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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
✨ARC Review✨
(Thank you to the author and The Nerd Fam for giving me this ARC for an honest review! All thoughts and opinions are wholly my own)
“Only you can decide your future, you just have to be strong enough to take control of it.”
What a great debut novel! This book gave me the same feelings that ACOTAR did when I read it for the first time. I will say that it didn’t pick up until about 25% though. There was a lot of world building and a bit of info dump. I think much of it was important to build up Amiras character, however, I do think it could have been condensed a little. The actual conflict to the story wasn’t really shown until you hit that 25-30% mark. Once you hit that point though, it was fast paced the rest of the way through. And that plot twist?!? *chefs kiss*
With all of that being said, Lunaria really was a great book. I found my self falling in love the characters and I actually loved that the book wasn’t that predictable. I didn’t really have any idea which way it was going to go. I had some theories somewhat early on. But, none had anything to do with the direction the book went. I 100% would recommend Lunaria to any Fantasy reader. I was trying to think of a book to compare it to and I couldn’t. It’s unique in its own way. I’m reeling after the plot twist and ending of this one. I can’t wait for the next book to come!
(Thank you to the author and The Nerd Fam for giving me this ARC for an honest review! All thoughts and opinions are wholly my own)
“Only you can decide your future, you just have to be strong enough to take control of it.”
What a great debut novel! This book gave me the same feelings that ACOTAR did when I read it for the first time. I will say that it didn’t pick up until about 25% though. There was a lot of world building and a bit of info dump. I think much of it was important to build up Amiras character, however, I do think it could have been condensed a little. The actual conflict to the story wasn’t really shown until you hit that 25-30% mark. Once you hit that point though, it was fast paced the rest of the way through. And that plot twist?!? *chefs kiss*
With all of that being said, Lunaria really was a great book. I found my self falling in love the characters and I actually loved that the book wasn’t that predictable. I didn’t really have any idea which way it was going to go. I had some theories somewhat early on. But, none had anything to do with the direction the book went. I 100% would recommend Lunaria to any Fantasy reader. I was trying to think of a book to compare it to and I couldn’t. It’s unique in its own way. I’m reeling after the plot twist and ending of this one. I can’t wait for the next book to come!
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
this book is definitely a SLOW burn. i genuinely forgot this was romantasy because magic is literally not mentioned until page 295. yes the last 25% of the book!!! so you truly have to hold on and ride the ride because it is a long one 😩 (not the book itself but a long time before you get to the actual fantasy part of the book LOL)
i’m ngl i was probably going to give this a 3.75 but the last 25% of the book saved it for me. it’s not that i didn’t enjoy the first 75%, but i went into it wanting a romantasy and for a majority of the book it is like a renaissance dating game. which totally makes sense because it is described as reign meets bachelor in paradise. buuuuut i was waiting for the fantasy part of it all 😂
it did pick up literally right after our first mention of magic though and enough so that i am genuinely intrigued as to what will happen in book 2! i feel like the setup of what is to come is really interesting and i can’t wait to get into it!
i’m ngl i was probably going to give this a 3.75 but the last 25% of the book saved it for me. it’s not that i didn’t enjoy the first 75%, but i went into it wanting a romantasy and for a majority of the book it is like a renaissance dating game. which totally makes sense because it is described as reign meets bachelor in paradise. buuuuut i was waiting for the fantasy part of it all 😂
it did pick up literally right after our first mention of magic though and enough so that i am genuinely intrigued as to what will happen in book 2! i feel like the setup of what is to come is really interesting and i can’t wait to get into it!
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Lunaria is the first story of three? about a dagger-yielding young woman in a weird and dying kingdom where magic has been forbidden. She will be thrown in a fake marriage agreement and learn about loss, betrayal & freedom first hand.
