sam ☆
i wanted to love this so badly but it just didn't deliver. flat characters, a predictable villain, painfully slow pacing, and a romance that desperately needed the hero's pov.
book one felt complete to me, and this lacked the charm that made it so special. i've heard chava and ahmad don't end up together. i'd rather leave their story where it ended. beautiful and meaningful.
this just isn't for me. i adore a badass fmc AND she's highly proficient with swords & knives? AND she's hungry for revenge??? sold. but i'm bored to tears. i want descriptions of the battles. i want more details about the journey dani and noor are on. i want more atmosphere! i can't picture anything or anyone. this book probably could've been 150-200 pages longer to really set a scene and make the impact i personally wanted. i'll give this author another chance with her next book and think she did great for a debut, but this book is such a bore.
soft dnf at 27% (i might try again when the second book comes out)
soft dnf (might try again when book two drops). i have a strong suspicion most of the rave reviews came from audiobook listeners because on my kindle every single pov felt the same. the worldbuilding was also super vague; i couldn't picture this underwater setting at all. i adored the ocd rep as someone who had [diagnosed] ocd and now has [diagnosed] ocpd. for that reason and the possible romance i will try this author again next year.
this pacing was just not for me. the mmc is doing absolutely nothing for me. morally grey shadow demon daddy should mean a new book boyfriend for me but ehh. i looked up spoilers and the ending would've legitimately pissed me off if i'd finished this book to completion so.
so upset this didn't land for me. the premise sounded incredible, but the writing style (so many ellipses and italics), the YA tone, and the characters just didn't click. also, the lush, atmospheric setting everyone raves about??? where?
prob a soft dnf and i'll try again eventually now that my expectations are set