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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5 stars, rounding up.
Not bad for a debut novel, but unfortunately this book has does not live up to the considerable hype it's been given. I love a good quest, but half the book is exposition that does not bring the danger factor that we need to set up the urgency of the quest. The Arz is creeping in, but it just never feels that urgent or scary. I really liked the characters but their arcs are abbreviated or just minimal, I really wanted to get to know them better. Although I did love Altair! He had a lot of charm and depth.
It was kind of a slog, but I definitely won't ignore the author's future work. I think the fault belongs to the hype on this one.
I began this in audio format but the female narrator wasn't great and I had a hard time understanding the non-English vocabulary in the book. Also, every time they say Arz it sounds like Arse and that was distracting. THE ARSE IS SPREADING! :(
Not bad for a debut novel, but unfortunately this book has does not live up to the considerable hype it's been given. I love a good quest, but half the book is exposition that does not bring the danger factor that we need to set up the urgency of the quest. The Arz is creeping in, but it just never feels that urgent or scary. I really liked the characters but their arcs are abbreviated or just minimal, I really wanted to get to know them better. Although I did love Altair! He had a lot of charm and depth.
It was kind of a slog, but I definitely won't ignore the author's future work. I think the fault belongs to the hype on this one.
I began this in audio format but the female narrator wasn't great and I had a hard time understanding the non-English vocabulary in the book. Also, every time they say Arz it sounds like Arse and that was distracting. THE ARSE IS SPREADING! :(
3,5 stars.
So. It was a good, enjoyable read that I would recommend.
It took me a few chapters to get used to the world building and author's writing style, but once I was in, I was savouring it.
The author gave us enough history and description to set the world, without making it boring or drowning us in information.
And her writing is rich (YES to books that make you look up words and widen your vocabulary, I had missed it!), and a lot of times poetic. Sometimes it made it hard to understand stuff lol, but most times it was beautiful to read. To a point where out of nowhere I had to contain tears in public transport lol.
I enjoyed the characters, learning about them, caring for them, their history, their depth and dimensions. I absolutely loved the friendship between Zafira and Yasmine, and I want to see more of Zafira and her Umm.
It was a "can't put it down want to know what happens next" kind of read.
However, I expected more.
More plot (twists) and action, although I did appreciate the few fighting scenes, the plot felt at times a bit bland. We were unnecessarily kept in the dark in some aspects of the quest, so I was expecting the reveal to be something huge. But it never came.
More character development and growth. More depth to the relationship between the two main characters. I was genuinely surprised and confused when they started developing affection for one another. I enjoy a good enemies to lovers trope - but where was it? At best there was some attraction, but I don't understand where the emotional attachment came from? I appreciate it's not the conclusion yet, and the 2nd/final book might give it room. But it just felt too easy.
This 1st book had a slow-paced action and somehow a fast-paced romance (which is an enemy to lover..). Which makes it confusing and frustrating to the reader.
I am happy it's a duology (sick of super long series), and I'm looking forward to reading We Free The Stars! I hope it'll be packed with action and plot twists, and that it gives more space to character and relationship growth and development. The epilogue reallyyyy made me excited!
So yes, I recommend it, for the world, the characters, the writing, but not (yet) for the plot (it's okay, but could have been more) In other words: go read it, but without any expectations - you'll enjoy it much more!
So. It was a good, enjoyable read that I would recommend.
It took me a few chapters to get used to the world building and author's writing style, but once I was in, I was savouring it.
The author gave us enough history and description to set the world, without making it boring or drowning us in information.
And her writing is rich (YES to books that make you look up words and widen your vocabulary, I had missed it!), and a lot of times poetic. Sometimes it made it hard to understand stuff lol, but most times it was beautiful to read. To a point where out of nowhere I had to contain tears in public transport lol.
I enjoyed the characters, learning about them, caring for them, their history, their depth and dimensions. I absolutely loved the friendship between Zafira and Yasmine, and I want to see more of Zafira and her Umm.
It was a "can't put it down want to know what happens next" kind of read.
However, I expected more.
More plot (twists) and action, although I did appreciate the few fighting scenes, the plot felt at times a bit bland. We were unnecessarily kept in the dark in some aspects of the quest, so I was expecting the reveal to be something huge. But it never came.
More character development and growth. More depth to the relationship between the two main characters. I was genuinely surprised and confused when they started developing affection for one another. I enjoy a good enemies to lovers trope - but where was it? At best there was some attraction, but I don't understand where the emotional attachment came from? I appreciate it's not the conclusion yet, and the 2nd/final book might give it room. But it just felt too easy.
This 1st book had a slow-paced action and somehow a fast-paced romance (which is an enemy to lover..). Which makes it confusing and frustrating to the reader.
I am happy it's a duology (sick of super long series), and I'm looking forward to reading We Free The Stars! I hope it'll be packed with action and plot twists, and that it gives more space to character and relationship growth and development. The epilogue reallyyyy made me excited!
So yes, I recommend it, for the world, the characters, the writing, but not (yet) for the plot (it's okay, but could have been more) In other words: go read it, but without any expectations - you'll enjoy it much more!
adventurous
emotional
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
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
I felt like sometimes the author just…skipped things? Like I went back for paragraphs that didn’t exist and things were confusing
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
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:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced