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anacarter's review
3.0
Full Review on my blog
*a copy was provided by NetGalley*
This book just proves how I judge a book by its cover. Black Dawn is gifted with such a mesmerizing cover, it is impossible not to catch your eye and make you want to know more about what lies beyond the cover.
Black Dawn is a very short dystopian/YA fantasy. It was slow go and confusing at the beginning, since it started in an awkward place and like 100 POVs. Honestly, this book has an interesting story. It has a very great concept too. It just fell short on the narrating and some other part.
Black Dawn tells the story Emory, Memphis and Brokk. Emory is the long lost queen and she must save her people from Adair, their mad king.
Emory didn't know she was a queen or that she had a special ability until Memphis and Brokk brought her back to Kiero. It's hard for her to believe everything they say because she doesn't have her memories of what happened in Kiero when she was younger... Memphis and Brokk are trying to help her by giving her, her old memories, and are trying to convince her to fight Adair, but will she believe them?
This story is full of secrets, betrayal, love and loss! There were so many plot twists, it had me glued to the pages wondering just what would happen next.
Some parts were...mehh. I really wish there was more character development...
Black Dawn also reminded me of The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer and The Starlight Gods by Yumoyori Wilson, I mean the whole "kidnaped princess" / "hide the princesses on a different planet" thing was really similar to those two series, but otherwise Black Dawn was kinda unique, maybe. But now that I'm thinking about it, it's really like The Starlight Gods series, with the "bad guy" trying to take over the world or whatever, and the "princess" is the only hope. Ooh on that note it also kinda reminds me of Crimson Ash by Haley Sulich in a few ways.
Overall, this book was good. Really it is. It just fell short for me. There are parts that I actually like but there are more parts that I dislike. I would still recommend it.
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*a copy was provided by NetGalley*
This book just proves how I judge a book by its cover. Black Dawn is gifted with such a mesmerizing cover, it is impossible not to catch your eye and make you want to know more about what lies beyond the cover.
Black Dawn is a very short dystopian/YA fantasy. It was slow go and confusing at the beginning, since it started in an awkward place and like 100 POVs. Honestly, this book has an interesting story. It has a very great concept too. It just fell short on the narrating and some other part.
Black Dawn tells the story Emory, Memphis and Brokk. Emory is the long lost queen and she must save her people from Adair, their mad king.
Emory didn't know she was a queen or that she had a special ability until Memphis and Brokk brought her back to Kiero. It's hard for her to believe everything they say because she doesn't have her memories of what happened in Kiero when she was younger... Memphis and Brokk are trying to help her by giving her, her old memories, and are trying to convince her to fight Adair, but will she believe them?
This story is full of secrets, betrayal, love and loss! There were so many plot twists, it had me glued to the pages wondering just what would happen next.
Some parts were...mehh. I really wish there was more character development...
Black Dawn also reminded me of The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer and The Starlight Gods by Yumoyori Wilson, I mean the whole "kidnaped princess" / "hide the princesses on a different planet" thing was really similar to those two series, but otherwise Black Dawn was kinda unique, maybe. But now that I'm thinking about it, it's really like The Starlight Gods series, with the "bad guy" trying to take over the world or whatever, and the "princess" is the only hope. Ooh on that note it also kinda reminds me of Crimson Ash by Haley Sulich in a few ways.
Overall, this book was good. Really it is. It just fell short for me. There are parts that I actually like but there are more parts that I dislike. I would still recommend it.
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sarahreadsinin's review
3.0
It was fine
Black Dawn was just ok. There were a lot of backstory details that I feel were left out, which would have enabled a more immersive read. The multiple POV’s did not add to the story, in my opinion. I thought the actual storyline was intriguing but it was difficult to remain interested when I had so many questions about the world and its people.
