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daydreaminlilac's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
I thought I’d love this more than I did. There was so much great potential, and a lot of good ideas for a fantasy world. The magic system and different magical creatures were interesting. I wanted to know more about it.
The book suffered from pacing issues; some parts were plodding along, while the end was so rushed. There were too many big plot points that weren’t really fleshed out enough or connected to the story as a whole.
The romance pseudo-love triangle was weird. It didn’t really seem well developed. The one spice scene was weirdly placed. The plot twist was ok.
I really liked Lore, and because there were so many different fantasy ideas (magic library, orphan apothecary shop, grimoire) jammed into one book, I lost track of her history a little.
I also did not like the cliffhanger ending.
The book suffered from pacing issues; some parts were plodding along, while the end was so rushed. There were too many big plot points that weren’t really fleshed out enough or connected to the story as a whole.
The romance pseudo-love triangle was weird. It didn’t really seem well developed. The one spice scene was weirdly placed. The plot twist was ok.
I really liked Lore, and because there were so many different fantasy ideas (magic library, orphan apothecary shop, grimoire) jammed into one book, I lost track of her history a little.
I also did not like the cliffhanger ending.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Rape
emilywemily6's review against another edition
adventurous
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Eh this book was a let down… maybe romantasy is not for me. This book started off strong for the first 15% and then the rest of the book was all over the place. This read like a YA novel and yet one two separate instances an f-bomb was dropped, which felt so out of character compared to the rest of the book that had zero swearing. The one sex scene also felt contrived, awkwardly timed, and not consistent with the characters or the relationships. There was a supposed love triangle but it was hard to root for either love interest when one lacked chemistry or personality and the other was just mean and grumpy. The world and backstory seemed interesting but this book left so many questions unanswered. The mystical library could have been its own character but was only in the first third of the book. I felt like the plot meandered randomly and while the author’s writing was easy to read, it didn’t add any gravitas or depth to the plot. Serious, climactic moments were glossed over after having zero lead up (like only one chapter devoted to a massive break-in/kidnapping) and insignificant moments/musings took up a lot of page time even though they didn’t have a bearing on the plot. She also made nonsensical decisions that aged her way down. There were no hints or Easter eggs about where the story was going or foreshadowing of any reveals, so many plot devices came out of nowhere without any lead up. It reads like a YA with a couple inappropriate moments and a lack of editing to improve the quality of the storytelling. I was surprisingly bored through most of the book. I want to read the second book since the world building interested me and the characters had more depth than another romantasy I recently read, but I’m not going to buy it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Xenophobia, Sexual content, Cursing, Alcohol, Gaslighting, and Police brutality
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: War
solitarelee's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This book had its ups and downs for me, but overall I enjoyed it, and some of the twists really had me speed reading to see what happened next. The pace of the book is breakneck, with barely any time to breathe between the next dramatic reveal or questionable decision by the risk-taking main character. There are no answers here, only questions; I could tell halfway through that I was definitely reading the first book of a series. The faeries are really faeries in name only; you could call them elves and change literally 0 things. But tied into that is the fact that the worldbuilding is pretty creative and original.
The author uses "male" and "female" as nouns to describe fae, I think as a purposeful choice to indicate that they're not human to the main character (ie not just saying 'man' or 'woman'), however I found it to be a torment throughout the entire book even after I realized why they were doing it. Especially every time they used 'fae' (which can be a noun) as an adjective to describe 'male' (generally an adjective). Oh, the pain, every time. Male fae was right there. You could have spared me and it still would have included the desired dehumanization.
The first love interest fell completely flat for me, and I kept wondering when this dull perfect boy whose motivations made no sense would do a dramatic betrayal. That being said, I did not predict the exact nature of the dramatic betrayal AT ALL and was delighted. I kind of want to re-read the whole thing with the big spoiler in mind later. The chemistry with the 'secondary' love interest is sparking and way more believable. (This isn't a critique, the author clearly did this on purpose so readers might catch on like I did.)
