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notallwitches 's review for:

Vesselless by Cortney L. Winn
5.0
adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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

No Spoilers: 

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!! This is one of the most unique dark fantasies I've ever read. This author did amazing character work, incredible world building, and devastating me when I realized book 2 isn't out yet. This book is so good and perfect for a fall read. But honestly great any time of the year. Please read this book!

Things I loved: 
-The magic/power system was so cool. A ring that helps you bond with a spirit and then you can tap into their power to do a number of things? Absolutely sick. 
-The relationship/dynamics between the main character and her family. It reminded me of Serpent and the Wings of Night but significantly darker. 
-The politics were so good. I loved the power struggles between everyone. 
-The layers of the world: different kingdoms, different planes of existence, and gods. 
-The romance is every much what you want in a slow burn. I loved how their relationship grew and how they looked at each other differently as the story progressed. 
-The storytelling elements reminded me a lot of One Dark Window. Part of the lore and world building was done through journal entries and a book within the book about a prophecy. 

Things I didn't love: 
NONE! See above. 

FYI: at the time I'm writing this the book is only available as an ebook/on KU. The author is being considered for trad publishing so she stopped printing physical copies.