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jenlyn 's review for:
A Tale of Mirth and Magic
by Kristen Vale
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was a delight from start to finish! A cozy fantasy romance road-trip is exactly my cup of tea, so this was a damn near perfect brew. Elikki was a fierce, sexy, independent MC with just enough brittleness from her neglectful upbringing to give her a prickly side and make her a little less than perfect but no less loveable. Barra was the sweetest cinnamon roll whose own issues with rejection and bullying early in life have left him chasing hard after love and trying to settle for any scraps partners will throw at him (lordy I just wanted to wrap them both in a hug, smack them upside the back of the head, give them a cinnamon roll and some tea, and then have a long talk about how they both deserve better and need to go to whatever passes for therapy in their world). It was the perfect amount of "oh this is just a casual, temporary fling, I don't feel anything deeper for this person, don't be silly little voice in the back of my head, we're just having fun here," while we, the reader, are chuckling and rolling our eyes, waiting for the inevitable moment when they can't deny their feelings anymore (obviously it was going to happen sooner for Barra than Elikki but I did appreciate that she didn't fight it as hard as most romance MCs tend to when they're in that mode. Maybe that was due to the cozy aspect of things).
Also the antagonist was just the right amount of annoying and icky, but nothing world-shaking; just a rude dick who needed a big lesson is not being such an asshole. I don't know if he'll ever really learn since his brother doesn't seem willing to let him face real consequences but at least he won't bother Elikki and Barra anymore.
The narrators did a great job on this audiobook as well, really capturing Elikki and Barra's characters and delivering the story. It was a fun story and the spicy scenes were very well-delivered.
The world-building was fun as well. I would've liked a little more info about all the different kinds of people, but maybe that'll come up in future books (hint, hint). I did have lingering questions about how a relationship between Barra's parents worked because...he said his dad is 17 ft tall, and his mom is human. So...how???
Anyways, thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me early access to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed it!
Also the antagonist was just the right amount of annoying and icky, but nothing world-shaking; just a rude dick who needed a big lesson is not being such an asshole. I don't know if he'll ever really learn since his brother doesn't seem willing to let him face real consequences but at least he won't bother Elikki and Barra anymore.
The narrators did a great job on this audiobook as well, really capturing Elikki and Barra's characters and delivering the story. It was a fun story and the spicy scenes were very well-delivered.
The world-building was fun as well. I would've liked a little more info about all the different kinds of people, but maybe that'll come up in future books (hint, hint). I did have lingering questions about how a relationship between Barra's parents worked because...he said his dad is 17 ft tall, and his mom is human. So...how???
Anyways, thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me early access to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed it!