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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Eh. It was fine. I liked Zarya… and I liked some of the supporting characters. Zarya was every bit the strong and fearless heroine I want from a book, with a bite to her words and a sharpness to her skills. She is by no means perfect, which is what I want out of my MCs.
The plot was.. lacking. I felt. The world building was sort of dumped on me and I was a little overwhelmed with trying to understand what was what and why and how and who and where. I think this made the beginning of the book a little challenging and then the middle of the book just wasn’t very interesting. It really picked up towards the end though so if you can persevere, it’s worth the pay off.
Didn’t love. Didn’t hate. I don’t think this was a particularly memorable book for me… which is something I hate to say, because I can understand why so many other people would love it. Just something about it didn’t sing to me.
The plot was.. lacking. I felt. The world building was sort of dumped on me and I was a little overwhelmed with trying to understand what was what and why and how and who and where. I think this made the beginning of the book a little challenging and then the middle of the book just wasn’t very interesting. It really picked up towards the end though so if you can persevere, it’s worth the pay off.
Didn’t love. Didn’t hate. I don’t think this was a particularly memorable book for me… which is something I hate to say, because I can understand why so many other people would love it. Just something about it didn’t sing to me.
adventurous
slow-paced
I found this to be both better than I expected and worse. Going in with probably an unfair bias having read some real cheesy and cringeworthy romantasy books lately, i thought this would be another poorly written weird middle aged person’s horny fantasy. It wasn’t quite that but it also wasn’t quite…. Not that
I actually found the writing mostly fine. There were not really any scenes that made me outright cringe. However I found the plot to be a bit too convoluted, like the author was trying too many things at once. I also thought the main character was a bit unbelievable. A girl who has been locked away her whole life has escaped and is suddenly this great warrior with good social skills who everyone from the queen to the commander of the military is instantly extremely nice to her if not border line obsessed. She was a very meh character to me.
There were also maybe too many action sequences for my taste, but that might just be me. So many life or death situations makes each next one sort of lose its urgency if you ask me.
Last complaint is that this started as sort of a love… pentagon? It seemed there were so many eligible bachelors. Though if you read the description you will know which is the main one despite him hardly being included for most of the book and not even being named until the last handful of chapters. Each bachelor beside him slowly becomes ineligible but again, what is so great about this girl!!?!??!?
Anyway, the story was intriguing and I’m curious to learn more about the world, the characters histories, and the magic system. Will definitely continue!
I actually found the writing mostly fine. There were not really any scenes that made me outright cringe. However I found the plot to be a bit too convoluted, like the author was trying too many things at once. I also thought the main character was a bit unbelievable. A girl who has been locked away her whole life has escaped and is suddenly this great warrior with good social skills who everyone from the queen to the commander of the military is instantly extremely nice to her if not border line obsessed. She was a very meh character to me.
There were also maybe too many action sequences for my taste, but that might just be me. So many life or death situations makes each next one sort of lose its urgency if you ask me.
Last complaint is that this started as sort of a love… pentagon? It seemed there were so many eligible bachelors. Though if you read the description you will know which is the main one despite him hardly being included for most of the book and not even being named until the last handful of chapters. Each bachelor beside him slowly becomes ineligible but again, what is so great about this girl!!?!??!?
Anyway, the story was intriguing and I’m curious to learn more about the world, the characters histories, and the magic system. Will definitely continue!
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
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:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
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
Zarya’s story of finding answers to questions that had plagued her mind for a long time had potential. At the beginning of the book I was hooked. The first chapter was action packed and I loved that.
Row (The Warden as I like to call him) mysteriously disappearing did provide Zarya with the opportunity to adventure further than she has ever gone before. On her trip she finds a town with magical creatures. The darkness was destroying everything and everyone that wasn’t inside the city walls. But somehow Zarya survived all those years and that made people suspicious.
Zarya and her companion were trying to find Row along with answers. Instead of finding him, she learns that Row had been hiding more from her than she originally thought.
