A review by artbysmashley
Amber & Dusk by Lyra Selene

4.0

When I began this book I was drawn in. The first fifty or so pages were wonderful! Where I started to waver with my interest, and where I expected to be leaving a 3 star review, was the middle of the book. It felt a bit muddled at times - as if the author was trying to squeeze in too much. I thought her writing was lovely, albeit a bit over-elaborate in moments (there were passages where I felt everything was a metaphor, though I think that worked a bit for Sylvie’s character so it could have been intentional). The last 100 pages were where I think the plot flourished. It sucked me in. It was clearly one of those books heavily wetting up for the future installments. That’s where I knew I’d want to leave 4 stars. One of my favorite things was having a heroine who winds up in a palace setting and rather than snubbing her nose at the finery and luxury, she craves it. She wants to belong because she feels like she deserves this world, this lavish lifestyle. (This is revealed a handful of pages in, so it’s not a spoiler.) Sylvie’s ambition is self-motivated and to be honest a bit selfish but I rather liked reading a character like that. I think her arc is going to be really interesting as the story proceeds!