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ktbell's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
cekwrites's review
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-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
4.5
4.5 stars rounded up
Summary
Beth Newman is incredibly excited for her birthday weekend--her husband of five months is finally bringing her along on his sacred camping trip with the boys! She's known Tom and his friends for most of her life, having grown up in a relatively small town in the south together.
The couple's best friend, Grady, who's supposed to be accompanying them on this trip has been distant for the past few weeks. Sure, he used to have a crush on Beth in their high school days, but that certainly isn't reason enough to be making himself scarce around the newlywed couple.
When Beth and Tom pull up to see Grady, along with two of their friends who they were not expecting to be coming along (Paul and Jeff), Beth is confused by the concerned look on her husband's face. Grady's steely look is no comfort either.
Quickly, Beth discovers that magic is real--and she has a lot of it running through her veins. Grady has also unlocked the power of harnessing and using magic, and he's the one who needs to teach her how to manage this new aspect of her life. She learns of prophecies, cults, ominous old gods, ancestors, and that their lives are in grave danger if she can't learn to use her magic soon.
There are also a whole lot of spoilers, but I want everyone to experience all the twists and turns themselves hehehe
Star Rating Breakdown
+1: characters - these characters had me giggling and kicking my feet one moment and then sobbing the next; they were so well written and I wanted to protect almost all of them with every fibre of my bring
+1: prose - the writing was just so,,,,bingeworthy?? KP is a blessing and i love her endlessly. i'm very sure she could write a chore list and maybe that would inspire me to actually get shit done around my apartment
+0.75: plot - it's such a twist on a classic oh my gods i need other people to read this so i can fangirl over it and stop annoying my coworkers lmao
-0.5: pacing - it is VERY fast paced, but honestly it fits with KP's style. there were a few chunks i had to read over again just to make sure i got it right/wasn't missing anything, but if fast paced is something you enjoy you will absolutely love BtB:A. it was just a tad too fast for me!
+0.75: the gods - I want so badly to know what the process was like in researching/coming up with Ja'azul and the ranks that served him
+1: vibes - the spice didn't overtake the plot, it all made sense, my little DnD player & GM brain was so happy, i just loved all of it so much and i cannot WAIT for it to be in everyone's hands hehehehe
Summary
Beth Newman is incredibly excited for her birthday weekend--her husband of five months is finally bringing her along on his sacred camping trip with the boys! She's known Tom and his friends for most of her life, having grown up in a relatively small town in the south together.
The couple's best friend, Grady, who's supposed to be accompanying them on this trip has been distant for the past few weeks. Sure, he used to have a crush on Beth in their high school days, but that certainly isn't reason enough to be making himself scarce around the newlywed couple.
When Beth and Tom pull up to see Grady, along with two of their friends who they were not expecting to be coming along (Paul and Jeff), Beth is confused by the concerned look on her husband's face. Grady's steely look is no comfort either.
Quickly, Beth discovers that magic is real--and she has a lot of it running through her veins. Grady has also unlocked the power of harnessing and using magic, and he's the one who needs to teach her how to manage this new aspect of her life. She learns of prophecies, cults, ominous old gods, ancestors, and that their lives are in grave danger if she can't learn to use her magic soon.
There are also a whole lot of spoilers, but I want everyone to experience all the twists and turns themselves hehehe
Star Rating Breakdown
+1: characters - these characters had me giggling and kicking my feet one moment and then sobbing the next; they were so well written and I wanted to protect almost all of them with every fibre of my bring
+1: prose - the writing was just so,,,,bingeworthy?? KP is a blessing and i love her endlessly. i'm very sure she could write a chore list and maybe that would inspire me to actually get shit done around my apartment
+0.75: plot - it's such a twist on a classic oh my gods i need other people to read this so i can fangirl over it and stop annoying my coworkers lmao
-0.5: pacing - it is VERY fast paced, but honestly it fits with KP's style. there were a few chunks i had to read over again just to make sure i got it right/wasn't missing anything, but if fast paced is something you enjoy you will absolutely love BtB:A. it was just a tad too fast for me!
+0.75: the gods - I want so badly to know what the process was like in researching/coming up with Ja'azul and the ranks that served him
+1: vibes - the spice didn't overtake the plot, it all made sense, my little DnD player & GM brain was so happy, i just loved all of it so much and i cannot WAIT for it to be in everyone's hands hehehehe
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Mental illness, Blood, and Grief
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