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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
DNF
Look maybe my brain has been fried too much by social media, or something, but if it's been pages and pages and almost nothing happens I reserve the right to quit and just read another book that has better pacing and less pretentious descriptions.
I'm sure some people will enjoy this book, I just feel the writing is like pie without filling and I prefer something more fast paced and punchier, especially if it tries to be poetic or flowery.
Look maybe my brain has been fried too much by social media, or something, but if it's been pages and pages and almost nothing happens I reserve the right to quit and just read another book that has better pacing and less pretentious descriptions.
I'm sure some people will enjoy this book, I just feel the writing is like pie without filling and I prefer something more fast paced and punchier, especially if it tries to be poetic or flowery.
Rain can say those things to me anytime LOL. Really though, one huge slow prologue but I'm here for it because this sounds promising for a romantic fantasy series that I've just been looking for.
So close to five stars, but didn't quite maintain its staying power in the last third of the book. Still, I really enjoyed it, and am eagerly looking forward to the rest of the series.
READ THIS BOOK. DO IT.
The world building and magic system remind me of Robert Jordan/ WoT mixed with the romance and fey world of ACOTAR. Literally crushed this book in every moment of my free time in two days and I'm going to crush the rest of the series just as quickly.
The world building and magic system remind me of Robert Jordan/ WoT mixed with the romance and fey world of ACOTAR. Literally crushed this book in every moment of my free time in two days and I'm going to crush the rest of the series just as quickly.
Interesting new concepts are contained in this story. The first book is rated at ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ for story, plot, and character development, but the rating increases as the story gets more intense. Pacing was a bit slow and sometimes the plot got muddled with extraneous portions, which get cleared up in the following books. So, pull yourself up by those bootstraps and step into a whole new world.
Synopsis: The Fey King lost his heart's mate over a millennia ago during the war against the Eld mages. In response, he burns the world down, killing thousands. He is the last remaining Tairen Soul, a shifter that turns into a black winged cat. Because of this, he rules the Fey Kingdom. The kingdom is dying. The magic is dying, Fey children are not being born, and what's worse, the Tairens are dying before they've hatched.
Then, one day, the miraculous happens: the Tairen Soul finds his truemate. Tairen Souls are never blessed with a truemate and so the fate of the world rests upon Ellysetta to heal magic and the heart of the broken Tairen Soul.
This book has a lot of working through trauma and dealing with the inner demons.
Couple of notes on the writing/pacing: The writing is sort of formal and choppy. What I mean by that is it reminds me of Tolkien's descriptions and Shakespearian prose, injected with modern writing styles. The pacing is also inconsistent throughout the series. But the story is soooo worth it and makes sense. It sort of mirrors life. Some days are fast paced and some days drag on. It's realistic.
***Audiobook warning - there is a foreign language or two built into the story and sometimes its hard to keep track of what's being said. It usually follows up with the meaning afterwards, but later in the book the meaning isn't exactly stated. Pay attention to some of the more common items for that reason*** Be aware, narrators change between books 2 & 3, but remain for the last 3 books. It took me out of the story.
***QUOTES, TROPES AND CHARACTERS MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS***
Tropes: Fated mates, forced marriage, found family, forced proximity, Grumpy/Sunshine, shifter, second chance,
Spice level:
Synopsis: The Fey King lost his heart's mate over a millennia ago during the war against the Eld mages. In response, he burns the world down, killing thousands. He is the last remaining Tairen Soul, a shifter that turns into a black winged cat. Because of this, he rules the Fey Kingdom. The kingdom is dying. The magic is dying, Fey children are not being born, and what's worse, the Tairens are dying before they've hatched.
Then, one day, the miraculous happens: the Tairen Soul finds his truemate. Tairen Souls are never blessed with a truemate and so the fate of the world rests upon Ellysetta to heal magic and the heart of the broken Tairen Soul.
This book has a lot of working through trauma and dealing with the inner demons.
Couple of notes on the writing/pacing: The writing is sort of formal and choppy. What I mean by that is it reminds me of Tolkien's descriptions and Shakespearian prose, injected with modern writing styles. The pacing is also inconsistent throughout the series. But the story is soooo worth it and makes sense. It sort of mirrors life. Some days are fast paced and some days drag on. It's realistic.
