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destdest's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
But the pacing and storytelling weren’t for me. The writing felt heavy on the telling and was too fast-paced. But the last third of the book picked up until it jumped the shark a little bit. I thought the book would take place in one location and was surprised when it moved to somewhere unexpected for the brunt of the book.
With the worldbuilding, the fae/different types of fairies are established to be very dangerous. There's a serious class issue and they all have unique magical traits, view humans as beneath them, and are execution-style scary supposedly. But, it didn't make any sense the way and how quickly Lore would mouth off. She wavered between being afraid of them to not caring. Can or cannot these people smite you where you stand???
I wanted to like Asher and Lore more, but their connection felt like we were on a speed-run. The core building of their relationship mostly happens offscreen, so the romantic strides felt unearned. I couldn't get into their banter either. Also, the ending...
i didn't want to mention them making out after finding out the human women are being forcefully impregnated because I thought it was a final hurrah/going out with a bang because they might die. but nah, it makes sense. y'all are acting horny after hearing that??? because you're a doggone villain!
The second male lead, Finndryl was rude and standoffish, but he was the strong, quiet type. These are the main types who have undying loyalty to the fmc when they get their act together lol. He and Lore kept getting on each other's nerves for the smallest things, but I liked him better because we got to see him slowly defrost. Then, freeze again. Slightly thaw. And freeze again.
Unfortunately, the majority of the character interactions felt like I was being "told" things. Let it marinate. Lore's friendship with Grey didn't have much time, but I believed in their relationship way more than the one with Asher and later Isla.
The editing process probably cut a lot of things which made the book pacing feel too fast. I don't like needless filler, but I think it would've made me more invested in the characters. One scene I liked in particular was when Lore gets pushed in a swing. Just a peaceful moment that let the story breathe.
Still, I'd check out book two! I'm ready to see Lore gain mastery over her skills. I also want to see the Finndryl route.
2.5 stars
Drinking Games:
- Lore fretting about her hair
- Asher’s "long legs"
- Lore drinking too much alcohol
- Finndryl being moody
Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, and Alcoholism
Minor: Abandonment, Rape, and Sexual content
CW: forced breedingnatlren's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
On top of that, this book is marketed as an adult novel but reads as incredibly YA. The one spicy scene in this book was unexpected and almost nonconsensual, given the twist. And while we're on the topic, the romance felt rushed and unbelievable. One moment they were simply acquaintances and the next, they were madly in love. It didn't make sense to me at all. I also could not, in good conscience, get behind them making out after discovering that the women from Lore's village had been forcibly impregnated and assaulted either. That scene was truly what lowered the rating of this book the most, as it was completely unexpected and totally at odds with the rest of the novel.
That said, I did enjoy some parts of this novel. Isla and Lore's friendship was wonderful to me, as was Grey and Lore's friendship. The latter was especially refreshing because I always find myself wanting more positive, nonromantic relationships portrayed in books like theirs was. The ambiance and general aesthetic of this novel and its world was also wonderful.
Overall, Lore of the Wilds had a lot of potential but unfortunately did not live up to the expectations I had for it. I think that another round of editing and some purging of repetitive phrases (and there were so many) would do this book a lot of good. I do think lovers of romantasy and fae will eat this one up though!
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Moderate: Sexual assault and Pregnancy
Minor: Alcoholism
cmmcgrath86's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
Graphic: Confinement, Alcoholism, Addiction, and Classism
Moderate: Rape, Confinement, and Pregnancy
caseythereader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
- LORE OF THE WILDS immediately drew me in. I was an instant fan of Lore and her will to survive and fight. I found the world of this book intriguing. Books about fae are numerous now, but this one found that line between terrifying and alluring perfectly.
- I thought when picking this up that it was a YA novel, and the tone of it reads that way, especially in the beginning. Then, about 75% in, things turn very spicy and very dark, and oh wait Lore isn’t the teenager I thought she was? It was a bit jarring.
- I’m gonna try to do this bit without spoilers. There was a character whose motivations I absolutely could not figure out until it dawned on me that this was part of a plot twist. So that unfortunately wasn’t much of a twist for me, and I wish there had been a better effort at hiding it.
- All that said, I’m looking forward to book two and I think Sbrana is an author to watch.
Graphic: Grief, Sexual content, Confinement, Death, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Kidnapping, and Violence
Minor: Alcoholism and Sexual violence
hdabru's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
The reason I gave it three stars was purely on technique. This was however given to me as an ARC so I am hopeful that the incorrect words and clunky writing are corrected prior to publishing. I know writing is hard, and I struggle with the same issues when writing descriptive sentences, especially action. But they were often so clunky that it would take me out of the immersion of the story, and I would struggle to get through passages because I had to reread to figure out what was going on. I also had issues with minor plot holes as well as pacing. For a large portion of the book I couldn’t figure out where it was going and even by halfway I was waiting for it to get really good. Eventually it did, and I became very invested in the characters and the story, and loved the magical elements. But the writing style definitely came across as YA to the point that I thought the book was YA until some f bombs and a spicy scene jarred me right out of that. Those things are fine—it was just that the writing style felt so much younger that it caught me off guard.
I also would have liked the book to have passed the bechdel test prior to the halfway point, aside from an exchange with a cranky maidservant. But that I guess is getting a little pendantic. Overall I think this has the potential to be an amazing series and a great adventure. And with nary a white character in sight, which we all know is a much needed perspective in the fantasy genre. I would definitely recommend, but be prepared for a book in need of polish, unless the ARC has been heavily edited prior to final release.
Graphic: Violence and Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, and Death of parent
thebookishatelier's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Overall, the book had a solid beginning and the second book does have potential. I think lengthening the ending combined with some more edits could have made this first book much better.
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Sexual content
Minor: Alcoholism, Torture, Addiction, and Rape