sabinereadsbooks 's review for:

Whisked Away by Enola M. Douglas

3.25

adventurous emotional slow-paced

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This story has an enemies-to-lovers dynamic, with slow-burn emotional tension and overtly political world building.  It is a mild, why-choose omegaverse. 

It is written in a quiet yet confident tone, lending voice to the beautifully manicured descriptions of the characters, climate, scenery, and culture, all of which are vivid and compelling. Each word and image feels deliberately chosen… right up until the 70% point, where the writing begins to falter. The author’s excessive references to breathing, exhaling, and gasping becomes extremely distracting. I know that sounds like an odd thing to say, but the word “breath” or “breathing” is used 498 times, the word “exhale” is used 161 times. There’s a lot of “sharp inhaling” and “forced exhaling” and “gasping” that I could do without, as this repetitive imagery pulled me away from the plot and dialogue. 

The climax was lacklustre, the villains obvious, and the ending felt rushed, which was disappointing, because so much time and effort was put into developing such a rich world and loveable characters, I wanted more for them. 

It is difficult for me to be excited about the next book and the next set of characters when I feel as though the current ones did not receive a full story, despite the length of the book, nor was the ending satisfying. 

To end on a positive note, the FMC finds her inner strength thanks to the support of some very lovable side characters. The relationships she develops proves there is charm and magic in even the smallest ties. 

Thank you to the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.