mleetm's review against another edition
5.0
Love it!! So much humor packed action! This is definitely a great start to a series.
sh543's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
aly36's review
5.0
I really enjoyed this book too. I love adventure and mystery and a great place to let my imagination go wild. This book did that for me. It caught me right from the beginning! * I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*
clanhay's review
My library had this listed as a regular fantasy novella. It should have been listed as a children’s book or maybe young adult. DNF, no rating, just not the kind of thing I’m looking for.
bertturtel's review
5.0
You are dropped into the middle of Never's life at a run, and then never slow down.
Wonderful (official) start to an interesting series.
Warning: this series reads as one book- going straight from one to the next with no interruption.
Wonderful (official) start to an interesting series.
Warning: this series reads as one book- going straight from one to the next with no interruption.
aldreaalien's review
5.0
I was hooked from the very first time I read a preview of this on Ashley's site. I just had to know what happened with the curse in Never's blood. The ending did leave me with a few questions unanswered. You can't just mention it and leave it at that. I need to know, dammit!
Hoping things get better for Never in the next book, which I'll certainly be reading soon.
Spoiler
What about that glowing symbol? And that creature, omg, what was up there?Hoping things get better for Never in the next book, which I'll certainly be reading soon.
notenoughnewts's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
bibliophilicrichard's review
2.0
I received this e-book for free in exchange for an honest review.
To be honest, the book really had a lot of potential with its premise. The problem is, it just wasn't working for me. The first four chapters really caught my attention with the sense of mystery surrounding Never and what makes him so special. After that, everything went downhill. Believe me, I love fantasy and quests will keep me up at night but in this book's case, I really wasn't interested. I didn't like the description as I often found it hard to imagine the setting. I didn't see the logic behind the sequence of events and how everything wrapped up. Despite that, I like Never as a character. He has this spunk that reels you in and an attitude that will make you say "whoa!" a lot. I also like the magic system in this book. Even though it's not completely unique, Ashley Capes made it work and it fit well with the mystery tone of the book.
This book was enjoyable but it's just not for me right now. Time may come that I will be interested in reading it again and who knows, my opinion might change.
To be honest, the book really had a lot of potential with its premise. The problem is, it just wasn't working for me. The first four chapters really caught my attention with the sense of mystery surrounding Never and what makes him so special. After that, everything went downhill. Believe me, I love fantasy and quests will keep me up at night but in this book's case, I really wasn't interested. I didn't like the description as I often found it hard to imagine the setting. I didn't see the logic behind the sequence of events and how everything wrapped up. Despite that, I like Never as a character. He has this spunk that reels you in and an attitude that will make you say "whoa!" a lot. I also like the magic system in this book. Even though it's not completely unique, Ashley Capes made it work and it fit well with the mystery tone of the book.
This book was enjoyable but it's just not for me right now. Time may come that I will be interested in reading it again and who knows, my opinion might change.
jjcrafts's review
3.0
Never, a thief and all-round scoundrel, has stolen a map to a magical isle that he thinks will have the answer to the curse he's been living with. Cue monstrous mermaids and deadly mazes.
I normally love characters like this which is why I was so excited to pick this novella up. Unfortunately this suffered from the common issue I find in some novellas. Nothing was really developed much and there wasn't enough time spent on any events or characters, including Never himself, which left me feeling disappointed. I felt like the story only ever skimmed the surface and could have gone much deeper. But maybe I went in expecting too much as this really did sound perfect to me. It was still an exciting adventure with clever traps and a creepy magical feel. It's also the first in a series so I'm sure things get developed further but I didn't feel connected to the character enough to want to carry on.
I normally love characters like this which is why I was so excited to pick this novella up. Unfortunately this suffered from the common issue I find in some novellas. Nothing was really developed much and there wasn't enough time spent on any events or characters, including Never himself, which left me feeling disappointed. I felt like the story only ever skimmed the surface and could have gone much deeper. But maybe I went in expecting too much as this really did sound perfect to me. It was still an exciting adventure with clever traps and a creepy magical feel. It's also the first in a series so I'm sure things get developed further but I didn't feel connected to the character enough to want to carry on.
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