Reviews

A Story Spun in Scarlet by R. Dugan

Only show reviews with written explanations

radmad_reads's review

adventurous slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I have to admit that I had a hard time getting into this book and I felt that it dragged for the last 30% but once I hit that mark and we discovered more of the plot I was hooked and read the rest of the novel in a matter of hours. The magic system is amazing and really touches the heart of someone like me who loves stories. The romance is so genuine and beautiful without being overbearing and taking away from the main focus. I really enjoyed the characters and how unique each one was. I also love when a book actually surprises me I had absolutely no idea how things were going to play out and the plot twists were shocking. I feel that this book could have been one of my top books of the year but there were two things that I just didn't enjoy. One of those being the slow start and the difficulty I had connecting with the main character for the first fourth of the book and the second being how much inner dialogue we got about Audra's feelings. Although I love knowing what the main character is feeling I felt that it was becoming repetitive and she often disregarded Jaik's feeling because she was too scared to actually deal with her emotions. Despite the small issues I had with the book I really enjoyed it and I loved how beautifully tragic it was.

sorcery_and_stories's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense fast-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

5.0

justkarlah's review

Go to review page

adventurous challenging emotional tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

▫️1st person POV▫️

It's been a while since I've read a fantasy book with a unique magical world. The characters were well thought out, with flaws and needs that made them feel like real people. I enjoyed the world building as well, although I will say that the pace of the book threw me off a bit at times.

The beginning of the book felt a little slow, which I feel is pretty common with fantasy books. The pace picked up once Audra met Jaik, and it became almost impossible for me to put the book down until about two thirds of the way through. At that point, it felt like there was way more filler chapters than there needed to be, and I found it hard to keep reading. Took me weeks to finish the last couple of chapters. I will say though, even when I guessed how it would end, it still felt like a good ending!

I loved the magic that Storycrafters used, and the way the stories come to life with their words. The fighting scenes felt like they would look amazing to witness in real life. The magic of storytelling left me with some questions though.

Do Storycrafters run out of magic, and what are the consequences of using too much of their magic? ALSO, how did Jaik know to find her at the inn/hotel/whatever, when she used a fake name? I would have thought that they arranged it beforehand, but when she was checking in, she seemed to just blurt out that name on the spot.

Jaik stole my heart and refused to give it back, so I'm just going to say that he was my favorite character.

Especially after he broke down when Audra woke up after getting hurt? My heart could barely take it.

Audra was constantly struggling internally with herself and what she wanted. She did the best she could with the life she was dealt, and I felt like this made her feel more realistic and relatable.

There are little hints that are sprinkled throughout the book that have you wondering and guessing along with Audra and Jaik about what exactly is going on in their world, and I personally loved it.

The friendships and love formed along their journey were some of my favorite parts of this book. It never felt rushed or forced.

I do wish we could have gotten more interactions with the friends they remembered toward the end though. And we never got to see her meet her parents again, either.

If you're looking for a fantasy book filled with storytelling magic, adventure, and a slow burn romance

AND a one bed trope

, then I would definitely reccomend this book!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Content Warnings

jessikatt's review

Go to review page

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Full disclosure here: the author is an old friend of mine, so I'm sure I'm a little biased, but OMG.
WHAT
A
STORY.
This book was incredible with such an original concept. I mean, even the stories within the story itself were great. I'm so glad I took my time reading this and really letting myself sit with the characters and their journey. Audra and Jaik will forever hold a special place in my heart. (And Jaik may have made it to the top of the list of my favorite book boyfriends)
Please read this book if it sounds like something you'd enjoy because I promise you, YOU WILL.

bellebookcorner's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful slow-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

4.0

FINALLY FINISHED THIS HUGE BOOK!

The plot kept me interested from the beginning until the end with action-packed scenes, mind blowing imagination, vivid and descriptive world building as well as the fun bantering from the grumpy x sunshine main characters!

I enjoy my time following Addie’s journey joined by Jaik later on as they travelled around to find the answers to their missing memories and the truth of what happened to the storytellers of this world.

I adore their chemistry, how supportive they are to one another – truly meant to be together!

This story is a slow-burned one which makes it perfect to build a vivid world building and character growth but some parts feel dragging and slightly repetitive which makes this book feel longer than it should.

The writing style can also be too descriptive at some parts that I skim past through some of the paragraph to keep the plot going.

The last few chapters are truly heart-breaking, I wasn’t expecting this to be quite an emotional read. But that epilogue at the end gives hope for the main characters for new beginning which I really like.

Overall, it’s an interesting read with unique element featuring storytellers.

I quite enjoy my time reading this one, I saw that this is the 1st book of an interconnected standalones so I’m looking forward to read the next adventure in this world!

