Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
Exactly the kind of book I enjoy! Strong female lead, fae, magic, romance - everything I could ask for. Will definitely be finishing the series!
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Downtown Abbey but with magic
I have real mixed feelings about this one. Hetta is amazing and her slow burn relationship with Wyn is delicious. The writing reaches super swoony heights. And I think it tries to do a lot of interesting things. Certainly enough interesting things that I’m not totally dissuaded from continuing the series.
But at the same time the book is kind of a mess? The pacing is all over the place. There’s magic but no explanation of how the magic system works. You are at once told TOO MUCH while at the same time other things are rushed. I couldn’t categorise this book, which I think is because it doesn’t know itself how it should be categorised. AND WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT SHOWDOWN/ENDING?
I don’t know. Maybe a lot of things can be chalked up to first-book-in-a-series syndrome.
But at the same time the book is kind of a mess? The pacing is all over the place. There’s magic but no explanation of how the magic system works. You are at once told TOO MUCH while at the same time other things are rushed. I couldn’t categorise this book, which I think is because it doesn’t know itself how it should be categorised. AND WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT SHOWDOWN/ENDING?
I don’t know. Maybe a lot of things can be chalked up to first-book-in-a-series syndrome.
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
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
I found this book charming. It was different from what I expected: it didn't have increasing levels of conflict, battles against fairies, and a protagonist who has to do everything to save everyone. Instead, it had interesting, non-clichéd characters with integrity who worked together even though they didn't like each other, all in a wonderful setting. It made me feel peaceful and happy to read it. I always appreciate fantasy stories that don't rely on violence to keep the plot moving.
I've never read a "cozy mystery" but it occurred to me that the story seems like it could be called a cozy mystery, but set in a fantasy world with magic. Numerous threads run through it as the characters try to figure out what's going on. Some threads turn out to be red herrings, whereas others are related but not necessarily in the way you think. I guessed about half of what was coming before the characters (which gave me that pleasant feeling of achievement that accompanies reading mysteries) but still had some surprises.
I've never read a "cozy mystery" but it occurred to me that the story seems like it could be called a cozy mystery, but set in a fantasy world with magic. Numerous threads run through it as the characters try to figure out what's going on. Some threads turn out to be red herrings, whereas others are related but not necessarily in the way you think. I guessed about half of what was coming before the characters (which gave me that pleasant feeling of achievement that accompanies reading mysteries) but still had some surprises.
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Fantasy is not my favorite genre. Sometimes I enjoy it, sometimes I don’t. I’d describe this book as a nice read, but it did not make me race to track down the next in the Stariel series.
In the Stariel family, the Lord is chosen by a stone after the last Lord has passed away reflecting the magical power of the land. Hetta has returned to Stariel for the funeral of her father and the “Choosing” of the next lord. Everyone expects it will be her cousin, but the stone chooses Hetta to everyone’s surprise. And then things start happening.
It was an enjoyable read, but a lot of it was predictable. I think those who love this type of story will probably like the book. For me, it was a bit “meh.” 3.25.
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
For the record, this is a good three stars.
The Lord of Stariel showed up in my recommendations here on The StoryGraph when I was in desperate need of a lighthearted read which required zero intellect to comprehend—and this adult fantasy delivered exactly what I was looking for. I prefer to read for pleasure, and when reading starts looking more like a chore (re: university reading list), it's books like these that put me back on track and remind me of how enjoyable reading really is.
That isn't to say this novel didn't have its flaws. As a matter of fact, it had several: the characters were rather one-dimensional in nature, and their personality traits were established as fact within a sentence or two without the reader really getting a chance to discover them on their own; certain major plot points were rather obvious, leaving me aware of how the story would end when I was only halfway through it, which is terrible when a book is classified as a mystery; the writing lacked style. It is that last point which lowered my rating the most: it was too straightforward at times (telling rather than showing) and too formal at others. It left me confused, because the writing style should either reflect the time period the story is set in or purposefully be more modern throughout, but the "throughout" here is what was missing. The narrator—Hetta's inner monologue—was mostly modern, but the dialogue would flit between modern and formal, the latter reminiscent of the average Victorian-era novel; there was little consistency.
Worldbuilding, backstory, and lightheartedness were the three main characteristics of The Lord of Stariel which captured my attention and left me at the end of it feeling satisfied: this was, after all, one hundred percent the kind of book I was looking to read. I am aware that there's an audience for everything, and there's certainly a wide one for this book, too, if only it were more widely known. Explicit adult content is minimal, restricted mostly to vague references towards what women like to occupy themselves with during their downtime, but there's just enough to make me hesitate to recommend this book to younger readers (despite the rest of the content being fit for their liking). Perhaps I should put it like this: if you're looking for an easy-to-read fantasy to while away the time, and do not place much emphasis on writing style or an author's voice, then this book might just be right up your alley.
As a matter of fact, I've started its sequel already.
The Lord of Stariel showed up in my recommendations here on The StoryGraph when I was in desperate need of a lighthearted read which required zero intellect to comprehend—and this adult fantasy delivered exactly what I was looking for. I prefer to read for pleasure, and when reading starts looking more like a chore (re: university reading list), it's books like these that put me back on track and remind me of how enjoyable reading really is.
That isn't to say this novel didn't have its flaws. As a matter of fact, it had several: the characters were rather one-dimensional in nature, and their personality traits were established as fact within a sentence or two without the reader really getting a chance to discover them on their own; certain major plot points were rather obvious, leaving me aware of how the story would end when I was only halfway through it, which is terrible when a book is classified as a mystery; the writing lacked style. It is that last point which lowered my rating the most: it was too straightforward at times (telling rather than showing) and too formal at others. It left me confused, because the writing style should either reflect the time period the story is set in or purposefully be more modern throughout, but the "throughout" here is what was missing. The narrator—Hetta's inner monologue—was mostly modern, but the dialogue would flit between modern and formal, the latter reminiscent of the average Victorian-era novel; there was little consistency.
Worldbuilding, backstory, and lightheartedness were the three main characteristics of The Lord of Stariel which captured my attention and left me at the end of it feeling satisfied: this was, after all, one hundred percent the kind of book I was looking to read. I am aware that there's an audience for everything, and there's certainly a wide one for this book, too, if only it were more widely known. Explicit adult content is minimal, restricted mostly to vague references towards what women like to occupy themselves with during their downtime, but there's just enough to make me hesitate to recommend this book to younger readers (despite the rest of the content being fit for their liking). Perhaps I should put it like this: if you're looking for an easy-to-read fantasy to while away the time, and do not place much emphasis on writing style or an author's voice, then this book might just be right up your alley.
As a matter of fact, I've started its sequel already.