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4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
inspiring
slow-paced
adventurous
funny
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
l love you Cala curse of a thousand knives if anything bad happens to Cala
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-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
I loved this book... It was light, easy to read, and quick. I wish the author hadn't gone quite so hard into the language and naming conventions - especially for a stand alone novel- but the pacing and story beats more than made up for any frustrations. I definitely recommend it.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-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:
No
This is a classic fish out of water story as Maia, our MC, unexpectedly becomes emperor of his world as the unexpected deaths of his father and older brothers. The MC who had been kept away from court has to come to court and figure out at age 18 how to be an empower and win over the hearts and minds of his country. I know there are more books set in this world that I’m really interested in trying next, I really enjoyed this story and my only hesitation in giving a higher rating is the fact that all of the names and titles in this book were hard to distinguish, which caused some confusion on my end and was distracting from the story.
A different sort of fantasy tale from many I've read, with characters who genuinely grew through the storytelling in a rich, thought out political and social system.
I enjoyed it very much and look forward to reading other stories told in the same world.
I enjoyed it very much and look forward to reading other stories told in the same world.
hopeful
inspiring
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
emotional
funny
hopeful
slow-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
In the hands of a worse writer this would be boringly slow, with a main character that doesn't have a lot to physically do and a plot that moves along slowly. While there is a murder mystery, for most the story it takes a backseat to the intricacies of elven court for most of the book and the solution to said mystery is laid out at our feet and the last possible second.
But I don't care, I love it! Gimme more of that fantasy slice of life, please! Maia is a fun narrator, the world building is top-notch, and I thought that there was never a moment where I was bored. It wasn't necessarily that a lot happened, but I kept wanting to find out more about the people Maia interacted with, how these little aspects of the Court worked. I just wanted to stay in the book for just a little bit longer.
Of course this isn't for everyone. If you want your fantasies with more action and a MC with more agency, maybe look elsewhere. But I loved it, it was the perfect read to me.
I also highly recommend the audiobook. That narrator is an Actor, and it shows in how many voices and accents he adopted to portray every character, all without losing the emotions he needed to portray. His narration alone is 10/10, and this book is a 10/10.
But I don't care, I love it! Gimme more of that fantasy slice of life, please! Maia is a fun narrator, the world building is top-notch, and I thought that there was never a moment where I was bored. It wasn't necessarily that a lot happened, but I kept wanting to find out more about the people Maia interacted with, how these little aspects of the Court worked. I just wanted to stay in the book for just a little bit longer.
Of course this isn't for everyone. If you want your fantasies with more action and a MC with more agency, maybe look elsewhere. But I loved it, it was the perfect read to me.
I also highly recommend the audiobook. That narrator is an Actor, and it shows in how many voices and accents he adopted to portray every character, all without losing the emotions he needed to portray. His narration alone is 10/10, and this book is a 10/10.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, Murder, Sexual harassment, War
Minor: Alcoholism, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Sexism, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, War
4✨ I enjoyed the court dynamics in this book and overall it was well-written. The characters were believable and I really loved Maia’s perspective. But it was quite slow throughout. If you like a slow but steady gentle fantasy about court politics, you’d probably like this. Would I read a sequel? Probably not.