Black Dawn was just ok. There were a lot of backstory details that I feel were left out, which would have enabled a more immersive read. The multiple POV’s did not add to the story, in my opinion. I thought the actual storyline was intriguing but it was difficult to remain interested when I had so many questions about the world and its people.
novelbloglover's review
4.0
Book review
Title: Black Dawn
Author: Mallory McCartney
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Dystopian
Rating: ****
Review: The prologue to Black Dawn was amazing we meet Emory Fae during a power outage when as strange man she seems to know enters her apartment and attacks her. We also met Brokk who is a solider of the Black Dawn group who are in the middle of a war. We then change perspective to that of Memphis who is the Commander of the Black Dawn group, I love novel with dual or multiple perspectives because we see the novel from various viewpoints and it gives us a more rounded opinion on the story. The Black Dawn Rebellion seem to be fighting against the reign of a man called Adair. We learn that Emory is a key figure in this rebellion but years ago Brokk and Memphis wiped her memory and left her on Earth away from their world to protect her from Adair and now they are going to use her as the face of the rebellion in order to reclaim their world.
As we approach the 1/4 mark in the novel we can see there is a lot of history between Memphis, Brokk and Emory maybe even so romantic history between the trio which causes a lot of tension. We see Emory try and integrate herself into a life she can barely remembers and displays a huge amount of truth towards these people who could very well be holding her hostage so in that aspect it was a little unbelievable but I still enjoyed it. As we cross the 1/4 mark in the novel we see Emory rebuilding her relationship with Memphis as her memories return very slowly but for some reason she is scared and weary of Brokk despite being told they have been friends for most of their lives.
As we approach the half way mark in the novel the Black Dawn Rebellion is preparing to take on Adair as Emory is the only one who surpasses him in power and the only one who can draw him out far enough to be vulnerable. As Emory learns more about Keiro and herself the more confused she becomes, she can't understand her fear of Brokk or her attraction to Memphis which Nyx complicates at every turn as she is currently sort of dating Memphis. While the love triangle aspect of this novel is implied we haven't really seen much of it and we haven't seen any real interaction between Brokk and Emory. The fear between them which has been presented since Emory's arrival in Keiro has also had very little explanation. In addition to Emory's, Brokk's and Memphis' points of view Nyx's is introduced providing an antagonistic view alongside Adair's perspective as the main antagonist. While it was meant to be impactfull I saw Nyx's betrayal long before it arrived, the animosity between Nyx and Emory was only going to end one way so this scene doesn't really hold the weight it should.
As we cross into the second half of the novel I liked the fact that there was something bigger and more evil at work than Adair and a lot of the characters are weighed down by their own emotions and sins especially characters like Memphis and Nyx. We begins to see the novel as one massive game of chess covered by a web of lies and deciet now it is up to a few keys players to unravel to web and open their eyes to the truth. All the while Adair is beginning to make his move and close in on the Black Dawn Rebellion and the main question now is will they prepared for the fight when it arrives. We also see a rift growing between the three main characters when Emory learns that Memphis manipulated her memories to make her fear Brokk so he could have her to himself but this doesn't dampen the attraction she feels for him. I felt that Memphis didn't really care for Emory but rather he was just using her for his own selfish needs the same why he did Nyx and eventually this would come back to haunt him.
As we approach the 3/4 mark in the novel I was very frustrated at Emory's actions she knows Memphis is manipulating her but she allows him to do it. In my opinion Emory's primary love interest should be Brokk he just suits her so much better and to be honest I don't like Memphis as a character and I was kind of hoping he would die before the end of the novel. So when Nyx's betrayla is uncovered and the Black Dawn have Adair's men upon them I was hoping so much that Memphis would end up as one of the dead so Emory could end up with Brokk. As we head towards the final section of the novel the true controllers of this game have been revealed along with their plan. Both Brokk and Emory are now at their mercy and whether they all die or peace is restored solely rests on their shoulders and depends on them freeing themselves of their current situations.
As we cross into the final section of the novel Emory is in the process of making new allies, trying to free Adair's hostages and trying to piece together her broken memory. With Memphis and Brokk captured I was wondering whether Emory would be able to do this all alone. When Memphis' own sins are shown to him he is left broken with Nyx dying at his feet and Emory on a throne beside Adair. When Emory makes her sacrifice the only person that can save her now is Brokk but whether he will make it in time is the question now. The final pages of this novel were very confusing but it does leave a cliff hanger for a second book, so I am definitely going to have to read that just to figure out what happened at the end of this one.
