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A review by heabooknerd
Thornfruit by Felicia Davin
4.0
THORNFRUIT was such an interesting fantasy read and the world that Felicia Davin has created is really unique. There's such a mix of varying cultures, religious and political practices, and differing acceptances of magical abilities. While THORNFRUIT only takes place on Laalvur we get lots of hints at the other cities and countries across the sea and I can't wait to see more in the rest of the series. My only complaint about world-building is that I struggled a bit to figure out all the timekeeping references but for the most part I got the gist. The beginning was a bit slow in pace but the second half really picks up and I read it all in one sitting because I couldn't wait to see what happened next.
I really enjoyed Ev as a lead; she's smart, tough, and levelheaded which is a nice contrast to Alizhan's more reckless, jump in feet first attitude. Ev has always felt a bit disconnected from other people and she's always wanted to see her father's homeland of Adappyr. She yearns to travel and explore but she's also cautious by nature. Alizhan pretty much crashes into Ev's life and they find themselves caught up in politics and machinations much deeper and dangerous than either expected. I enjoyed Alizhan as a lead as well but she does come across more naive and younger than she actually is. She's been very isolated most of her life and this has led to a lack in social skills which is where I think a lot of that immaturity comes from. But it was nice to see her learning and trying to grow personally. She wants to be better for Ev and her confusion over that is actually really sweet.
In addition to a unique fantasy world, we also get the beginnings of a romance between Ev and Alizhan though it's rocky at first because Alizhan's touch causes extreme pain. There's something endearingly awkward about Ev and Alizhan trying to work out their feelings and how they can be together and I'm looking forward to seeing their development.
I'll be the first to admit that some of the events that happen are pretty convenient in advancing Ev and Alizhan's purpose and there are a few characters who go from being the enemy to an ally really quickly, but overall I really liked the plot. A large part of the story is not resolved by the end of the book so you'll want to have the next one on hand.
Content Warning: References to abuse, torture, and forced abortion of a secondary character
I really enjoyed Ev as a lead; she's smart, tough, and levelheaded which is a nice contrast to Alizhan's more reckless, jump in feet first attitude. Ev has always felt a bit disconnected from other people and she's always wanted to see her father's homeland of Adappyr. She yearns to travel and explore but she's also cautious by nature. Alizhan pretty much crashes into Ev's life and they find themselves caught up in politics and machinations much deeper and dangerous than either expected. I enjoyed Alizhan as a lead as well but she does come across more naive and younger than she actually is. She's been very isolated most of her life and this has led to a lack in social skills which is where I think a lot of that immaturity comes from. But it was nice to see her learning and trying to grow personally. She wants to be better for Ev and her confusion over that is actually really sweet.
In addition to a unique fantasy world, we also get the beginnings of a romance between Ev and Alizhan though it's rocky at first because Alizhan's touch causes extreme pain. There's something endearingly awkward about Ev and Alizhan trying to work out their feelings and how they can be together and I'm looking forward to seeing their development.
I'll be the first to admit that some of the events that happen are pretty convenient in advancing Ev and Alizhan's purpose and there are a few characters who go from being the enemy to an ally really quickly, but overall I really liked the plot. A large part of the story is not resolved by the end of the book so you'll want to have the next one on hand.
Content Warning: References to abuse, torture, and forced abortion of a secondary character