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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
First I would like to thank the author for sending me a copy to review.
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I rated this book 3 stars. When reading my review take into account that I am 19 and I feel that the ideal audience for this book is kids 12-16. I think the premise of this book is fantastic- the secret hidden world full of sorcerers, the spy ring, the secrets the betrayal, her discovering it at 16 and having lots of power. But I think that too much stuff happened in this book. This book was so full of action and things were constantly happening that it was sometimes hard to keep up with and I wish things were more fleshed out and descriptive. Things just happened to fast I couldn’t keep up and there was no feeling of suspense. Orion was just thrust into a world of magic with lies and deceit everywhere and I wish those suspenseful moments would have been more played out. I wish more time was spent on the school and the spy aspect and also for Orion to actually learn and control her powers. Like I said too much happens and there wasn’t enough time to give everything the detail it deserved. I liked the main character and The side characters such as Banden and Julian but we barely know anything about them. There is never time in this book for Orion to also be with people and discover them- instead she’s just going from one action scene to another. The climax of this book fell flat for me because I just didn’t get enough time with the characters to connect with them or be surprised by the twist. I need to know more about Orion’s relationship with her mom, more about Banden, more about the friends and just everyone in general.
I know that paragraph seemed negative but I promise you this book has a super good premise and that is what kept me reading. I loved the magic and the idea behind Isoria in general. I think having 16 year old Orion discovering this world that has been hidden from her for her whole life was a great way to start this book. This way we get to discover things as Orion does. I like how Orion was especially gifted in air magic as I haven’t seen much of that in other books featuring elemental magic. I think the idea of Alec is fantastic and a great counter to Orion- I just wish we got to see more interaction with them at the beginning of the book and more actual scenes of them together.
For a debut book I think it’s a really good start to a series that has the potential to be great. I hope book 2 brings more insight to the world and relationships between characters and also grows on this idea of the Obsidian King as in this book he felt like more of a distant villain.
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I rated this book 3 stars. When reading my review take into account that I am 19 and I feel that the ideal audience for this book is kids 12-16. I think the premise of this book is fantastic- the secret hidden world full of sorcerers, the spy ring, the secrets the betrayal, her discovering it at 16 and having lots of power. But I think that too much stuff happened in this book. This book was so full of action and things were constantly happening that it was sometimes hard to keep up with and I wish things were more fleshed out and descriptive. Things just happened to fast I couldn’t keep up and there was no feeling of suspense. Orion was just thrust into a world of magic with lies and deceit everywhere and I wish those suspenseful moments would have been more played out. I wish more time was spent on the school and the spy aspect and also for Orion to actually learn and control her powers. Like I said too much happens and there wasn’t enough time to give everything the detail it deserved. I liked the main character and The side characters such as Banden and Julian but we barely know anything about them. There is never time in this book for Orion to also be with people and discover them- instead she’s just going from one action scene to another. The climax of this book fell flat for me because I just didn’t get enough time with the characters to connect with them or be surprised by the twist. I need to know more about Orion’s relationship with her mom, more about Banden, more about the friends and just everyone in general.
I know that paragraph seemed negative but I promise you this book has a super good premise and that is what kept me reading. I loved the magic and the idea behind Isoria in general. I think having 16 year old Orion discovering this world that has been hidden from her for her whole life was a great way to start this book. This way we get to discover things as Orion does. I like how Orion was especially gifted in air magic as I haven’t seen much of that in other books featuring elemental magic. I think the idea of Alec is fantastic and a great counter to Orion- I just wish we got to see more interaction with them at the beginning of the book and more actual scenes of them together.
For a debut book I think it’s a really good start to a series that has the potential to be great. I hope book 2 brings more insight to the world and relationships between characters and also grows on this idea of the Obsidian King as in this book he felt like more of a distant villain.
2.5 ⭐️
Overall I liked this book, the world building was amazing.
I just wasn't able to relate to any of the characters and their thoughts and actions were a little over the place here and there.
I am still looking forward to the next book, as this was Cristina Macaris debut and I strongly believe the next books are gonna be so much better.
Overall I liked this book, the world building was amazing.
I just wasn't able to relate to any of the characters and their thoughts and actions were a little over the place here and there.
I am still looking forward to the next book, as this was Cristina Macaris debut and I strongly believe the next books are gonna be so much better.
I read a fair bit of fantasy, so I’m always pleasantly surprised when I read a fantasy book that I am instantly invested in AND it has a map included. This book was so personable I felt like I knew the characters and I was a part of this world.
And by the end of this book, I was ANGRY and tempted to throw it across the room. I can’t wait for the next one in the series!! READ THIS BOOK.
And by the end of this book, I was ANGRY and tempted to throw it across the room. I can’t wait for the next one in the series!! READ THIS BOOK.
Voice of the book wasn’t pulling me in and the chemistry between the FMC and MMC was annoying.
If you’re looking for an easy YA fantasy, you might enjoy this book more than I did. I don’t know if I love or hate it tbh. I love the magical elements which has a HP/Divergent/Shadow hunter vibe. I hate how fast paced it is and that the world building component is lacking.
What further irked me was there were instances that didn’t need further explanation. Eg I’d rather have a backstory of the magical wars than an explanation of the currency used.
Overall, the book has a lot of potential (fantasy wise) but it felt like I was reading a draft version of the real deal. Didn’t help that the last 30% was predictable and I scanned through it
What further irked me was there were instances that didn’t need further explanation. Eg I’d rather have a backstory of the magical wars than an explanation of the currency used.
