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A review by asunderfall
A Night of Wings and Starlight by Alexis L. Menard
4.0
I received an eARC of this courtesy of the author! Thank you so much for the opportunity to provide an honest review.
Arya is a woman desperate to be Chosen, for her life to open up to the wider world, for her to be a runner. Fate takes a surprising turn when she finally gets her chance and, just like that, her entire reality is upended after a strange encounter that shakes all she's known.
The story is equal parts romance and adventure, with plucky banter between the characters. Arya is a woman with steely resolve who thinks she knows what's in store for her and the writing of the tale depicts her as equal parts courageous and uncertain. She makes a shaky choice to fling herself into the unknown and I enjoyed the realism of that, the gravity of her humanity that was written in contrast with Azriel, the winged creature who crashes into her life and flips the proverbial chess board over.
I enjoyed the writing and the pacing of the story, and never felt it was lagging or sprinting too fast for me to follow, though the romance developed quickly to my surprise, and I would've preferred a slower burn (but that's just me). But the actual romance and connection between the leads was tender and heartfelt, and so while insta-love isn't my cup of tea, I still found it to be enjoyable.
This will be perfect for people who enjoyed SJM's ACOTAR or Audrey Grey's Kingdom of Runes universe...but there's plenty here that's unique and enjoyable without those comparisons.
Arya is a woman desperate to be Chosen, for her life to open up to the wider world, for her to be a runner. Fate takes a surprising turn when she finally gets her chance and, just like that, her entire reality is upended after a strange encounter that shakes all she's known.
The story is equal parts romance and adventure, with plucky banter between the characters. Arya is a woman with steely resolve who thinks she knows what's in store for her and the writing of the tale depicts her as equal parts courageous and uncertain. She makes a shaky choice to fling herself into the unknown and I enjoyed the realism of that, the gravity of her humanity that was written in contrast with Azriel, the winged creature who crashes into her life and flips the proverbial chess board over.
I enjoyed the writing and the pacing of the story, and never felt it was lagging or sprinting too fast for me to follow, though the romance developed quickly to my surprise, and I would've preferred a slower burn (but that's just me). But the actual romance and connection between the leads was tender and heartfelt, and so while insta-love isn't my cup of tea, I still found it to be enjoyable.
This will be perfect for people who enjoyed SJM's ACOTAR or Audrey Grey's Kingdom of Runes universe...but there's plenty here that's unique and enjoyable without those comparisons.