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laylareadsthings's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
slow-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
4.25
I can best describe this book as the warmest of cozy fantasy romances. If you want to read something that is basically the book form a giant hug right when you need it, this is it.
Looking for something that is pure vibes and emotion? Please read this. That’s not to say there isn’t plot or adventure here, but it’s mostly a story of two people learning how to heal and find themselves, and within that, each other. Even the tragedies are journeyed through in a way to bring hope and solace.
Orek is a character who could easily come off one note, but is handled with wonderful nuance by the author’s descriptions and keen understanding of how to display his tragedies and the shortcomings they’ve created for him as an adult. Sorcha is the epitome of an eldest daughter without being turned into a caricature or her family villainized. She is me and I am her.
And I really loved their love story. It’s almost painfully slow, but to have it any other way would be a disservice to their characters. And when it finally happens, it’s explosive and the spice does not taper off.
I can see how others might find parts of this story repetitive or over-written with the level of description. But anytime I found myself skimming, I always went back to gather the details. Very cleverly, the book doesn’t end once the romance is earned, and it’s a refreshing reminder that “I love you” isn’t the end all be all. There are lives to live and difficulties still to be overcome. I particularly enjoyed the back half of this book and spending time with a wider cast of characters - which it seems will be explored as the series continues with interconnected standalones.
If you’re looking for a fast-paced, straight to the point romantic romp (I love those too!) this may not fill the gap, but if you want to fall deeply in love with a new world and some flawed beings with absolute hearts of gold - pour a cup of tea and curl up in a blanket and crack this book open. I promise you won’t regret it!
Looking for something that is pure vibes and emotion? Please read this. That’s not to say there isn’t plot or adventure here, but it’s mostly a story of two people learning how to heal and find themselves, and within that, each other. Even the tragedies are journeyed through in a way to bring hope and solace.
Orek is a character who could easily come off one note, but is handled with wonderful nuance by the author’s descriptions and keen understanding of how to display his tragedies and the shortcomings they’ve created for him as an adult. Sorcha is the epitome of an eldest daughter without being turned into a caricature or her family villainized. She is me and I am her.
And I really loved their love story. It’s almost painfully slow, but to have it any other way would be a disservice to their characters. And when it finally happens, it’s explosive and the spice does not taper off.
I can see how others might find parts of this story repetitive or over-written with the level of description. But anytime I found myself skimming, I always went back to gather the details. Very cleverly, the book doesn’t end once the romance is earned, and it’s a refreshing reminder that “I love you” isn’t the end all be all. There are lives to live and difficulties still to be overcome. I particularly enjoyed the back half of this book and spending time with a wider cast of characters - which it seems will be explored as the series continues with interconnected standalones.
If you’re looking for a fast-paced, straight to the point romantic romp (I love those too!) this may not fill the gap, but if you want to fall deeply in love with a new world and some flawed beings with absolute hearts of gold - pour a cup of tea and curl up in a blanket and crack this book open. I promise you won’t regret it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Sexual content
Moderate: Violence, Gore, and Kidnapping
Minor: Sexual assault
dearhaleynicole's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
This book was just straight-up vibes and I loved it so much! The characters (specifically our main male & female) are one of the cutest couples I've ever read 🥹💕 Sorcha & Orek had so much heart written into them and their stories that so quickly after they crossed paths, I was already in love with them.
You can quote on me on this... I will ALWAYS be down to read a "scary on the outside/cinnamon-roll on the inside" MMC and Orek was that and more. And Sorcha is such a dedicated, older sister who takes on so much responsibility because she thinks she has to earn her place. But then Orek comes along and not only tells her her true worth, but also SHOWS her. Ugh. This is couple goals. Oh and "Orek the Orc"? Stupidly cute. 5/5 stars for that alone.
As I just finished reading the book, I also checked out the author's note at the back of the book and I think Wendel described the book there as a whole SO well when she said: "It's like a cozy blanket and soft cardigan and warm chocolate cookies." I want that tonight and every night from now on out! Overall, just such a sweet, heart-warming read (with top notch spice ✌🏻).
Would highly recommend for lovers of Jenna Wolfhart, who wrote Forged by Magic and Brewed in Magic!
You can quote on me on this... I will ALWAYS be down to read a "scary on the outside/cinnamon-roll on the inside" MMC and Orek was that and more. And Sorcha is such a dedicated, older sister who takes on so much responsibility because she thinks she has to earn her place. But then Orek comes along and not only tells her her true worth, but also SHOWS her. Ugh. This is couple goals. Oh and "Orek the Orc"? Stupidly cute. 5/5 stars for that alone.
