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ohshebookish's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Thank you so much R&R Book Tours and Day Leitao for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
Dreams, secrets, and a slow burn romance make up this light fantasy romance. I really enjoyed this book! It was such a fun, quick read. The storyline was unique and interesting, and I loved the characters. If you're a fan of enemies to lovers, magic, spicy dreams, a grumpy protective MMC, and a sassy FMC, you should check out this book!
The plot was different than anything I've read before. I really liked the political intrigue and sort of a behind the scenes of a royal family/life. Learning about the substitutes for the prince and princess, and their schooling and training was a unique take on a royal story. I also really like the shared dreams and how they played a part in bringing our MC's together and toward their shared destinies. This is more of a character driven story, so the world building is fairly light. We get a surface look at the world, as well as a glimpse into a few of the royal courts. We mainly learn a lot about the characters, their pasts, and their inner thoughts. There's also a lot of secrets and mystery throughout the story which keeps you reading and wanting to know more. There's a bit of a shocker/plot twist at the end, but unlike most stories, a majority of it is explained right away. So, while you're not left on a heartbreaking cliffhanger, there's still enough of a cliff to leave you ready for the next book.
The characters were so easy to fall in love with and root for. Astra is strong and brave, and tends to put others before herself. Despite that, she's not a pushover, and stands up to others fairly easily. I was sad that her life was mainly about being used for others gain, and I liked her growth into doing things for herself and learning more about her magic and her kindred soul. Marlak was definitely my favorite! I wish the book was dual pov because it would have been great to see things from his perspective. Marlak is grumpy, but he's such a badass magic wielder. My favorite thing is how protective he was of Astra, and that he respected her space, promising not to force anything against her will. His sarcasm was hilarious, and paired with Astra's sassy atittude, it made the banter between them sooo good. I really liked that we got to learn about his trauma, and see a vulnerable side of him, as it made his character multifaceted. The shared dreams, and Marlak and Astra's reactions to them, were some of my favorite parts of the book. The tension between them was perfect and I loved seeing them fall for each other.
To be honest, I wasn't sure if I was going to like this book because I struggled with the writing style. There's a lot of repetition of words, statements, and descriptions that I felt were unnecessary. My main issue, was that the writing felt more diarist, like someone writing thoughts or recounting a story exactly as it comes to mind. However, these issues did get a little better in the middle/end, and the plot overtook the writing style for me. Once the story really started going and more events happened, I was able to really get into the book and finished it very quickly!
While the book wasn't perfect, i did enjoy it. I got invested in the love story, the growth of the characters, and the overall plot. I'm excited to see where the story goes from here, and can't wait to read the next book!
Dreams, secrets, and a slow burn romance make up this light fantasy romance. I really enjoyed this book! It was such a fun, quick read. The storyline was unique and interesting, and I loved the characters. If you're a fan of enemies to lovers, magic, spicy dreams, a grumpy protective MMC, and a sassy FMC, you should check out this book!
The plot was different than anything I've read before. I really liked the political intrigue and sort of a behind the scenes of a royal family/life. Learning about the substitutes for the prince and princess, and their schooling and training was a unique take on a royal story. I also really like the shared dreams and how they played a part in bringing our MC's together and toward their shared destinies. This is more of a character driven story, so the world building is fairly light. We get a surface look at the world, as well as a glimpse into a few of the royal courts. We mainly learn a lot about the characters, their pasts, and their inner thoughts. There's also a lot of secrets and mystery throughout the story which keeps you reading and wanting to know more. There's a bit of a shocker/plot twist at the end, but unlike most stories, a majority of it is explained right away. So, while you're not left on a heartbreaking cliffhanger, there's still enough of a cliff to leave you ready for the next book.
The characters were so easy to fall in love with and root for. Astra is strong and brave, and tends to put others before herself. Despite that, she's not a pushover, and stands up to others fairly easily. I was sad that her life was mainly about being used for others gain, and I liked her growth into doing things for herself and learning more about her magic and her kindred soul. Marlak was definitely my favorite! I wish the book was dual pov because it would have been great to see things from his perspective. Marlak is grumpy, but he's such a badass magic wielder. My favorite thing is how protective he was of Astra, and that he respected her space, promising not to force anything against her will. His sarcasm was hilarious, and paired with Astra's sassy atittude, it made the banter between them sooo good. I really liked that we got to learn about his trauma, and see a vulnerable side of him, as it made his character multifaceted. The shared dreams, and Marlak and Astra's reactions to them, were some of my favorite parts of the book. The tension between them was perfect and I loved seeing them fall for each other.
To be honest, I wasn't sure if I was going to like this book because I struggled with the writing style. There's a lot of repetition of words, statements, and descriptions that I felt were unnecessary. My main issue, was that the writing felt more diarist, like someone writing thoughts or recounting a story exactly as it comes to mind. However, these issues did get a little better in the middle/end, and the plot overtook the writing style for me. Once the story really started going and more events happened, I was able to really get into the book and finished it very quickly!
While the book wasn't perfect, i did enjoy it. I got invested in the love story, the growth of the characters, and the overall plot. I'm excited to see where the story goes from here, and can't wait to read the next book!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Death of parent
murve's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I was extremely intrigued by the premise of this book and the use of dreams. That is honestly what carried this book for me. I felt like it was easy to jump into and there wasn't excessive world building. At times it felt immature/cringe. (view spoiler) To the point that I almost DNF'd around 60%. Thankfully, it was a quick read and I was able to finish it up in one afternoon. I'm left somewhat curious about book 2 because I want to see how the dream connections will be used to further the story. Otherwise, my threshold for cringe tolerance will be much lower.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail