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adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, Blood, Antisemitism, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content, Alcohol, War
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I think one of the many worst things a piece of media can do, is make you feel stupid for caring and getting invested. I’m sure from that statement alone, you’ll never be able to guess what this book did.
I really wanted to like the characters. I spent so much of the book waiting for them to grow or clues of who they really were to show. I poked at every thread the book gave me for who the murderer was and what the motivation was and what they got out of it. I was having fun! Unfortunately, all those things I was waiting for never came. It felt like so many arcs were set up and none of them ended up resolved, I would argue that the MC’s arc was barely resolved. It just led to a book of extremely flat, one-note characters that I couldn’t get invested in. I could barely even tell them apart. Then there was Lorelei and Sylvia. To be honest, I thought Lorelei was a really interesting lead. Her struggles with how her people are viewed by society and how that impacts her, her struggles with trying to gain influence to help her people, and her own blind spots and flaws were VERY interesting at the start. Even if she was rude, I didn’t mind it too much because I could understand where she was coming from. Unfortunately she got creepy VERY abruptly. Sylvia is begging Lorelei to investigate the murder and Lorelei wonders to herself what exactly she could make Sylvia do for her, if Sylvia thought it would convince Lorelei to investigate. The implication in the scene was clear, especially with how she was thinking about Sylvia and her looks. I also didn’t really think Sylvia and Loreli had any chemistry. It felt more like Sylvia was this beautiful, mythical creature that Lorelei was mesmerised by than a real person. I really just think we had too little time with the two of them together to get invested.
I think the world building was interesting, if a little clunky delivered at times. I actually think my issues with it tie in with that aspect of the writing. While most world building details were delivered in an efficient way when relevant. I thought things shared were really interesting and said a lot about the world. I think the only place I really struggled were some of the stories Lorelei told. Every now and then she would stop and tell a whole folktale and then explain how it related to the member of the cast she was talking about. It really just slowed things down and was a really clunky way to tell us about the characters and the stories of the world.
I think the book’s themes on grief were pretty sold. The themes on stories, not so much. Lorelei had a really interesting and I think pretty solidly exploration of grief and trauma. She’s experienced a lot of loss in her life and the ghosts of that haunt her. I think her learning to cope and start to move on was a really well done story, if one that needed more time. On the other hand, Lorelei (local folklorist) had a really odd take on stories and folklore. She said stories were only used to influence politics and to keep certain groups on the outs. I expected the book to contradict this, but it never did. It even pushed the message near the end, which felt odd to me. Certainly some stories have that sort of messaging and all stories have themes, but I think to flatten every historical and modern story in this way is…I don’t know it felt off for the book.
Overall? I don’t really think this is a book I would recommend and has almost entirely put me off of Saft’s work. I’m thinking about trying her Wings of Starlight book, but I don’t have high hopes for it.
I really wanted to like the characters. I spent so much of the book waiting for them to grow or clues of who they really were to show. I poked at every thread the book gave me for who the murderer was and what the motivation was and what they got out of it. I was having fun! Unfortunately, all those things I was waiting for never came. It felt like so many arcs were set up and none of them ended up resolved, I would argue that the MC’s arc was barely resolved. It just led to a book of extremely flat, one-note characters that I couldn’t get invested in. I could barely even tell them apart. Then there was Lorelei and Sylvia. To be honest, I thought Lorelei was a really interesting lead. Her struggles with how her people are viewed by society and how that impacts her, her struggles with trying to gain influence to help her people, and her own blind spots and flaws were VERY interesting at the start. Even if she was rude, I didn’t mind it too much because I could understand where she was coming from. Unfortunately she got creepy VERY abruptly. Sylvia is begging Lorelei to investigate the murder and Lorelei wonders to herself what exactly she could make Sylvia do for her, if Sylvia thought it would convince Lorelei to investigate. The implication in the scene was clear, especially with how she was thinking about Sylvia and her looks. I also didn’t really think Sylvia and Loreli had any chemistry. It felt more like Sylvia was this beautiful, mythical creature that Lorelei was mesmerised by than a real person. I really just think we had too little time with the two of them together to get invested.
I think the world building was interesting, if a little clunky delivered at times. I actually think my issues with it tie in with that aspect of the writing. While most world building details were delivered in an efficient way when relevant. I thought things shared were really interesting and said a lot about the world. I think the only place I really struggled were some of the stories Lorelei told. Every now and then she would stop and tell a whole folktale and then explain how it related to the member of the cast she was talking about. It really just slowed things down and was a really clunky way to tell us about the characters and the stories of the world.
I think the book’s themes on grief were pretty sold. The themes on stories, not so much. Lorelei had a really interesting and I think pretty solidly exploration of grief and trauma. She’s experienced a lot of loss in her life and the ghosts of that haunt her. I think her learning to cope and start to move on was a really well done story, if one that needed more time. On the other hand, Lorelei (local folklorist) had a really odd take on stories and folklore. She said stories were only used to influence politics and to keep certain groups on the outs. I expected the book to contradict this, but it never did. It even pushed the message near the end, which felt odd to me. Certainly some stories have that sort of messaging and all stories have themes, but I think to flatten every historical and modern story in this way is…I don’t know it felt off for the book.
Overall? I don’t really think this is a book I would recommend and has almost entirely put me off of Saft’s work. I’m thinking about trying her Wings of Starlight book, but I don’t have high hopes for it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Hate crime, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Murder
Minor: Sexual content, War
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really should have seen that ending coming, but I was shocked anyway! This book did not tell the story I thought it was going to, and I loved the way the story evolved over time! The characters were all wildly different and compelling (even though I cheered when some of them died ). The narrator's different voices for each character made it easy to listen to. The worldbuilding and magic system were both straightforward without being boring; I liked how the characters didn't know everything about their own world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, Antisemitism
Moderate: Racism, Sexual content, Blood, Murder, War
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Murder, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, War
Minor: Sexual content
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5/5 stars, rounded down.
I'll be honest and say I picked this one up for the absolutely stunning cover and the sapphic romance. While the cover did not disappoint, I think the romance did. I had extremely conflicting feelings on the main character, Lorelei. Lorelei was written with flaws on display. She has an extremely rough personality with a flaming temper and a smart mouth. While I appreciated that she was different from most FMCs that I tend to read, she also irritated when it came to treating others around her so poorly. Specifically Sylvia. I understand that this was meant to be an enemies (or rivals) to lovers, but even when they worked their way towards "lovers," I still found Lorelei to be cruel and unkind which really bothered me. Their relationship felt steeped in toxicity which left me struggling to get on board with.
I also wasn't as engulfed in this story as I hoped to be. These two things are what prevented me from rating it 4 stars.
What really worked for me was the atmosphere, setting, and writing. I loved all of these so much that I desperately was wishing that I didn't feel let down from the characters and story so that I could've rated this higher. The setting and atmosphere were amazing. I loved the world that Allison Saft created and fell in love with her prose. It's extremely rare that I wish for a series out of standalone books, but for this one, I wish there was a second book. I wanted to see more character development and I felt that the ending could've benefited from a sequel. If this was a duology, I would pick up book 2 in a heartbeat.
Another shoutout for the stunning cover artwork. This is probably one of my favorites of all time.
I'll be honest and say I picked this one up for the absolutely stunning cover and the sapphic romance. While the cover did not disappoint, I think the romance did. I had extremely conflicting feelings on the main character, Lorelei. Lorelei was written with flaws on display. She has an extremely rough personality with a flaming temper and a smart mouth. While I appreciated that she was different from most FMCs that I tend to read, she also irritated when it came to treating others around her so poorly. Specifically Sylvia. I understand that this was meant to be an enemies (or rivals) to lovers, but even when they worked their way towards "lovers," I still found Lorelei to be cruel and unkind which really bothered me. Their relationship felt steeped in toxicity which left me struggling to get on board with.
I also wasn't as engulfed in this story as I hoped to be. These two things are what prevented me from rating it 4 stars.
What really worked for me was the atmosphere, setting, and writing. I loved all of these so much that I desperately was wishing that I didn't feel let down from the characters and story so that I could've rated this higher. The setting and atmosphere were amazing. I loved the world that Allison Saft created and fell in love with her prose. It's extremely rare that I wish for a series out of standalone books, but for this one, I wish there was a second book. I wanted to see more character development and I felt that the ending could've benefited from a sequel. If this was a duology, I would pick up book 2 in a heartbeat.
Another shoutout for the stunning cover artwork. This is probably one of my favorites of all time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Racism, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, War
Minor: Drug use
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Sexual content
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The last few chapters of this book felt like a betrayal. I was so onboard and enjoying the romance, and the ending just shot all that joy at the back of the barn. I can't look at the couple of this book and not want to shout, "you stupid sluts!" (context: with the emotion of that tumblr meme, "there's not gonna be _, you stupid slut).
But to start with the positives that carried most of the star rating - and if not for the ending, would've had this be rated even higher: the setting of the story was so enchanting. It's so rich in both mundane and mythical worldbuilding. I enjoyed the recurring theme of folktales and how they'd keep coming back into the story - from being used to help describe characters or situations to becoming actual plot points both supportive and antagonistic. This is, in my opinion, the best part of the book.
The mystery was well done. Despite all my guesses of who were red herrings and who were likely to be wolves in sheep's clothing, I still couldn't have predicted the final twist - and once it was on the page, everything clicked into place. If I weren't so furious about the ending, I'd wonder how much would pop out to me on a re-reading. I will say that the pacing is a bit weird; the synopsis mentions secrets from the mentor, but it took a long time to actually reach that part, and once the story did it didn't seem to have as much bearing on the plot or character as the synopsis led me to believe. There were times when progression in one plot (I'd break this book down into three plots: the expedition, the murder mystery, and the romance) would suddenly ramp up in a way that it felt like the end of the story, despite the plethora of remaining pages. I think some of this has to do with the short size of the book and a little bit of not marrying the three simultaneous plots together - it felt more like they would take turns in the spotlight, until around the end when it all came together.
But to start with the positives that carried most of the star rating - and if not for the ending, would've had this be rated even higher: the setting of the story was so enchanting. It's so rich in both mundane and mythical worldbuilding. I enjoyed the recurring theme of folktales and how they'd keep coming back into the story - from being used to help describe characters or situations to becoming actual plot points both supportive and antagonistic. This is, in my opinion, the best part of the book.
The mystery was well done. Despite all my guesses of who were red herrings and who were likely to be wolves in sheep's clothing, I still couldn't have predicted the final twist - and once it was on the page, everything clicked into place. If I weren't so furious about the ending, I'd wonder how much would pop out to me on a re-reading. I will say that the pacing is a bit weird; the synopsis mentions secrets from the mentor, but it took a long time to actually reach that part, and once the story did it didn't seem to have as much bearing on the plot or character as the synopsis led me to believe. There were times when progression in one plot (I'd break this book down into three plots: the expedition, the murder mystery, and the romance) would suddenly ramp up in a way that it felt like the end of the story, despite the plethora of remaining pages. I think some of this has to do with the short size of the book and a little bit of not marrying the three simultaneous plots together - it felt more like they would take turns in the spotlight, until around the end when it all came together.
I have a love-hate relationship with the romance of this book. One thing I will say is that I don't think this could be classified as enemies-to-lovers - some might consider this spoilers: In truth, the "hate" was not really mutual and Sylvia always had a crush on Lorelei, so the romance was really Lorelei beginning to realize this fact, get over her own self, and accept a happy ending with Sylvia. However, I actually eat this shit up, so I was still satisfied in that department! Although I will say that I think this still fits as rivals-to-lovers, since they still bicker and have an academic rivalry; it's just not as spicy as some labels would suggest. Now, the third-act break-up was mercifully short - and accidentally something I rooted for. There was a change I wanted to happen in one of the characters before I was willing to fully ride the ship, and until then I actually thought the "break-up" (spoilers: betrayal ) was justified. And to my disappointment and horror, that change not only did not occur, but it felt like this character in question was just enabled and rewarded for her very pressing flaws! Which I just feel heartbroken about, because besides the ending of this story (and by extension, how this relationship finalizes), I actually really enjoyed these two! I loved their dynamic, I loved the look of their designs together, I loved their dialogue with each other and the way their relationship developed (up to a certain point) - the ending is just really what's holding this whole book back.
