Reviews tagging 'Colonisation'

Lore of the Wilds by Analeigh Sbrana

4 reviews

stitchbooks22's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

This was incredibly boring, full of plot holes and wasn’t well written. Whoever marketed this as adult must not have read it, given it felt more like a YA with a vague attempt at romantasy that just didn’t work. Also predicted the plot twist at the end.

The idea of an enchanted library, cottagecore and cosy vibes with magic for a book could’ve been so good, but was executed poorly. I’m very disappointed I can’t lie.

The only redeeming features were the small portion of the enchanted library we got as well as the characters of Isla, Gryph, Grey and the fox who were barely in it. Milo also seemed like a sweet kid and I liked him despite his also limited presence. 

I have mixed feelings about Lore as she acted like an ungrateful brat at times, though could be wonderful at others. Finn is another character I have mixed feelings on, but he is growing on me.

Will I read the next one? Possibly. I would like to see some of the characters again and see if the duology can be redeemed. It’s a decision for a later date.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Grief, Pregnancy, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Confinement, Death, Infertility, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Violence, Colonisation, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, War, Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Toxic relationship, Classism, Murder, and Physical abuse

naomi_k's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Xenophobia, and Violence

Moderate: Classism, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, Colonisation, Toxic relationship, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Rape, and Sexual content

Minor: War and Alcohol

katrinaslibrary's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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

4.5

I’m shaken by this book! 

I enjoyed the beginning premise of this book, it drew me in with its magic and wonder. Lore is a relatable main character, she’s kind and imaginative. However as I read, I progressively felt more shaken.

Analeigh has created a fae world that is dark and terrifying. Lore’s character as a young black woman in this world that imprisons humans makes the parallels to our own a chilling read. 

The story balanced the two love interests development well. I felt that Lore liked them both and it made the ending even more devastating. *Spoiler alert* there are plot twists! I registered the clues but the plot twist got me. I’m sure others would have put two and two together.  

Overall, this was one of my most anticipated books this year and it didn’t disappoint. However I would have wished I paid more attention to the trigger warnings for the book. Which I highly recommend you do.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Sexual violence, Colonisation, Kidnapping, Racism, Violence, and Sexual assault

caseythereader's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

• 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

Thanks to Harper Voyager for the free copy of this book.

 - 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. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Sexual content, Confinement, Death, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Kidnapping, and Violence

Minor: Alcoholism and Sexual violence