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The Forgotten Prince
Anya has worked in the bakery ever since she was fifteen. Seven years later, she, along with her best friend Natasha own the very bakery they used to work in. When the two of them commission for a shed to be built behind their house, Anya finds herself attracted to the tall, mysterious, dark-haired carpenter with two mysterious scars on his back.
Aleryn "Ryn" Sinear, the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Mairene, was banished from his homeland at a young age. With his wings cut off, he, along his best friend and family advisor, were left to die in the mortal lands. What seemed at first like a curse of fate was actually a blessing in disguise when he meets his mate.
But with a target on Aleryn's head, will Aleryn and Anya's love survive?
Can he get his kingdom back with the help of Anya, Nat, and his best friend Theo?
Aleryn "Ryn" Sinear, the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Mairene, was banished from his homeland at a young age. With his wings cut off, he, along his best friend and family advisor, were left to die in the mortal lands. What seemed at first like a curse of fate was actually a blessing in disguise when he meets his mate.
But with a target on Aleryn's head, will Aleryn and Anya's love survive?
Can he get his kingdom back with the help of Anya, Nat, and his best friend Theo?
200 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 4, 2023
5 people are currently reading
138 people want to read
About the author
Akira Varma
7 books25 followersHello loves!
I am Akira (obviously...). I write fantasy, sci-fi and romance... and sometimes mix those genres together. I began writing when Supernatural, Marvel, and Doctor Who - all movies and shows that I'll gladly discuss with anyone that wants to talk to me about - started killing off my favorite characters. Although, I think I should write more in this section, I believe I'm too much of an introvert to go outside and do anything else.
See you guys in my next books!
Love,
Akira
I am Akira (obviously...). I write fantasy, sci-fi and romance... and sometimes mix those genres together. I began writing when Supernatural, Marvel, and Doctor Who - all movies and shows that I'll gladly discuss with anyone that wants to talk to me about - started killing off my favorite characters. Although, I think I should write more in this section, I believe I'm too much of an introvert to go outside and do anything else.
See you guys in my next books!
Love,
Akira
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews
July 2, 2024
"The Forgotten Prince" promises an intriguing tale of mystery and magic but unfortunately falls short in several key areas. While the premise holds allure, the execution lacks polish.
First and foremost, the writing style is marred by superfluous repetition, grammatical issues, and continuity errors that detract from the reading experience. These niggles persist throughout, which makes the overall piece feel more like a draft than a finished product.
Despite these problems, "The Forgotten Prince" has its moments. The cosy atmosphere it evokes is enjoyable, and the story, despite its flaws, remains engaging.
With substantial editing, plus more attention to character development and world-building, this could have been a much stronger book. It is clear the author has a creative vision, and with some refinement, future works could certainly realise that potential.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley, for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
First and foremost, the writing style is marred by superfluous repetition, grammatical issues, and continuity errors that detract from the reading experience. These niggles persist throughout, which makes the overall piece feel more like a draft than a finished product.
Despite these problems, "The Forgotten Prince" has its moments. The cosy atmosphere it evokes is enjoyable, and the story, despite its flaws, remains engaging.
With substantial editing, plus more attention to character development and world-building, this could have been a much stronger book. It is clear the author has a creative vision, and with some refinement, future works could certainly realise that potential.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley, for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
May 14, 2025
This book was cute, it wasn’t necessarily the epic fantasy I was hoping for when I initially read the blurb but it was still an interesting story. I think it has potential to be a very intriguing world, but I was a a little let down by the world building in this one. The prologue was fun, but then were thrown into a modern setting which kind of confused me a little bit, it was a lot of back and forth. I did enjoy the friendship between Nat and Anya, I always love seeing amazing bonds in books, and Ryn seems like he’s super interesting I just wish we got more of a story about him and what happened in those years since leaving the fae world. Again, I think it could potentially be a cool and interesting world, but this specific book was not exactly my favorite one of the year, I gave it a 2.5.