Overall I found this to be a fast-paced and enjoyable read with great characters and a huge amount of action. I would recommend this novel to all fantasy and actions lover. While the plot and characters were great the romance was completely lacking. I found the love triangle to be weak at best although this is explained for the reveal to hold more weight the triangle between Emory, Brokk and Memphis should have been more in depth and drawn out. This novel deserved its rating despite the fact it does need some work and improvement.
Title: Black Dawn
Author: Mallory McCartney
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Dystopian
Rating: ****
Review: The prologue to Black Dawn was amazing we meet Emory Fae during a power outage when as strange man she seems to know enters her apartment and attacks her. We also met Brokk who is a solider of the Black Dawn group who are in the middle of a war. We then change perspective to that of Memphis who is the Commander of the Black Dawn group, I love novel with dual or multiple perspectives because we see the novel from various viewpoints and it gives us a more rounded opinion on the story. The Black Dawn Rebellion seem to be fighting against the reign of a man called Adair. We learn that Emory is a key figure in this rebellion but years ago Brokk and Memphis wiped her memory and left her on Earth away from their world to protect her from Adair and now they are going to use her as the face of the rebellion in order to reclaim their world.
As we approach the 1/4 mark in the novel we can see there is a lot of history between Memphis, Brokk and Emory maybe even so romantic history between the trio which causes a lot of tension. We see Emory try and integrate herself into a life she can barely remembers and displays a huge amount of truth towards these people who could very well be holding her hostage so in that aspect it was a little unbelievable but I still enjoyed it. As we cross the 1/4 mark in the novel we see Emory rebuilding her relationship with Memphis as her memories return very slowly but for some reason she is scared and weary of Brokk despite being told they have been friends for most of their lives.
As we approach the half way mark in the novel the Black Dawn Rebellion is preparing to take on Adair as Emory is the only one who surpasses him in power and the only one who can draw him out far enough to be vulnerable. As Emory learns more about Keiro and herself the more confused she becomes, she can't understand her fear of Brokk or her attraction to Memphis which Nyx complicates at every turn as she is currently sort of dating Memphis. While the love triangle aspect of this novel is implied we haven't really seen much of it and we haven't seen any real interaction between Brokk and Emory. The fear between them which has been presented since Emory's arrival in Keiro has also had very little explanation. In addition to Emory's, Brokk's and Memphis' points of view Nyx's is introduced providing an antagonistic view alongside Adair's perspective as the main antagonist. While it was meant to be impactfull I saw Nyx's betrayal long before it arrived, the animosity between Nyx and Emory was only going to end one way so this scene doesn't really hold the weight it should.
As we cross into the second half of the novel I liked the fact that there was something bigger and more evil at work than Adair and a lot of the characters are weighed down by their own emotions and sins especially characters like Memphis and Nyx. We begins to see the novel as one massive game of chess covered by a web of lies and deciet now it is up to a few keys players to unravel to web and open their eyes to the truth. All the while Adair is beginning to make his move and close in on the Black Dawn Rebellion and the main question now is will they prepared for the fight when it arrives. We also see a rift growing between the three main characters when Emory learns that Memphis manipulated her memories to make her fear Brokk so he could have her to himself but this doesn't dampen the attraction she feels for him. I felt that Memphis didn't really care for Emory but rather he was just using her for his own selfish needs the same why he did Nyx and eventually this would come back to haunt him.
As we approach the 3/4 mark in the novel I was very frustrated at Emory's actions she knows Memphis is manipulating her but she allows him to do it. In my opinion Emory's primary love interest should be Brokk he just suits her so much better and to be honest I don't like Memphis as a character and I was kind of hoping he would die before the end of the novel. So when Nyx's betrayla is uncovered and the Black Dawn have Adair's men upon them I was hoping so much that Memphis would end up as one of the dead so Emory could end up with Brokk. As we head towards the final section of the novel the true controllers of this game have been revealed along with their plan. Both Brokk and Emory are now at their mercy and whether they all die or peace is restored solely rests on their shoulders and depends on them freeing themselves of their current situations.
