A review by stardust_heidi
Lore of the Wilds by Analeigh Sbrana

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-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? No

4.0

Thanks for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book!

Okay! Overall, I really enjoyed this book! I think it has a very cozy "cottage core" magic vibe filled with great characters, magical forests, and lots of lore. (LOL...so bad, I know.) I'll definitely get my hands on the next book, because I'd love to see where the author takes this story. I think it was a creative blend of humans and fae with some obviously dark and unspecified thing keeping Lore's village hidden from the world.

At times I felt like the plot was a bit formulaic and predictable, in a way that made me not terribly surprised by the plot twists. I think by the last few pages the reason for some of my issues got explained, but it didn't keep me from questioning things in the moment. There were some moments that felt awkward and stilted, and some scenes/plot points that were resolved too easily. Examples of some of these things listed:
I think that even though the main characters had some hurdles during their adventures, some of the tense moments got resolved too quickly. For me one of these moments was when Lore rescued Grey from the queen and how easy it was. I also guessed the plot twist with Asher as soon as Lore and Finn started getting close; something told me that there was either going to be an annoying triangle (not my first guess) or that Asher was going to be the dark fae lord in disguise. And I was right. I think it was a good twist, to be honest, but once Asher returned back from his journey's with Isla, the way he and Lore interacted was really uncomfortable. I didn't trust him at all, and I think Lore had some of the ssame instincts despite the fact that she listened to her hormones over anything else (including any feelings she might have had for Finn) in the moment. In some ways, I was bummed with how quickly she returned to Asher -- some of those moments felt really awkward and stilted.


I think this story is a fresh take on a lot of beloved tropes, and I hope many readers find joy not only in the story but also the POC cast! I love how the author focused her own joy into some of the fine details of Lore and the others. A great read!
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