I was super excited to read this book, but it felt short halfway through. I felt like it had a lot of extra information that we could have done without. Sometimes when Zarya was experiencing something internally it took an entire page to cover her emotions and I think a paragraph would have been enough.
I did think the story was kinda predictable. The climax could have been seen coming a mile away. So did the true identity of the mystery man. To put it nicely I don’t have any motivation to read book two to get answers.
*
Row (The Warden as I like to call him) mysteriously disappearing did provide Zarya with the opportunity to adventure further than she has ever gone before. On her trip she finds a town with magical creatures. The darkness was destroying everything and everyone that wasn’t inside the city walls. But somehow Zarya survived all those years and that made people suspicious.
Zarya and her companion were trying to find Row along with answers. Instead of finding him, she learns that Row had been hiding more from her than she originally thought.
I was super excited to read this book, but it felt short halfway through. I felt like it had a lot of extra information that we could have done without. Sometimes when Zarya was experiencing something internally it took an entire page to cover her emotions and I think a paragraph would have been enough.
I did think the story was kinda predictable. The climax could have been seen coming a mile away. So did the true identity of the mystery man. To put it nicely I don’t have any motivation to read book two to get answers.
*
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.
This was an easy, dreamy fantasy and I can't wait to read the rest of this series! I have fallen in love with these characters and I really hope we don't have to wait too long to find out what happens next.
Most of this book was scene setting but at no point did it seem boring or that not enough was going on. Nisha has introduced us to the incredible world and characters in the first part of this quartet while keeping it very interesting and easy to read.
I am so invested in Zarya's story and can't wait to learn more about her and the other characters as this world continues to grow and adapt in the rest of the series.
Please don't make us wait too long for the next book!
This was an easy, dreamy fantasy and I can't wait to read the rest of this series! I have fallen in love with these characters and I really hope we don't have to wait too long to find out what happens next.
Most of this book was scene setting but at no point did it seem boring or that not enough was going on. Nisha has introduced us to the incredible world and characters in the first part of this quartet while keeping it very interesting and easy to read.
I am so invested in Zarya's story and can't wait to learn more about her and the other characters as this world continues to grow and adapt in the rest of the series.
Please don't make us wait too long for the next book!
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Very solid start to a fantasy series, looking forward to the sequel so much!
adventurous
mysterious
tense
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
Like the beginning of all Fantasy Series, this was a little long to get into with all the introductions and world-building but even with that, this story had me hooked. The world was built perfectly and the characters were easy to love and hate and forgive all at the same time I feel like they were beautifully written and very relateable while still being fantasy. I do think this series has the potential to be a 5-star favorite of mine and I can not wait for the next book to come out now that the world is set I cant wait to be invested in the plot and see where our characters take us next.
I really enjoyed reading this book! I read it in two days because I had trouble putting it down.
It is so refreshing to read a fantasy novel not set in the Western world. I really appreciated the lore of this new world and learning about the new creatures and characters. It was fun to discover new monsters and magic! It is fun not to have any preconceived notions about the beings and to just be along for the ride!
One thing that was super neat to read was the way magic is drawn upon. So many fantasy characters "reach" for their magic and simply use it. We get to discover how to find magic and how it is used.
The banter in the book is super fun and engaging. I love an FMC that can hold her own!
I don't want to get into the tropes because I don't want to spoil anything... but my advice is READ it!
I cannot wait for the next one!
It is so refreshing to read a fantasy novel not set in the Western world. I really appreciated the lore of this new world and learning about the new creatures and characters. It was fun to discover new monsters and magic! It is fun not to have any preconceived notions about the beings and to just be along for the ride!
One thing that was super neat to read was the way magic is drawn upon. So many fantasy characters "reach" for their magic and simply use it. We get to discover how to find magic and how it is used.
The banter in the book is super fun and engaging. I love an FMC that can hold her own!
I don't want to get into the tropes because I don't want to spoil anything... but my advice is READ it!
I cannot wait for the next one!