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A review by jae_28
Lore of the Wilds by Analeigh Sbrana
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
I purchased the ebook when this story came out and got up to 60% before I DNFed it. It took me over a month to get that far and I was devastated that this book didn’t engage or hook me the way I hoped it would. I decided to give it a try in a different format when I found the audiobook, and though it got me to the end, unfortunately, the story was underwhelming and the plot was chaotic in the worst way. There were way more things I didn't like than the opposite, but I'll point out a couple that made me feel detached from the story and characters.
First, it was the pacing. For me, it moved pretty fast in the beginning, we got to the main issue and I was feeling it, but then it slowed down significantly. When things started happening again, we were back to moving fast.
Then came the language. There was AAVE and certain verbiage that pulled me out of the story and dropped me on my Tik Tok fy page. Because it wasn’t established earlier on that this was the kind of language the MC (and other characters) used in this completely foreign world, when it came up further down the line it was so jarring I had to do a double take. It just didn’t fit into the story, the world, or the tone that was already set for it. Does that make sense?
The romance. I wasn't feeling either because they're built on hot and cold interactions that seem too shallow for anything genuine and believable to grow from. With Asher, she was getting the cold shoulder, then they went to the market once and became besties after that. Then the other guy (I don't even remember his name) practically came in at the end of the book and wasn't fucking with her either. Honestly, it seemed like in order for Lore to build a connection with the love interests, the other had to go away, like they were on rotation or something.
And back to that language thing, I’m not one to cringe much when it comes to sensual or sexual scenes\phrases, but her core clenches an awful lot throughout this book and it threw me off from the very first time to the last. Not only that, but it happened for three different people and I couldn’t take my girl seriously. Honestly, I think that the writing is simple and easy (also not a problem), however, it read like middle grade to me, so to see certain things happening or being said… I simply couldn’t get into it. Then I learned it's supposed to be an adult romantacy... not YA. I'm confused.
The message and premise made for a great debut but the execution could use some serious developement. But I will say that plot twist at the end gagged me. It’s the one thing that might make me pick up the second book.
First, it was the pacing. For me, it moved pretty fast in the beginning, we got to the main issue and I was feeling it, but then it slowed down significantly. When things started happening again, we were back to moving fast.
Then came the language. There was AAVE and certain verbiage that pulled me out of the story and dropped me on my Tik Tok fy page. Because it wasn’t established earlier on that this was the kind of language the MC (and other characters) used in this completely foreign world, when it came up further down the line it was so jarring I had to do a double take. It just didn’t fit into the story, the world, or the tone that was already set for it. Does that make sense?
The romance. I wasn't feeling either because they're built on hot and cold interactions that seem too shallow for anything genuine and believable to grow from. With Asher, she was getting the cold shoulder, then they went to the market once and became besties after that. Then the other guy (I don't even remember his name) practically came in at the end of the book and wasn't fucking with her either. Honestly, it seemed like in order for Lore to build a connection with the love interests, the other had to go away, like they were on rotation or something.
And back to that language thing, I’m not one to cringe much when it comes to sensual or sexual scenes\phrases, but her core clenches an awful lot throughout this book and it threw me off from the very first time to the last. Not only that, but it happened for three different people and I couldn’t take my girl seriously. Honestly, I think that the writing is simple and easy (also not a problem), however, it read like middle grade to me, so to see certain things happening or being said… I simply couldn’t get into it. Then I learned it's supposed to be an adult romantacy... not YA. I'm confused.
The message and premise made for a great debut but the execution could use some serious developement. But I will say that plot twist at the end gagged me. It’s the one thing that might make me pick up the second book.