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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
I had to let this book simmer in my mind before sharing my thoughts.
I think this is a great YA book. I love when book incorporate plants and botany into the theme and having Tessa be an apothecary was intriguing. I liked the pacing, the excitement and we all probably felt some sort of way when that one scene with Wes happened but then didn’t really happen. That was my favourite part for sure because while I expected Wes and Corrick to be the same person, I didn’t expect that death scene and it had me questioning everything. I’m glad she continued with Wes/Corrick because he’s definitely my favourite character. We love a character who struggles between the right and wrong thing to do. It was also refreshing to have a character like Tessa. It is becoming more common to find very strong female leads who kick butt in fantasy novels. Now don’t get me wrong, we Stan a strong female lead, however it’s refreshing to see a character minding her own business and just wan to by to help. She’s scared when things get sticky and cries when things go wrong. Her and Wes really complimented each other.
The reason I’m giving a four instead of five is because of the predictability. While sure I guessed Wes/Corrick, it didn’t linger on it too long and we were misdirected with the death. However, finding out that Allisander was the villain in all this was less than surprising. He was annoying, rude, out of line and more. His character sucked, prime villain behaviour, but also he had the stereotypical “villain look”. It all felt a bit too cliché.
All in all, a great read and I look forward to the sequel.
I think this is a great YA book. I love when book incorporate plants and botany into the theme and having Tessa be an apothecary was intriguing. I liked the pacing, the excitement and we all probably felt some sort of way when that one scene with Wes happened but then didn’t really happen. That was my favourite part for sure because while I expected Wes and Corrick to be the same person, I didn’t expect that death scene and it had me questioning everything. I’m glad she continued with Wes/Corrick because he’s definitely my favourite character. We love a character who struggles between the right and wrong thing to do. It was also refreshing to have a character like Tessa. It is becoming more common to find very strong female leads who kick butt in fantasy novels. Now don’t get me wrong, we Stan a strong female lead, however it’s refreshing to see a character minding her own business and just wan to by to help. She’s scared when things get sticky and cries when things go wrong. Her and Wes really complimented each other.
The reason I’m giving a four instead of five is because of the predictability. While sure I guessed Wes/Corrick, it didn’t linger on it too long and we were misdirected with the death. However, finding out that Allisander was the villain in all this was less than surprising. He was annoying, rude, out of line and more. His character sucked, prime villain behaviour, but also he had the stereotypical “villain look”. It all felt a bit too cliché.
All in all, a great read and I look forward to the sequel.
adventurous
tense
fast-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Rape
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5 ⭐️
I’ll give my final review after I read Defend The Day.
I’ll give my final review after I read Defend The Day.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Hmmm… this is a tough one. On the one hand I read this book in one sitting, so clearly there was some enjoyment there. And in all honesty, I wouldn’t call this a hate read even though I questioned so many aspects of the storylines and the characters every step of the way.
I feel like there’s some good bones here, but I wish the author would go back through and add some more development and world building. The book feels very much like “plot point A” → “plot point B” → “plot point C” but without the groundwork or content to tie it all together in a way that feels cohesive and with depth. Also, this book is especially bare on world building, which a fantasy world without any magic system or races absolutely needs.
There’s also so many aspects of this plot which makes the entire world feel as if it’s run by children… which like, it’s YA! But that doesn’t mean they have to make such dumb and simple decisions and that there’s no responsible actual adults anywhere in this world 😂
I’d read book two, and I’m curious to see if it improves on some of the things I’m missing. But overall this is a 3.5 read for me.
I feel like there’s some good bones here, but I wish the author would go back through and add some more development and world building. The book feels very much like “plot point A” → “plot point B” → “plot point C” but without the groundwork or content to tie it all together in a way that feels cohesive and with depth. Also, this book is especially bare on world building, which a fantasy world without any magic system or races absolutely needs.
There’s also so many aspects of this plot which makes the entire world feel as if it’s run by children… which like, it’s YA! But that doesn’t mean they have to make such dumb and simple decisions and that there’s no responsible actual adults anywhere in this world 😂
I’d read book two, and I’m curious to see if it improves on some of the things I’m missing. But overall this is a 3.5 read for me.
adventurous
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated