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A review by sweaters_raindrops
Odriel's Heirs by Hayley Reese Chow
3.0
TW: violence, blood, mild gore, death of a child (not depicted), body horror, suicide, use of torture (not depicted), blood
Disclaimer: I received an ARC copy of this book from the author. Thank you to Hayley Reese Chow for the opportunity to provide an honest review.
Ms. Chow reached out to me with a copy of her novel, and because the premise promises a fun fantasy adventure, I jumped at the chance to give it a try.
What I Liked
-This book gives me such Sabriel vibes in the way the story structured and especially with the animal companions. It's a good ol' fashioned fantasy story, with a plot contained between the pages, with awesome battle scenes, but also with the promise of further evil on the horizon. I like to take breaks from serial fantasy series every once and awhile.
-Kaia may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but she doesn't let anyone take her agency from her and she's brash enough to keep trying to prove herself, even when those around her are losing hope. She isn't infallible, and her well-founded fears could certainly take over her thoughts and actions, but she's a hero you can easily root for! I hope she'll have the space to deal with the trauma she's faced; it sucked to watch her try to pretend she was fine in front of her allies.
-I definitely was hardcore shipping Kaia and Klaus! He was so tender with her and their rivalry admits chaos was light-hearted considering everything that was happened. They're a predictable couple but their romance didn't detract from the actual plot thankfully. I just wish their first kiss wasn’t literally before a battle because I hate the “first kiss intended to be the last kiss” trope. Just kiss when you're both safe and alive!
-The secondary characters were sweet but not really interesting. Dorinas was my favourite, though, 'cause I'm just a sucker for grumpy characters.
What I Didn't Like
-I often found myself a little confused by the world-building and by the different creatures that share the land with humans. A lot was thrown at you throughout the novel and I was just playing catch up.
-There were also pieces of the plot (ex., Odriel's Tooth) that felt like they were dropped in to overcome an obstacle. I would have preferred the characters to look at what they had and come up with a clever solution.
-The pacing could be off at times, where some parts moved a little too fast and some parts slowed down considerably.
-I was surprised by the early death of one of the smaller villains. I thought he'd be around longer. The pay off didn't really fit the build up of his character.
Conclusion
This book delivered on the promise of a fun fantasy that balanced the dark with the light. I'm glad I was given a chance to get an early glimpse!
My Rating: 3.5/5
Disclaimer: I received an ARC copy of this book from the author. Thank you to Hayley Reese Chow for the opportunity to provide an honest review.
Ms. Chow reached out to me with a copy of her novel, and because the premise promises a fun fantasy adventure, I jumped at the chance to give it a try.
What I Liked
-This book gives me such Sabriel vibes in the way the story structured and especially with the animal companions. It's a good ol' fashioned fantasy story, with a plot contained between the pages, with awesome battle scenes, but also with the promise of further evil on the horizon. I like to take breaks from serial fantasy series every once and awhile.
-Kaia may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but she doesn't let anyone take her agency from her and she's brash enough to keep trying to prove herself, even when those around her are losing hope. She isn't infallible, and her well-founded fears could certainly take over her thoughts and actions, but she's a hero you can easily root for! I hope she'll have the space to deal with the trauma she's faced; it sucked to watch her try to pretend she was fine in front of her allies.
-I definitely was hardcore shipping Kaia and Klaus! He was so tender with her and their rivalry admits chaos was light-hearted considering everything that was happened. They're a predictable couple but their romance didn't detract from the actual plot thankfully. I just wish their first kiss wasn’t literally before a battle because I hate the “first kiss intended to be the last kiss” trope. Just kiss when you're both safe and alive!
-The secondary characters were sweet but not really interesting. Dorinas was my favourite, though, 'cause I'm just a sucker for grumpy characters.
What I Didn't Like
-I often found myself a little confused by the world-building and by the different creatures that share the land with humans. A lot was thrown at you throughout the novel and I was just playing catch up.
-There were also pieces of the plot (ex., Odriel's Tooth) that felt like they were dropped in to overcome an obstacle. I would have preferred the characters to look at what they had and come up with a clever solution.
-The pacing could be off at times, where some parts moved a little too fast and some parts slowed down considerably.
-I was surprised by the early death of one of the smaller villains. I thought he'd be around longer. The pay off didn't really fit the build up of his character.
Conclusion
This book delivered on the promise of a fun fantasy that balanced the dark with the light. I'm glad I was given a chance to get an early glimpse!
My Rating: 3.5/5