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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
adventurous
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“How is it that your words are so sharp, when you manage to leave a trail of flowers in your wake?”🥀
The first thing that drew me to this book was the beautiful cover. I also like how the plant motif extends to the chapter titles. The second thing that caught my attention is that the FMC is incredibly capable and a fighter.
The FMC, Amira, is shackled to her horrible father because she requires daily medicine to stay alive. I instantly hated Amira’s father for how he belittled her and exercised control over her at every opportunity. He’s just an awful person and seems to have reasons for selfish gain, but I wondered if something larger was at play.
Amira feels as if she’s written on a deeply personal level. Her struggles, thoughts about her situation, and reactionary actions show her flaws, but make her real.
There are some lovely side characters that Amira meets after her circumstances change due to some forced political machinations. I absolutely enjoyed the banter between Amira and Greylin, but also liked the sweet moments with Adrian.
The ending of this book is crazy. The breadcrumbs dropped throughout the book start to connect and then leave you on a cliffhanger!
What I didn't love:
- Sometimes the pace was a bit slow for me and some scenes didn't seem meaningful
- I would have liked more magic, but I'm optimistic we'll see that in the next book
- Some of the characters were very surface level and I didn't even realize I should be paying attention to them
The first thing that drew me to this book was the beautiful cover. I also like how the plant motif extends to the chapter titles. The second thing that caught my attention is that the FMC is incredibly capable and a fighter.
The FMC, Amira, is shackled to her horrible father because she requires daily medicine to stay alive. I instantly hated Amira’s father for how he belittled her and exercised control over her at every opportunity. He’s just an awful person and seems to have reasons for selfish gain, but I wondered if something larger was at play.
Amira feels as if she’s written on a deeply personal level. Her struggles, thoughts about her situation, and reactionary actions show her flaws, but make her real.
There are some lovely side characters that Amira meets after her circumstances change due to some forced political machinations. I absolutely enjoyed the banter between Amira and Greylin, but also liked the sweet moments with Adrian.
The ending of this book is crazy. The breadcrumbs dropped throughout the book start to connect and then leave you on a cliffhanger!
What I didn't love:
- Sometimes the pace was a bit slow for me and some scenes didn't seem meaningful
- I would have liked more magic, but I'm optimistic we'll see that in the next book
- Some of the characters were very surface level and I didn't even realize I should be paying attention to them
Thank you Kara Douglas for this ARC in return of an honest review.
"Twenty-year-old Amira Ramsey has lived her entire life desperate to explore her kingdom freely. Stuck beneath the controlling thumb of her father, she’s forced to be a puppet on a string for what best suits him and his greed for power.
Amira’s monotonous life is filled with the same daily tasks. Her only friends consist of a childhood friend, a dog, an old man, and a homeless boy from the market. But an unexpected series of events thrusts her into the center of life in the last place she wishes to the castle.
From a life of loneliness, she's now pressed into the view of those vying for power, and of course, the Prince - and the dangerous but alluring attention of his right-hand man."
This YA fantasy is perfect for anyone who wants to get into fantasy since the world-building is easy to understand and the fantasy elements aren't heavy or complicated! Also, the character development is well done. The beginning is a bit slow but I feel like it's usually the case in fantasy books.
This story has the found family trope which I LOVE!! Amira builds beautiful friendships and learns that love can be found with people outside your family and she strongly needed that since her dad isn't the most loving person, to say it politely.
eded that since her dad isn't the most loving person, to say it politely.
This book is also a love triangle. I am usually not a fan of the love triangle because it's usually predictable with who the MC will end up with but I genuinely did not know who it will be. I did have my preference though, morally grey for the win!!
For a debut novel, Kara did a great job! The reason why I don't give it 5 stars is that I needed more fantasy elements and because of the slow beginning. I am still very interested to see where the story will lead us in book two!
Available on KU!
3.5⭐️
Tropes:
- Love Triangle
- Fake dating
- Friends to lovers
- Enemies to lovers
- Strong FMC
- Slow burn
- Forced proximity
- Royal Setting
- YA
"Twenty-year-old Amira Ramsey has lived her entire life desperate to explore her kingdom freely. Stuck beneath the controlling thumb of her father, she’s forced to be a puppet on a string for what best suits him and his greed for power.
Amira’s monotonous life is filled with the same daily tasks. Her only friends consist of a childhood friend, a dog, an old man, and a homeless boy from the market. But an unexpected series of events thrusts her into the center of life in the last place she wishes to the castle.
From a life of loneliness, she's now pressed into the view of those vying for power, and of course, the Prince - and the dangerous but alluring attention of his right-hand man."
This YA fantasy is perfect for anyone who wants to get into fantasy since the world-building is easy to understand and the fantasy elements aren't heavy or complicated! Also, the character development is well done. The beginning is a bit slow but I feel like it's usually the case in fantasy books.
This story has the found family trope which I LOVE!! Amira builds beautiful friendships and learns that love can be found with people outside your family and she strongly needed that since her dad isn't the most loving person, to say it politely.
eded that since her dad isn't the most loving person, to say it politely.
This book is also a love triangle. I am usually not a fan of the love triangle because it's usually predictable with who the MC will end up with but I genuinely did not know who it will be. I did have my preference though, morally grey for the win!!
For a debut novel, Kara did a great job! The reason why I don't give it 5 stars is that I needed more fantasy elements and because of the slow beginning. I am still very interested to see where the story will lead us in book two!
Available on KU!
3.5⭐️
Tropes:
- Love Triangle
- Fake dating
- Friends to lovers
- Enemies to lovers
- Strong FMC
- Slow burn
- Forced proximity
- Royal Setting
- YA
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book has so much potential and it was a fun read once I got into it. The pace was a little slow at the beginning but that's to be expected with many fantasy novels.
Amira can be frustratingly naive which I feel is common in YA FMC, so I'll let it slide (it leaves a lot of room for incredible character development in book 2!!) she doesn't have an easy life and works hard to learn to protect herself which authomaticlly helps (girl power!). I love our morally grey MMC, Graylen, and the banter between them is just great! There's also a little love triangle!
There were times I was confused about dialogue because of how it was set up, but nothing a little reread didn't clear up💞
I am excited for book 2, to see where the relationships go and the maturation of Douglas' writing, I'm already a fan! Overall, I think Lunaria is a great debut YA fantasy and I'm grateful for the opportunity to read and share it with y'all!🫶💞
Amira can be frustratingly naive which I feel is common in YA FMC, so I'll let it slide (it leaves a lot of room for incredible character development in book 2!!) she doesn't have an easy life and works hard to learn to protect herself which authomaticlly helps (girl power!). I love our morally grey MMC, Graylen, and the banter between them is just great! There's also a little love triangle!
There were times I was confused about dialogue because of how it was set up, but nothing a little reread didn't clear up💞
I am excited for book 2, to see where the relationships go and the maturation of Douglas' writing, I'm already a fan! Overall, I think Lunaria is a great debut YA fantasy and I'm grateful for the opportunity to read and share it with y'all!🫶💞
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Oh.My.Goodness. This book 😍!
Book dragons, I knew I would probably enjoy Lunaria by Kara Douglas after reading the list of tropes and the blurb. What I wasn’t prepared for was to devour this book in less than 2 days! I don’t think my kindle left my hands as long as I was awake, which is basically the highest praise I can give 😂.
I had such a fun time following FMC, Amira Ramsey, as she traded life as the only woman in a soldier’s war camp, for the opulent castle and The Matching (basically the marriage market for eligible nobility). Although Amira has no intention of marrying and is really just using the opportunity to escape her awful father, she finds that life at the castle is different than she expected.
Trust me when one say that I could not stop turning pages! From masked balls, to couples games, to surprise proposals, to political intrigue, to midnight runs through the castle gardens, to missing best friends, a terrible father, and two men vying for her attention (ok, one was being more subtle about it, but you get my point 😎), this book was utterly unputdownable. If you enjoy romantic fantasy, please do yourself a favor and read Lunaira. 📖
If you’re the type of reader who doesn’t like to wait for the next book, fear not! Book 2 in the series, Illuminance, is due to be published on March 21, 2024! I know I’ll be picking it up ASAP!
In the pages, you will find:
🥰🪄New Adult Fantasy Romance
💪 A strong FMC that knows her mind.