As we cross into the final section of the novel Emory is in the process of making new allies, trying to free Adair's hostages and trying to piece together her broken memory. With Memphis and Brokk captured I was wondering whether Emory would be able to do this all alone. When Memphis' own sins are shown to him he is left broken with Nyx dying at his feet and Emory on a throne beside Adair. When Emory makes her sacrifice the only person that can save her now is Brokk but whether he will make it in time is the question now. The final pages of this novel were very confusing but it does leave a cliff hanger for a second book, so I am definitely going to have to read that just to figure out what happened at the end of this one.
Overall I found this to be a fast-paced and enjoyable read with great characters and a huge amount of action. I would recommend this novel to all fantasy and actions lover. While the plot and characters were great the romance was completely lacking. I found the love triangle to be weak at best although this is explained for the reveal to hold more weight the triangle between Emory, Brokk and Memphis should have been more in depth and drawn out. This novel deserved its rating despite the fact it does need some work and improvement.
candacerobinsonauthor's review
5.0
So, last night I did a reread of this book since there will be a prequel coming out after the summer, and my daughter will be out for summer break stopping me from doing anything! I also had to sit down ACOWAR for a bit after getting mad before I pick it back up! This book was even better the second time around, and I feel like the way the author describes things, I feel like I'm right there! Loved the characters, especially Brokk! He's my little precious baby that I want to hold and coddle. There are different character perspectives which help you get a feel of the different situations and each character is different and never feels like I am reading the same character but with a different heading name. The end had me aching for book 2 even more.
This was action packed from the very first page. Review on my blog https://literarydust.wordpress.com/2017/02/06/black-dawn-review-giveaway/
This was action packed from the very first page. Review on my blog https://literarydust.wordpress.com/2017/02/06/black-dawn-review-giveaway/
deadgoodbookreviews's review
3.0
Full review and more up on my blog: http://bit.ly/2gWo9cC
I’ll start by saying that this is very clearly the first book in a series. What I mean by that is that it sets up a lot of things that aren’t ever pulled into any kind of conclusion. I know some people (myself included) aren’t huge fans of loose ends so I thought it would be good to mention that this story is nowhere near an ending by the end of this book (is that a spoiler? I don’t think so?).
Right, let’s pare this back to the basic elements. We’ve got Emory, who has been taken (back) from the human world and is gradually getting her memories of being the heir to the fae throne back. She is a Leech which essentially makes her like Rogue in the X-Men, she’s able to steal powers while in physical contact with other people.
We have an evil king and a group of rebels opposing him. We have potential for treachery around every corner and we have a few viable love interests one of which can shapeshift into some kind of wolf-like creature.
Hmmm…
So I’m going to set aside my dissatisfaction at the lack of an ending because that’s not a fair assessment of the book and if I had the sequel I would probably feel differently.
It’s not often that my main criticism is that a book is too short. I’m far more likely to complain about a book that drags on and on. But in this case I think it would have been helpful to have developed some of the ideas before bringing the threads together. I want to know more about Emory’s life in the human world and I want to see more of the cruelty of the leaders in the fae world and the gradual despair of the resistance. Think about Prince Caspian, for example, in that we don’t get the Pevensies until the action in Narnia has been fully established and it makes the emergence of the children so much more poignant. Without being given proper context it’s hard to get to grips with a story and understand why you’re supposed to care about things. I think, if this book had taken a similar approach it would have been much better.
Another issue I had was the romance. While I don’t think the romance was badly written, it just felt a little bit tacked on at the last minute. It neatly avoids instalove by pulling in the idea that there had been something from long before but it still feels like instalove when you read it and that makes it feel very insincere. Again, had this idea had the time to develop that it really needed that could have been a beautiful plot.
I feel like every paragraph I write is going to come back to that same point. The characters needed more time to develop, the story ideas equally so, the setting, the plot, it just all needed more time and more effort. I think it was this that made the whole book feel fairly shallow and immaterial. You don’t get invested in it because there’s not a whole lot to get invested in.
On a positive note, because this is someone’s creation I’m critiquing and I like to talk about happy things, it is pleasant to read partly because it is so light. There have been a lot of books I have read of late that have left me worn out and this refreshed me somewhat. Equally, I do think the concepts were sound, the idea of two worlds, of sacrifice, of rediscovering a lost identity. All of these are great foundations on which to build a story.
