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donnakay's profile picture

donnakay 's review for:

2.0
adventurous challenging mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Thank you to the publisher for sharing an arc with me. 

This was an okay read for me. I was excited for the Mulan-like retelling, but the charcatwra never fully landed for me. Mielin leaves home to join the army and make a difference in the trajectory of her life. Her father was not the best to her and we're told throughout the novel that she was being selfish for not staying in a woman's place and finding fulfillment in service to man and country. She also spent her journey to carve out a space for herself, seeking more and more power, but it all felt somewhat surface-level. I really would have loved to have gotten further into her psyche to get to the kitty gritty of why she thinks of herself as selfish, and maybe get some action to back up that claim. 

On another note, there are powerful beings in this world whose aim is to use human to restore and destroy a great power source. If you enjoy stories where the MC must go on a journey for hidden power, and make unexpected discoveries  along the way, then this novel.migjt be up your alley.