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A review by sarahlreadseverything
A Scholar of Beauty by Jen Lynning
4.0
Another solid entry to The Great Balance World! A Scholar of Beauty really expands upon the world-building for this series, building up how 'balance' works in practice - it means it would work well as a standalone, and makes me want to read the first two books again as I suspect it would make elements of those stand out more second-time around.
Jen Lynning is auto-read for me because of the strength of her female MCs, and A Scholar of Beauty hit that nail on the head yet again. They are always unique, well-rounded and feel like real people in a way that fantasy and fantasy-romance genre women often aren't. Ketira is genuinely studious, holds down a real job and supports her family, while trying to balance an odd family-dynamic behind the scenes and an active society social life (and not always succeeding).
The romance in this one was cute, and the way that Ketira is cautious around Makev and doesn't totally trust him, makes total sense in the context of their relationship. We already know both characters from A Lady of Truth, and I was glad to have that background because it gave more depth to Makev's character; without that he would have felt quite shallow. I still could have done with more insight into his motiviations (which I also felt with the male MC in A Princess of Vision, the last entry in the series) and it did mean for me that the romance was definitely cute but lacked real tension.
I do wish that the third act of A Scholar of Beauty
Overall my opinion of Jen Lynning's books have not changed. If you want easy-reading fantasy romance, with smart, characterful heroines, set in a unique world, she is a great choice and this was a strong 4-star read. But in her next entry, I'm hoping for a male MC that matches the female one for depth
*Disclaimer: I received an advance copy of this title from the author in exchange for an honest review*
Jen Lynning is auto-read for me because of the strength of her female MCs, and A Scholar of Beauty hit that nail on the head yet again. They are always unique, well-rounded and feel like real people in a way that fantasy and fantasy-romance genre women often aren't. Ketira is genuinely studious, holds down a real job and supports her family, while trying to balance an odd family-dynamic behind the scenes and an active society social life (and not always succeeding).
The romance in this one was cute, and the way that Ketira is cautious around Makev and doesn't totally trust him, makes total sense in the context of their relationship. We already know both characters from A Lady of Truth, and I was glad to have that background because it gave more depth to Makev's character; without that he would have felt quite shallow. I still could have done with more insight into his motiviations (which I also felt with the male MC in A Princess of Vision, the last entry in the series) and it did mean for me that the romance was definitely cute but lacked real tension.
I do wish that the third act of A Scholar of Beauty
Spoiler
didn't feel like quite so much of a repeat of A Princess of Vision. I get that the religious terror group is a major thread throughout the series, but the kidnapping scenario was just too similar.Overall my opinion of Jen Lynning's books have not changed. If you want easy-reading fantasy romance, with smart, characterful heroines, set in a unique world, she is a great choice and this was a strong 4-star read. But in her next entry, I'm hoping for a male MC that matches the female one for depth
Spoiler
and a different third act.*Disclaimer: I received an advance copy of this title from the author in exchange for an honest review*