It may be that the later title(s) in this series give me that development I needed from this book, only time will tell. For now, if you’re looking for a light YA fantasy read I recommend looking into Black Dawn.
My rating: 3/5 stars
By the way, I received a digital advanced review copy of this book from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I’ll start by saying that this is very clearly the first book in a series. What I mean by that is that it sets up a lot of things that aren’t ever pulled into any kind of conclusion. I know some people (myself included) aren’t huge fans of loose ends so I thought it would be good to mention that this story is nowhere near an ending by the end of this book (is that a spoiler? I don’t think so?).
Right, let’s pare this back to the basic elements. We’ve got Emory, who has been taken (back) from the human world and is gradually getting her memories of being the heir to the fae throne back. She is a Leech which essentially makes her like Rogue in the X-Men, she’s able to steal powers while in physical contact with other people.
We have an evil king and a group of rebels opposing him. We have potential for treachery around every corner and we have a few viable love interests one of which can shapeshift into some kind of wolf-like creature.
Hmmm…
So I’m going to set aside my dissatisfaction at the lack of an ending because that’s not a fair assessment of the book and if I had the sequel I would probably feel differently.
It’s not often that my main criticism is that a book is too short. I’m far more likely to complain about a book that drags on and on. But in this case I think it would have been helpful to have developed some of the ideas before bringing the threads together. I want to know more about Emory’s life in the human world and I want to see more of the cruelty of the leaders in the fae world and the gradual despair of the resistance. Think about Prince Caspian, for example, in that we don’t get the Pevensies until the action in Narnia has been fully established and it makes the emergence of the children so much more poignant. Without being given proper context it’s hard to get to grips with a story and understand why you’re supposed to care about things. I think, if this book had taken a similar approach it would have been much better.
Another issue I had was the romance. While I don’t think the romance was badly written, it just felt a little bit tacked on at the last minute. It neatly avoids instalove by pulling in the idea that there had been something from long before but it still feels like instalove when you read it and that makes it feel very insincere. Again, had this idea had the time to develop that it really needed that could have been a beautiful plot.
I feel like every paragraph I write is going to come back to that same point. The characters needed more time to develop, the story ideas equally so, the setting, the plot, it just all needed more time and more effort. I think it was this that made the whole book feel fairly shallow and immaterial. You don’t get invested in it because there’s not a whole lot to get invested in.
On a positive note, because this is someone’s creation I’m critiquing and I like to talk about happy things, it is pleasant to read partly because it is so light. There have been a lot of books I have read of late that have left me worn out and this refreshed me somewhat. Equally, I do think the concepts were sound, the idea of two worlds, of sacrifice, of rediscovering a lost identity. All of these are great foundations on which to build a story.
It may be that the later title(s) in this series give me that development I needed from this book, only time will tell. For now, if you’re looking for a light YA fantasy read I recommend looking into Black Dawn.
My rating: 3/5 stars
By the way, I received a digital advanced review copy of this book from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
buttercupsobsession's review
1.0
I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I’m not sure if the copy I received is an arc or a final copy. It was already published when I grabbed a copy to review. I really hate to give this a bad review but this book was really lacking in all of the things I look for in book.
The cover caught my eye and the description sounded like a promising YA fantasy. Unfortunately, this did not deliver. This book is just shy of 200 pages, which I consider to be novella length. A book needs to be clear and concise in such a short amount of time, and I was confused the entire time. This book needed atleast 200 more pages to tell it’s story. There is little to no world building, no character development, the plot was all over the place and everything happens way too fast.. This story has a ton of potential, but the author takes every fantasy element and trope out there the chosen one, a love triangle, multiple perspectives, time travel, magic, superpowers, witches, shapeshifters, and fae and throws them into this book without really developing any of the plot or explaining anything. That didn’t work for me.
The author has a decent story here and the actual writing isn’t bad. This book needs better explanations and more details especially with all of the plotlines happening and all of the characters that get a voice.
