I think if I had read this book as a teenager, it would have been one of those books that stayed with me. It's a simple moment in the life of a girl on the cusp of womanhood, and that simplicity is its strength.
I have a jumble of thoughts about this book, mostly because I kept getting interrupted and taking long breaks, so I have to remember how I felt about it all.
Firstly, the world and magic in this book are SO COOL. The author did a great job with her worldbuilding. Specifically, the magic system seems very simple at the beginning, and we get to learn alongside Aurora as she discovers that maybe magic is more complicated than she thought.
Second, Aurora is great. The first quarter of the book makes Aurora seem very passive, but she's aware that she doesn't know everything, and as she learns things, she's open to them and willing to be wrong. Once you hit the quarter mark Aurora becomes very active, literally running away, and learns so much about the world and storms and other people.
My main gripe with this book is the romance. This felt so clearly like a YA fantasy written by an adult romance author (which is what it is). We start with Aurora meeting Cassius, and they're immediately hot for each other. And then she meets Locke, and they're also immediately hot for each other. (I'm glad that at least she runs away and doesn't interact with Cassius for most of the book, because I hate love triangles.) I liked Locke, so the romance was bearable. But it genuinely felt like the author didn't know how to have them interact without it being lusty. Every single interaction involved them ogling each other, even when they're injured or tired or fighting for their life, they are still caressing fingers and stroking cheeks. It was especially weird because in every other way the author did a great job making it feel YA, particularly in Aurora as this awkward, isolated girl. And then you have these lusty thoughts and it's like, Why are they about to rip their clothes off in my YA novel?
My other, smaller gripe is that the pacing/plot isn't super tight. The book just sort of ends. Not in a cliffhanger kind of way, per se. Which is good because I really hate cliffhangers. It feels a bit like when an episode of a mini-series ends. Not a single thing is wrapped up, but not in a bad way. Like, we've learned a bunch about the world and the magic and Aurora has found her strength and stuff, and now it's time for the next episode.
So, mixed feelings. But the magic was unique enough that I'll probably go look for the next book. Especially with the reveal toward the end.
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