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takealookatmybookshelf's review against another edition
4.0
I thoroughly enjoyed this young adult fantasy romance with an academia setting by Ky Venn. Adelynn is an amazing main character and her character development throughout the book is realistic. He character is strong and had to make a few difficult choices. I really liked the style of writing and it flowed well. I really liked this fictional world. It gave me Harry Potter vibes and it felt nostalgic. I can’t wait for book 2 especially after that cliffhanger!
Rating: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
brittanica_bold's review against another edition
2.0
First, I want to sincerely thank Ky Venn for the opportunity to read this ARC. Any time I am able to transport away from my every day life to a fantasy realm, I am sincerely grateful.
Unfortunately, I did not feel that the style of this book was right for me.
What I liked about the book:
1. I liked Addie’s passion and her reasoning behind why she wanted to become a lawyer. I thought this was fantastic and showed true growth from her undeniable trauma. This fact alone made her a total badass to me and made me respect her.
2. I liked the theory behind this book. I’m a big fan of Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Caraval, and Zodiac Academy. I love the idea of a “normal” person gong into a “world” they don’t know and having to learn to survive the best they can.
3. The romance was fantastic! You could definitely feel the tension between her and her many options. Honestly, I kept reading in hopes we would get an Addie/Ezra scene!!!! He called her "freckles" for goodness sake!!!!
What could have been better:
1. I was not a fan of the main character. While I understand she had some traumatic events in her past, I felt she played the victim in everyday circumstances and she is was bratty. Unfortunately, someone that had a great backstory and a lot of potential was also selfish and self-centered, and was most of the reason this was a tough read for me.
One of the examples I can remember that had me grimacing was when her roommate woke her up nicely so she wouldn’t be late. Then, not long after that day, her roommate asked for her to wake her up since she had a habit of sleeping through her alarm. Instead of thinking nothing of it or even as a “this is what friends do for each other” type of thing, she grimaced to herself and thought “why is that my job?” Her roommate had been nothing but nice to her and pulled her under her wing, and this was her response? To add to this, right after this Addie comes back and sees her roommate has done her own hair very nicely and Addie hopes that her roommate will help her with her hair as well. Just makes her seem very selfish and like all of her relationships are one-sided, like she's only thinking what she can get out of them.
2. Overall, I wish the details in this book were in different places. I would have loved more expansion on the world building and less on her day-to-day activities. It seemed like every time the different regions of Evvalor were brought up, they were all packed into a very small sentence and referenced at the same time, so it was very hard to remember anything about any of them. And the “final showdown” felt like it was an afterthought. When references to this showdown start out the beginning of the book, I thought this chapter would be the longest one in the whole book, but it was over quickly and was rather anticlimactic for me personally.
On the other hand, I found there was an excessive amount of detail around things that just didn’t matter to the overall story. We would read sentences like, “Addie did her homework. Then she made a sandwich. Then she took a shower and joined her friends.” At which point, the main conversation with her friends would actually mean something. I understand that books need filler, but this went a different direction than I typically like. This was not interesting to me, and I found it hard to keep invested in the story when this was a frequent style choice.
3. I found there were a lot of inconsistencies in the book, especially around Ezra. I think I’ve figured out the entire plot of this story, but there are still many things that just don’t add up or were contradicted later on.
Rating: 2.5 stars
Unfortunately, I did not feel that the style of this book was right for me.
What I liked about the book:
1. I liked Addie’s passion and her reasoning behind why she wanted to become a lawyer. I thought this was fantastic and showed true growth from her undeniable trauma. This fact alone made her a total badass to me and made me respect her.
2. I liked the theory behind this book. I’m a big fan of Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Caraval, and Zodiac Academy. I love the idea of a “normal” person gong into a “world” they don’t know and having to learn to survive the best they can.
3. The romance was fantastic! You could definitely feel the tension between her and her many options. Honestly, I kept reading in hopes we would get an Addie/Ezra scene!!!! He called her "freckles" for goodness sake!!!!
What could have been better:
1. I was not a fan of the main character. While I understand she had some traumatic events in her past, I felt she played the victim in everyday circumstances and she is was bratty. Unfortunately, someone that had a great backstory and a lot of potential was also selfish and self-centered, and was most of the reason this was a tough read for me.
One of the examples I can remember that had me grimacing was when her roommate woke her up nicely so she wouldn’t be late. Then, not long after that day, her roommate asked for her to wake her up since she had a habit of sleeping through her alarm. Instead of thinking nothing of it or even as a “this is what friends do for each other” type of thing, she grimaced to herself and thought “why is that my job?” Her roommate had been nothing but nice to her and pulled her under her wing, and this was her response? To add to this, right after this Addie comes back and sees her roommate has done her own hair very nicely and Addie hopes that her roommate will help her with her hair as well. Just makes her seem very selfish and like all of her relationships are one-sided, like she's only thinking what she can get out of them.
