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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
I thought this was a very solid start to this series. I like it better in comparison to The Winter King and I thought that was an entertaining novel so I’m excited to see where this goes.
There’s a delicate balance with stories like this where you can’t have the plot happen too quickly but then you don’t want certain aspects too drawn out. This book started leaning more towards drawn out and I think part of that feeling stems from the completion of the novel with very little settled? I think if I had to choose I’d prefer overly drawn out compared to insta love or instant problem solving
There’s a delicate balance with stories like this where you can’t have the plot happen too quickly but then you don’t want certain aspects too drawn out. This book started leaning more towards drawn out and I think part of that feeling stems from the completion of the novel with very little settled? I think if I had to choose I’d prefer overly drawn out compared to insta love or instant problem solving
Received this for free through a Goodreads giveaway. Glad I did not pay for it. To describe it in one word: Clunky. The plot, world building, dialogue, romance, and the ending. All clunky.
It also felt like half a book. There was no major climax. The whole time I thought it was leading up to the wedding, but that never happened. It ended on an unsatisfying romance scene. I'm sure people figuring out Elly's origin and her magic power was supposed to be the big moment of the book but.... We already knew... It was so obvious.
All of this was such a bummer because the major plot line sounds so interesting on its own; it could have been such a good book. The terrible writing and organization of the book ruined it for me.
It also felt like half a book. There was no major climax. The whole time I thought it was leading up to the wedding, but that never happened. It ended on an unsatisfying romance scene. I'm sure people figuring out Elly's origin and her magic power was supposed to be the big moment of the book but.... We already knew... It was so obvious.
All of this was such a bummer because the major plot line sounds so interesting on its own; it could have been such a good book. The terrible writing and organization of the book ruined it for me.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
This book was entertaining--even amusing at times--but really suffers from the effects of constant point of view violations and the unnecessary confines of its setting. For such an engaging and magical world, what should be unfolding organically is suffocated by the one-dimensional setting in which the first book takes place, the constant entourage of guards (though I did like each member individually), and the family. If Ellie is meek and becomes stronger in the story that's one thing, but to have no real presence other than to react to the world around her is another. The novel itself is drunk on who and what it wants to tell us these characters are rather than demonstrating it. It's certainly one that would greatly benefit from more subtlety and nuance in dialogue and otherwise. Those concepts are no less important for passionate characters.
Though I don't want to be too hard on this book, either. It was entertaining, and the author has real potential in her prose. The language itself is lovely. It was for the most part a fun read and I can see what the author was going for in most instances, but for me personally, it misses the mark in a lot of ways.
I am still invested enough to want to know what happens next.
Though I don't want to be too hard on this book, either. It was entertaining, and the author has real potential in her prose. The language itself is lovely. It was for the most part a fun read and I can see what the author was going for in most instances, but for me personally, it misses the mark in a lot of ways.
I am still invested enough to want to know what happens next.
adventurous
dark
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:
No
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
She would bend, but never break. She would not fight unless she had no choice, but when she did, there would be no defeating her.
I have no words, you guys. I mean, I actually have many, many words about this iconic, incredible series, but you know what I mean!
I absolutely adore these characters. That’s what sets the series apart for me. Both Rain and Ellysetta are dynamic and complex, and I love watching their emotions for each other evolve throughout the book. While there is a lot of setup in this book, other characters stand out as fully realized people - primarily Bel, but we get glimpses of it with Kieran and Elly’s parents. Even the villain and his little lackey are compelling!
The world feels lush and lived-in. Wilson does an amazing job of developing both human and Fey culture. Everything is well-thought out. No piece of it feels unfinished, from the magic system to the whole-ass language she created. It’s really stunning in comparison to what passes for world building in most modern romantasy books.
And of course, there are many swoon-worthy moments (be honest, who among us doesn’t want to experience astral projection sex after that scene at the end).
This was my first re-read after reading the series for the first time earlier this year, and boy does it deliver on a second read. There are several instances of foreshadowing that I completely missed the first time - I was highlighting up a storm this time around! I cannot WAIT to crack open book 2, which was my favorite initially. (I would do many, many unholy things to the character introduced in book 2, he is my #1 book boyfriend forever).
I was really enjoying getting to know the characters, getting introduced to magic, fey, evil mages, stuck up queens, etc until around page 300. As many said, this book is definitely an introduction. I don't think events could have moved any slower actually. I really think that this book would have been great if more was resolved. Absolutely nothing happened here other than the tairen soul claiming his truemate within the first 20 pages. The rest was wedding planning and a few meetings with the king. However, I didn't mind any of that, and was really enjoying myself, until around page 300. At that point there was a meeting with the king and council that dragged horribly. After that I was just skimming and turning pages waiting for the end, and it really wasn't much of an ending. I actually don't think I will be continuing on in this series. There is a bit of a plot with the evil mages and the main characters saving the fey race, but at the rate this novel was going, I don't think there will be any progress for a long time. I also would like the mention to fantasy fans that this novel would fit more in the romance category than fantasy really. Overall, very slow, yet mildly interesting, and worth a try.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence
I absolutely loved this book. The world-building was so involved, the characters were great, and the relationship between Ellie and Rain was super organic and romantic.
My biggest gripe was that I didn't feel much resolution at the end. I kind felt like there was this huge build up, and then it kind of sizzled.
Of course, this is a series, so I didn't expect everything to be concluded in book one, but I did expect there to be some resolution to at least one of the dangers Ellie's faced.
That being said, I can't recommend this book enough for lovers of world-building, fantasy, or romance.
I wish there were more high fantasy romances like this!
My biggest gripe was that I didn't feel much resolution at the end. I kind felt like there was this huge build up, and then it kind of sizzled.
Of course, this is a series, so I didn't expect everything to be concluded in book one, but I did expect there to be some resolution to at least one of the dangers Ellie's faced.
That being said, I can't recommend this book enough for lovers of world-building, fantasy, or romance.
I wish there were more high fantasy romances like this!