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seymone's review against another edition
5.0
I loved it.
I have never had a book to have me thinking about it when I wasn’t reading it, with the exception of self help books.
I was totally engaged. I felt anger towards the enemies of Lila and Kell. I wanted them to feel all the pain. Lol.
On to book 2 in the series.
I have never had a book to have me thinking about it when I wasn’t reading it, with the exception of self help books.
I was totally engaged. I felt anger towards the enemies of Lila and Kell. I wanted them to feel all the pain. Lol.
On to book 2 in the series.
sammiemm25's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
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? It's complicated
5.0
sofia_santana's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
ps_racheljean's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
bclixie's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
hails2dabails's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
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? Yes
5.0
blackaliss's review against another edition
Tepid writing, characters more archetypes than proper people. Absolutely shows it's YA.
allyreadsromance's review against another edition
4.0
Great start to the series! It really started to pick up toward the end! I found myself skipping over some of the details to get to the plot! I like the characters! I am super curious as to how this is going to play out and I want to know more about Lila and her history!!
rachelmays's review against another edition
3.75
i should have really enjoyed this book, but for some reason just was not into it, and it felt like a slog to get through. might continue the series, but probably not any time soon
spaceglue's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
To preface—I listened to this in audio format.
Like others have mentioned in reviews, the start is slow. The world-building was interesting enough that I didn’t put it down, but I was also left feeling a little impatient. I’d say it gets more interesting when the two main characters meet, and the pace finally picks up around halfway through. If you can stick it out that long, or enjoy the slower introduction, this book is pretty good.
The premise is unique, as well as the magic system. It didn’t feel overwhelming or too complicated, but still felt original. I was particularly impressed by the depth of difference between the worlds. That being said, the ending was satisfying enough that I’m not too intrigued about reading the second one. I might eventually, but I don’t get the desperate sense to rush to it.
Some spoilers below:
There were a few things I didn’t like, which might be personal preference. A slight lack of interest in secondary characters, a few clashes between Kell and Lyla that I didn’t care for, etc. mostly small things. But, while it’s not heavily hinted, it’s slightly suggested that Lyla (sorry if I’m spelling it wrong, I listened to the audio) has innate talent. Then near the end of the book, literally during the climax, we’re given the information that she has a glass eye. Of course, this makes it obvious that she probably had a black eye the way Kell does. But it came completely out of left field for me, especially when we’ve been in Lyla’s POV. I don’t know if I missed it, but I would have expected some comments or action-adjustments to compensate for depth perception. Small hints that her vision is lightly or largely affected. It personally made the twist more like “really?” in an “are you kidding me?” kind of way over an “omg, that’s what it was!” way.
Also the hinted romance(?) between Kell and Lyla was fine. I actually enjoyed that it wasn’t really more than anything that was shown, or complex, or … romantic, really. I think the story was really trying to stuff as must character-centered build up as possible and would have suffered a bit in the romance route.
Overall, a decent read and I wouldn’t stop anyone from picking it up and getting their thoughts on it. Would love to let my friends read it just to see if we had the same likes and concerns!
Like others have mentioned in reviews, the start is slow. The world-building was interesting enough that I didn’t put it down, but I was also left feeling a little impatient. I’d say it gets more interesting when the two main characters meet, and the pace finally picks up around halfway through. If you can stick it out that long, or enjoy the slower introduction, this book is pretty good.
The premise is unique, as well as the magic system. It didn’t feel overwhelming or too complicated, but still felt original. I was particularly impressed by the depth of difference between the worlds. That being said, the ending was satisfying enough that I’m not too intrigued about reading the second one. I might eventually, but I don’t get the desperate sense to rush to it.
Some spoilers below:
Also the hinted romance(?) between Kell and Lyla was fine. I actually enjoyed that it wasn’t really more than anything that was shown, or complex, or … romantic, really. I think the story was really trying to stuff as must character-centered build up as possible and would have suffered a bit in the romance route.
Overall, a decent read and I wouldn’t stop anyone from picking it up and getting their thoughts on it. Would love to let my friends read it just to see if we had the same likes and concerns!