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dayofthetabi's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
I cannot overstate how much I loved this book. I was given the opportunity to read an arc from NetGalley and I will absolutely be buying this one for my personal collection.
It has fae. An enchanted library. The entire cast is people of color. You have high stakes and tense situations. It is beautiful. The only reason it isn’t a 5 is that some parts were distracting. A world of magic and horses with medieval style tech, but they know about adrenaline? Some of the dialogue was a little off, definitely a first novel.
But it was great and enjoyable. And I will read this one again and again.
It has fae. An enchanted library. The entire cast is people of color. You have high stakes and tense situations. It is beautiful. The only reason it isn’t a 5 is that some parts were distracting. A world of magic and horses with medieval style tech, but they know about adrenaline? Some of the dialogue was a little off, definitely a first novel.
But it was great and enjoyable. And I will read this one again and again.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault
memreads's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Update: I can't stop thinking about this story and the characters (in a good way, I'd rather be left wanting more than feeling like there's too much on the table) so I had to increase the rating.
Going into this book, I was enamored by the mysterious library and found myself excited to learn its secrets and its history. Unfortunately this seems more of a convenient setting than a major story part. I'm hopeful this will be explored in later additions to the story.
The pacing was a little off-putting to me. The beginning of the story was fast, then it felt like it stalled, then it picked up to a nice medium pace, then major events are occurring from start to finish within a few pages, and then the last beat of the book felt as though it was alternating between medium and breakneck fast pacing. It felt like it was a 500 page story crammed into 300.
I love the idea and the pieces of this story, but I feel like the characters, relationships, plot points and settings weren't given the time they needed to truly shine.
It is still an enjoyable read, and I look forward to reading future installments, but will be going in with more lighthearted expectations
Going into this book, I was enamored by the mysterious library and found myself excited to learn its secrets and its history. Unfortunately this seems more of a convenient setting than a major story part. I'm hopeful this will be explored in later additions to the story.
The pacing was a little off-putting to me. The beginning of the story was fast, then it felt like it stalled, then it picked up to a nice medium pace, then major events are occurring from start to finish within a few pages, and then the last beat of the book felt as though it was alternating between medium and breakneck fast pacing. It felt like it was a 500 page story crammed into 300.
I love the idea and the pieces of this story, but I feel like the characters, relationships, plot points and settings weren't given the time they needed to truly shine.
It is still an enjoyable read, and I look forward to reading future installments, but will be going in with more lighthearted expectations
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Trafficking, Xenophobia, Drug use, Rape, and Kidnapping
thebookishatelier's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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? It's complicated
3.5
I really enjoyed the beginning of this book! The world building was interesting and the pacing was good. However, around halfway through the pacing was all over the place and just kept getting worse. For the final 30% of the book, I had to check to make sure I wasn't missing a chapter. Everything became extremely rushed, the dialogue felt odd, and overall it made me dislike the reading experience. Near the ending, there was a weird plot twist that also made me feel pretty uncomfortable.
Overall, the book had a solid beginning and the second book does have potential. I think lengthening the ending combined with some more edits could have made this first book much better.
Overall, the book had a solid beginning and the second book does have potential. I think lengthening the ending combined with some more edits could have made this first book much better.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Sexual content
Minor: Alcoholism, Torture, Addiction, and Rape
blewballoon's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
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
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book!
I will start with the positives, of which there are many! The story is gripping, with fairly high stakes at every turn and a deft handling of worldbuilding as you go, so that you are never bogged down with too much exposition at any given time but always have the information you need to understand the significance of what's happening in a scene. The book never stagnates, either. Just when our main character Lore settles into one location, she finds she has to move onto the next. I never felt like we were in one situation for too little or too long. Lore herself is established in her introduction as someone who is hard working, quick thinking, and highly compassionate, and she carries these traits throughout the story. The other characters she knows and comes across are also compelling and intriguing, some more mysterious than others.I absolutely loved the twist at the end! It's the perfect kind of twist where I knew something was up, but didn't expect THAT, and yet it does fit in with the rest of the story and make sense looking back.
Now for the negatives, of which there's really only one. I would be swept along with the prose of the book, really immersed in the story, and every now and then there would be a little speed bump where it felt like a character (usually Lore) said or did something that didn't fit the context/setting. Usually it was some phrasing that felt too modern or crass compared to the rest of the text. If I had to guess, I would say these were moments to establish Lore as "sassy" or "feisty" but I think the way it was done feels anachronistic. I do hope this book gets another round of editing to address some typos I found as well as these passages that feel a little out of place.
Another note, this is meant to be YA, but I feel like some language and events might push the book more into adult territory.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this book for fans of romantasy, especially if they like fae romances and diverse representation.
This was my first time reading an ARC, and now I can see the drawback because I am so eager for the next book in the series and the first book isn't even out yet!
I will start with the positives, of which there are many! The story is gripping, with fairly high stakes at every turn and a deft handling of worldbuilding as you go, so that you are never bogged down with too much exposition at any given time but always have the information you need to understand the significance of what's happening in a scene. The book never stagnates, either. Just when our main character Lore settles into one location, she finds she has to move onto the next. I never felt like we were in one situation for too little or too long. Lore herself is established in her introduction as someone who is hard working, quick thinking, and highly compassionate, and she carries these traits throughout the story. The other characters she knows and comes across are also compelling and intriguing, some more mysterious than others.
Now for the negatives, of which there's really only one. I would be swept along with the prose of the book, really immersed in the story, and every now and then there would be a little speed bump where it felt like a character (usually Lore) said or did something that didn't fit the context/setting. Usually it was some phrasing that felt too modern or crass compared to the rest of the text. If I had to guess, I would say these were moments to establish Lore as "sassy" or "feisty" but I think the way it was done feels anachronistic. I do hope this book gets another round of editing to address some typos I found as well as these passages that feel a little out of place.
Another note, this is meant to be YA, but I feel like some language and events might push the book more into adult territory.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this book for fans of romantasy, especially if they like fae romances and diverse representation.
This was my first time reading an ARC, and now I can see the drawback because I am so eager for the next book in the series and the first book isn't even out yet!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Blood
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, and Violence
Minor: Death of parent, Rape, Pregnancy, Slavery, and War
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