Overall, the book has a lot of potential (fantasy wise) but it felt like I was reading a draft version of the real deal. Didn’t help that the last 30% was predictable and I scanned through it
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
“Be a swan. Know who’s a swan.”
First of all, I would like to thank the author for sending me a copy of this book!
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Secrets of Isoria is a new book from the author Cristina Macari. And I have to say that it was a really good surprise!
If I had to define this book, I would say that it’s a mix between Harry Potter and Shadow and Bones, with the addition of a very intriguing mystery. Secrets of Isoria follows the story of Orion, a girl who always lived among normal people and knew that she had something different compared to them: magical abilities. Throughout the book, she learns more about them and about this secret world called Isoria, where 4 different schools of magic are located. Orion needs to learn how to use and control her powers, while also uncovering a secret linked to her grandmother’s death.
I loved reading a story that reminded so much of the Harry Potter series AND I LOVED the plot twists!
The concept of the 4 different schools based on the 4 elements was very intriguing and I hope we will see more of all of them in the next books.
At first I found it a little difficult to really get inside the story, since there was a lot of world building, however that’s almost always the case with the first book in a fantasy series. It was also really intriguing to me that the story is set in the modern world.
More thoughts:
WARNING: This next part will contain spoilers.
Orion
“I couldn’t find a balance. I was either black or white. I wanted to be gray-enough to be noticed, not an eyesore.”
I like her, she didn’t annoy me like a lot of main characters do, so that was great lol. I wondered throughout the whole book why her powers seem to be so out of control; is that only because she never had a chance to learn how to use them or because she’s more powerful than she realizes? I guess I’ll have my answers in the next books.
Alec
“He reminded me of a stray cat. Not belonging to anyone but himself.”
THE BETRAYAL AT END. I really trusted Alec throughout the book and for a while, I was convinced that he was the most trustworthy out of all of Orion’s friends and then… I was shocked. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing how the story will progress. Morally gray character? Yes, please.
Alec + Orion [Arion?]
“Air and Earth, complete opposites. But I think we balance each other out.”
I didn’t know how I felt about them at the beginning. I could tell that there was tension, but I think that the story was way more centered around the mystery than the romance. However, the ending? That’ll make for a great love story moving forward!
Side Characters
I debated for a while if my favorite character was Julian or Rae and I still don’t have an answer lol. I even thought they would end up betraying Orion, but I was glad to find out that they didn’t.
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“Everyone covered pain differently, and sometimes it could disguise itself as someone we weren’t.”
Finally, I decided to rate this book a 4.25 stars because I really enjoyed reading it! I think my favorite part was definitely the mystery surrounding Orion’s grandmother and now I’m very curious to see how the story will evolve!
First of all, I would like to thank the author for sending me a copy of this book!
——————————————————————
Secrets of Isoria is a new book from the author Cristina Macari. And I have to say that it was a really good surprise!
If I had to define this book, I would say that it’s a mix between Harry Potter and Shadow and Bones, with the addition of a very intriguing mystery. Secrets of Isoria follows the story of Orion, a girl who always lived among normal people and knew that she had something different compared to them: magical abilities. Throughout the book, she learns more about them and about this secret world called Isoria, where 4 different schools of magic are located. Orion needs to learn how to use and control her powers, while also uncovering a secret linked to her grandmother’s death.
I loved reading a story that reminded so much of the Harry Potter series AND I LOVED the plot twists!
The concept of the 4 different schools based on the 4 elements was very intriguing and I hope we will see more of all of them in the next books.
At first I found it a little difficult to really get inside the story, since there was a lot of world building, however that’s almost always the case with the first book in a fantasy series. It was also really intriguing to me that the story is set in the modern world.
More thoughts:
WARNING: This next part will contain spoilers.
Orion
“I couldn’t find a balance. I was either black or white. I wanted to be gray-enough to be noticed, not an eyesore.”
I like her, she didn’t annoy me like a lot of main characters do, so that was great lol. I wondered throughout the whole book why her powers seem to be so out of control; is that only because she never had a chance to learn how to use them or because she’s more powerful than she realizes? I guess I’ll have my answers in the next books.
Alec
“He reminded me of a stray cat. Not belonging to anyone but himself.”
THE BETRAYAL AT END. I really trusted Alec throughout the book and for a while, I was convinced that he was the most trustworthy out of all of Orion’s friends and then… I was shocked. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing how the story will progress. Morally gray character? Yes, please.
Alec + Orion [Arion?]
“Air and Earth, complete opposites. But I think we balance each other out.”
I didn’t know how I felt about them at the beginning. I could tell that there was tension, but I think that the story was way more centered around the mystery than the romance. However, the ending? That’ll make for a great love story moving forward!
Side Characters
I debated for a while if my favorite character was Julian or Rae and I still don’t have an answer lol. I even thought they would end up betraying Orion, but I was glad to find out that they didn’t.
——————————————————————
“Everyone covered pain differently, and sometimes it could disguise itself as someone we weren’t.”
Finally, I decided to rate this book a 4.25 stars because I really enjoyed reading it! I think my favorite part was definitely the mystery surrounding Orion’s grandmother and now I’m very curious to see how the story will evolve!
I enjoyed the concept of this book. The author has clearly put a lot of thought into world building and it was interesting. Too many details were shared just as details but not important for the story and that bogged down the flow.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated