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A review by despinareviews
Heir of Shadows and Ice by J.M. Wallace
4.0
*4.25 stars*
Plot: Kelera is a half-fae, half-mortal young woman living in the human court, trying her best to fit in. When kidnappings by fae force her to cross the veil into the fae world, she finds herself in Elfhame, a land she is not familiar with and whose rules she has no concept of.
Thoughts:
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. My minor critique is that though the pacing was pretty 'medium', it did take me a little while to fully get invested in the book as a lot of setup took place and nothing was really happening (I would say the story starts kicking in around the 30% mark or so? I didn't keep a note but off feel that was probably it) - but once I did, it absolutely didn't disappoint. The world building was brilliant and you can tell the author has a lot up their sleeve.
There were various bits I loved, but my main like is that Kelera isn't your typical 'badass strong character who always knows what to do' which we often see in this genre. If you're expecting a Jude Duarte type character (Cruel Prince) you won't find her here. As someone who has spent her whole life trying to appease and not frighten the people around her due to her connection to magic, she is often more quiet, presenting herself as well as she can and makes as little space for herself as possible, despite having immense power. Her desire to make others feel unintimidated really stuck out to me because the book really develops that side of her without it feeling rushed. You can see her character's motivations and thought process despite it being written in third person in a way I didn't think I would during the first 30% or so of the book.
I also like the fact this book didn't go down the 'she hates the man she is betrothed to' trope. This book was quite refreshing and I have to say though I initially found the main love interest ... too dark for my taste, their dynamic really grew on me as I read on.
Overall, I genuinely cannot wait until the next instalment because the worldbuilding and conflict set up is really interesting and I can see a few things which will likely come up and develop which I think will create a great world - a lot of political intrigue and a large volume of characters who all have distinct enough personalities for you not to get lost with it will also help with this.
I was provided with an ARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review, which I leave voluntarily.
Plot: Kelera is a half-fae, half-mortal young woman living in the human court, trying her best to fit in. When kidnappings by fae force her to cross the veil into the fae world, she finds herself in Elfhame, a land she is not familiar with and whose rules she has no concept of.
Thoughts:
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. My minor critique is that though the pacing was pretty 'medium', it did take me a little while to fully get invested in the book as a lot of setup took place and nothing was really happening (I would say the story starts kicking in around the 30% mark or so? I didn't keep a note but off feel that was probably it) - but once I did, it absolutely didn't disappoint. The world building was brilliant and you can tell the author has a lot up their sleeve.
There were various bits I loved, but my main like is that Kelera isn't your typical 'badass strong character who always knows what to do' which we often see in this genre. If you're expecting a Jude Duarte type character (Cruel Prince) you won't find her here. As someone who has spent her whole life trying to appease and not frighten the people around her due to her connection to magic, she is often more quiet, presenting herself as well as she can and makes as little space for herself as possible, despite having immense power. Her desire to make others feel unintimidated really stuck out to me because the book really develops that side of her without it feeling rushed. You can see her character's motivations and thought process despite it being written in third person in a way I didn't think I would during the first 30% or so of the book.
I also like the fact this book didn't go down the 'she hates the man she is betrothed to' trope. This book was quite refreshing and I have to say though I initially found the main love interest ... too dark for my taste, their dynamic really grew on me as I read on.
Overall, I genuinely cannot wait until the next instalment because the worldbuilding and conflict set up is really interesting and I can see a few things which will likely come up and develop which I think will create a great world - a lot of political intrigue and a large volume of characters who all have distinct enough personalities for you not to get lost with it will also help with this.
I was provided with an ARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review, which I leave voluntarily.