I received an advanced review copy for free through Netgalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Huge thank you to the author and publisher!

Content Warnings

britneysreads00's review

Go to review page

4.0

A Story Spun in Scarlet by R. Dugan

As always thank you to NetGalley, the author R. Dugan and everyone else who led to allowing me the opportunity to read and review this book. I promise that my review is 100% my own opinion and not affected by external protection.

Now, this is a long book, and people need to know that before going into it. It spans a long time, and while there's a lot of fluff in the story, it builds onto the book's adventure. It is a story tellers book, a story within a story, and it was epic. Some parts of the story felt repetitive, some things felt like it was pointless, or it added no value to the story. But I find this quite common with these epic-style fantasy stories.

While these are a part of the story, I absolutely loved that there was a character and location guide. Which gave you pronunciations and descriptions to help you understand and differentiate. I will always have a special place in my heart for books with a map at the beginning.

“Let me tell you a story…”

Audra Jashowin, her lack of purpose driving her since she was disgraced by her family. A story crafter on the run. Fleeing the rejection and her home, she is flung into a new adventure. Bringing in Jaik Grissom, who has the ability to bring her stories to life. The book unravels love, loss, and adventure.

This book is perfect for someone who loves a more long-winded style book, with in-depth world-building and a complex magic system and doesn’t forget a little bit of a slow burn romance. It is a book that you have to stick with for it to ultimately pay off. The second half is a lot better than the start. But with the majority of epic stories, the first part will always be heavy on the world-building and details.

cbarcenam's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

Renee Dugan takes us to the incredible kingdom of Mithra-Sha. A place where Storycrafters bring stories to life, creating abundance in the land, helping crops flourish, and helping the people. However, one day, the stories lose their endings, and with that, the power to come to life. That's where our story begins, a few years after the power of StoryCraft disappears Audra has been making her way to the Tailbone City where she hopes to start a life doing honest work trying to forget the disappointment of not being able to finish the story and the rejection of society because of it. One day she's asked her to entertain the patrons of the tavern where she works with an Undying story, a story that would not end and there she meets Jake. Starting as reluctant allies together they embark on an adventure to find out what happened to the endings of stories and how is it connected to them.

This book feels like a love letter to storytellers, emphasizing the impact of stories on our lives and the importance of hope. Audra embodies the fear of not being able to finish, the fear of chasing an adventure, and the strength of sacrifice. Jake is the help and push needed to choose what is waiting in the unknown. Their relationship is great because they represent both sides of the coin: fear and hope.

This story made me smile, made me cry, angry and sad, hopeful of what is to come, I thought it was very well written and a lesson in every story that Audra shares with us. It makes you wonder, root for the characters, visit the mountains, sail the sea, and fight the monsters. It is truly a work of art.

I am very thankful to Renée Dugan for sharing this amazing story Netgalley for allowing me to read it

bbookmylife's review against another edition

Go to review page

Dragging a little, want to finish later.

ranialg's review

Go to review page

adventurous hopeful inspiring mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Its rare to find authors such as Renee Dugan, who slowly, patiently and completely, weave you into a fantasy world, leaving no doubt in your mind that you are about to live through an amazing story. Audra is a storyteller, a teller of tales so magical that it brightens the world, it makes the sun shine, the crops grow, prosperity reign high, until the story endings are lost. Colour fades from Audra’s life. She is barely living, moving from place to place, trying to finish her stories, and trying to avoid the Mithra-Sha soldiers. Until she arrives at Krylan – magical Krylan – and nasty Galan. What else is in store for Audra?

I loved this book and can’t wait to read the next story!! A true fantasy novel that lets you live in another world!

lcp_99's review

Go to review page

adventurous emotional 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

4.0

I’m writing this straight after finishing and my thoughts are a mess.

I’ll start at the beginning - it took a while for me to fully get into this story. It felt a bit like the introduction may have gone on a bit long for me as I wasn’t engaged in the story until Jaik appeared and then the pace picked up and I began to get more into he’s tory. That said, it did feel a little long in places throughout.

The characters were well fleshed out, including side characters and Audra and Jaik’s friendship and banter was great to read and the way their relationship developed felt so genuine.

The prose was a little more flowery than I usually like but given who the POV character was it made sense and really fitted well.

The plot was engaging although a little confusing at times and a lot happens in the last 20-30% of the book so I was kind of scrambling to keep up. The plot twist was hinted at but I’ll be honest did not see the full extent of that coming whatsoever and in some ways it may have dulled some of the events from earlier briefly although it was well foreshadowed. I will say the ending absolutely gut punched me and was absolutely beautifully done.

I would like to thank Netgalley for the for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review

More...