Shop Harry Potter in 3D

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The Dark of Light (Starhawke Rising Book 1) Kindle Edition

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,044 ratings

Save a planet. Sacrifice your future.
For Aurora Hawke, protecting the secret of her half-human heritage has been a lifelong challenge. Taking command of her own starship and the best crew in the quadrant has been her dream. Failing at both is her nightmare. But the survival of a planet may depend on it.

With millions of lives at risk, she’ll do whatever it takes, even if revealing her unique abilities means spending the rest of her life on the run.

If you like Star Trek style pulse-pounding interstellar adventures, intriguing alien encounters, and otherworldly starships, you’ll love the Starhawke Rising series. Perfect for fans of Lindsay Buroker, Michelle Diener, and K. Gorman.

STARHAWKE RISING
The Dark of Light
The Chains of Freedom
The Honor of Deceit
The Legacy of Tomorrow
The Siege of Alliance
The Exile of Justice
The Rebels of Betrayal

STARHAWKE ROGUE
Arch Allies
Marked Mercenaries
Resurgent Renegades

STARHAWKE ROMANCE
Guardian Mate
For the Love of Beauty

Shop this series

See full series
This option includes 7 books. See included books
Shop this series
There are 7 books in this series.
Bundle price: Kindle price
Bundle price: Kindle price
Bundle price: Kindle price
By placing your order, you're purchasing a license to the content and you agree to the Kindle Store Terms of Use.

This option includes 3 books.

This option includes 5 books.

This option includes 7 books.

Something went wrong.
Bundle price: Kindle price
Bundle price: Kindle price
Bundle price: Kindle price
By placing your order, you're purchasing a license to the content and you agree to the Kindle Store Terms of Use.

Customers also bought or read

Loading...

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Debut author Audrey Sharpe discovered the joys of science fiction at the age of five when she saw Star Wars for the first time. She immediately decided her future career of choice was Jedi Master, and was heartbroken when she learned no such course of training existed. Undaunted, she studied the stories of her mentors, who taught her the wonders of galaxies far, far away and the value of boldly going where no one has gone before. Audrey credits her mother, a gifted author, with nurturing her love of reading and writing. Perhaps it was inevitable that one day she'd combine her passions for science fiction and the written word into a world of her own creation. When she's not off traveling the galaxy with Aurora Hawke and her crew, she lives in the Sonoran Desert, where she has an excellent view of the stars. Audrey loves connecting with readers. You can reach her online at facebook.com/audreysharpeauthor and twitter.com/asharpeauthor, or visit her website at www.AudreySharpe.com.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B072DVVB6M
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ocean Dance Press; 2nd edition (April 24, 2017)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 24, 2017
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1710 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 350 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,044 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Audrey Sharpe
Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Audrey Sharpe grew up believing in the Force and dreaming of becoming captain of the Enterprise. She’s still working out the logistics of moving objects with her mind, but writing science fiction provides a pretty good alternative. When she’s not off exploring the galaxy with Aurora and her crew, she lives in the Sonoran Desert, where she has an excellent view of the stars.

You can connect with Audrey online at AudreySharpe.com.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,044 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers

Customers say

Customers enjoyed the book's exciting plot and well-developed characters. They found the pacing fast and the story engaging, making it a good starting point for a new science fiction series. The writing quality was praised as excellent and the editing flawless. Many described the book as an interesting space opera with strong female characters and believable villains. The world-building was praised as well-done, combining familiar and novel themes.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

41 customers mention "Plot development"41 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the exciting plot with intriguing twists. They find the story engaging with action and world-building that keeps the plot moving. The backstory is also included, keeping the story imaginative and heartwarming. Readers appreciate the political complexity that builds throughout the story, climaxing at the end.

"...and I have to say I WANT MORE!!! The stories are heartwarming and exciting and imaginative and pulse pounding and so rich in detail...." Read more

"The overall story is a good sci-fi tale...." Read more

"I was totally addicted to this book from the beginning. It started off with excitement and adventure. I was hooked. It’s a total space opera...." Read more

"This is a complex book so lots to parse here. I liked the story line and the author is a skilled writer so no editorial challenges...." Read more

35 customers mention "Character development"35 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the well-developed characters and interesting settings. They also appreciate the good villains and cliffhanger ending.

