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elocinrhom's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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? No
3.5
Interesting story but the execution could have used some work. It just felt like a bunch of scenarios were thrown together and put in a random order to make the middle of the book. The earth shake didn't really serve a plot point. Yes, she was checking to see how they were getting along after it, but she could have just as easily been checking on them due to homesickness and realized they were gone. I also love what little we've seen of Grey, but his rescue from the Queen didn't serve to further the plot along either. He could have just been with the other villagers. Or the still missing aunt...
There also seemed to be issues with distance/time passage. It just felt like a movie on a soundstage - open a door and you're in the next town. And some seemed to be missing altogether. Like she walked out one evening and the next sentence she was at the Queen's court with a sword at her back. I had to skip back in the audiobook 3 times before I realized I wasn't missing a chunk of book. And other sections took longer than necessary. I loved the time she spent with Finndryl while Asher was away with Isla, but, especially given the twist, why did he stay away so long?
But on a positive note, it was an engaging story and the twist actually got me. I will definitely pick up book two to see how the story ends.
There also seemed to be issues with distance/time passage. It just felt like a movie on a soundstage - open a door and you're in the next town. And some seemed to be missing altogether.
But on a positive note, it was an engaging story and the twist actually got me. I will definitely pick up book two to see how the story ends.
Content Warnings
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Rape, Kidnapping, and Pregnancy
pengirl55's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Blood
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
kemikemi's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Even though for most of the book there didn’t seem to be one overarching plot we were following and I had no idea what was going to happen by the time the book ended, I was kind of just happy to go along for the ride. The world that was created with the humans, the fae culture, and the magic system was interesting with a lot to contemplate, and the roster of characters, as well as Lore’s interactions with them, were also fun to read and held my attention throughout the book. I love that Lore is in her twenties, and although it was funny and took me out of the world a little bit that so much of the fae world (like specific foods, anatomy, cities, etc) was pretty much just our human culture, it didn’t make me enjoy the book any less. A plotline did come up in the very end and I’m interested in seeing where the story goes in the next book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Rape, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism
spicycronereads's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
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? It's complicated
3.5
Lore of the Wilds centers on a world where humans have been mysteriously displaced from their home world and subjugated by Fae. Lore ends up traveling from her human enclave to be assigned the task of organizing an enchanted library that the Fae have been cursed from entering.
There is lots to like about this book. it has a very diverse cast, including racial and sexual diversity. Lore is a typical YA fantasy heroine who impetuously faces danger to save those she cares about. The magic system is interesting. The orders of Fae are novel and the tension between them adds some drama.
I say that Lore is a YA heroine, but I’m not actually sure this is supposed to be a YA book. It is maybe new adult based on Lore‘s age, the hints of SA, and the one spicy scene in the book. But Lore’s impetuousness, and the nature of the relationships between her and other characters lacks maturity.
There are four potential love interests, so it is less of a love triangle than a love pentagon? 😂 The chemistry and tension between these characters is a bit uneven. And sometimes we are told that feelings are developing rather than being shown that they are developing.
The plot takes some interesting twists, and some confusing turns. The pacing is a bit off. Things that feel like they could be the focus of the entire novel are resolved pretty quickly. To give you a sense of this, there is no plot point that results in what I would consider graphic content warnings because they all stay at the surface and are resolved really quickly.
There’s just a lot crammed in there and while the sequels could take their time unraveling much of this, at the end, there’s an indication that it’s going to take another turn all together. And I was very surprised to see that it is part of a duology and not a longer series. Which suggests that answers and explanations to the many things that are going on may not be forthcoming.
There is some pining in the book. Finndryl does provide one or two almost-swoony moments. The spicy scene is not bad but it feels out of place. 🌶️
In terms of diversity, most of the characters are people of color. There are a few moments that hint that Lore is bi or pan. And one character seems to be definitely aro and possibly ace.
Overall, I was entertained. I will likely read the next book in the series. And I hope that the next one goes through some more extensive developmental editing. ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/🌶️
There is lots to like about this book. it has a very diverse cast, including racial and sexual diversity. Lore is a typical YA fantasy heroine who impetuously faces danger to save those she cares about. The magic system is interesting. The orders of Fae are novel and the tension between them adds some drama.
I say that Lore is a YA heroine, but I’m not actually sure this is supposed to be a YA book. It is maybe new adult based on Lore‘s age, the hints of SA, and the one spicy scene in the book. But Lore’s impetuousness, and the nature of the relationships between her and other characters lacks maturity.
There are four potential love interests, so it is less of a love triangle than a love pentagon? 😂 The chemistry and tension between these characters is a bit uneven. And sometimes we are told that feelings are developing rather than being shown that they are developing.
The plot takes some interesting twists, and some confusing turns. The pacing is a bit off. Things that feel like they could be the focus of the entire novel are resolved pretty quickly. To give you a sense of this, there is no plot point that results in what I would consider graphic content warnings because they all stay at the surface and are resolved really quickly.
There’s just a lot crammed in there and while the sequels could take their time unraveling much of this, at the end, there’s an indication that it’s going to take another turn all together. And I was very surprised to see that it is part of a duology and not a longer series. Which suggests that answers and explanations to the many things that are going on may not be forthcoming.
There is some pining in the book. Finndryl does provide one or two almost-swoony moments. The spicy scene is not bad but it feels out of place. 🌶️
In terms of diversity, most of the characters are people of color. There are a few moments that hint that Lore is bi or pan. And one character seems to be definitely aro and possibly ace.
Overall, I was entertained. I will likely read the next book in the series. And I hope that the next one goes through some more extensive developmental editing. ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/🌶️
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and Death of parent
Minor: Addiction, Sexual assault, Trafficking, Kidnapping, and Pregnancy
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: Death, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, and Kidnapping
Minor: Rape, Sexual violence, and Pregnancy
linnybear's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
I’d call it ‘mediocre middle grade book with fairy spice’
She should've stayed in the library
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, and Classism
Moderate: Alcohol and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
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: Death, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Grief, and Classism
Minor: Rape, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
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: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
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: Death and Violence
Moderate: Sexual content and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
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: Death, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Kidnapping and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and War