🫣 Hidden identities
🎭 A masquerade
👑 Royality
❤️ Slow burn enemies-to-lovers
📺 Reign meets the Bachelor
🪢 Forced proximity
🤯 Shocking twists!
📕 A book you can’t put down!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Oh my goodness this book was such an unexpected surprise for me. It was seriously such a fun read. It has all of my favorite things from a slow burn romance, morally gray mmc, strong fmc, to castle setting. I mean come on.
I absolutely loved Amira and her growth through the story. I think this was a great start to a series and leaves me itching for book two!! I have so many questions left unanswered but I’m in no way upset about it.
I absolutely loved Amira and her growth through the story. I think this was a great start to a series and leaves me itching for book two!! I have so many questions left unanswered but I’m in no way upset about it.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was an exciting novel from a first time author that had a bit of a slow burn style for me, but luckily I don't give up easily or quickly on a novel and I stuck with this one. Trust me, do the same, because about a quarter of the way into this novel the this book took off and I was hooked. I am thrilled that this is not a one shot because I want to stay in this world and revisit these characters again; plus I really need to get off the cliff I am currently hanging from because what a cliff it is!
Closing thought: Although my first reaction to the beginning was that it was a little slow , as the book progressed I found that this was part of the author's style and was beautifully integrated into the novel. This was well paced and well designed and well written, so that i clearly saw how this was needed because to fully invested the reader not only in the characters but also in their world --and the inclusion of the map shows this by letting me easily follow the action. Vivid and real, Douglass clearly has created a world rooted not only in her imagination but also in her personal values, something that makes strong fantasy that leaves a lasting impression.
Closing thought: Although my first reaction to the beginning was that it was a little slow , as the book progressed I found that this was part of the author's style and was beautifully integrated into the novel. This was well paced and well designed and well written, so that i clearly saw how this was needed because to fully invested the reader not only in the characters but also in their world --and the inclusion of the map shows this by letting me easily follow the action. Vivid and real, Douglass clearly has created a world rooted not only in her imagination but also in her personal values, something that makes strong fantasy that leaves a lasting impression.
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was an amazing slow burn fantasy. Amira is the perfect badass FMC and Greylan’s dark, brooding attitude but softness towards Amira is absolutely perfect.
The initial few chapters build the dark backstory for Amira’s desperation to escape her father and the training camp.
This book is a wonderful mix between The Selection and The Red Queen but with its own interesting twists. Overall, most of the main characters are extremely likeable and the plot points kept me reading late into the night.
I will definitely be reading book number 2 which releases later this month!
dark
emotional
slow-paced
I absolutely devoured this book and could not put it down. I loved everything about it - the writing, the pacing, the characters, EVERYTHING! I truly had no idea who Amira was going to end up with and the ending truly shocked me. I am SO excited for the release of Iluminance this month!
I read this book after being recommended it by a friend and can I just say I was not disappointed!! The first couple of chapters were tricky because of the world building but it was definitely necessary. As soon as I had fallen head first into the plot I did not resurface until I hit the acknowledgments page. This book really was amazing and the characters were so charming too, (Graylen, anyone??
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
I have had my eye on this book for quite a while, and I was thrilled to have a chance to get an ARC copy! Thank you, Kara and RR Booktours for sending me a copy for a review!
I'm so glad that the next book is coming out, because I'm dying to see what happens next! There were some twists I wasn't expecting (especially toward the end, Kara keeps them coming). I really like the characters, and I especially like that Kara is keeping some mystery with a lot of the characters. I can't wait to see what she's going to do with some of them. I could see how some people could find the beginning slow, but if you keep pushing through, things pick up and get really interesting. I'm excited for the world building and to learn more about what is going on in it.
No spice in this book (a lot of romantic tension, will they/won't they, love triangle type of angst)
I'm so glad that the next book is coming out, because I'm dying to see what happens next! There were some twists I wasn't expecting (especially toward the end, Kara keeps them coming). I really like the characters, and I especially like that Kara is keeping some mystery with a lot of the characters. I can't wait to see what she's going to do with some of them. I could see how some people could find the beginning slow, but if you keep pushing through, things pick up and get really interesting. I'm excited for the world building and to learn more about what is going on in it.
No spice in this book (a lot of romantic tension, will they/won't they, love triangle type of angst)