Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
tense
fast-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:
No
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
sad
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:
Yes
adventurous
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
I was murdered but not allowed to pass on. Given godly power, but no freedom. Offered the chance to be with someone at the cost of the one I wish to be with.
Okaay, what am I going to do with my life until December? I want to know what’s going to happen almost as much as I want to know what Lorcan did! #ifkyk
❤️ Fast-paced and captivating, with compelling plot twists and a jaw-dropping ending
❤️ Epic worldbuilding and lore
❤️ Interesting, complex characters (both main and supporting)
❤️ Strong FMC and toe-curling MMC
❤️ Humour and banter
❌ Slightly off-putting book title
❌ Modern elements that don’t quite fit
❌ Slightly disappointing spice
Trigger Warnings: violence, blood and gore, injury details, domestic abuse, parental abuse, child abuse, attempted rape, poisoning, murder, death and grief.
Plot:
Nizzara is the heiress to the Zarr throne and the daughter of a power-hungry tyrant. Forced into an arranged marriage, she enters a deadly tournament to win the freedom to choose her own suitor. Dagen is the last king of Zarr, who was killed by Nizzara’s father many years before. Now a half-ghost with tremendous power, he is stuck in another realm, working as a soul reaper. To reclaim his freedom and his kingdom, he must deliver a pure soul: Nizzara’s.
At first, the plot sounded just like 349058 other romantasy novels or series. But fear not, this book definitely stood out after only a few chapters. There’s a high-stake tournament, political turmoil, rebels, monsters, gods, ghosts and spirits, prophecies, love, tension, angst, betrayal and heartache, humour (“Nightlight” made me crack up!) and banter, etc. And, most of all, many of the plot twists were unexpected. None of the common tropes or conundrums felt like they were weaved in just to tick a box or add shock value. It really felt like the worldbuilding, the lore, the characters, and the plot were well thought of. The only things that annoyed me were the modern elements, that didn’t quite fit in; but maybe they will make more sense in the following installments.
Characters:
If you follow my reviews, you probably know how hard I am on MCs. I always find the leading ladies too reckless and self-centred, too needlessly confrontational or stabby, etc. And that the leading guys all sound like generic morally-grey alphaholes who are obsessed with the FMC after a minute and a half. But in this one, we get an FMC who is as fierce and stabby as she is mature and compassionate. We get an MMC who’s a funny, snarky, foul-mouthed, flirtatious half-ghost royal. He’s ruthless, but also sweet and caring. I loved both of them right away and felt an emotional connection very quickly. Also, there’s not a single character that I 100% hated (except Dae’s ex, maybe). The “bad guys” could have been very unidimensional like so many others, but Winn made it hard for us not to feel any sort of compassion for them—and I love that.
Writing:
Winn has a sharp, mature, and captivating writing style that’s also very accessible. I’m not a fan of the first-person POV, but Winn made it work. The addition of journal entry snippets was also great and helped learn more about the world, political dynamics, and important characters without tedious info dumps – thank gods! Some of the names, however, were too similar to my liking. Even at the end of the book, I was still confusing the three kingdoms because of their (very) similar names: Zo, Zarr, Zem. The spice was also slightly disappointing.
The only thing… the title. Maybe it’s a non-native English speaker thing, but I’m really not a fan. If it wasn’t for the high ratings and intriguing reviews, I probably would have skipped it just for that. But I’m so glad I didn’t because I would have missed out big times!
You know what they say? Don’t judge a book by itscover title!
Follow me on Instagram: @bibi.reads.writes
Okaay, what am I going to do with my life until December? I want to know what’s going to happen almost as much as I want to know what Lorcan did! #ifkyk
❤️ Fast-paced and captivating, with compelling plot twists and a jaw-dropping ending
❤️ Epic worldbuilding and lore
❤️ Interesting, complex characters (both main and supporting)
❤️ Strong FMC and toe-curling MMC
❤️ Humour and banter
❌ Slightly off-putting book title
❌ Modern elements that don’t quite fit
❌ Slightly disappointing spice
Trigger Warnings: violence, blood and gore, injury details, domestic abuse, parental abuse, child abuse, attempted rape, poisoning, murder, death and grief.
Plot:
Nizzara is the heiress to the Zarr throne and the daughter of a power-hungry tyrant. Forced into an arranged marriage, she enters a deadly tournament to win the freedom to choose her own suitor. Dagen is the last king of Zarr, who was killed by Nizzara’s father many years before. Now a half-ghost with tremendous power, he is stuck in another realm, working as a soul reaper. To reclaim his freedom and his kingdom, he must deliver a pure soul: Nizzara’s.
At first, the plot sounded just like 349058 other romantasy novels or series. But fear not, this book definitely stood out after only a few chapters. There’s a high-stake tournament, political turmoil, rebels, monsters, gods, ghosts and spirits, prophecies, love, tension, angst, betrayal and heartache, humour (“Nightlight” made me crack up!) and banter, etc. And, most of all, many of the plot twists were unexpected. None of the common tropes or conundrums felt like they were weaved in just to tick a box or add shock value. It really felt like the worldbuilding, the lore, the characters, and the plot were well thought of. The only things that annoyed me were the modern elements, that didn’t quite fit in; but maybe they will make more sense in the following installments.
Characters:
If you follow my reviews, you probably know how hard I am on MCs. I always find the leading ladies too reckless and self-centred, too needlessly confrontational or stabby, etc. And that the leading guys all sound like generic morally-grey alphaholes who are obsessed with the FMC after a minute and a half. But in this one, we get an FMC who is as fierce and stabby as she is mature and compassionate. We get an MMC who’s a funny, snarky, foul-mouthed, flirtatious half-ghost royal. He’s ruthless, but also sweet and caring. I loved both of them right away and felt an emotional connection very quickly. Also, there’s not a single character that I 100% hated (except Dae’s ex, maybe). The “bad guys” could have been very unidimensional like so many others, but Winn made it hard for us not to feel any sort of compassion for them—and I love that.
Writing:
Winn has a sharp, mature, and captivating writing style that’s also very accessible. I’m not a fan of the first-person POV, but Winn made it work. The addition of journal entry snippets was also great and helped learn more about the world, political dynamics, and important characters without tedious info dumps – thank gods! Some of the names, however, were too similar to my liking. Even at the end of the book, I was still confusing the three kingdoms because of their (very) similar names: Zo, Zarr, Zem. The spice was also slightly disappointing.
The only thing… the title. Maybe it’s a non-native English speaker thing, but I’m really not a fan. If it wasn’t for the high ratings and intriguing reviews, I probably would have skipped it just for that. But I’m so glad I didn’t because I would have missed out big times!
You know what they say? Don’t judge a book by its
Follow me on Instagram: @bibi.reads.writes
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
I was enjoying the first half of the book but it wasn’t until about 60% through that it went from 3 to 4 stars.
My biggest issue was the lack of world building. Some things seemed contradictory, like they have some modern things but not others. It made it difficult to picture everything.
I really enjoyed the different magic system though! I though that was built and explained very well.
My biggest issue was the lack of world building. Some things seemed contradictory, like they have some modern things but not others. It made it difficult to picture everything.
I really enjoyed the different magic system though! I though that was built and explained very well.
dark
tense
medium-paced