A review by smillas_tales
Anthesis by Lauren Elizabeth
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
I was kindly gifted an ARC of this dark fantasy romance by the author in exchange for an honest review, and I was absolutely stoked to read it as the blurb fit spectacularly with the dark fall vibes!
This novel truly has all the hallmarks of dark fantasy romance: sirens hungry for blood, dark magic, and (of course) a brooding man to fall in love with!! While I enjoyed many of the story’s elements, I unfortunately had a hard time getting invested in both the plot and the characters.
My primary issue was that I found the main character, the siren Aglasia, absolutely insufferable … She isn’t nearly complex enough for my taste and seems to have a problem with absolutely everything and everyone around her! While an annoying character can add to the story, I always struggle with it in romance, and I just couldn’t understand what the love interest saw in her …
While I couldn’t quite get into the romance, I did think the novel had a lot going for it! I was so fascinated by Aglasia’s struggle to accept and deal with her need to kill, as well as the mechanics of the sirens’ powers, but unfortunately these aspects weren’t a large focus of the story.
On the whole, this novel just didn’t nearly live up to my expectations, but If you’re looking for something dark and short this might be the one for you!