emiann2023's review against another edition
5.0
Read this one at my mom's recommendation. Surprising, since this isn't her usual cup of tea.
I was pleasantly surprised with the world here. A bit shaky at points, and some eye rolling was necessary, but overall this was a solid read and I'm excited for the next books in the series.
I was pleasantly surprised with the world here. A bit shaky at points, and some eye rolling was necessary, but overall this was a solid read and I'm excited for the next books in the series.
chartsh's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
lululovesbooks77's review against another edition
I am SOOO DISAPPOINTED right now because I LOVE LOVE LOVE NORA ROBERTS. I fell in love with romance novels because of her books!!! I had really high hopes for this book because I LOVED The trilogy for CHRONICLES OF THE ONE. So, just let me say how disappointed I am that 9 chapters in and IM BORED AND its soooo slow that I just Could NOT Get into this book! 😞. And I have so many other great books to be read and I just didn’t want to invest anymore time in this. Urgh, it had so many good reviews too! Dang it…
rhysdri's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.5
hannas_heas47's review against another edition
5.0
Audiobook was amazeballs!
This was a fascinating story with a cliffhanger. I should have known it was a trilogy. Seems there all the thing these days. I’ve just gotten into audiobooks and the narrator did a wonderful job.
What did I like? This lady can spin a story like you wouldn’t believe. I am all prepared to quit my job and head to Ireland for my own adventure. It was almost like being there already as the story was descriptive and blew me away. Bremen was a fabulous main character and I really hope she strengthens her resolve in the next book!
Would I recommend or buy? Yes, this was a fabulous book and the audiobook was superb. Five huge stars!
I’m reviewing from a library copy!
This was a fascinating story with a cliffhanger. I should have known it was a trilogy. Seems there all the thing these days. I’ve just gotten into audiobooks and the narrator did a wonderful job.
What did I like? This lady can spin a story like you wouldn’t believe. I am all prepared to quit my job and head to Ireland for my own adventure. It was almost like being there already as the story was descriptive and blew me away. Bremen was a fabulous main character and I really hope she strengthens her resolve in the next book!
Would I recommend or buy? Yes, this was a fabulous book and the audiobook was superb. Five huge stars!
I’m reviewing from a library copy!
nerdyforbooks_'s review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I knew before finishing this book it would likely be a 4⭐️ read for me & I would want to continue the series. While it has its issues (and a crap ending), it still kept me invested in the story.
Breen is… not the most enjoyable MC. She’s fine, but the whole trope of the MC being told they’re never going to be anything amazing actually being “the savior of the world who’s so amazing” just gets my eyes rolling hard. She’s lucky she’s not an entirely unlikeable character even if she got annoying at times.
As others have mentioned the dialogue gets weird at points, some characters aren’t flesh out past very surface level stereotypes (but that’s not always uncommon in the first book of a series) - the plot itself isn’t bad & left me wanting to know more about the other world. There’s also this weird change in POV that happens at times where you’re seeing things from character A then suddenly it’ll randomly jump to character B & you’re like oh.. your turn now for two paragraphs I guess??
It’s a tame, cozy read IMO that honestly didn’t feel slow. It just kept along at a steady pace that made sense for the story. Until that ending… ugh.
Breen is… not the most enjoyable MC. She’s fine, but the whole trope of the MC being told they’re never going to be anything amazing actually being “the savior of the world who’s so amazing” just gets my eyes rolling hard. She’s lucky she’s not an entirely unlikeable character even if she got annoying at times.
As others have mentioned the dialogue gets weird at points, some characters aren’t flesh out past very surface level stereotypes (but that’s not always uncommon in the first book of a series) - the plot itself isn’t bad & left me wanting to know more about the other world. There’s also this weird change in POV that happens at times where you’re seeing things from character A then suddenly it’ll randomly jump to character B & you’re like oh.. your turn now for two paragraphs I guess??
It’s a tame, cozy read IMO that honestly didn’t feel slow. It just kept along at a steady pace that made sense for the story. Until that ending… ugh.
akjohn90's review against another edition
Not what I thought it was going to be. Got to the second part of the book and it was a chore just 2 get that far.
obstinateheadstrongcurl's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
- This book was terrible. It was somewhere between a cosy fantasy and a romantasy, and it did neither well. The cosy bits dragged and the spice felt jarring in what otherwise felt like a book for old biddies. Breen was the kind of Chosen One who is good at everything, which is such lazy writing to me. No character was fleshed out beyond the most basic stereotype, from the gay best friend to the magical Irish. I don’t think there’s any way this story could have been saved. Nora Roberts should have taken a note from Breen and kept this one in her ‘don’t show to others’ journal.
Spoiler
Her rapid publishing deal was laughable, as was the idea that her mother wanted her to have a ‘reliable career’ so she forced her to get a Masters in education to teach middle school English. (Side note, why did Breen love children and writing middle grade stories but LOATHE teaching middle school English? That’s a career which lines up pretty perfectly with her interests. Obviously not as good as being on holiday for months at a time, but hardly worth the level of hatred this book gives it.)
ottoj's review against another edition
4.0
I have had this book on hold and suspended multiple times. Finally got around to reading it and thoroughly enjoyed it. I would even go as far to say that it was one of the best fantasy books that I have read this year. Roberts creates a magical elven world and does a great job of tying both worlds together. I will recommend this book to readers who are looking for a light fantasy read. Looking forward to The Becoming. I finished this a few days ago and am still thinking of Ireland!
jbmarie's review against another edition
4.0
This is my first Nora Roberts and while interesting, the dialogue was terrible. It did not sound natural. It also sounded like Roberts was trying to use "young, hip" language without actually being young or knowing any slang. Very odd. But the plot made up for it, so I'll keep reading.