Clove

The book starts off a bit slow but once you get into the court politics part it is really good! Lore's feeling toward Gabe felt a bit forced. Personally I don't think they had any chemistry, but it does take up much space in the story. Once the third act began it really got me hooked. I prefer the second book in the series since it has less exposition and focus on just moving the story along.

This book filled me with dread, in the best way possible! From page one it is clear that Lore's story is going to be a tragedy and yet you can't help but hope that they will find a happy ending. Finished this book in four days, b/c I was so hooked.

A wonderful fantasy book that has strong world-building. I really enjoyed having so many character POVs. At first it felt a bit overwhelming since each POV introduced a separate cast of characters, it was enjoyable since if I was ever a bit bored with a particular character's story the other POVs would keep me reading. The way the Shannon eventually weaves all of the stories together is beautiful. In a genre that is constantly filled with half-baked, trope-filled characters, all of Shannon's characters had a refreshing amount of depth to them. The ending was satisfying for the most part and tied up any lose ends. I don't love Niclays' character arc, but everything else about the book is 5 stars to me. It helpoed to reignite my passion for reading after taking a multiple years long break.

I was excited about the premise of the book, but I DNF. The first few chapters were hard to get through because the author was just telling the audience what was happening instead of showing it. I also found it difficult to connect with the main character. I understand that not every MC is supposed to be likeable; but since the author doesn't establish the reason for Lorelei's contempt in the beginning, it just made it harder to enjoy the world-building and other characters. This book does get extra brownie points though for having such a gorgeous cover.