Overall I'll be reading the next book for sure. I got too many questions not to!
The author uses "male" and "female" as nouns to describe fae, I think as a purposeful choice to indicate that they're not human to the main character (ie not just saying 'man' or 'woman'), however I found it to be a torment throughout the entire book even after I realized why they were doing it. Especially every time they used 'fae' (which can be a noun) as an adjective to describe 'male' (generally an adjective). Oh, the pain, every time. Male fae was right there. You could have spared me and it still would have included the desired dehumanization.
Overall I'll be reading the next book for sure. I got too many questions not to!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Alcohol, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape and Torture
Minor: Death and Death of parent
chipotlemayo's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Kidnapping, Blood, Death, and Sexual content
Minor: Sexual violence, Pregnancy, and Rape
bookcaptivated's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Blood, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Grief, Confinement, and Classism
Minor: Pregnancy, Death of parent, and Rape
stitchbooks22's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This was incredibly boring, full of plot holes and wasn’t well written. Whoever marketed this as adult must not have read it, given it felt more like a YA with a vague attempt at romantasy that just didn’t work. Also predicted the plot twist at the end.
The idea of an enchanted library, cottagecore and cosy vibes with magic for a book could’ve been so good, but was executed poorly. I’m very disappointed I can’t lie.
The only redeeming features were the small portion of the enchanted library we got as well as the characters of Isla, Gryph, Grey and the fox who were barely in it. Milo also seemed like a sweet kid and I liked him despite his also limited presence.
I have mixed feelings about Lore as she acted like an ungrateful brat at times, though could be wonderful at others. Finn is another character I have mixed feelings on, but he is growing on me.
Will I read the next one? Possibly. I would like to see some of the characters again and see if the duology can be redeemed. It’s a decision for a later date.
The idea of an enchanted library, cottagecore and cosy vibes with magic for a book could’ve been so good, but was executed poorly. I’m very disappointed I can’t lie.
The only redeeming features were the small portion of the enchanted library we got as well as the characters of Isla, Gryph, Grey and the fox who were barely in it. Milo also seemed like a sweet kid and I liked him despite his also limited presence.
I have mixed feelings about Lore as she acted like an ungrateful brat at times, though could be wonderful at others. Finn is another character I have mixed feelings on, but he is growing on me.
Will I read the next one? Possibly. I would like to see some of the characters again and see if the duology can be redeemed. It’s a decision for a later date.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Grief, Pregnancy, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Confinement, Death, Infertility, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Violence, Colonisation, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, War, Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Toxic relationship, Classism, Murder, and Physical abuse
lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
I received a copy of this book as part of my subscription to FairyLoot.
"Lore of the Wilds" follows Lore, a human taken into the Fae world. Lore is tasked with trying to find some magical texts in the library in exchange for the promise that her people will be kept safe while she is gone. What Lore discovers is her own magic, and secrets that have been buried for decades.
Overall, this book felt very okay. It did not feel like a fantasy with any new ideas, but it was still fine to read. I think this book relies a lot on cliches from the genre that have historically worked well, and although there is nothing wrong with that, it was not the most engaging thing to read if you have enjoyed a lot of fantasies previously. I felt like I knew where the story was ultimately going the entire time I was reading. The ending is also a MOJOR cliffhanger. I think this was a decision intended to shock the reader and entice them to pick up more from this series, not necessarily a decision made to propel the story forward.
In the story, Lore has two potential love interests, and honestly, I did not love either of them. Both men felt flat to me and not genuinely interested or compatible with Lore. Lore does not need a romance, what she needs is someone to help her figure out what is going on. The smut scenes I think were thrown in there mainly because of how popular romance has become lately. They are written well, and they are spicy, but I did not think they are necessary for the story.
I *might* pick up the next book in this series out of curiosity because the ending was wild, but I was not overly invested in the story as a whole. I would recommend this to someone who wants to see more diversity in fantasy or someone who has not read a lot of fantasy before.