The cover caught my eye and the description sounded like a promising YA fantasy. Unfortunately, this did not deliver. This book is just shy of 200 pages, which I consider to be novella length. A book needs to be clear and concise in such a short amount of time, and I was confused the entire time. This book needed atleast 200 more pages to tell it’s story. There is little to no world building, no character development, the plot was all over the place and everything happens way too fast.. This story has a ton of potential, but the author takes every fantasy element and trope out there the chosen one, a love triangle, multiple perspectives, time travel, magic, superpowers, witches, shapeshifters, and fae and throws them into this book without really developing any of the plot or explaining anything. That didn’t work for me.
The author has a decent story here and the actual writing isn’t bad. This book needs better explanations and more details especially with all of the plotlines happening and all of the characters that get a voice.
hauntedbybooks's review
3.0
When I first started reading I must admit I was a bit confused. It took me a while to figure out what was going on. You start the story at an odd place where you have to try to put together what is happening. Later on, though, I figured out enough where I knew what was going on. The characters are interesting and of course it's not a romance without a love triangle. The story is a unique fantasy. I do wish it was a longer novel. Overall Black Dawn is a well-written fantasy that I enjoyed.
waywardtomes's review
I received this book through Netgelly in exchange for an honest review.
I was really interested in this based on the blurp and that cover is gorgeous. It sounds like something I would love. That, however, is not the case. I ended up DNF after the first 6 chapters.
You are immediately through into this world with all these problems but you have no idea how it all happened. You've been dropped in the middle of a war zone without even knowing when it started let alone how or why. From the prologue to the main part of the book everything felt so disconnected and rushed. There was no connection between any of the characters. I also feel like the different POVs wasn't executed properly. They all read to me like the same person and normally I love the different perspectives.
I'm really sad this didn't work out for me.
I was really interested in this based on the blurp and that cover is gorgeous. It sounds like something I would love. That, however, is not the case. I ended up DNF after the first 6 chapters.
You are immediately through into this world with all these problems but you have no idea how it all happened. You've been dropped in the middle of a war zone without even knowing when it started let alone how or why. From the prologue to the main part of the book everything felt so disconnected and rushed. There was no connection between any of the characters. I also feel like the different POVs wasn't executed properly. They all read to me like the same person and normally I love the different perspectives.
I'm really sad this didn't work out for me.
rendz's review
4.0
3.75/5 stars.
You can also see the full review here: https://readingwithrendz.wordpress.com/?p=4892
*I was provided a free copy in exchange for an honest review*
I was really excited going into this book and came out very satisfied. This was a great fantasy full of action, suspense and thrill. There were some things I stumbled on while reading, but overall this was a solid story. It was short, quick and I'm very excited for the sequel.
What I liked
Characters: There were a lot of great characters in this book. However, many of my favourites were side characters and not very focused on within this story. *I always fall for side characters...sigh*
Emory Fae was a great MC. She was strong, stubborn and willing to learn and discover as she navigated this world she was thrust back into, all of the sudden. The only thing I that kind of irked me was her complete willingness to cooperate with these people who claimed to know her. Does she not have a sense of danger or insecurity? Yes, but only for two seconds.
Brokk Foster was not very present in the novel, despite being mentioned in the synopsis. His story is very much pushed to the side and overshadowed by Memphis. However, I thought he was sweet, caring, strong and his chapters gave me the most thrill towards the end of the novel.
Other characters, like Nyx and Bryd were great additions. Nyx was very hot-headed and sassy. She was a little too jealous and concerned with her faltering romance which kind of bothered me, but not too much. It added some great elements of drama!
Never A Dull Moment: Seriously this book just has thrill after thrill, twist after twist, jump after jump. At one point my heart was beating so fast that I had to take a mini pause and calm myself down. It's a good pace, perhaps a little too fast at the beginning, but overall I was very much entertained.
That Cover: It is beautiful and glorious!!!!! Oh I just love it so much!
The Ending: Specifically the epilogue, was fantastic. The chapters that came before, held a lot of information. A lot of pieces of the puzzles were found while more went missing. I love the direction the story is taking. The epilogue opened so many possibilities, I cannot wait for to see what happens.
