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A review by bookishlifewk
Sunflower in the Shadows by Ambrosia R. Harris
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
For fans of the Vampire Diaries who think Damon and Bonnie should have ended up together
The marketing and synopsis of this book immediately drew me in and I was very grateful enough to receive an arc copy to give an honest review. A drunken witch accidentally summoning a demon was not on my bookish bingo card but I am all for it!
*This review may contain minor spoilers*
Writing/Plot
A mysterious book lands into the hands of our main character Mina who then decides it’s a good idea to drunkenly chant the strange Latin language around a campfire with her friends. This in turn summons a demon who will grant each of them their deepest desire, for the price of their souls.
Of course, they say yes…
We are introduced to Eriusazul, a demon from a realm called the 6 Circles who is unable to go back due to the mishap with the ritual ( among other things). He and Mina are accidentally tethered to each other and are unable to go their separate ways.
But wait there's more!
Mina not only is able to speak to the dead, but she can also turn into a demonic hybrid with an additional set of powers that keep growing. What I wanted from all of this was a set explanation of the power/magic system so I could understand things a bit better.
I also felt that there was a lot of descriptive writing to set the scene and not enough dialogue for my taste. We follow Mina through her daily routine of getting ready, going to work, doing things at work, getting food (food trips are necessary but this was VERY repetitive), and settling in for the night. All in vivid detail. I felt that the book began to drag a bit. Due to this, the plot is lost in the endless chapters of Mina and Erius moving through the week in a repetitive cycle.
As someone who enjoys conversation and a bit of banter, I felt that it was lacking. In Mina and Erius’ relationship, I understood that the demon comes off as guarded and silent due to his distrust of humans. However, Mina was not as engaging either so a lot of their conversations consisted of short one-liners, dancing around topics, and Erius’ smug smile after ignoring or teasing Mina. This doesn’t change until later in the book when the plot comes to life and the two are getting to the bottom of their situation.
Characters
I found myself liking the few chapters that featured Erius’ point of view. His perspective explained a lot more of what was going on in the story and his emotions (or at least the few that he has) shine through. Though as guarded as he is, his lack of communication forces Mina to constantly ask questions that are most of the time unanswered. This evasiveness is a theme in the majority of their conversations. Mina does not have emotions due to the tether so her thoughts and perspective of things come off as flat. I am not sure if this was done purposely by the author but the character in my opinion came off as flat as well due to this. Especially with the lack of internal thoughts and monologue.
Their relationship was rocky in the beginning but with the power of lust, the two came together and the romance began to pop off.
So in other words, the smut was very much so smutting…..does this count as monster corn (you guys know what I’m trying to say)?
I will say, that Erius falls into the possessive “she’s mine” category which is kind of my favorite "toxic book boyfriend trait". He begins to open up to her and shows a softer side, but with little to no inner thoughts being written, I wasn’t entirely sure how Mina felt about the state of their relationship. It seemed as though her friend Amber had more to say about it all.
As for her group of friends (who have also been roped into the situation), I did not see much of them aside from their short chapters showcasing the development of their powers.
Overall thoughts
I gave this book 3 stars as it is my way of saying the book lands in a neutral area of good but still has some qualities that I did not like as much. Despite the few things I found were cons in reading this, I believe that the story has a good start and could become something greater. I am very interested in where things will go now that the characters banded together to dive into the world of demons and other monsters. I expect to see a lot more action, a new look into Mina and Erius’ relationship, and more information on the world and its power system. A lot of things were introduced that I felt needed to be fully explained.
I can’t wait to read the next one!
The marketing and synopsis of this book immediately drew me in and I was very grateful enough to receive an arc copy to give an honest review. A drunken witch accidentally summoning a demon was not on my bookish bingo card but I am all for it!
*This review may contain minor spoilers*
Writing/Plot
A mysterious book lands into the hands of our main character Mina who then decides it’s a good idea to drunkenly chant the strange Latin language around a campfire with her friends. This in turn summons a demon who will grant each of them their deepest desire, for the price of their souls.
Of course, they say yes…
We are introduced to Eriusazul, a demon from a realm called the 6 Circles who is unable to go back due to the mishap with the ritual ( among other things). He and Mina are accidentally tethered to each other and are unable to go their separate ways.
But wait there's more!
Mina not only is able to speak to the dead, but she can also turn into a demonic hybrid with an additional set of powers that keep growing. What I wanted from all of this was a set explanation of the power/magic system so I could understand things a bit better.
I also felt that there was a lot of descriptive writing to set the scene and not enough dialogue for my taste. We follow Mina through her daily routine of getting ready, going to work, doing things at work, getting food (food trips are necessary but this was VERY repetitive), and settling in for the night. All in vivid detail. I felt that the book began to drag a bit. Due to this, the plot is lost in the endless chapters of Mina and Erius moving through the week in a repetitive cycle.
As someone who enjoys conversation and a bit of banter, I felt that it was lacking. In Mina and Erius’ relationship, I understood that the demon comes off as guarded and silent due to his distrust of humans. However, Mina was not as engaging either so a lot of their conversations consisted of short one-liners, dancing around topics, and Erius’ smug smile after ignoring or teasing Mina. This doesn’t change until later in the book when the plot comes to life and the two are getting to the bottom of their situation.
Characters
I found myself liking the few chapters that featured Erius’ point of view. His perspective explained a lot more of what was going on in the story and his emotions (or at least the few that he has) shine through. Though as guarded as he is, his lack of communication forces Mina to constantly ask questions that are most of the time unanswered. This evasiveness is a theme in the majority of their conversations. Mina does not have emotions due to the tether so her thoughts and perspective of things come off as flat. I am not sure if this was done purposely by the author but the character in my opinion came off as flat as well due to this. Especially with the lack of internal thoughts and monologue.
Their relationship was rocky in the beginning but with the power of lust, the two came together and the romance began to pop off.
So in other words, the smut was very much so smutting…..does this count as monster corn (you guys know what I’m trying to say)?
I will say, that Erius falls into the possessive “she’s mine” category which is kind of my favorite "toxic book boyfriend trait". He begins to open up to her and shows a softer side, but with little to no inner thoughts being written, I wasn’t entirely sure how Mina felt about the state of their relationship. It seemed as though her friend Amber had more to say about it all.
As for her group of friends (who have also been roped into the situation), I did not see much of them aside from their short chapters showcasing the development of their powers.
Overall thoughts
I gave this book 3 stars as it is my way of saying the book lands in a neutral area of good but still has some qualities that I did not like as much. Despite the few things I found were cons in reading this, I believe that the story has a good start and could become something greater. I am very interested in where things will go now that the characters banded together to dive into the world of demons and other monsters. I expect to see a lot more action, a new look into Mina and Erius’ relationship, and more information on the world and its power system. A lot of things were introduced that I felt needed to be fully explained.
I can’t wait to read the next one!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content