So now to address it:The ending of this book just straight up sucks and is infuriating. After being terrified that King Wilhelm would scapegoat her, after acknowledging her people are a target he'd slaughter the moment he felt it necessary, after discovering and - while being hurt - not blaming her mentor's selfish decision to save her own self from Wilhelm's clutches - Lorelei still fucking accepts a position in his court, saying she'd be a fool to decline! The man who she knows would kill her without a shred of remorse if it ever became politically convenient! And Sylvia repeatedly values her own grief against violence than actually taking a stance towards the values of justice she claims to have, always finding excuses for the unjust and making compromises with them! She repeatedly sets herself up to get backstabbed and the only reason she's not dead yet is because Lorelei recognizes when the betrayal is coming and saves her, but it still doesn't clue Sylvia in when she just has to cut her losses and accept when someone has chosen to be a violent thorn in her side and will never not choose to be a violent thorn in her side! Right after nearly getting killed by the murderer by offering mercy, she goes on to argue a punishment of exile to another secret villain of the story instead of just executing her - and it's like, hello??? She's clearly going to come back and scheme a revenge?? More people are gonna die in the long run??? And at the end of the book, they finally admit that - they finally admit there is no path forward that doesn't involve violence and war, but they still choose the one where they personally get to have stability (for as long as the king allows it for them - a king they both spent this whole book believing would definitely scapegoat them for the murder because it makes more political sense for him to!!) and keep themselves comfortable. Fuck the fact this man immediately ordered for Sylvia to be seized the moment he heard the Ursprung's power wouldn't be his and was only placated when Sylvia promised to be uber-obedient, fuck the fact the Yevani are still oppressed and held hostage and only Lorelei got a rise in station, fuck the fact that people's cultures will be erased for the sake of unity and livelihoods thrown away for whatever the king wants in the moment - the poor traumatized princess only had to do four months of quashing rebellion, which is somehow better than any amount of time fighting against tyranny and oppression and selfish power consolidation?? I cannot state enough, the conclusion this book has on oppression and injustice is so shitty: murdering a violent enemy is being just as bad as them no matter how many times your mercy is used to manipulate and betray you, defying a ruthless ruler is worse than bending the knee and giving them everything they want because war bad except in the case of quashing uprisings in which case that's just the unfortunate sacrifice, and it causes more trouble to speak out against racism publicly than it is to just quietly keep your oppressed friends away and assure them you think that stuff is just awful - even though you still will keep your mouth shut when it happens in front of you and make excuses for why you still hang out with racist friends. I was so upset about the ending that I almost forgot until now: in the middle of the book, Sylvia just lets people burn an effigy of a Yeva unchallenged! Not to mention how, despite Johann's clear supremacist personality and repeated examples of that in his dialogue, she still tries to insist he's not that bad and is her dear friend!
Overall, be very careful when reading this book so you don't get heartbroken like I did, because it's not even about if you already have the opposing politics in your head already - the dissonance between what the main couple think and say, but then go on to do and how they justify those choices, will still probably get to people that genuinely do believe war is bad in all contexts and nonviolence is the only valid resistance.
So now to address it:
Overall, be very careful when reading this book so you don't get heartbroken like I did, because it's not even about if you already have the opposing politics in your head already - the dissonance between what the main couple think and say, but then go on to do and how they justify those choices, will still probably get to people that genuinely do believe war is bad in all contexts and nonviolence is the only valid resistance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, Violence, Antisemitism, Grief, Murder
Moderate: Child death, Hate crime, Blood, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Minor: Sexual content, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Racism, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Classism
Moderate: Sexual content, Xenophobia, War
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Antisemitism
Moderate: Death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual content, War