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larisa2021's review
5.0
Political intrigue + multi-faceted characters developing further = gorgeous novel
utopiastateofmind's review
4.0
(Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgalley. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Sewing magic and political fantasy. In Fray, the world Sophie has known is going to change - whether in her favor or against. The world building I loved is expanded, exploding into color. Fray delivers political bargaining, voting, and the question of what is the right way to make change? It's the traditional nobility against the people who are demanding rights they have never seen before. Will the peace be made in voting halls or on the streets? With nobles taking a stand to avoid revolution, or in blood and explosive shots?
full review: https://utopia-state-of-mind.com/review-fray-by-rowenna-miller/
Sewing magic and political fantasy. In Fray, the world Sophie has known is going to change - whether in her favor or against. The world building I loved is expanded, exploding into color. Fray delivers political bargaining, voting, and the question of what is the right way to make change? It's the traditional nobility against the people who are demanding rights they have never seen before. Will the peace be made in voting halls or on the streets? With nobles taking a stand to avoid revolution, or in blood and explosive shots?
full review: https://utopia-state-of-mind.com/review-fray-by-rowenna-miller/
toggle_fow's review
4.0
I'm very conflicted on how to rate this.
It's a middle-of-a-series book, so its unsatisfying end almost makes me want to give it fewer stars. I was still riveted the whole time, though, and even now that I'm finished reading it I still find myself thinking over the story and wondering about the third book. So, I'm going to err on the side of a higher rating. The first half was fun and interesting, and while the second half was frustrating, it seemed to be frustrating in a purposeful way.
This book jumps right into Sophie as Princess Consort. She makes her debut into upper-class society, and I was very glad there was no time spent on will-they-won't-they. Sophie and Theodor made their decision in the last book, and they stuck right with it in this installment. I really liked seeing Sophie grappling with her new role and the plans to give the shop over to Alice.
The second part where they travel to an international trade summit wasn't quite as fun, but it delved into the theory of magic more, which I have been dying to do since the first book. I was expecting to love the social and political maneuvering, but there wasn't as much of that as I expected. It was still enjoyable, though. I also liked how the secret behind Sophie's faltering powers wasn't some uncanny, sinister taint, and was just the fact of her grief.
The third part was where everything gets hairy. Kristos is just... the worst. I still can barely stand him. "HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO APOLOGIZE?!?" he yells, when like... by my count he hasn't apologized even ONCE. Like oh, I didn't realize how far it was going to go. Oh, I was taken in by Pyrod's schemes. Oh, I never meant-- like THAT'S NOT AN APOLOGY. He's the worst. Also, he and Theodor in the same room are the worst. Niko is also the worst. I would kill all of them if I got the chance.
However, the setup for a third book has me hooked. It seems like Sophie is finally verging on discovering what her magic can really do, and it's interesting how they've completely flipped sides. In book one, the Kvys and the revolution were cast as the bad guys, and now they're the side everyone is on. I hope all of Theodor's brothers are all right, and I really want to see what kind of eventual confrontation he has to have with his father the king.
It's a middle-of-a-series book, so its unsatisfying end almost makes me want to give it fewer stars. I was still riveted the whole time, though, and even now that I'm finished reading it I still find myself thinking over the story and wondering about the third book. So, I'm going to err on the side of a higher rating. The first half was fun and interesting, and while the second half was frustrating, it seemed to be frustrating in a purposeful way.
This book jumps right into Sophie as Princess Consort. She makes her debut into upper-class society, and I was very glad there was no time spent on will-they-won't-they. Sophie and Theodor made their decision in the last book, and they stuck right with it in this installment. I really liked seeing Sophie grappling with her new role and the plans to give the shop over to Alice.
The second part where they travel to an international trade summit wasn't quite as fun, but it delved into the theory of magic more, which I have been dying to do since the first book. I was expecting to love the social and political maneuvering, but there wasn't as much of that as I expected. It was still enjoyable, though. I also liked how the secret behind Sophie's faltering powers wasn't some uncanny, sinister taint, and was just the fact of her grief.
The third part was where everything gets hairy. Kristos is just... the worst. I still can barely stand him. "HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO APOLOGIZE?!?" he yells, when like... by my count he hasn't apologized even ONCE. Like oh, I didn't realize how far it was going to go. Oh, I was taken in by Pyrod's schemes. Oh, I never meant-- like THAT'S NOT AN APOLOGY. He's the worst. Also, he and Theodor in the same room are the worst. Niko is also the worst. I would kill all of them if I got the chance.
However, the setup for a third book has me hooked. It seems like Sophie is finally verging on discovering what her magic can really do, and it's interesting how they've completely flipped sides. In book one, the Kvys and the revolution were cast as the bad guys, and now they're the side everyone is on. I hope all of Theodor's brothers are all right, and I really want to see what kind of eventual confrontation he has to have with his father the king.
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