The story is magnificent. I did not know where the journey would lead. Even towards the end, the twists and turns were excellent. I yearn for the next adventure and truly hope our “morally grey” character will get the girl
The story is magnificent. I did not know where the journey would lead. Even towards the end, the twists and turns were excellent. I yearn for the next adventure and truly hope our “morally grey” character will get the girl
The more reviews I write the harder they become to write, especially when it’s a read like this and all I want to do is yell and scream and throw my feet up and giggle about it like the maniac that I am.
Lunaria is simply beautiful.
The writing is amazing and it’s the perfect balance of plot, world, and character.
I had so many feelings surrounding her nightmares and this “tonic” her asshat of a father was giving her and although we don’t get the answers in Lunaria, we get enough to know something is amiss in Crea besides the dodder root.
And yes, I have a new book boyfriend because Graylen is EVERYTHING and I cannot wait to get more of him, and of course Lunaria, Addie, and Avery in Illuminance 3.21.24
Lunaria is simply beautiful.
The writing is amazing and it’s the perfect balance of plot, world, and character.
I had so many feelings surrounding her nightmares and this “tonic” her asshat of a father was giving her and although we don’t get the answers in Lunaria, we get enough to know something is amiss in Crea besides the dodder root.
And yes, I have a new book boyfriend because Graylen is EVERYTHING and I cannot wait to get more of him, and of course Lunaria, Addie, and Avery in Illuminance 3.21.24
2/5 ⭐️
Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I ended up DNFing after chapter 2. My decision to stop reading was for a few different reasons. First, it was because I could not turn off my beta reader/editing side of my brain, and I know it was the book and not me because I was okay reading another book at the same time. If I was beta reading or editing this story, I think I would’ve left notes to trim a lot of the sentences down into one since many were repeating themselves. I would’ve also pointed the info dumping. Honestly, the first two chapters were so much info dumping that I did not need as the reader. For example, I could’ve painted a fairly similar picture of what the camp looked like with just calling it a soldiers training camp, and that would have trimmed down two pages worth of details that my mind was already drawing. Same with character descriptions. All the info dumping was stalling the narrative. However, unfortunately, there was no narrative really. By the end of chapter 2, I still knew very little of the main character and had no inkling of the potential conflict to be. I knew too much about what her immediately world looked like, but I had nothing luring me to continue to follow this narrator and her tale. No questions posed to lure me in.
I do see that other reviewers have been loving this story, and so I recognize that I sadly was the wrong audience for this style of book. But I also saw people say it was slow till the 25% mark. I wish I could’ve made it that far, but again, there was nothing presented to make me want to keep following this narrator and her tale. But I would also say to maybe read what others have to say because this may be a book for you, even though it wasn’t a book for me.
Thank you to the author & NerdFam for providing an advance reader copy of this book for my honest review.
Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I ended up DNFing after chapter 2. My decision to stop reading was for a few different reasons. First, it was because I could not turn off my beta reader/editing side of my brain, and I know it was the book and not me because I was okay reading another book at the same time. If I was beta reading or editing this story, I think I would’ve left notes to trim a lot of the sentences down into one since many were repeating themselves. I would’ve also pointed the info dumping. Honestly, the first two chapters were so much info dumping that I did not need as the reader. For example, I could’ve painted a fairly similar picture of what the camp looked like with just calling it a soldiers training camp, and that would have trimmed down two pages worth of details that my mind was already drawing. Same with character descriptions. All the info dumping was stalling the narrative. However, unfortunately, there was no narrative really. By the end of chapter 2, I still knew very little of the main character and had no inkling of the potential conflict to be. I knew too much about what her immediately world looked like, but I had nothing luring me to continue to follow this narrator and her tale. No questions posed to lure me in.
I do see that other reviewers have been loving this story, and so I recognize that I sadly was the wrong audience for this style of book. But I also saw people say it was slow till the 25% mark. I wish I could’ve made it that far, but again, there was nothing presented to make me want to keep following this narrator and her tale. But I would also say to maybe read what others have to say because this may be a book for you, even though it wasn’t a book for me.
Thank you to the author & NerdFam for providing an advance reader copy of this book for my honest review.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-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