2. Overall, I wish the details in this book were in different places. I would have loved more expansion on the world building and less on her day-to-day activities. It seemed like every time the different regions of Evvalor were brought up, they were all packed into a very small sentence and referenced at the same time, so it was very hard to remember anything about any of them. And the “final showdown” felt like it was an afterthought. When references to this showdown start out the beginning of the book, I thought this chapter would be the longest one in the whole book, but it was over quickly and was rather anticlimactic for me personally.
On the other hand, I found there was an excessive amount of detail around things that just didn’t matter to the overall story. We would read sentences like, “Addie did her homework. Then she made a sandwich. Then she took a shower and joined her friends.” At which point, the main conversation with her friends would actually mean something. I understand that books need filler, but this went a different direction than I typically like. This was not interesting to me, and I found it hard to keep invested in the story when this was a frequent style choice.
3. I found there were a lot of inconsistencies in the book, especially around Ezra. I think I’ve figured out the entire plot of this story, but there are still many things that just don’t add up or were contradicted later on.
Rating: 2.5 stars
swiss_miss_73's review
0.25
DNF😬😬
Look out....its Trope Train Wreck!
Gave it a shot because the blurb was promising. I DNF'd it for multiple reasons - the most egregious was the FMC saying in the prologue that she could not move her body "of her own fruition." GF - if you had an editor they would have told you that what you meant her to say was that she couldn't move her body "of her own volition." 🙄😬
Sorry, life's too short for that nonsense.
Look out....its Trope Train Wreck!
Gave it a shot because the blurb was promising. I DNF'd it for multiple reasons - the most egregious was the FMC saying in the prologue that she could not move her body "of her own fruition." GF - if you had an editor they would have told you that what you meant her to say was that she couldn't move her body "of her own volition." 🙄😬
Sorry, life's too short for that nonsense.
annettebooksofhopeanddreams's review
2.0
I learned my lesson in the beginning of my book blogging career. Never request a review copy you're not that interested in. Nowadays I check blurbs, check genres and determine if I would have also gotten the book if I would have had to pay for it. That's usually a great system. I rarely request review copies of books that eventually disappoint me. But once in a while a book sounds awesome and seems cater all my wants and then turns out to be not for me.
It's hard to write my review for this book, because I quite clearly saw all the potential. There is an amazing world that's just begging to be explored. There are some amazing characters who I'd love to get to know better. And once in a while there are glimpses of a bigger storyline filled with mysteries and discoveries. But despite the book having potential, I never really cared about the book or the characters in this story. I never felt any connection with them.
I think part of the problem is the pacing and how detailed situations, meetings and characters are described. Some things are described vividly and take a lot of time. Other times weeks pass by in three single sentences. That doesn't have to be a problem, but I somehow had the feeling that the more detailed scenes were mostly in the beginning of the book, which was very much the introduction. Where the scenes that I would have wanted to feel and experience were passing by in a blink.
The other issue I had with the book is that it feels like the book is missing a certain punch line. I understand that in our lives loads of things happen without a reason, but when everything in a book happens without a reason, when we learn nothing of motivations or thoughts behind decisions it feels like the story lacks direction. I think the direction is probably there and might be revealed in future books, I just think this book ALSO needed a clearer direction already for the reader.
I think the biggest issue though is that we are told about the characters in this story, but are never given the chance to actually get to know them. The author describes what's happening, but we simply read that our character feels a connection with other characters, but we're not really shown those. Especially the romance doesn't get enough attention. We get no chance to build a connection with the love interest, to understand what makes him so unique, to fall a little in love with him too.
And last but not least: For New Adult the heroine sounded a little young and especially with her history I would have expected her to be less naive. The writing style also seemed a little simple in general. If those few smut scenes hadn't been in the book, this could have been a YA aimed at 14 year olds. (Which is NOT bad perse. Just not what I personally expected.)
It's hard to write my review for this book, because I quite clearly saw all the potential. There is an amazing world that's just begging to be explored. There are some amazing characters who I'd love to get to know better. And once in a while there are glimpses of a bigger storyline filled with mysteries and discoveries. But despite the book having potential, I never really cared about the book or the characters in this story. I never felt any connection with them.
I think part of the problem is the pacing and how detailed situations, meetings and characters are described. Some things are described vividly and take a lot of time. Other times weeks pass by in three single sentences. That doesn't have to be a problem, but I somehow had the feeling that the more detailed scenes were mostly in the beginning of the book, which was very much the introduction. Where the scenes that I would have wanted to feel and experience were passing by in a blink.
The other issue I had with the book is that it feels like the book is missing a certain punch line. I understand that in our lives loads of things happen without a reason, but when everything in a book happens without a reason, when we learn nothing of motivations or thoughts behind decisions it feels like the story lacks direction. I think the direction is probably there and might be revealed in future books, I just think this book ALSO needed a clearer direction already for the reader.
