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A review by the_bookishkat
The Veil by Ivy Brannon
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I really enjoyed this debut book by Ivy Brannon. It took everything I've loved in fantasy books throughout my reading life and combined it into one novel. If you're looking for a new enemies to lovers with different circumstances throughout the book, this one is for you! Every page I turned seemed to have another plot line, which certainly kept me hooked throughout.
While I enjoyed how similar this book felt to others out there at times (think The Cruel Prince, combined with A Court of Thorns of Roses, but definitely more New Adult), at other times I wasn't as sure whether I enjoyed such repeated tropes and character personalities. However, I think my overall opinion is that it worked. I loved Lina as the protagonist: confident, kind yet sometimes brash and witty. Her quips kept the romances and interactions feeling fresh and unique. I'd love to see what role Wynn plays more in future books as I was really interested in his part in the book.
One thing I struggled with was the pacing, or more accurately, the jumping with time. I found it somewhat hard to engage with Lina's story entering the Fae world and it felt like she almost immediately reluctantly accepted it - we are told she becomes more confident, but I would've liked to see more of her adjusting to court life and feeling like an outsider. Also, the war has so many references within this book, and I feel as though it holds strong importance in future books, and yet Lina feels so distanced and involved in it all at the same time. However, the pacing wasn't incredibly difficult to deal with, just takes a few chapters to adjust to and by that point, the action's so hectic that you end up not focusing on the pace anyway.
Overall, I did really enjoy this book and I think Brannon has a lot of potential as an author seeing as her debut is this good! If you're a reader looking to fill the gap that other popular romantasy books have left, The Veil is definitely a great choice to pick up next.
Thanks to NetGalley for early access to this book!
While I enjoyed how similar this book felt to others out there at times (think The Cruel Prince, combined with A Court of Thorns of Roses, but definitely more New Adult), at other times I wasn't as sure whether I enjoyed such repeated tropes and character personalities. However, I think my overall opinion is that it worked. I loved Lina as the protagonist: confident, kind yet sometimes brash and witty. Her quips kept the romances and interactions feeling fresh and unique. I'd love to see what role Wynn plays more in future books as I was really interested in his part in the book.
One thing I struggled with was the pacing, or more accurately, the jumping with time. I found it somewhat hard to engage with Lina's story entering the Fae world and it felt like she almost immediately reluctantly accepted it - we are told she becomes more confident, but I would've liked to see more of her adjusting to court life and feeling like an outsider. Also, the war has so many references within this book, and I feel as though it holds strong importance in future books, and yet Lina feels so distanced and involved in it all at the same time. However, the pacing wasn't incredibly difficult to deal with, just takes a few chapters to adjust to and by that point, the action's so hectic that you end up not focusing on the pace anyway.
Overall, I did really enjoy this book and I think Brannon has a lot of potential as an author seeing as her debut is this good! If you're a reader looking to fill the gap that other popular romantasy books have left, The Veil is definitely a great choice to pick up next.
Thanks to NetGalley for early access to this book!