What I Disliked
The Romance: Let me just get this out of the way, quickly and civilized. Love triangle. Why does it have to be a love triangle? Kidding. IT'S A SQUARE! A LOVE SQUARE! I SUFFERED, A LOT! For three reasons:
1. I DETESTED the guy who Emory had a grander relationship with, in this book. It might not be the final ship, but either way I did not like their romance at all.
2. The character actions revolved too much around this triangle/square thing.
3. My ship sank so fast and in the worst way possible. A little too cliche for me.
Lack of World Building:
This is one of my biggest complaints. I honestly had no idea what the world Emory thrust into was like. It lacked a lot of descriptions. It needed to be further developed because at one point I was very confused. In this world there was technology *I think* but they also used swords and knives instead of guns/machinery. The Academy setting needed a little bit more description and detail put in it to clear up the haze I imagined the characters were in.
Overall, it was a solid novel. There were great action scenes. At one point I was cringing so hard because one character had to severely mutilate another character to get access into an area. It's fun and entertaining. It's just a little fuzzy because the terrain and the world is not very detailed and you know, the romance.
You can also see the full review here: https://readingwithrendz.wordpress.com/?p=4892
*I was provided a free copy in exchange for an honest review*
I was really excited going into this book and came out very satisfied. This was a great fantasy full of action, suspense and thrill. There were some things I stumbled on while reading, but overall this was a solid story. It was short, quick and I'm very excited for the sequel.
What I liked
Characters: There were a lot of great characters in this book. However, many of my favourites were side characters and not very focused on within this story. *I always fall for side characters...sigh*
Emory Fae was a great MC. She was strong, stubborn and willing to learn and discover as she navigated this world she was thrust back into, all of the sudden. The only thing I that kind of irked me was her complete willingness to cooperate with these people who claimed to know her. Does she not have a sense of danger or insecurity? Yes, but only for two seconds.
Brokk Foster was not very present in the novel, despite being mentioned in the synopsis. His story is very much pushed to the side and overshadowed by Memphis. However, I thought he was sweet, caring, strong and his chapters gave me the most thrill towards the end of the novel.
Other characters, like Nyx and Bryd were great additions. Nyx was very hot-headed and sassy. She was a little too jealous and concerned with her faltering romance which kind of bothered me, but not too much. It added some great elements of drama!
Never A Dull Moment: Seriously this book just has thrill after thrill, twist after twist, jump after jump. At one point my heart was beating so fast that I had to take a mini pause and calm myself down. It's a good pace, perhaps a little too fast at the beginning, but overall I was very much entertained.
That Cover: It is beautiful and glorious!!!!! Oh I just love it so much!
The Ending: Specifically the epilogue, was fantastic. The chapters that came before, held a lot of information. A lot of pieces of the puzzles were found while more went missing. I love the direction the story is taking. The epilogue opened so many possibilities, I cannot wait for to see what happens.
What I Disliked
The Romance: Let me just get this out of the way, quickly and civilized. Love triangle. Why does it have to be a love triangle? Kidding. IT'S A SQUARE! A LOVE SQUARE! I SUFFERED, A LOT! For three reasons:
1. I DETESTED the guy who Emory had a grander relationship with, in this book. It might not be the final ship, but either way I did not like their romance at all.
2. The character actions revolved too much around this triangle/square thing.
3. My ship sank so fast and in the worst way possible. A little too cliche for me.
Lack of World Building:
This is one of my biggest complaints. I honestly had no idea what the world Emory thrust into was like. It lacked a lot of descriptions. It needed to be further developed because at one point I was very confused. In this world there was technology *I think* but they also used swords and knives instead of guns/machinery. The Academy setting needed a little bit more description and detail put in it to clear up the haze I imagined the characters were in.
Overall, it was a solid novel. There were great action scenes. At one point I was cringing so hard because one character had to severely mutilate another character to get access into an area. It's fun and entertaining. It's just a little fuzzy because the terrain and the world is not very detailed and you know, the romance.
emmybird86's review
4.0
I loved the narrator. She did different voices for the characters and it was amazing. I had a hard time following all the characters and felt like I needed a back story or something. I just felt like I was missing something. I haven’t read the other books so maybe that’s what the issue was.
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