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A review by _ckarys
Beyond the Shadowed Earth by Joanna Ruth Meyer
3.0
I received an ebook copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Actual rating: 2.5 stars
Beyond the Shadowed Earth had a very strong start for me. I was so very intrigued by Eda, our villainous protagonist. Her ruthlessness and determination made for an unpredictable protagonist, and I found it extremely refreshing. Her villainous traits set Eda apart from the usual heroine, and coupled with an incredible world-building frame and a winning political intrigue, I was hooked.
My problems started more or less when Ileem, the love interest, showed up. As much as I enjoyed reading the interactions between him and Eda, I found that the affection between the two was too quick, and that Eda’s softening—especially with such a quick pace—diminished her villainous allure. Unfortunately, things didn’t get better for me after that. The political intrigue that I was so hooked on at first ended up feeling rushed and ended too quickly. The plot, sadly, became predictable, and the most shocking twist was one that I predicted far too easily.
After the first 50 percent, the book started to drag. Events should have made Eda a more relatable and, perhaps, likeable character, but it wasn’t the case for me. The Eda of the second half of the book was a character I found hard to understand and hardly likeable, because she was so different from the character that was first presented. It didn’t help that the bonds she makes in this part of the book were introduced too late and were too underdeveloped for me to feel invested or interested in them, which made the ending flat and unsatisfactory.
Actual rating: 2.5 stars
Beyond the Shadowed Earth had a very strong start for me. I was so very intrigued by Eda, our villainous protagonist. Her ruthlessness and determination made for an unpredictable protagonist, and I found it extremely refreshing. Her villainous traits set Eda apart from the usual heroine, and coupled with an incredible world-building frame and a winning political intrigue, I was hooked.
My problems started more or less when Ileem, the love interest, showed up. As much as I enjoyed reading the interactions between him and Eda, I found that the affection between the two was too quick, and that Eda’s softening—especially with such a quick pace—diminished her villainous allure. Unfortunately, things didn’t get better for me after that. The political intrigue that I was so hooked on at first ended up feeling rushed and ended too quickly. The plot, sadly, became predictable, and the most shocking twist was one that I predicted far too easily.
After the first 50 percent, the book started to drag. Events should have made Eda a more relatable and, perhaps, likeable character, but it wasn’t the case for me. The Eda of the second half of the book was a character I found hard to understand and hardly likeable, because she was so different from the character that was first presented. It didn’t help that the bonds she makes in this part of the book were introduced too late and were too underdeveloped for me to feel invested or interested in them, which made the ending flat and unsatisfactory.