"Lore of the Wilds" follows Lore, a human taken into the Fae world. Lore is tasked with trying to find some magical texts in the library in exchange for the promise that her people will be kept safe while she is gone. What Lore discovers is her own magic, and secrets that have been buried for decades.
Overall, this book felt very okay. It did not feel like a fantasy with any new ideas, but it was still fine to read. I think this book relies a lot on cliches from the genre that have historically worked well, and although there is nothing wrong with that, it was not the most engaging thing to read if you have enjoyed a lot of fantasies previously. I felt like I knew where the story was ultimately going the entire time I was reading. The ending is also a MOJOR cliffhanger. I think this was a decision intended to shock the reader and entice them to pick up more from this series, not necessarily a decision made to propel the story forward.
In the story, Lore has two potential love interests, and honestly, I did not love either of them. Both men felt flat to me and not genuinely interested or compatible with Lore. Lore does not need a romance, what she needs is someone to help her figure out what is going on. The smut scenes I think were thrown in there mainly because of how popular romance has become lately. They are written well, and they are spicy, but I did not think they are necessary for the story.
I *might* pick up the next book in this series out of curiosity because the ending was wild, but I was not overly invested in the story as a whole. I would recommend this to someone who wants to see more diversity in fantasy or someone who has not read a lot of fantasy before.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Stalking, Racism, Sexism, Death of parent, and Violence
Moderate: War
abby_can_read's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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? No
4.0
📱
I had a wonderful time with this book. I loved the sentinel library. I thought the characters were good and I liked the friendships. Personally, I'm waiting for the romances to develop more. While I enjoyed the plot, I did find it predictable and I did see the twist at the end.
I struggled some with the worldbuilding regarding the magic system. I'm hoping that is something explained in the sequel. I also found the pacing to be difficult. There were some parts that were long and other parts that I wanted to read so it that were completely skipped over.
I had a wonderful time with this book. I loved the sentinel library. I thought the characters were good and I liked the friendships. Personally, I'm waiting for the romances to develop more. While I enjoyed the plot, I did find it predictable and I did see the twist at the end.
I struggled some with the worldbuilding regarding the magic system. I'm hoping that is something explained in the sequel. I also found the pacing to be difficult. There were some parts that were long and other parts that I wanted to read so it that were completely skipped over.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Death
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Sexual content
Minor: Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Death of parent, and Rape
adafae's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
I will start with I didn’t want to put this book down. The story is beautiful it captures you. Lore the main character is a strong women independent and protective. The story never stagnates it moves and a good pace.
However, there are some negatives which I want to mention. Sometimes the language used is crass and take a leap towards more modern and not fitting with the setting. It also has some descriptions in scenes I would not expect to find in a YA book that make it seem that it might be better suited as the adult fantasy genre. There were also a few times where the wording or sentences structure throw me off or consistencies where changed like the scent of someone changing when mentioned but always said as their familiar scent.However this might be linked to the twist at the end of the story, with Asher, it might make some of the inconsistencies make sense if that was the intention of the author.
Overall I enjoyed the book, I read it in no time and it kept me guessing. I cannot wait for the second book to come outI cannot wait to find out more about Finn and how he is so good at fighting and to see future works by this author.
However, there are some negatives which I want to mention. Sometimes the language used is crass and take a leap towards more modern and not fitting with the setting. It also has some descriptions in scenes I would not expect to find in a YA book that make it seem that it might be better suited as the adult fantasy genre. There were also a few times where the wording or sentences structure throw me off or consistencies where changed like the scent of someone changing when mentioned but always said as their familiar scent.
Overall I enjoyed the book, I read it in no time and it kept me guessing. I cannot wait for the second book to come out
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder, Sexual content, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Kidnapping and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death of parent, Rape, Pregnancy, and War
jessitheblonde's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
The book is amazing, but it ends on a massive cliffhanger, so be warned that you're going to want to immediately jump into the next book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Murder, and Death