tbrwarriors_87's review against another edition
5.0
South African Author!
When Cassia is not at the hospital studying to be a Dr or taking care of her terminally ill sister, she seems to be dreaming of her best friend Lucas who disappeared 4 years ago.
Cassia has never gotten over the sudden disappearance of her best friend. He was there one moment and gone the next, no one is even looking for him anymore.
She started having dreams of Lucas a few nights ago. Lucas is trying to tell her something but she can't hear what he is trying to say, and she can't get to him in her dream.
Cassia's little sister Calla struggles with excruciating pain that comes and goes, the Dr's say she is dying but NO ONE can tell them what's wrong with her.
One night whilst studying in the hospital, Cassia is accosted by a stranger in VERY odd clothing - he knows who she is and INSISTS he come along with him, a fight ensues but inevitably Cassia wakes up in Selene with a necklace around her neck, a necklace sporting 8 feathers...
Cassia is thrown into a world she does not know, learning things she never imagined real and come to terms with the fact that not everything is as she always thought about the people she loves nor herself. Cassia may have learnt how to save her sister, but she only has until the last feather falls to save her friend, save a realm and her own sister.
I absolutely devoured this book I think in like 5 sittings total. This was such an original story and will have you hooked from the first page. It was just so immersive and so much fun.
Both character and plot driven, there is ALWAYS something happening. You both LOVE Cassia as a main character and want to smack her at times
When Cassia is not at the hospital studying to be a Dr or taking care of her terminally ill sister, she seems to be dreaming of her best friend Lucas who disappeared 4 years ago.
Cassia has never gotten over the sudden disappearance of her best friend. He was there one moment and gone the next, no one is even looking for him anymore.
She started having dreams of Lucas a few nights ago. Lucas is trying to tell her something but she can't hear what he is trying to say, and she can't get to him in her dream.
Cassia's little sister Calla struggles with excruciating pain that comes and goes, the Dr's say she is dying but NO ONE can tell them what's wrong with her.
One night whilst studying in the hospital, Cassia is accosted by a stranger in VERY odd clothing - he knows who she is and INSISTS he come along with him, a fight ensues but inevitably Cassia wakes up in Selene with a necklace around her neck, a necklace sporting 8 feathers...
Cassia is thrown into a world she does not know, learning things she never imagined real and come to terms with the fact that not everything is as she always thought about the people she loves nor herself. Cassia may have learnt how to save her sister, but she only has until the last feather falls to save her friend, save a realm and her own sister.
I absolutely devoured this book I think in like 5 sittings total. This was such an original story and will have you hooked from the first page. It was just so immersive and so much fun.
Both character and plot driven, there is ALWAYS something happening. You both LOVE Cassia as a main character and want to smack her at times
suzanna_gg's review against another edition
4.0
This was fun!! I wish there was a little more space to flesh out the Selene characters but thank u shameez for keeping a friendship a friendship!! I def played into the trope but anyways!! Excited to read the arc for the next one:)
nikireadsstuff's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
reflective
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? No
4.0
kosmikastaway's review against another edition
5.0
It has a little bit of everything written beautifully at an engaging pace. Characters I've grown to love and look forward to the next installments.
urban_reads's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Full review coming soon!
readingcaffeinated's review against another edition
4.0
If you love character driven adventures, then run - don't walk - to your nearest book store and get yourself a copy of this book. The author has the impeccable talent to bring you an adventure filled with witty banter, epic action and enough intrigue that you will be suffering from a book hangover. Luckily for you Book 2 will be hitting the shelves soon (Keep an eye out for my review tomorrow) and you will be able to return to the world of Selene and all the epicness that it brings.
With characters for everyone's tastes and flavors, this descriptively rich story was probably one of the most easiest to read fantasy books I have had the pleasure to enjoy in quite some time. For a debut author, I am absolutely blown away by her ability to bring this story world to life with so much detail an yet not info-dumpy in the slightest. This is definitely an author to watch. She is already a firm favorite of mine.
With characters for everyone's tastes and flavors, this descriptively rich story was probably one of the most easiest to read fantasy books I have had the pleasure to enjoy in quite some time. For a debut author, I am absolutely blown away by her ability to bring this story world to life with so much detail an yet not info-dumpy in the slightest. This is definitely an author to watch. She is already a firm favorite of mine.
stewardofbooks's review against another edition
3.0
Magic and monsters and the chance of a miracle cure for her little sister. When Cassia finds herself dragged into a parallel realm against her will, her life is forever changed. As she becomes increasingly involved in events beyond her control, Cassia is confronted with a lot of secrets from the past and has to come to grips with a reality very different from the one she has always known.
I really enjoyed the world building and the general storyline as well as many of the side characters. I would love to see what happens to them as the series continues. Unfortunately the three main characters and the romance fell a little flat for me. It was (and this is my personal opinion) too much of the usual YA fantasy love triangle that everyone seems to be writing. It feels over used and I think that the three main characters had a lot more potential to be something new and fresh in this specific genre.
