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justinekorson's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
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? Yes
3.5
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this story.
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW
I've only read one book by F.T Lukens "Spell Bound" and absolutely loved it. when I heard of this story I was really excited too. The idea of a paranormal boyfriend sounded like fun, as well as the endless winter. But while I did enjoy watching Ellery and Knox fall in love, I didn't enjoy the story as much as I'd hoped. I think I expected Knox and Ellery to be together for the entire story, fighting the shades and trying to find a way to stop the long winter. I also expected the goddess of death to be a little bit nicer ?? I guess. Not sure why because any god/goddess of death is never happy when people thwart death. I also really enjoyed Charley and Zada, they were fun characters.
The joy and fun I had while reading "Spell Bound" though didn't come to me in the same way with this story. I think it might be partly because Ellery was a very grumpy person. (Sun, from "Spell Bound", was grumpy too but they were also really funny). Which isn't to say that Ellery wasn't funny because they could be at times! I think that I just really loved Sun and Rook together. The situations they would get into was hilarious. This story was a bit more serious since Ellery and Knox were constantly being attacked or accosted by creatures/gods/goddesses from the Other World. Which was a really cool part, seeing all the kinds of beings they interacted with that were part of the Other World.
I think some of the best parts though was when Ellery was traveling through the Other World trying to reach Knox and the palace. I knew as soon as they made the decision to go to the Other World that there would be a Orpheus and Eurydice "Don't look back" plot happening. And I was right! Honestly, I could not be Ellery. I would have turned around because I would have been so scared lol. Anyways, I know this is probably an old draft of the book as I think the actual length of the book is a lot longer. Knox, at the end, talks about stopping somewhere first to talk to someone about wanting to return to the human realm and... he never said who he talked too. I'm assuming it was Arabelle? But I can't be sure. Maybe in the finished version of the story it's talked about more.
I'm probably still going to buy a physical copy of this story so I can find out.
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW
I've only read one book by F.T Lukens "Spell Bound" and absolutely loved it. when I heard of this story I was really excited too. The idea of a paranormal boyfriend sounded like fun, as well as the endless winter. But while I did enjoy watching Ellery and Knox fall in love, I didn't enjoy the story as much as I'd hoped. I think I expected Knox and Ellery to be together for the entire story, fighting the shades and trying to find a way to stop the long winter. I also expected the goddess of death to be a little bit nicer ?? I guess. Not sure why because any god/goddess of death is never happy when people thwart death. I also really enjoyed Charley and Zada, they were fun characters.
The joy and fun I had while reading "Spell Bound" though didn't come to me in the same way with this story. I think it might be partly because Ellery was a very grumpy person. (Sun, from "Spell Bound", was grumpy too but they were also really funny). Which isn't to say that Ellery wasn't funny because they could be at times! I think that I just really loved Sun and Rook together. The situations they would get into was hilarious. This story was a bit more serious since Ellery and Knox were constantly being attacked or accosted by creatures/gods/goddesses from the Other World. Which was a really cool part, seeing all the kinds of beings they interacted with that were part of the Other World.
I think some of the best parts though was when Ellery was traveling through the Other World trying to reach Knox and the palace. I knew as soon as they made the decision to go to the Other World that there would be a Orpheus and Eurydice "Don't look back" plot happening. And I was right! Honestly, I could not be Ellery. I would have turned around because I would have been so scared lol. Anyways, I know this is probably an old draft of the book as I think the actual length of the book is a lot longer. Knox, at the end, talks about stopping somewhere first to talk to someone about wanting to return to the human realm and... he never said who he talked too. I'm assuming it was Arabelle? But I can't be sure. Maybe in the finished version of the story it's talked about more.
I'm probably still going to buy a physical copy of this story so I can find out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Child death, and Blood
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