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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was so fascinated by the magic system and the universe in the book! It's different from other fantasy novels I've read so the series quickly caught my eye. I listened to the audiobook and Emily Ellet CRUSHED her performance! She truly gave each character their own personality which I really enjoyed.
I was initially a little hesitant as I started the book because the more I read, the more it seemed clear the FMC would be in a love triangle in the series. I was surprised though, because while there IS a romantic thread in the story, this book focused so much on the characters and the world & magic development. The writing is really great and I liked the gothic and horror-y vibes. I will be continuing this series.
I was initially a little hesitant as I started the book because the more I read, the more it seemed clear the FMC would be in a love triangle in the series. I was surprised though, because while there IS a romantic thread in the story, this book focused so much on the characters and the world & magic development. The writing is really great and I liked the gothic and horror-y vibes. I will be continuing this series.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
I'm intrigued by this first book of the trilogy. I really need the next book! There is so much backstabbing and political intrigue.
3.5/5
I've rounded this up to closer to 4 stars as this was an overall enjoyable read. I immediately requested this book when I read about the Mortem plot as it was exciting and something that was a little bit different from previous magic/necromancy angles. I hadn't previously heard of Hannah Whitten so I wasn't aware of her usual writing style or tropes which I think was an advantage.
I enjoyed the magic and its descriptions - this was the best part of this novel. I was excited for it to build and become more complex and I felt this was done very well by Whitten. Lore was stubborn and free and I enjoyed reading from her narrative (I always am a bit biased towards 3rd person perspective as it's my favourite). I loved some of the imagery used.
However I found that some of the language used clashed with the mythical/medieval sort of setting that Whitten seemed to be going for - a character saying someone was "salty" felt really strange and took me out of the plot for a solid moment. Additionally, some of the interactions between characters felt forced - an overuse of sexualised puns and "banter". Unfortunately this book seemed determined to push a love triangle on the reader despite it feeling unnecessary to the overall plot. I also found myself skimming over the descriptions of some of the ballrooms and the many different dresses that Lore wore as they felt a bit fanfiction-y and, again, spending half a page on description that didn't actually add anything to the story for me.
Overall I would be interested in reading the next part of this (?) trilogy as I enjoyed Lore and would be excited to see how the magic would be developed.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I've rounded this up to closer to 4 stars as this was an overall enjoyable read. I immediately requested this book when I read about the Mortem plot as it was exciting and something that was a little bit different from previous magic/necromancy angles. I hadn't previously heard of Hannah Whitten so I wasn't aware of her usual writing style or tropes which I think was an advantage.
I enjoyed the magic and its descriptions - this was the best part of this novel. I was excited for it to build and become more complex and I felt this was done very well by Whitten. Lore was stubborn and free and I enjoyed reading from her narrative (I always am a bit biased towards 3rd person perspective as it's my favourite). I loved some of the imagery used.
However I found that some of the language used clashed with the mythical/medieval sort of setting that Whitten seemed to be going for - a character saying someone was "salty" felt really strange and took me out of the plot for a solid moment. Additionally, some of the interactions between characters felt forced - an overuse of sexualised puns and "banter". Unfortunately this book seemed determined to push a love triangle on the reader despite it feeling unnecessary to the overall plot. I also found myself skimming over the descriptions of some of the ballrooms and the many different dresses that Lore wore as they felt a bit fanfiction-y and, again, spending half a page on description that didn't actually add anything to the story for me.
Overall I would be interested in reading the next part of this (?) trilogy as I enjoyed Lore and would be excited to see how the magic would be developed.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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
Hannah Whitten does not disappoint. Captivating story with a unique and fascinating magic/religion system. Great character development and kept me on my toes the whole time. Definitely plan to reread because I’m sure there’s much I’ll understand better the second time through. Can’t wait to finish the series
DNF audiobook
Literally have no idea what the point of this book is at 70%. Will be selling my physical copies unfortunately
Literally have no idea what the point of this book is at 70%. Will be selling my physical copies unfortunately