I really enjoyed the world building and the general storyline as well as many of the side characters. I would love to see what happens to them as the series continues. Unfortunately the three main characters and the romance fell a little flat for me. It was (and this is my personal opinion) too much of the usual YA fantasy love triangle that everyone seems to be writing. It feels over used and I think that the three main characters had a lot more potential to be something new and fresh in this specific genre.
ariellam's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual violence
the_paperbackprincess's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
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? No
4.0
Spoiler
I kind of hate myself for taking so long to read this! I have never gotten into a fantasy book so quickly, it took me by such a surprise.From the moment we meet Cassia, I knew she was going onto my list of not only my favourite female characters but favourite characters in general. She is hard working and caring and loving and if you try to threaten and kidnap her...best believe she will put up a damn good fight. I love her strong friendship with Lucas and the way it was shown in this book. Even though she's upset with him and doesn't completely understand his reasoning, she still helps him. Speaking of Lucas, I need my own version of him. He's a protector and even though Xo has been there longer, you can definitely tell Lucas is very much their leader, not really because of his power but because of his heart and how caring he is (he reminds me a lot of Percy Jackson, so I guess that's why I love him so much). I love how we got to explore Lucas and Cassia's bond, both literal and emotional. They are very much twin souls. And now onto my other favourite....Prince Lochlan. That man is an ABSOLUTE MENACE I TELL YOU and he knows it. The way he kept taunting Lucas had me cackling. And although he was cracking jokes most of the time, towards the ends of the book, you really get to see the other side to him and I'm glad we got to explore that.
I loved the plot of this book however the true plot, for me at least, were the different relationship dynamics that were explored in this book. The friendships and relationships were the true heart of the story for me and I loved it. Plus, most of them were platonic and familial which made this even better!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness and Violence
Moderate: Abandonment, Kidnapping, and Death
Minor: Sexual assault and Animal death
TW: Child Abuse, Parental Abandonment.dbguide2's review
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I enjoy urban fantasies – like I do like epic and high fantasies, especially with tons of quests available for the taking – but there’s something almost easy about urban fantasies/fantasies set in the modern world (since I think urban fantasies are specifically set in cities and not smaller towns like some modern fantasies?).
I like urban fantasies/modern world fantasies because it’s sort of more accessible for new readers. Also to readers new to the genre. There’s less of the typical fantasy names (listen, those apostrophes and accent marks are difficult even to a trained fantasy reader!); there’s not too much world-building and info-dumping because you already know most/half of the world presented to you.
I like urban fantasies/modern world fantasies because it’s sort of more accessible for new readers. Also to readers new to the genre. There’s less of the typical fantasy names (listen, those apostrophes and accent marks are difficult even to a trained fantasy reader!); there’s not too much world-building and info-dumping because you already know most/half of the world presented to you.
Cassia’s love for her sister is plain to see from the get-go. I mean she did literally go into a who ‘nother world to help save her sister. Basically all of her motivation throughout the book is focused on her sister. As someone who really likes (positive) sibling relations; I definitely appreciated seeing the love Cassia has for her. I really like Cassia and Lucas’s close friendship (bit of a spoiler but they stay friends and don’t go any further). As someone who’s not a fan of friends to lovers in books (it has to be written a certain way), I cherish any friends who stay friends. I like how they were dependent on each other growing up and they came back to that a bit in this book and I hope the next book has that more.
Speaking of morally-grey characters, we have one in the form of Lochlan and he was great. Definitely can’t wait for the next two books to see what he gets up to. I don’t know if I was a fan of morally grey characters in my younger years (my word, that sounds weird to type) but I definitely am now that I’m older. Maybe it’s because I can tell (most) authors have a lot of fun writing them and that makes me like them more. Lochlan is probably one of my favourites so I’m only going to say nice things about him because I usually had a grin when he was on the page.
Speaking of morally-grey characters, we have one in the form of Lochlan and he was great. Definitely can’t wait for the next two books to see what he gets up to. I don’t know if I was a fan of morally grey characters in my younger years (my word, that sounds weird to type) but I definitely am now that I’m older. Maybe it’s because I can tell (most) authors have a lot of fun writing them and that makes me like them more. Lochlan is probably one of my favourites so I’m only going to say nice things about him because I usually had a grin when he was on the page.
Dual-Pov for the win! Patel Papathanasiou did it well as I liked how it went from a newcomer (Cassia) and she’s learning about the world-building and the magic system and we, as the readers, are learning about it with her. And then it switches to Lucas and the way he thinks of the worldbuilding and the magic system – there’s no real second guessing because he’s very familiar with it. Which I liked as well because it allowed me to ease more into the world-building because of the easy way he viewed it.
I always enjoy it when I can see that the author is passionate about their writing. It shines through in their work and also wherever they talk about their work. I could see it on all of Shameez’s social media and all throughout the book. It makes for a more enjoyable read – the author enjoyed writing it, therefore you can enjoy reading it.
There was a bit of found family and I relished every bit because – I mean – it’s found family. What else can I say? I hope that the found family aspect is a bit better written in the sequel and that it comes easier – the camaraderie and the way the characters interact with each other.
I always enjoy it when I can see that the author is passionate about their writing. It shines through in their work and also wherever they talk about their work. I could see it on all of Shameez’s social media and all throughout the book. It makes for a more enjoyable read – the author enjoyed writing it, therefore you can enjoy reading it.
There was a bit of found family and I relished every bit because – I mean – it’s found family. What else can I say? I hope that the found family aspect is a bit better written in the sequel and that it comes easier – the camaraderie and the way the characters interact with each other.