August 14, 2024
Thank you NetGalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review. I feel so bad rating this so low but it just had so many issues 🙈😭
This felt like someone jotting down something for a creative writing class. It didn’t feel polished or edited in any way, although the bare bones of it are there… it just needs A LOT more work to develop the world and its characters as well as fix grammar issues.
There is so much repetition in the wording it was driving me crazy. The amount of times the MMC is described as having a “smirk” was wild. To the point that that’s all I can remember him by. Just a dude with a smirk lol
Same with the FMC. She’s repeatedly described over and over as not being able to show she’s blushing because of her brown skin but then at one point her friend calls her out for blushing. Like wait a minute, this whole time you drilled into us she can’t blush because of her brown skin?! The book had so many problems like this that weren’t making sense.
The love story was also confusing. It seemed like they were just starting to be smitten with each other but then later on we learn they’re boyfriend/girlfriend but have no idea when that happened and then even later they have their first kiss???? I’m so confused… I thought they had been dating for a while by then… ahhh!
I did like the prologue. It had potential! A forgotten fae prince who fled his lands to live among humans. It could have been amazing! Although the idea was great… it was executed poorly and was such a juvenile-feeling book.
This felt like someone jotting down something for a creative writing class. It didn’t feel polished or edited in any way, although the bare bones of it are there… it just needs A LOT more work to develop the world and its characters as well as fix grammar issues.
There is so much repetition in the wording it was driving me crazy. The amount of times the MMC is described as having a “smirk” was wild. To the point that that’s all I can remember him by. Just a dude with a smirk lol
Same with the FMC. She’s repeatedly described over and over as not being able to show she’s blushing because of her brown skin but then at one point her friend calls her out for blushing. Like wait a minute, this whole time you drilled into us she can’t blush because of her brown skin?! The book had so many problems like this that weren’t making sense.
The love story was also confusing. It seemed like they were just starting to be smitten with each other but then later on we learn they’re boyfriend/girlfriend but have no idea when that happened and then even later they have their first kiss???? I’m so confused… I thought they had been dating for a while by then… ahhh!
I did like the prologue. It had potential! A forgotten fae prince who fled his lands to live among humans. It could have been amazing! Although the idea was great… it was executed poorly and was such a juvenile-feeling book.
March 27, 2023
Thank you to the author for sending me an eARC of The Forgotten Prince in exchange for an honest review!
Okay I devoured this in one hour- I absolutely love Fantasy Novella’s. This book was written really well, paced perfectly, and left you on a cliffhanger that left you wanting more!
Anya is a human living in the mortal world who owns a bakery (and is just the cutest), when one day, she meets Ryn. Ryn is ridiculously handsome, super sweet and they have instant chemistry. But, Ryn is hiding something, and it doesn’t take Anya long to find out- in the worst way.
Anya also has a best friend, Natasha, who helps her run the bakery and is so incredibly loyal to Anya. I loved her POV chapters and I love her character as well.
Somehow, this also reads as a cozy fantasy. I really, really enjoyed this, and I cannot wait for the next book in the installment!
Okay I devoured this in one hour- I absolutely love Fantasy Novella’s. This book was written really well, paced perfectly, and left you on a cliffhanger that left you wanting more!
Anya is a human living in the mortal world who owns a bakery (and is just the cutest), when one day, she meets Ryn. Ryn is ridiculously handsome, super sweet and they have instant chemistry. But, Ryn is hiding something, and it doesn’t take Anya long to find out- in the worst way.
Anya also has a best friend, Natasha, who helps her run the bakery and is so incredibly loyal to Anya. I loved her POV chapters and I love her character as well.
Somehow, this also reads as a cozy fantasy. I really, really enjoyed this, and I cannot wait for the next book in the installment!
