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A review by darkclouds
Blade of Ash by C.F.E. Black
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Somehow I found the prequel much easier to read. I'll be honest - I don't know what's drawn me in with this series but I will be continuing. I think. There is just a vast amount of characters to remember. A lot of names of kingdoms, deities and terms for their magic. Maybe I was just overwhelmed.
But also underwhelmed by the plot. I was here for the slow burn. The "clean" romantasy and also the escapism because the aesthetics were all there. It just felt off with the execution. At times maybe a little... boring.
Am I the only one who felt bothered by the almost childlike characteristics of Aly at the beginning of the book? She's 22 and yet I found her much more mature in the prequel which was set 6 years before. I think we definitely could've done more with her interaction with her birth father after all these years and buildup of fear she's had. It fell flat for me.
Would I use the label enemies to lovers? Ehhh not really. It's more of a hate to love as they're already allies from the get go. I mean. Aly is his protector. That's set in stone.
By all means, you could still get lost in this relatively feel good YA fantasy.
But also underwhelmed by the plot. I was here for the slow burn. The "clean" romantasy and also the escapism because the aesthetics were all there. It just felt off with the execution. At times maybe a little... boring.
Am I the only one who felt bothered by the almost childlike characteristics of Aly at the beginning of the book? She's 22 and yet I found her much more mature in the prequel which was set 6 years before. I think we definitely could've done more with her interaction with her birth father after all these years and buildup of fear she's had. It fell flat for me.
Would I use the label enemies to lovers? Ehhh not really. It's more of a hate to love as they're already allies from the get go. I mean. Aly is his protector. That's set in stone.
By all means, you could still get lost in this relatively feel good YA fantasy.