---
title: "What We Did To The Stars | Adult Post-Apocalyptic Romantasy"
description: "What We Did To The Stars is adult post-apocalyptic romantasy for readers who grew up on The Obernewtyn Chronicles and now want spicy romance, hidden histories and ruined-world stakes."
canonical: "https://nicoleholmesauthor.com/books/what-we-did-to-the-stars/"
---

# What We Did To The Stars

By Nicole Holmes, Melbourne-based author of adult dark speculative romance.

Status: Seeking publication; unpublished

Series position: Book one of a planned trilogy

Age category: Adult romantasy with New Adult crossover appeal

Genre: Post-apocalyptic romantasy; dark speculative romance; science-fantasy romance; dystopian romance

Heat level: Spicy, open-door adult romance

Availability: Not yet available to buy or read publicly

Search tags: dark romance; romantasy; spicy romantasy; adult romantasy; post-apocalyptic romantasy; dystopian romantasy; books like The Obernewtyn Chronicles; Obernewtyn Chronicles romantasy; Obernewtyn vibes; adult romantasy for Obernewtyn fans; hidden powers; oppressive society; rebellion; secret histories; dark speculative romance; science-fantasy romance; dystopian romance.

## One-Sentence Positioning

*What We Did To The Stars* is a fast-paced adult post-apocalyptic romantasy about Emelyn, a guarded autistic twenty-seven-year-old forced aboveground when her father disappears, for readers who like spicy romantasy, dystopian resistance, hidden histories and civilisation-scale science fiction.

## Short Description

Set one hundred years after the holy war that ended the world, *What We Did To The Stars* follows Emelyn, the only person who may be able to fix what is left. When her father disappears, she leaves the protected underground city where she grew up and enters the ruined world above. There she collides with Riven, a rude and alluring young man whose obsessive devotion, mysterious connection to her and place in a centuries-old prophecy threaten the life she was desperate to return to.

## Reader Fit

Readers who enjoy emotionally intense romance, post-apocalyptic societies, dangerous devotion, corrupt institutions, hidden histories and speculative worlds where magic may be misunderstood technology may enjoy *What We Did To The Stars*.

Readers who grew up on *The Obernewtyn Chronicles* and now want adult romantasy may be a strong fit: ruined-world mystery, oppressive power, secret histories, strange inheritance and a sharper, spicier romantic thread.

## Tropes And Themes

- Obsessed love interest
- Post-apocalyptic romantasy
- Ruined-world mystery
- Reluctant chosen one
- Ancient prophecy
- Dystopian resistance
- Mysterious romantic connection
- Emotional avoidance
- Found family
- Corrupt religious authority
- Secret histories
- Hidden identity
- Lost technology mistaken for magic

## Comparable Titles

- *The Obernewtyn Chronicles*: post-apocalyptic worldbuilding, hidden power, oppressive institutions, secret histories and societies rebuilt around old catastrophe.
- *Foundation*: civilisation-scale science fiction questions, long consequences and the shape of history.
- *Fourth Wing*: spicy romantasy, danger, high stakes and intense romantic pressure.
- *The Hunger Games*: dystopian resistance, institutional control and survival inside systems built to exploit people.
- *Mistborn*: magic systems, hidden histories, religious power and the discovery that the world is not what people were taught.
- *The Expanse*: direct prose, humour, science-fiction texture and human conflict inside large-scale systems.

## Representation

Emelyn is an autistic adult female protagonist whose experience of emotional overwhelm shapes the narrative technique: the avoidant narrator. The world reflects a culturally diverse post-apocalyptic society influenced by contemporary multicultural Australia.

## Content Notes

Violence, attempted sexual assault, religious coercion, captivity, psychological manipulation, family separation and explicit sexual content.

## Where To Read Or Buy

*What We Did To The Stars* is currently unpublished and seeking representation. It is not yet available to buy or read publicly. Join the newsletter for development updates, excerpts and publication news.

Newsletter: https://substack.com/@nicoleholmesauthor

Instagram follow/contact: https://www.instagram.com/emptyplatesheavyweights