This book was OK. The premise was unique (Earth is crumbling so the Female Main Character (FMC) arranges to immigrate to another planet in a distant realm with her sister and her sister's friends, whose spaceship operates via witchcraft and spells as much as mechanics. In the process, she falls in love with one of her sister's witchy friends, who teaches her how to use her own magic....) but often the downside to offering a unique plot is that it's difficult to ensure it's believable at the same time. The author did a mostly convincing job at managing the premise.

However, I did not love this book, and I think that's mainly due to the FMC being kind of uptight, angsty, and illogical, IMO, and me being unable to relate to the Male Main Character (MMC). He was too....I don't know. I just know I like my MMC's to be tall, dark, handsome, and capable, and the MMC in this book was too sunny and I guess too emotional for me? I prefer brooding to buoyant, I guess. But if you like your MMC to be bubbly and bright, this is the book for you!

I much preferred the relationships between the FMC and the other travelers on the spaceship, and between the co-travelers and their own significant others, than the one brewing between the two mains. I thought the author did an excellent job of capturing the emotions involved with meeting people for the first time and then having to go on an extended journey with them!

The world building was also unique and interesting, in that the spaceship was really a "ship" - a former cruise ship converted to sail the skies instead of the seas. I thought the author explored the idea of former luxury and outdated mechanics very well, and I was impressed with the ingenuity necessary to do so.

Where this story fell flat with me is truly in my inability to connect with either main character. I don't want to include any spoilers, but I thought the fatalistic attitude of the FMC was irritating and the melodramatic reaction of the MMC was also irritating, to me. So even though everything else in this book was well plotted and descriptively written, I just couldn't lose myself in it the way that I wanted to.

I rate each of the individual elements of this story on a 5-star scale as follows:

FMC - 3/5 stars
MMC - 3/5 stars
Plot - 4/5 stars
Pacing - 3/5 stars
Supporting characters - 4/5 stars
Dialogue - 4/5 stars
World-building - 4/5 stars
Grammar/syntax - 3/5 stars
Sex scenes - 3/5 stars
Average rating is 3.4 stars, and I would definitely round up to 3.5 stars if the app allowed it.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. ( )

A fantastic quick read! This mixed sci-fi, magic, and futuristic vibes into an amazing adventure! Loved the development of relationships, the tension, the banter! I got caught up in wanting to return to The WitchCraft every chance I got! I look forward to reading additional works by this author. ( )

This book is well written, easy to follow a complex plot. If you’re interested in the future, witches, spells, romance and leaving Earth, this book is for you. Another plus is that it’s only about 175 pages…not too wordy. It’s an easy read for a weekend. ( )

Until the Stars Fall is the first in a science fiction/fantasy romance series by Holly Rose. Gemma is an astroengineer and non-practicing witch. She has joined her sister’s coven in their space ship as part of humanity’s evacuation to a new planet not ravaged by climate change. What she didn’t expect was a dilapidated space ship held together with duct tape and spells. Gemma has hidden and denied her magic for years. She blames her magic for her parents’ death and has made contact with a shady practitioner on their new planet to remove her magic. What she didn’t count on was sexy and kind Beck who she shares engineering duties with. He discovers her magic on their first day on board. He is determined to help her learn to accept and control her magic. When Beck, and the whole spaceship, is in danger, Gemma has to decide whether to embrace and use her power or lose everything.
I enjoyed this novel. The characters were all very interesting and fun. I enjoyed Beck and Gemma’s relationship, and Gemma’s growing confidence with her coven. I found the use and description of magic entertaining. As much as I enjoyed the characters and the romance, I think I would have enjoyed the story more if it had not been combined with the science fiction elements. I usually enjoy science fiction, and science fiction romance. I enjoy learning about new worlds and the interesting ways authors grapple with space travel, particularly faster than light travel. However, the author never really expounds on these details. Humanity has to evacuate earth because of climate change, but it seems to be a hodge-podge effort with people having to somehow cobble together their own spaceships. Yet, there didn’t seem to be great social unrest and people trying to force their way aboard, or steal, the coven’s ship. There is no history of how humanity discovers FTL space flight and how it works. I enjoy fantasy and science fiction and am quite comfortable suspending my disbelief but I found the thinness of the science fiction elements a distraction. If the book had been the romance between two witches, one of whom was unaccepting of her power and had to reconcile her past, I think I would have been able to enjoy this novel even more. Some sexual content, but not excessive. ( )

Until the Stars Fall by Holly Rose was good. There were things that could be better. Instead of saying just that Beck was beautiful, more description of why he was beautiful. The gratuitous sex scenes didn't help. They interupted the flow of the narrative.