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jacbean1's review against another edition
adventurous
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
4.0
annettebooksofhopeanddreams's review against another edition
4.0
I think it must be one of the hardest prompts I've ever encountered in a reading challenge. Read a book with either a Shield on the cover or the word Shield in the title. I have over 600 unread physical books on the shelves and only 2 fit the prompt. And as a mood reader I don't like being told the exact book I should read. However, since I couldn't find anything else (I need to complete the prompt twice) I started this book.
And before I knew it I was halfway. I had not expected to enjoy this book this much. I had not expected to be able to finish this book this quickly. I had not expected that I would wanna order the sequel right after finishing. Sometimes reading challenges do help discovering books that would have stayed unread on the shelves for ages a little sooner. I'm really glad this reading challenge pointed me towards this book.
What I enjoyed most about this book was the constant tension. Because of the very short chapters through the eyes of the villain we knew that something was coming and going to happen. However, the chapters were vague enough to keep us guessing. We never knew who, where, when and why. Although we've gotten a few satisfying answers in the finale I'm really curious how things will play out in the sequel.
I also really loved the heroine in this book. She's the right mix of a strong fighter and an intelligent strategist. She knows when to fight, but she also knows when to run or when to stay hidden. She's not the kind of character running carelessly into trouble. That means that sometimes she does make things a little harder and more complicated, but I prefer characters being a little cautious over idiots without a doubt.
And before I knew it I was halfway. I had not expected to enjoy this book this much. I had not expected to be able to finish this book this quickly. I had not expected that I would wanna order the sequel right after finishing. Sometimes reading challenges do help discovering books that would have stayed unread on the shelves for ages a little sooner. I'm really glad this reading challenge pointed me towards this book.
What I enjoyed most about this book was the constant tension. Because of the very short chapters through the eyes of the villain we knew that something was coming and going to happen. However, the chapters were vague enough to keep us guessing. We never knew who, where, when and why. Although we've gotten a few satisfying answers in the finale I'm really curious how things will play out in the sequel.
I also really loved the heroine in this book. She's the right mix of a strong fighter and an intelligent strategist. She knows when to fight, but she also knows when to run or when to stay hidden. She's not the kind of character running carelessly into trouble. That means that sometimes she does make things a little harder and more complicated, but I prefer characters being a little cautious over idiots without a doubt.
brendalovesbooks's review against another edition
3.0
There were some good things about this, but it was really slow to get going. It just felt like nothing was happening for so long that I almost lost interest. The second half picked up, and I will continue with the series, but I definitely think there is better YA fantasy out there. This really isn't anything new.
sanne6je's review against another edition
4.0
Sometimes the motivation you need to read a book is for book 2 to come out.
I’ve been staring at this book for like a year, but I’m so glad I finally read this. Sure sometimes things were a bit confusing, and I really missed a map, but this was a really good action packed fantasy book.
I’ve been staring at this book for like a year, but I’m so glad I finally read this. Sure sometimes things were a bit confusing, and I really missed a map, but this was a really good action packed fantasy book.
izzys_internet_bookshelf's review against another edition
3.0
3.5/5
I felt like it took me a while to read this book. That’s what happens when you’ve had a bad week i guess. I for one, loved the world this story was set in. I wish there was a map so I could visualize it better. I loved Jen and the mage, though I felt like there was something missing. The plot was overall fun to read but I kept waiting for something to happen. I kept waiting for there to be dark magic sometime throughout the book but it never showed up.
I felt like it took me a while to read this book. That’s what happens when you’ve had a bad week i guess. I for one, loved the world this story was set in. I wish there was a map so I could visualize it better. I loved Jen and the mage, though I felt like there was something missing. The plot was overall fun to read but I kept waiting for something to happen. I kept waiting for there to be dark magic sometime throughout the book but it never showed up.
lenaaa_miii's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
finnishelderberry's review against another edition
DNF 104 nothing is peaking my interest, the main character is very childish as is the writing there is little to no plot.
itputsthebookupontheshelf's review against another edition
3.0
This was said to be like Furyborn meets Sorcery of Thorns and while I haven't read Furyborn, I did quite enjoy Sorcery of Thorns. This book felt more to me like The Kiss of Deception, which I loved. However, this book was just ok for me and not quite what I was hoping for.
The story itself was quite slow at the beginning and I found myself not wanting to pick it back up, frequently. It was a bit of a struggle to keep reading while not much at all was happening in almost the first half of the book. The second half picked up a lot more but there were so many stop and go parts happening that it contnued to pull me from ejoying the story.
The characters were just meh, I didn't love them or hate them which took the fun out of reading the book. There were a few scenes with Janessara and Enzo that were enjoyable but all together, I just couldn't feel that pull that I like to from characters.
I did like the bits of world building and magic, but again it was not enough to make me love to story as a whole. There were parts I felt could have been left out completely while others could have used more embelisment. You win some, you lose some.
I do think that there are people that will really enjoy this story but it was all but a bit too simplistic for my taste.
Thank you to Netgalley and Delacorte Press for a copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.
The story itself was quite slow at the beginning and I found myself not wanting to pick it back up, frequently. It was a bit of a struggle to keep reading while not much at all was happening in almost the first half of the book. The second half picked up a lot more but there were so many stop and go parts happening that it contnued to pull me from ejoying the story.
The characters were just meh, I didn't love them or hate them which took the fun out of reading the book. There were a few scenes with Janessara and Enzo that were enjoyable but all together, I just couldn't feel that pull that I like to from characters.
I did like the bits of world building and magic, but again it was not enough to make me love to story as a whole. There were parts I felt could have been left out completely while others could have used more embelisment. You win some, you lose some.
I do think that there are people that will really enjoy this story but it was all but a bit too simplistic for my taste.
Thank you to Netgalley and Delacorte Press for a copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.