"...I adore these characters, and am so glad we have some amazing female characters that are strong and believable, not simply there to fill a space or..." Read more

"...I was hooked. It’s a total space opera. The characters are fluent. The writing superb. Can’t wait to dig into the next one." Read more

"...reading, good lead and support characters, interesting settings, good villains, and enough of a cliffhanger to want to read the next book...." Read more

"...Is it perfect? No. But the characters are enjoyable, the story is well written, and the universe is extremely well done...." Read more

21 customers mention "Pacing"21 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's pacing and find it an engaging start to a new science fiction series. They praise the great premise, evocative storytelling, and characters. The twisty plot makes for a great first novel in this series, and readers are excited to continue the series.

"...a picture of a half as good as this one this is going to be a very successful series." Read more

"I liked some of the characters, the idea was good, unfortunately the lead female was either swept with angst and despair, fainting, collapsing,..." Read more

"...believable, action, possible romantic side story and some science fiction mixed in...." Read more

"...Sharpe's world building is en pointe, combining both familiar and novel themes and elements into her landscapes, characters, and plot...." Read more

17 customers mention "Readability"17 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book. They find it an excellent read with great characters. Readers say it's well worth their time and provides multiple long chunks of reading.

"...Good book, well written." Read more

"Interesting read, well worth your time. The characters have secrets .Read the book to learn more and you be the judge ." Read more

"...While this book is not tech or science heavy, it still is a good read." Read more

"I love it when I just stumble onto a great book. Wow, great action and interesting relationships. Looking forward to the next book...." Read more

15 customers mention "Writing quality"15 positive0 negative

Customers find the book well-written and edited. They appreciate the well-developed characters and the rich, detailed storytelling. The book is described as a decent read with an engaging premise and evocative storytelling.

"...The stories are heartwarming and exciting and imaginative and pulse pounding and so rich in detail...." Read more

"...Beyond that, it's a decent read." Read more

"...It’s a total space opera. The characters are fluent. The writing superb. Can’t wait to dig into the next one." Read more

"This is a complex book so lots to parse here. I liked the story line and the author is a skilled writer so no editorial challenges...." Read more

8 customers mention "Romance novel"6 positive2 negative

Customers enjoy the romance novel. They find it an interesting space drama with well-developed characters. The book is described as a well-written and edited young adult adventure.

"...I was hooked. It’s a total space opera. The characters are fluent. The writing superb. Can’t wait to dig into the next one." Read more

"It is more than the usual space opera. I am going to be looking forward to reading following chapters as this story unfolds." Read more

"...The second half of the novel transformed into a heavily diluted romance novel. Lots of emotions. Lots of concern over emotions...." Read more

"This is an interesting space drama. Aurora is not quite human but she is a good captain...." Read more

5 customers mention "Strength"5 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the strong female characters. They find the female lead smart, independent, courageous, and loyal to her crew.

"...and am so glad we have some amazing female characters that are strong and believable, not simply there to fill a space or act as a sidekick...." Read more

"This series is starting out very strong...." Read more

"...Boy am I glad I did! This had all the elements I enjoy reading, good lead and support characters, interesting settings, good villains, and enough..." Read more

"...of strong women character Scifi fans clamor for: smart, independent, courageous, loyal to her crew, and also, just flawed and inwardly conflicted..." Read more

5 customers mention "World building"5 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the world-building in the book. They mention it's well-done, combining familiar and novel themes. The protagonist and concept are also good.

"...are enjoyable, the story is well written, and the universe is extremely well done...." Read more

"...Her crew compliment both the story and Hawke herself, adding elements of other worlds, space, futurism, technology, security... Like a fine sauce,..." Read more

"...How can it NOT be a hit. Fast paced and great world building." Read more

"...The characters are great. The world building and the back-story both are worked in and keep the plot moving...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2022
    I discovered this series by happy accident, and am about to start the third book (read the first two out of order!) and I have to say I WANT MORE!!! The stories are heartwarming and exciting and imaginative and pulse pounding and so rich in detail. I adore these characters, and am so glad we have some amazing female characters that are strong and believable, not simply there to fill a space or act as a sidekick. The writing is very good too, the story moves along smoothly and reads easily. All in all, I foresee myself re-reading this one as soon as I am finished with the series. Which I hope won’t happen soon!!
    3 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2024
    The overall story is a good sci-fi tale. The biggest issue for me is that the author chose to flip between using first and last names for the characters, which got confusing with a dozen characters. Beyond that, it's a decent read.
  • Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2024
    This series is starting out very strong. I like people I like to characters it’s nice to see the character development working its way through the story and all of the adventures merging together to make one story. I look forward to book number two and a picture of a half as good as this one this is going to be a very successful series.
  • Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2023
    I was totally addicted to this book from the beginning. It started off with excitement and adventure. I was hooked. It’s a total space opera. The characters are fluent. The writing superb. Can’t wait to dig into the next one.
  • Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2023
    This is a complex book so lots to parse here. I liked the story line and the author is a skilled writer so no editorial challenges. The plot is new and original. My only reason for 4 stars instead of 5 is many of the characters were introduced then left hanging with no development. The 3 that come to mind are Star, Kelly, and even Jonarel. Hopefully, the next book will work on that minor flaw.
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2023
    I downloaded this book to my kindle just to see if I wanted to read this space opera series and this new author. Boy am I glad I did! This had all the elements I enjoy reading, good lead and support characters, interesting settings, good villains, and enough of a cliffhanger to want to read the next book.