I think the biggest issue though is that we are told about the characters in this story, but are never given the chance to actually get to know them. The author describes what's happening, but we simply read that our character feels a connection with other characters, but we're not really shown those. Especially the romance doesn't get enough attention. We get no chance to build a connection with the love interest, to understand what makes him so unique, to fall a little in love with him too.
And last but not least: For New Adult the heroine sounded a little young and especially with her history I would have expected her to be less naive. The writing style also seemed a little simple in general. If those few smut scenes hadn't been in the book, this could have been a YA aimed at 14 year olds. (Which is NOT bad perse. Just not what I personally expected.)
edem_92's review against another edition
4.0
I received an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book is the debut novel from Ky Venn, and it absolutely comes highly recommended.
The found family trope is one of my all-time favourites, and it’s done so well here. All the characters are very realistic, and the character development we see from Adelynn is highly commendable. The world-building is great, there isn’t an overload of information to get through (which can sometimes ruin an otherwise good book), and I cannot wait to read the sequel after that cliffhanger!
This book, personally, gives me a lot of Harry Potter vibes, which I love.
Happy Reading!
This book is the debut novel from Ky Venn, and it absolutely comes highly recommended.
The found family trope is one of my all-time favourites, and it’s done so well here. All the characters are very realistic, and the character development we see from Adelynn is highly commendable. The world-building is great, there isn’t an overload of information to get through (which can sometimes ruin an otherwise good book), and I cannot wait to read the sequel after that cliffhanger!
This book, personally, gives me a lot of Harry Potter vibes, which I love.
Happy Reading!
cheryl_vangent's review against another edition
4.0
3.5⭐️
Ky is a good friend of mine and I love her debut novel!! It’s full of magic and mysteries.
What had me giving it three stars is the beginning. It took me a while to get through the beginning and I found myself wanting to skim read it to get to the rest of the book, but once I got there, it had me hooked and I was really enjoying it! I like how she wrote Adelynn’s character, and the worlds/kingdoms are amazing! ❤️
The cliffhanger too!!
It took me a while to read but that’s because I’ve been in Sweden the entire month, working each day, so I barely had time to read! It’s not because of the book ;)
Overall, I think she did a great job and I’m excited for the second book!!☁️
Ky is a good friend of mine and I love her debut novel!! It’s full of magic and mysteries.
What had me giving it three stars is the beginning. It took me a while to get through the beginning and I found myself wanting to skim read it to get to the rest of the book, but once I got there, it had me hooked and I was really enjoying it! I like how she wrote Adelynn’s character, and the worlds/kingdoms are amazing! ❤️
The cliffhanger too!!
It took me a while to read but that’s because I’ve been in Sweden the entire month, working each day, so I barely had time to read! It’s not because of the book ;)
Overall, I think she did a great job and I’m excited for the second book!!☁️
hollydunwall's review against another edition
4.0
So I got the ARC copy for kindle and I loved the MC's background. Best swimmer in her school but one day she finds she has
allynfireheart's review against another edition
4.0
holy cow I want book 2 like I want to breathe !!!
this book is quite the roller coaster, starting out with a bit of a slow pace filled with world and plot building. but once it takes off, it's a wild ride! and then just when you think things are settling down, she hits you with that LAST LINE OF THE ENTIRE BOOK???
this book is truly so fun. the characters are so solid as they are, but the potential of where they may go is astronomical. I absolutely can't wait to see the payoff of some of the things that were set up in this book.
I loved the academy vibes & the found family within these pages. I love the growth of our FMC. & I absolutely can't wait to see how far she goes!
&& pls...are we just NOT going to talk about EZRA?
this book is quite the roller coaster, starting out with a bit of a slow pace filled with world and plot building. but once it takes off, it's a wild ride! and then just when you think things are settling down, she hits you with that LAST LINE OF THE ENTIRE BOOK???
this book is truly so fun. the characters are so solid as they are, but the potential of where they may go is astronomical. I absolutely can't wait to see the payoff of some of the things that were set up in this book.
I loved the academy vibes & the found family within these pages. I love the growth of our FMC. & I absolutely can't wait to see how far she goes!
&& pls...are we just NOT going to talk about EZRA?
oliviasfantasyreads's review
The author has decided to pull the book and edit it. So I do not believe it is fair to rate it at this time. I skimmed the last 30ish% of the book, because I want to fully read the new version when it is released. I will say I enjoyed the premise of the story and the world it is set in. I love watching authors grow and cannot wait to read the new version!
bookworm151719's review
4.0
I was provided an advanced reader copy for my honest opinion. 4.5 stars. It took me quite a bit to get into this book, but once I did, I forgot I wasn't in the book and had responsibilities of my own. I binge read it and I'm not sorry, except for the massive cliffhanger. The character development was amazing and I loved almost all of them. I wish Kyde wasn't so predictable but I can't fault the author or the MC, because truth be told, he sounds too sexy to resist.