Reviews

Aisling: A Spell Unbinding by A.E. Jürgens

lexrex's review against another edition

3.0

This book took 8 months to finish, I read the first one in 1 week and was so excited for this one but it just got too wordy and too deep into world building. Tbh had nooo idea what was happening by the end and probably won’t continue

Spoiler

someone needs to take the world glare from AE Jurgens bc the amount she uses that word should be criminal

pageofswords's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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? Yes

5.0

whitneyfisher41's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-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

4.75

idreaminbooks's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

caradniehoff's review

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

elisebavs's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

thewiserslone's review

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense 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? Yes

5.0

rlorusso's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

I didn’t enjoy this book as much as the first book, but I do want to see where it goes. It’s unusual to have a protagonist who is hard to get behind. In the first book, Aisling’s growth felt natural and made sense based on her past. In this book, her hunger for power made her very one dimensional as a character. It was hard to cheer for her, and it was the same for her two love interests. I was never sure who I was supposed to want her to end up with because they are both morally grey. 

jpechman's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

e_whitethorn's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

I really enjoyed book 1, and I was still not prepared for how much I LOVED this second installment. Once I picked it up, I could not stop, and ended up finishing it in one day. 
This book TRULY has all of the tropes everyone says they want (but no one ever really gets): 
a real enemies to lovers, a true morally grey LI, slow burn, forbidden love, touch her and die. 

Jurgens prose are so lyrical and evoke such incredible imagery. I’m also a sucker for a good Aurthurian vibed quest and this book hits that very specific spot. I love that maps were included in this book! And for how vast this world is, she keeps her worldbuilding tight and clean. I never felt overwhelmed by it or confused. And if book 1 was beautifully pastoral, book 2 captures the magic, whimsy, and enchantment of a frosty winter kingdom. 

The editing was improved in this installment, and the pacing was impeccably done. The development in Aisling’s character was wonderful as well, to finally see some of her vulnerability and to see her start to understand herself and what it is she wants. 
I read a review that said this series is not a romance and I very much disagree. This is not an insta love kind of story, this is truly a slow burn. It takes a long time for our main characters to really get to know one another, see different sides of each other, and understand the other’s motivations before coming to the decision that they choose one another. Along the way, the reader experiences the tension, the longing, the angst, the yearning, and the frustration that culminates in a very satisfying pay off. 
One of my criticisms with book 1 was I felt there were some missed opportunities to give the reader more of an emotional pay off. And I do still have that same criticism with this book. (Though I do think it was done better here)

SPOILERS

This author does an excellent job of showing the reader vs telling in her writing. But when it comes to big emotional relational interactions, I wish she would show more of the characters’ emotions in those instances. For example, when Aisling chooses Lir over Dagfin- I was desperate for more of Lir’s reaction to that decision. I also wanted to know Aisling’s thoughts when Lir decided to exact revenge over the child sacrifice in Bludhaven, especially considering the conversation they had the previous evening. And I would have enjoyed a Lir pov during their binding as well since that was such an important fate altering decision and he was finally vulnerable in his feelings toward Aisling (and also we been WAITING for that scene, so I think I speak for most when I say having more would have been very welcomed😮‍💨). 

I can not wait for book 3!!! I can’t wait to learn more about these characters and their relationship together and their relationship with their power. (I am also shamelessly hoping for more spice 🙃)