    **Norma Jean**
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2024
    I started out really liking this book, but things changed somewhere around the halfway point. Essentially, the character names and frequent point-of-view switches were confusing, and the second half turned into a very diluted romance novel.

    The author tends to frequently switch the point of view between characters. This on its own wouldn’t be too bad, but each POV refers to the other characters as that character would. Sometimes they’re referred to by their last name. Sometimes their first name. And sometimes by nickname. And there’s one character who has multiple nicknames from different people. I found this fairly confusing. There were times when I literally didn’t know who they were referring to and had to do a quick search to remember who this character was. I actually considered creating a written cheat sheet to help.

    The second half of the novel transformed into a heavily diluted romance novel. Lots of emotions. Lots of concern over emotions. Men doing their testosterone/anger thing over a woman. And so on. I ended up rolling my eyes pretty often, and several times I did it so hard that it hurt my eyes.

    I like the overall storyline and the literary universe. But I really don’t want to subject myself to another novel like this one, so I won’t be continuing the series. Of course, your mileage may vary.

    I give it 3/5 stars.
    2 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2023
    The biggest problem was that I was enticed enough by the writeup to let myself read this 6 volume series that is 3 volumes more than I ever entertain reading. Big mistake. I kept plodding through the constant barrage of Murphy’s Law happening that no one could ever encounter and no one should have to waste their time reading about in a single novel, let alone this never-ending omnibus. And never ending it is. Spoiler Alert: It doesn’t end. There are more volumes yet to be written. And the story has yet to take on the biggest antagonistic enemy behind six volumes of defeats and draws.
    Besides that major flaw, here are a few more…
    Many of the characters have two or even three names which get randomly used forcing eyeballs to a screeching halt while figuring out who they are. In the same vein, there are many many conversations where one or more speakers are not attributed or were attributed once, many paragraphs ago…another eyeball stop sign.
    Many of the situations are impossible to escape from let alone win but enter “deus ex machina” via magical powers and medical wizard miracles that belong in fantasy, not science fiction.
    The way too many way overdone romantic moments were often paragraphs long and the sex innuendoes never ceased. Nothing wrong with innuendos and romantic interludes but this verged on being a romance novel with some SciFy thrown in.
    7 people found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • HE Fowler
    4.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing - good beginning
    Reviewed in Canada on March 12, 2023
    Great characters and solid storyline. World build could be fleshed out more, and with the writing style sometimes I lost track of the multiple characters and on whose voice was internalizing. It's the only reason for the 4 star. Lots of potential for the series and I will be picking up the next. For fans of Michelle Diener, TA White, Linnea Sinclair
  • marina
    4.0 out of 5 stars What a treasure to find out your destiny lies in protecting your people
    Reviewed in the Netherlands on August 9, 2024
    Heartgripping story about a crew of different kinds of beings that saves lives while protecting their secrets.
    Different kind of friendships developed as well as enemies detected.
    Unfinished business at the end and the tension is so good! Believable characters and relationships. I want to start in the next book.
  • Christopher Leach
    5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 19, 2024
    Enjoyed the story and the way it unfolded, a bit more character development would have been appreciated though hopefully that happens in the series.
    I almost gave this four stars as the plot was just a bit too basic or simple but that's probably my taste and the book was enjoyable.
  • Ingo Michehl, M.Ed.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great sci fi read! Thoroughly enjoyable for fans of star trek.
    Reviewed in Germany on September 20, 2023
    I really enjoyed the somewhat transcendental approach with energy fields and so on. Believable characters, engaging plot, looking forward to the next one. 😄👍👍👏👏👏✨
  • Anne Foley
    5.0 out of 5 stars New scifi star for me!
    Reviewed in Australia on December 12, 2024
    Fantastic start to my new favourite series. I am looking forward to continuing the adventure. Great characters, cool tech, and a twisty plot.

Report an issue


Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?