Reviews

This novel got off to a rough start but improved as the story continued. In the beginning if was a little difficult to follow the whole concept of the sundered realms and keep track of the different lands. About 30% of the way through the story really started to pull me in. I like that the female lead and supporting lead are both strong, fierce, and independent women. The romantic aspect felt a little rushed at times but it wasn't really the main story line so it didn't bug me to much. The story wrapped up on a strong note and I would be interested in reading the rest of the triology.

I was provided an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

hladelano's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging funny inspiring 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

5.0

teaand_tomes's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging mysterious fast-paced

5.0

A captivating and intelligently crafted fantasy novel featuring a unique magic system, engaging main characters, a slow-burn romance, relentless action, and impressive character development. The characters Liris and Vhannor stand out for their intelligence and dynamic interaction. The book's swift pacing and constant twists keep the reader engaged throughout, making it a highly recommended read for fantasy enthusiasts.

Content Warnings

rali_kn's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

3.5

3.5/5🌟

Received an eARC from the publisher on NetGalley in exchange of honest review. The opinion here is my own, freely and honestly given.

It was really hards to focus at the beginning on what exactly is going on. Too slow paced. Too much explanations that don’t give any particular insight why certain things are happening- for example why demons are appearing . Or more information on the void. As well the magic system could be a bit better explained.

I was getting lost in the explanations and on many occasions I had to go back and reread what was happening so I am again on track.

The world building is extensive and this book can benefit from a map. It will be much easier to follow Liris and Vhannor around if you can better understand and picture it where exactly they were going.

All in all it is a nice romantasy book and I will be waiting for the next one - maybe there the things left unexplained here will become clearer.

johnsnowwasright's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Overall, I had a really good time with this book but there were technical issues that prevented me from rating it higher.

I will start with what was done well:

- Liris is probably one of my favorite main characters of all time. I loved her snark, her vulnerability and her strong sense of right and wrong. I really enjoyed watching her grow from someone constantly second guessing herself to a confident woman. (I also appreciate that this growth was due to her learning spellcraft and not due to the romance by itself. She may doubt herself at times but she isn't taking shit from any man.)
- The romance was such a nice change of pace from other romantasy books. You could tell that Vhannor and Liris were attracted to each others' brains before becoming physically attracted to one another. That's so rare to see so thank you! Although their relationship develops over a short period of time, it was so expertly crafted that it didn't feel insta-lovey.
- Vhannor is everything that Rhysand should have been as a romantic partner in ACOTAR but wasn't. Vhannor is our real consent/pro-choice king.
- The magic system and world were so cool! Combining language and mathematics into a complicated magic system? Genius!

What was not done so well:

- Although the magic system was super cool, it was inconsistent and not well explained. I feel like we were bouncing back and forth on whether or not you could speak spells or just write them? I also think there should have been more detail about the spell casting in general. It would have leant more to the story and Liris's arc.
- The pacing was choppy. We didn't spend enough time with Liris in her home realm to establish why it left such a mark on her and why we should care about it at all. We also didn't spend enough time with Liris actually learning spell crafting at the university. As a result, it felt like Liris didn't earn the expertise or skill that she showed at the end. Although the various demon battle missions helped develop the romance, I don't think they added as much to the plot and Liris's magical development.

I think the above issues could easily be fixed with a few more rounds of edits. It really could elevate this to a 4 to 5 star read.

Having said all that, I do want to read book 2.

chlcrc617's review against another edition

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adventurous tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

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