You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
fast-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
I was blown away by this book and couldn't put it down. I loved the FMC and the MMC. Her magic was so interesting and the way the book ended was surprising. I can't wait for the second one to come out!
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Mood: 😢🥺🥰😡😱
In a world where magic requires a terrible trial that could kill a man or drive him mad, royal inheritances aren’t determined by birth order, but rather by the strength of their magic. So it’s second-born Mancella who is next in line to the throne. Though she and her older sister both entered the fearsome Citadel and emerged alive, it was Mancella who developed magic, and her magic instantly won her father’s approval. Any animal she kills in a fair fight is absorbed into her, and she is able to summon it whenever she wishes. Mancella hates being soaked in the blood of animals, hates killing and violence period, and she is rightly mortified when her father orders her to kill a human to see if she is able to summon them as well. Desperate to avoid becoming a murderer, Mancella seeks the help of a servant, Silver, but Silver is not quite what he seems. Sent into the castle to fulfill three quests in order to secure a home and papers for him and his friends, Silver has to decide if Mancella is truly the bloodthirsty monster her father would have the kingdom believe, or if she wants peace as she claims.
I sincerely enjoyed this book! Mancella’s father was abusive and awful, and the book did a good job of showing how this abuse has affected the family’s lives, and how her mother and sister were forced to live in survival mode. I liked how they both tried to help Mancella in their own small ways, and I loved how the general constantly stuck up for Mancella, pushing the prime as far as she could to protect her. The magic system was really cool. The citadel being a terrifying place that would give you strange powers (like making unbreakable glass or boats that drown you if you sail for too long), that traumatized literally everyone in the family was so unique and creative! I like how the darkness of the magic was portrayed, and how each magical power had its own bloodthirsty edge. Then Silver comes in with his Flynn Rider vibes and begins to accidentally (at first) help therapize Mancella and give her courage to stand up to her father and do better for her kingdom was so good! Silver was such a sweetheart! I loved his friendship with Rooftop and Vi--though I have to give Vi an Arcane side-eye. The ending was quite brilliant, and it really leaves me wondering what’s next for book 2, because the semi-teaser at the end didn’t feel like quite enough for a whole book. But I like the characters and world enough to want to go back and see what happens next.
TW: Don’t read if you are sensitive to animal deaths. They happen on page and are reflected on in detail.
slow-paced
3/5⭐️
No quotes from this book 🧍🏻♀️
Not because it was bad, but because there really just wasn’t anything that stood out about it.
The magic system is this books saving grace honestly. It was so incredibly fascinating and every chapter I learned something else about it I was hooked. Then there was the interwoven extremely predictable bland plot.
This book has one of my massive pet peeves- using UNconsciously when they mean SUBconsciously.
I could complain about the plot of this book forever, but I just want to leave yall with one example. The FMC is introduced to us as a softhearted, untrusting, timid character. Then the MMC who she has never once met, invites her to a lone room where no one would know where she is, late at night, and FEEDS HER, and she has absolutely 0 concerns or hesitations
-meeting this stranger
-divulging political details
-eating food she didn’t watch be prepared (is poisoning not a concern as a royal??)
-committed treason with this rando
It is so immediately out of character it irked me. But again, the magic system is so wildly fascinating that I’ll probably read the second book solely to see how it goes. Just overall meh
No quotes from this book 🧍🏻♀️
Not because it was bad, but because there really just wasn’t anything that stood out about it.
The magic system is this books saving grace honestly. It was so incredibly fascinating and every chapter I learned something else about it I was hooked. Then there was the interwoven extremely predictable bland plot.
This book has one of my massive pet peeves- using UNconsciously when they mean SUBconsciously.
I could complain about the plot of this book forever, but I just want to leave yall with one example. The FMC is introduced to us as a softhearted, untrusting, timid character. Then the MMC who she has never once met, invites her to a lone room where no one would know where she is, late at night, and FEEDS HER, and she has absolutely 0 concerns or hesitations
-meeting this stranger
-divulging political details
-eating food she didn’t watch be prepared (is poisoning not a concern as a royal??)
-committed treason with this rando
It is so immediately out of character it irked me. But again, the magic system is so wildly fascinating that I’ll probably read the second book solely to see how it goes. Just overall meh
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death
Moderate: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Blood
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Torture, War
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
medium-paced
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The last 25% saved this one for me!
Definitely a unique magic system and an interesting plot. This was definitely dark at times (Mancella's dad was the worsttt) but the pacing lost me in the middle. I enjoyed both of our MCs and was very surprised by the reveal at the 75% mark! Feel like the story reallyyy picked up from there and the ending was veryyy intriguing!
3.5 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ALC of this audiobook - all opinions are my own!
Definitely a unique magic system and an interesting plot. This was definitely dark at times (Mancella's dad was the worsttt) but the pacing lost me in the middle. I enjoyed both of our MCs and was very surprised by the reveal at the 75% mark! Feel like the story reallyyy picked up from there and the ending was veryyy intriguing!
3.5 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ALC of this audiobook - all opinions are my own!
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury