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Verdict: A short, spicy fae novella with big ideas: curious mortal Janet ventures into the Golden Apple, a club run by fae Dommes, and falls for Cliodhna, Queen of the Banshees, in a sapphic retelling of Tam Lin. Readers enjoy the heat and the Irish mythology; many felt the plot arrived too late and too fast for its length.
Best for: Readers who want a quick, explicit fae romance with Irish myth and ADHD representation.
Heat level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3.0/5 — a 3.23 Goodreads average across 179 ratings, 2.99 on StoryGraph from 67 reviews, and 3.7 stars across 90 Amazon ratings)
Tropes: Fairy-tale retelling, fae, BDSM club, instalove, mythology, novella.
The Apples Hung Like Stars is Ali Williams’s 2024 paranormal sapphic novella from CLAficionado Press, part of The Unleashed Fae series in the Godstouched Universe, where the gods meddle with mortals and magic leaks back into the world.
It holds a 3.23 average across 179 Goodreads ratings, with 41% of them four or five stars, 2.99 on StoryGraph from 67 reviews, and 3.7 stars across 90 Amazon ratings.
What Is The Apples Hung Like Stars About?
People have warned Janet away from the Golden Apple, a club that is no place for nice girls. But something draws her there, and she is not as nice a girl as she seems.
When Cliodhna promises a night of exquisite pleasure, Janet is ready to sign away her very soul. What follows pulls her into fae politics, gods and trials.
What Works in This Book
- Heat: Readers who came for spice say it delivers.
- Mythology: One reader was inspired to dive into Irish mythology.
- Cliodhna: The fae queen is a standout.
- Representation: ADHD and plus-size representation in a fantasy setting.
Book Synopsis
A mortal who is not as nice as she seems. A fae queen who offers a night worth her soul.
Welcome to the Golden Apple.
My Review
The first half is a confident, sexy opening, and fans of the author’s Godstouched books enjoy seeing familiar characters and a world that invites further reading. The worldbuilding is ambitious for a novella, with banshees, a shape-shifting snake, a wolf pack and the Morrigan all in play, and several readers wish it had been a full novel.
That ambition is also the problem. Many readers found the second half rushed and overloaded with unexplained lore, with the real plot arriving only near the end, and several noted editing errors and instalove. One felt the character development was nearly nonexistent, another that the BDSM was not well researched, and one did not finish.
My honest note: A spicy taster; expect a rushed ending.
| Element | In The Apples Hung Like Stars |
|---|---|
| Central relationship | Janet (mortal) & Cliodhna (fae queen of the banshees) |
| Core tropes | Tam Lin retelling, fae, BDSM club |
| Setting | The Golden Apple club and the fae world |
| Heat level | 🌶️🌶️🌶️ |
| Length | About 85 pages (novella) |
| Series | The Unleashed Fae (Godstouched Universe) |
| Content notes | Explicit BDSM, dark mythology, peril |
How Spicy Is The Apples Hung Like Stars?
High. Readers call it smutty and plenty spicy, centred on a BDSM club.
Readers mention dark gods, trials and peril in the second half.
Who Should Read This Book?
You’ll likely love it if: you want a quick, spicy fae read with ADHD representation. It is on our neurodivergent sapphic romance list.
You may want to skip it if: you want a fully developed plot or romance.
In short: Hot start, hurried finish.
What Readers Are Actually Saying (September 2026)
On Goodreads the split is 18% five stars, 23% four, 33% three, 17% two and 9% one. On StoryGraph, readers most often tagged it adventurous and dark.
Why readers love it (according to the discourse): Spice first. Second, mythology. Third, Cliodhna. Fourth, the world.
What readers argue about and complain about: A rushed second half, above everything. Second, too short. Third, editing.
The comparison worth making first: Sealed With A Hiss, a gentler paranormal romance with a neurodivergent heroine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it a Tam Lin retelling?
Yes, a sapphic one, set in the Godstouched Universe. One reader felt it strayed too far from the ballad, since the leads are barely separated or in love when the trials begin.
How long is it?
A short novella of about 85 pages, and many readers felt it needed to be longer.
How spicy is it?
Very. It opens in a BDSM club run by fae Dommes, and readers call it plenty spicy; one felt the BDSM felt forced.
What is the neurodivergent representation?
Janet is written with ADHD, and one reader enjoyed the author’s take on it; readers also note plus-size representation.
Is The Apples Hung Like Stars on Kindle Unlimited?
Yes, when we checked, or $3.99 to buy on Kindle.
If You Loved The Apples Hung Like Stars, Read These Next
Explore more of the Godstouched Universe, or try Eight Kinky Nights and Sealed With A Hiss. Browse our neurodivergent sapphic romance list or the full Book Reviews archive.
The Bottom Line
The Apples Hung Like Stars sets out to be a spicy, mythic sapphic retelling, and its heat and world intrigue many. What holds it back is a crowded, rushed second half. Best as a quick Kindle Unlimited taster. Check The Apples Hung Like Stars on Amazon →
The Eikna Overall Ranking
On the Eikna scale, The Apples Hung Like Stars ranks as a fair neurodivergent-rep pick — spicy, rushed.
The Evidence Scorecard
Overall ★★★☆☆ 3/5
- ✓ 3.23 average across 179 Goodreads ratings
- ✓ 41% of Goodreads ratings are four or five stars
- ✓ 2.99 on StoryGraph from 67 reviews
- ✓ 3.7 stars across 90 Amazon ratings
Romance ★★★☆☆ 2.8/5
- ✓ Instalove
- ✓ Chemistry
- ✓ Barely in love for one
- ✓ Spicy
Characters ★★★☆☆ 3/5
- ✓ Janet
- ✓ Cliodhna
- ✓ Aoibheall
- ✓ Underdeveloped for some
Writing ★★★☆☆ 2.7/5
- ✓ Simple
- ✓ Editing errors
- ✓ Rushed
- ✓ Ambitious
Emotional Impact ★★★☆☆ 2.8/5
- ✓ Adventure
- ✓ Dark
- ✓ Trials
- ✓ Quick
Heat Level ★★★★★ 5/5
- ✓ Smutty
- ✓ BDSM
- ✓ Explicit
- ✓ Adult
Ending ★★★☆☆ 2.8/5
- ✓ Rushed
- ✓ Series continues
- ✓ Complex
- ✓ Abrupt
Re-read Value ★★★☆☆ 3/5
- ✓ On Kindle Unlimited
- ✓ $3.99 Kindle price
- ✓ 85 pages
- ✓ Quick taster
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