As I just finished reading the book, I also checked out the author's note at the back of the book and I think Wendel described the book there as a whole SO well when she said: "It's like a cozy blanket and soft cardigan and warm chocolate cookies." I want that tonight and every night from now on out! Overall, just such a sweet, heart-warming read (with top notch spice ✌🏻).
Would highly recommend for lovers of Jenna Wolfhart, who wrote Forged by Magic and Brewed in Magic!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Slavery, Death, Gore, Trafficking, Violence, and Sexual content
Minor: Sexual assault and Rape
doahdancer's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Kidnapping, Trafficking, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Blood, Violence, and Sexual content
Moderate: Abandonment and Bullying
occasionalyarnie's review
adventurous
relaxing
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
3.0
I am so sad that I felt the way I did about this book. It let me down. Hard.
In short: If this book had ended at approximately the 60% mark,when Sorcha is reunited with her family and she and Orek decide to give their romance a shot in "the real world," this book would have been an easy 4 or 4.5 star read. The character development was *chef's kiss* and I loved the romantic tension and pining strung through the story, even if some of the "monster" elements were a bit much for me at times. But this book did not end at the 60% mark (shocker). While I appreciated what the author was trying to accomplish in the latter half, I ultimately found it... boring. That boredom, combined with pet peeves about the writing style becoming impossible to ignore, really made it difficult to push through and finish. I strongly considered DNFing this multiple times in the last 20% because any and all enjoyment I had for reading this felt long gone.
A spoiler-filled rant: Let me start by saying that I've never read a monster romance. I never thought they would be even remotely appealing to me. But this one came strongly recommended for those looking for sweet and inexperienced MMCs, which I was down for. So I gave it a go. I have learned in this experience that my gut instinct was correct, and monster romances probably aren't for me. Many of those elements were a big turnoff for me(such as Orek's tusks, no matter how small, and "his beast," which just seemed like a convenient way to write off some territorial/jealous emotions that would be a red flag if he was human) and took away from my enjoyment. While I didn't mind that Orek and Sorcha formed a mate-bond, it reached a point where it exceeded SJM levels of calling each other "my mate," which is... I didn't even know that was possible. At one point, Orek said it three times within the span of two short paragraphs, and *eyeroll* . Because this was a medieval fantasy, I also didn't care for a lot of the language used in spicy scenes (such as "quim" for lady bits and an excessive amount of "spend" for... well, you know) . And this isn't even getting into some of my issues with the plot, which I'm not even sure I can fully articulate even after sitting on this for a few days. Mostly, it boils down to being dragged out for too long. When Sorcha is reunited with her family, the reader kind of knows that they haven't seen the last of Orek's clan, so you really spend the next fifty or so pages just waiting for the other shoe to drop. It's just days and days of Sorcha doing a majority of the family's farm work, Orek enjoying seeing where Sorcha comes from and how she came to be who she is... and subsequently getting horny over her total competence (which was actually welcome). Then the other shoe drops and Orek decides that Sorcha and her family aren't safe if he stays, so he leaves in the middle of the night to seek out his clan and kill them before they can harm her. And, it'd be an understatement to say that this is my least favorite trope in literature. What can I say? I utterly despise it when a man takes away a woman's agency by making a decision that affects both of them without consulting her in the name of "protection". Then, of course, because Sorcha is a badass, she decides that she's going to go after him. They're reunited during the big fight and, what do you know? The woman who could hardly yield a dagger earlier in the story is suddenly competent with weapons because she's on horseback. She saves the day, blah blah, blah, they live happily ever after .
At the end of the day, the late portions of this book kind of ruined it for me. But I still really loved the characters, the setting, and the romance (up until a certain point). Another book is set to come out in this series, and I'm definitely curious to see where the author takes it. I'm not against the idea of trying a new story in this world.
In short: If this book had ended at approximately the 60% mark,
A spoiler-filled rant: Let me start by saying that I've never read a monster romance. I never thought they would be even remotely appealing to me. But this one came strongly recommended for those looking for sweet and inexperienced MMCs, which I was down for. So I gave it a go. I have learned in this experience that my gut instinct was correct, and monster romances probably aren't for me. Many of those elements were a big turnoff for me
At the end of the day, the late portions of this book kind of ruined it for me. But I still really loved the characters, the setting, and the romance (up until a certain point). Another book is set to come out in this series, and I'm definitely curious to see where the author takes it. I'm not against the idea of trying a new story in this world.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery and Sexual violence
Minor: Rape and Gore
hokinka's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, and Sexual content
Moderate: Death and Violence
malisac16's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Abandonment
Moderate: Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Minor: Sexual assault
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