Aken

"Keeping secrets is like a thorn beneath the skin. You can get used to it, but it is always there, festering."

✎ . . 4/5 stars

i. at a glance
• characters ; every character felt somewhat flat and boring but i still liked them all
• atmosphere/setting ; beautifully described and i felt really eased into it without being info-dumped
• plot ; took a bit to actually kick in but lots of plot twists i didn't see coming
• intrigue ; last half kept me going - read it in a day
• logic; things made sense
• enjoyment ; i had a blast reading it and am excited for #2

ii. thoughts

okay i really need to read up more on the arthurian legend because i've never read the original and i had so much more fun than i expected. also wanna gobble all the retellings i can get my hands on >:)

the characters felt a bit flat but they were otherwise alright. arthur + the rest felt pretty boring though (i liked his character of him being a king yet because he's so young he participates in normal activities and interacts with his people more than just as a ruler, there's something comforting about it). lancelot and brangien were my fave of the bunch. guinevere herself was interesting because her character is built as the story progresses (also pls what is her name i wanna know)

plot wise, there were quite a decent amount of twists i did not see coming, but it was a slow build. the first half explored camelot through guinevere's perspective and focused on her relationships with people of the kingdom as she begins to get familiar with both her status and new home (to my taste it was a bit boring but it was necessary for the worldbuilding). the latter half is when everything picked up and the plot began to move on.

iii. recommendation

an immersive and solid story inspired by the arthurian legend! easy to understand and get a grasp of even if you've never read the original legend (like me).

❝ Because if love doesn't allow change, then what the **** is that love worth? ❞

✎ . . 5.00/5 stars

i. at a glance
• characters ; found family my beloved <3
• atmosphere/setting ; definitely a lot more built than the first one
• plot ; perfect pacing compared to #1
• intrigue ; v. action packed which really helped with the flow
• enjoyment ; wished it was longer because i want more of the characters

✎ . . 2.50/5 stars

"There is no must to the life of a mortal, except death."

✎ . . 2.00/5 stars

• characters ; okay-ish though i hated circe's family the most
• atmosphere/setting ; amazing setup but it got boring quickly
• plot ; repetitive and slow
• intrigue ; also got boring quickly
• logic ; well i question the actions of certain characters in mythology (/lh)
• enjoyment ; anything else that wasn't circe

they're back!! just gotta wait until 2024 >:(

(it's also set in jakarta?? ayooooo)