napthenknit 's review for:

Phantom and Rook by Aelina Isaacs

3.75

funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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I think this is what they mean by "cozy" romance. Nothing terrible happened, no wild miscommunication or cheating or faked deaths. The stakes should have felt high, but they really weren't. For example, there was a huge genocidal war within the recent lifetime of the characters, but that doesn't seem to traumatize anyone or have any major repercussions on the world. Bizarre.

The worldbuilding was so-so. Very interesting, but also inconsistent. Arlo's power is supposed to be focused on the barrier between life and death, but he does all kinds of random magic so I'm not sure why the author even bothered mentioning that magic has specializations. He's a bit overpowered and idealized, as is the whole friends group, but nobody in particular annoyed me.

I feel like this storyline was wrapped up well and I am curious to see what comes next for this universe.