***Audiobook warning - there is a foreign language or two built into the story and sometimes its hard to keep track of what's being said. It usually follows up with the meaning afterwards, but later in the book the meaning isn't exactly stated. Pay attention to some of the more common items for that reason*** Be aware, narrators change between books 2 & 3, but remain for the last 3 books. It took me out of the story.
***QUOTES, TROPES AND CHARACTERS MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS***
Tropes: Fated mates, forced marriage, found family, forced proximity, Grumpy/Sunshine, shifter, second chance,
Spice level:
Soft DNF @ 55% this book just isn’t hitting for me rn but may pick it back up later when I’m more in the mood for it
A young woman finds love with a fey prince, but it could cost her life.
I enjoyed the novel. The author spent time developing the romance between the two main characters despite the "insta-love" story line. I greatly appreciate any time depth is given to characters despite their circumstances. However, this novel took me six months to read. It was really too easy to put down. My problem with it is threefold - the pacing, the world-building, and the plot. The pacing was really slow during the middle of the novel. Instead of building the political and social movements concurrently with the romance, the author spent time developing each separately during the middle of the book. While building the romance was important, reading about each day of their courtship became tedious fast.
My other big problem dealt with the world-building, particularly the magic system. Magic is literally the cure for everything. Need clothes? Magic. Did you get physically injured? No worries, magic. Want to have a private conversation in a crowded room? Magic the shit out of it. If the author is going to have a magic system that literally can accomplish anything, I need magic to cost the characters something. Magic should MEAN something to the characters, and not just be a convenient way to accomplish a task.
tl;dr A flawed, yet enjoyable, fantasy romance. First time fantasy romance readers should read Snyder's Healer series instead.
I enjoyed the novel. The author spent time developing the romance between the two main characters despite the "insta-love" story line. I greatly appreciate any time depth is given to characters despite their circumstances. However, this novel took me six months to read. It was really too easy to put down. My problem with it is threefold - the pacing, the world-building, and the plot. The pacing was really slow during the middle of the novel. Instead of building the political and social movements concurrently with the romance, the author spent time developing each separately during the middle of the book. While building the romance was important, reading about each day of their courtship became tedious fast.
My other big problem dealt with the world-building, particularly the magic system. Magic is literally the cure for everything. Need clothes? Magic. Did you get physically injured? No worries, magic. Want to have a private conversation in a crowded room? Magic the shit out of it. If the author is going to have a magic system that literally can accomplish anything, I need magic to cost the characters something. Magic should MEAN something to the characters, and not just be a convenient way to accomplish a task.
tl;dr A flawed, yet enjoyable, fantasy romance. First time fantasy romance readers should read Snyder's Healer series instead.
So, I really enjoyed this book. C L Wilson thoroughly captured my attention in this 1st enstallment. I loved the world building the hero/heroine and all of the secondary characters.
That being said, overall this series suffers from some series pacing problems. The 1st and 5th book both received 4 stars from me, for keeping me enthralled and bringing me to tears. However 2-4 were very difficult to get through and if I hadn't so desperately wanted to know how it all turned out I would have quit after book 2.
If I had a magic wand I would condense this 5 book saga into 3 with a kickass epilogue at the end :)
That being said, overall this series suffers from some series pacing problems. The 1st and 5th book both received 4 stars from me, for keeping me enthralled and bringing me to tears. However 2-4 were very difficult to get through and if I hadn't so desperately wanted to know how it all turned out I would have quit after book 2.
If I had a magic wand I would condense this 5 book saga into 3 with a kickass epilogue at the end :)
I am not sure, I don't like the way they talk to each other, I especially DON'T like the insta love thing but everything else seems promising, especially what we find out at the end.
I somehow love Bel even though he had a small part.
I somehow love Bel even though he had a small part.
I adore this series! It keeps moving and keep adding new magical surprises. Because this is the first book... there is quite a lot of exposition. You don't get to as much of the story as you do in book two. But! You want to be immersed in the world so you need all the details!
I do prefer the new artwork covers......there is so much more to these than just the romance, although it does make some moments very enticing.
I do prefer the new artwork covers......there is so much more to these than just the romance, although it does make some moments very enticing.