

Looking Forward To The Next

It's been a while since I powered through a book in just a few days. Enjoy the world building and looking forward to learning more. The narrator is over all good which can be hard to find these days too. The accents can be a little silly but like I said overall was a great listen!

Real characters and plot twists!

I love how well this author set up the whole story! The progression of meeting the cast of characters and getting to know them better throughout the story. The VERY Pride and Prejudice-esque enemies to rivals to friends to lovers romantic subplot. *chef’s kiss*

The worldbuilding is phenomenal! Steampunk with a touch of fantasy. Sooooooo well done and original!

The emotions are SKY HIGH at times, and TW:character deaths on-page as well as recollections of character deaths from before the story starts.

The world building and the character development

I loved the book but I was hoping for more spice. Warning readers there’s only a kiss, but I’m hoping for more in the second book and believe me this book was that good that I’m reading the second immediately because I HAVE TO KNOW ❤️ IYKYK!

A great adventure with beautiful writing

I really had a great time with this story. I thought the hate-to-love romance was sweet and the whole thing reminded me of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow things like Treasure Planet, Mortal Engines, Divine Rivals and Endlewood. The writing was descriptive without being too cumbersome, the characters in my opinion were likeable and relatable, especially if you're stubborn like me. The plot was interesting and I was constantly waiting for the next shoe to fall. But Allie left breath where needed and you weren't getting whiplash. I loved the world and the politics as they unfolded, the dicotome of paste and future colliding was good fun. I'll review filling on the SFF Insiders blog.

Slow burn with an unexpected plot twist.

All the reviews so far as correct. This is a story for anyone who loves pride and prejudice mixed with Star Wars/treasure planet, and the lost city of Atlantis movie adventure plot! Cannot wait to listen to the second

Atlantis and Treasure Planet vibes

Overall I really enjoyed this book! The characters were very fun and I liked the relationships between them. The banter was silly and fun to listen to. The story has a decent pace and it was a fun ride! I would absolutely recommend it to my friends.

There are a few things that i think could have been better. There are times when you’re not sure exactly who is talking or what is happening in flashbacks/ memories. It’s written in 3rd person and has multiple view points and that’s just something that happens with that writing style if it isn’t done just right.

The FMC is kind of annoying at times. A lot of screaming and gasping loudly or just bungling things. It was very frustrating. Like girl you’re in a dangerous situation you should know better than to scream because you saw a bug or something. It’s almost a parody of how women act. This does get better towards the end and it’s not annoying enough to make me want to stop reading it, it just ruined the immersion for me a bit.

Other than that though I loved it! I am very excited to read the sequel!

Atlantis, Anastasia, Star Wars, Treasure Planet

This story was great! It’s like Atlantis the Lost Empire meets Treasure Planet with a bit of Star Wards in there.
Loved the second book too!

Fantasy Adventure with Slow Burn Romance Subplot

If you like a thread of romance, but as only part of a multi-threaded plot, this series is a great option. Slow burn.

disappointing

I only finished it because I paid for it. case is annoying and halley is not much better.

One note

Initially I was interested in this book described as a mix of treasure planet and the mummy. However, I found it difficult to relate to the main characters. Sadly at one point I forgot the lead females name completely. The setting, world are thoughtful and well planned. It just didn’t captivate me the way I had hoped.