Funzee's Cozy Couch: ARC REVIEW : The Stars May Rise and Fall by Estella Mirai

Title : The Stars May Rise and Fall
Author : Estella Mirai
Genre(s) : contemporary gay romance
Publication Date : December 11th 2018
Heat Rating : 🔥🔥
Rating : 5/5 Stars

Buy link : Amazon US | Amazon UK

Dreams don't always look the way you expect them to...

Teru came to Tokyo with dreams of making it big in the glam-metal visual kei scene, but three years later, all he has to show for it is a head of hot pink hair and some skill with an eyeliner pencil. He may look the part, but he doesn’t sound it, and constant bickering among his bandmates has him worried about his future. When he finds a mysterious business card in his bag, he’s willing to take any help he can get.

Help comes in the form of Rei, a crippled, disfigured composer whose own career was ended by an accident before it had really begun. With Teru’s voice and looks, and Rei’s money and songwriting skills, both of their dreams seem about to come true – but a forbidden kiss and a late-night confession threaten to tear it all apart. Now Teru, who has spent most of his life denying his attraction to men, and Rei, who vowed long ago never to love again, must reconcile their feelings with their careers – and with their carefully constructed ideas of themselves.

THE STARS MAY RISE AND FALL is an M/M retelling of Phantom of the Opera, set in Tokyo at the turn of the millennium. It comes with a healthy dose of angst and a dollop of nostalgia, as well as an age-difference romance, a physically disabled love interest, and memorable characters who will stay with you long after tehe pages are closed.

They fit together, here as well as anywhere. Like pieces of a puzzle. Like a lock and a key.

🎙🎙🎙

A beautiful WOWmazing debut novel from Estella Mirai!

Good story with memorable characters that will stay linger in me long after I finished the book.

This book is like a gem in the sea of new release books at nearly end of this year and I’m so glad that I decided to give this book a try at first sight when I read the blurb back then.

The story brought back the memories from my teenage life when the visual kei band were on the top of Japan music industry at that time. I grew up with X-Japan, L'Arc en Ciel, Malice Mizer, Luna Sea, Dir en Grey, GLAY and many more visual kei band at that time. I even become Gackt and Hyde shipper back then and cried hysterically when saw they stared a movie together (Moon Child 2003). So, yes! Reading this book that set in year 2000 and found those names being mentioned succeed throw me back to the era when those visual kei rock band group top the world.

I can help you. Call me.

Following the story of indie visual kei band, La Rose Verboten and their struggles to survive in the strict competitive with the other VK band to steal the spotlight and being seen are interesting. And I love how the author combined the struggle of the new band in gaining their success and the love story between a shy drummer turned singer, Teru and a mysterious talented composer with tragic past, Rei which pictured in a very poignant and heartwarming story.

I’m here…Forever. With you….

The slow maddening pace, the slow burn combine with good writing make everything feels perfect. The author with her typical Japanese style romance had successfully stir the reader feels to immersed deep into the story with her writing. She could make butterflies in my tummy flutter like crazy with just a simply chaste kiss! Even a simply hands touch or holding hands could spread the warm feelings in my heart. If you familiar with Japanese dorama, you’ll know what I mean. I can picturing ALL the scenes perfectly while I read this book like I’m actually watching a J-Drama playing in my head. I must admit, this book has movie materials and has potential to be a good movie if it seriously made. I just wish that I’ll see this story made into a movie someday…

Last but not least, I want to say thank you to the author for bringing back those nostalgic memories through her writing. I even digging back my X-Japan and L'arc en Ciel music collections and played it as a companions music during the reading. So, again...Thank you!

And now I’ll leave you with one of my favorite song from L'arc en Ciel, PIECES. I’ve playing this song over and over again while I'm reading this book and picturing Teru singing this song each time he sing SWEET GOODBYE…

Nakanaide nakanaide taisetsu na hitomi wo
Kanashisa ni tsumazuite mo shinjitsu wo miteite ne
Sono mama no anata de ite…

RECOMMENDED!

Estella Mirai lives just outside of Tokyo with her human family and a very spoiled lap cat. When she isn’t reading or writing, she works in editing and translation—which means that 99% percent of her day is usually words. In her minimal free time, she enjoys watching musicals, cooking (badly), and slaughtering power ballads at karaoke.