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fairytale42's review against another edition
adventurous
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
4.0
This was a great enemies to lovers fantasy with a rich world and a host of characters I can't wait to see more of. The neighboring rulers felt a bit flat, but I really enjoyed the dual perspectives of Red and Aly (although I was heartily confused when he was called "Red" after being introduced as Frederick). There's clearly a detailed backstory that we only get hints of, and I can't wait to see the story unfold. But my favorite bit by far was the religion.
It's clearly a Christian-themed religion, but I haven't seen such a magical take on Christianity since Narnia. I loved how book emphasized the importance of truth and good-over-evil without being preachy (which is something I dislike despite being a Christian myself). Having the priest read from the Verad and Aly mutter scriptures reminded me of how Christians should behave, but it never felt like it was forcing the issue. It was a C.S. Lewis style approach, and one I absolutely adored.
The writing style felt a bit off at times (and there seemed to be a lack of transitions sometimes), but it was overall pretty good. The dialogue between the siblings was especially touching, as it felt like there was some real chemistry there. But my favorite group was Red and Seb - their bromance gives me life, and I love them.
On the topic of chemistry, I can see why Red and Aly are attracted to each other, but it seems for purely magical/forced proximity reasons right now, but I think that will change in the future. They seem to always be mad at each other or surprised by each other's talents, but they haven't really had the chance to get to know each other as people. Understandably so, since he's royal and she's the sorcerer, but I'm hoping they do more of that later. (But I did love their flirting!!!!)
I was both frustrated and thrilled with the magic system. Aly is so strong but consistently can't do things throughout this book. It makes sense since there's so much affecting her magic, but I still wish we'd gotten to see the true strength of her magic beyond a few cool moments. (Looking forward to seeing her epicness in the next book for sure.)
The plot was pretty twisty which was great, but I hard time keeping track of who was a suspect and how on earth the whole "we're gonna fix this" section of the book worked. The characters were also flying by on a "mad hope" but I kept getting the feeling they still knew more than the reader, so it was annoying to not have the whole picture. But still, I liked how many factors were in play and the backstory that keeps tying into it all.
Overall, it was a great clean book that has the elements of a great story. Slightly salty I have to wait so long for the next book, but I can be patient for a great sequel.
It's clearly a Christian-themed religion, but I haven't seen such a magical take on Christianity since Narnia. I loved how book emphasized the importance of truth and good-over-evil without being preachy (which is something I dislike despite being a Christian myself). Having the priest read from the Verad and Aly mutter scriptures reminded me of how Christians should behave, but it never felt like it was forcing the issue. It was a C.S. Lewis style approach, and one I absolutely adored.
The writing style felt a bit off at times (and there seemed to be a lack of transitions sometimes), but it was overall pretty good. The dialogue between the siblings was especially touching, as it felt like there was some real chemistry there. But my favorite group was Red and Seb - their bromance gives me life, and I love them.
On the topic of chemistry, I can see why Red and Aly are attracted to each other, but it seems for purely magical/forced proximity reasons right now, but I think that will change in the future. They seem to always be mad at each other or surprised by each other's talents, but they haven't really had the chance to get to know each other as people. Understandably so, since he's royal and she's the sorcerer, but I'm hoping they do more of that later. (But I did love their flirting!!!!)
I was both frustrated and thrilled with the magic system. Aly is so strong but consistently can't do things throughout this book. It makes sense since there's so much affecting her magic, but I still wish we'd gotten to see the true strength of her magic beyond a few cool moments. (Looking forward to seeing her epicness in the next book for sure.)
The plot was pretty twisty which was great, but I hard time keeping track of who was a suspect and how on earth the whole "we're gonna fix this" section of the book worked. The characters were also flying by on a "mad hope" but I kept getting the feeling they still knew more than the reader, so it was annoying to not have the whole picture. But still, I liked how many factors were in play and the backstory that keeps tying into it all.
Overall, it was a great clean book that has the elements of a great story. Slightly salty I have to wait so long for the next book, but I can be patient for a great sequel.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Death of parent, and Violence
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