Katherine
I read this because of a friend, who bullied me (lightheartedly) into putting it on hold at the library a while ago. This was a pretty dang good book, with the caveat of being aware there is SA and it plays a major role in the plot. The story has a lot going for it- the characters are realistic, the emotional writing hits HARD, the romance is sweet, and there’s a LOT going on politically and with the worldbuilding- while it is set in Ireland, there’s a lot to unpack that I thought was really intriguing. I wanted more of that.
I think what let it down a bit for me is that it was *very* slow to get started. I also think the retelling aspect made it a little too predictable at times? Once the plot got going, a lot of it I did see coming. That isn’t to say there were *no* twists and turns, but a lot of it wasn’t surprising. I would like to see what the author does without that framework, honestly. I think her politicking would be really good and interesting.
Overall, great story that is one of the few I’ve seen in this subgenre of romantasy that worked well for me. It handled itself well with balancing characters, worldbuilding, and romance in a way that is rare to find, in my opinion. I put the next book on hold at the library!
I read this because of a friend, who bullied me (lightheartedly) into putting it on hold at the library a while ago. This was a pretty dang good book, with the caveat of being aware there is SA and it plays a major role in the plot. The story has a lot going for it- the characters are realistic, the emotional writing hits HARD, the romance is sweet, and there’s a LOT going on politically and with the worldbuilding- while it is set in Ireland, there’s a lot to unpack that I thought was really intriguing. I wanted more of that.
I think what let it down a bit for me is that it was *very* slow to get started. I also think the retelling aspect made it a little too predictable at times? Once the plot got going, a lot of it I did see coming. That isn’t to say there were *no* twists and turns, but a lot of it wasn’t surprising. I would like to see what the author does without that framework, honestly. I think her politicking would be really good and interesting.
Overall, great story that is one of the few I’ve seen in this subgenre of romantasy that worked well for me. It handled itself well with balancing characters, worldbuilding, and romance in a way that is rare to find, in my opinion. I put the next book on hold at the library!