June 1, 2024
3.75⭐️ 0.5🌶
The Forgotten Prince is a short novella about Ryn, a Fae Prince who has been hiding in the mortal word since he was a baby as his uncle seized the throne from his family, and Anya, a human baker. After a riveting prologue, the first half of this novella reads like a contemporary romance meet-cute. This isn't my particular taste in books and so I found this first half boring. Thankfully the book is short and so it didn't really last long. The second half of the book dives right back into the fantasy realm and becomes quite exciting as Ryn's past catches up with him.
This book has fated mates, mild romance, and dual POV with the main FMC Anya and her best friend Nat. I actually really enjoyed Nat's chapters and kind of like her personality better than Anya.
I did find the writing to be pretty average, but it didn't get in the way of the overall flow of the book. This book does list the trigger warnings at the beginning (yay!) and does warn it ends with a cliffhanger. I would read the second book in the series once it comes out as the fantasy action and romance is definitely my preferred genre. If you want a blend of contemporary cute romance with Fae fantasy packed into a short novel then this book is for you!
Thank you NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for sending this audiobook for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
The Forgotten Prince is a short novella about Ryn, a Fae Prince who has been hiding in the mortal word since he was a baby as his uncle seized the throne from his family, and Anya, a human baker. After a riveting prologue, the first half of this novella reads like a contemporary romance meet-cute. This isn't my particular taste in books and so I found this first half boring. Thankfully the book is short and so it didn't really last long. The second half of the book dives right back into the fantasy realm and becomes quite exciting as Ryn's past catches up with him.
This book has fated mates, mild romance, and dual POV with the main FMC Anya and her best friend Nat. I actually really enjoyed Nat's chapters and kind of like her personality better than Anya.
I did find the writing to be pretty average, but it didn't get in the way of the overall flow of the book. This book does list the trigger warnings at the beginning (yay!) and does warn it ends with a cliffhanger. I would read the second book in the series once it comes out as the fantasy action and romance is definitely my preferred genre. If you want a blend of contemporary cute romance with Fae fantasy packed into a short novel then this book is for you!
Thank you NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for sending this audiobook for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
May 30, 2024
While I loved the concept of this books and enjoyed Anya and Nat. I found that Ryn felt boring, and Theo we know practically nothing about. I think this book needs major work. It felt rushed, and there was some major typo errors. For example in Chapter 3 with "At least you have the new five days" when it reads like it should be "next five days", in chapter four there was a sentence where Nat was uncapitapized. In Chapter 9 "Hee" instead of "Her" and there were paragraphs or repeated sentences such as, in Chapter 10 "I just came back from the bakery. She's not there. The bakery is...." "The bakery is trashed. I'm just coming back from there. I couldn't find her at the bakery." In this particular case it could be blamed on the character panicking however it felt clunky.
They also completely skip over explaining the existence of fae, and both humans do not react to this revolation, even though nowhere in the world is it established that humans are aware of other realms existing. In Chapter 12, there was also "Your time is coming boy. He is coming for you, boy." Who talks like that?
I think Chapter 13 also needs some clearing uo since it's unclear what is actually happening to Anya. And if she is potentially being SA'd or groped, it needs to be stated and handled clearly and correctly.
I enjoyed the fact that this was short sweet and cozy. However it felt rushed, unfinished, and I do not see myself going back to read the sequel unless there is major improvements on the writing. It needs more editing. It reads like a wattpad book written by a high school student without an editor. I think, with some major work though, this could be a good book.
They also completely skip over explaining the existence of fae, and both humans do not react to this revolation, even though nowhere in the world is it established that humans are aware of other realms existing. In Chapter 12, there was also "Your time is coming boy. He is coming for you, boy." Who talks like that?
I think Chapter 13 also needs some clearing uo since it's unclear what is actually happening to Anya. And if she is potentially being SA'd or groped, it needs to be stated and handled clearly and correctly.
I enjoyed the fact that this was short sweet and cozy. However it felt rushed, unfinished, and I do not see myself going back to read the sequel unless there is major improvements on the writing. It needs more editing. It reads like a wattpad book written by a high school student without an editor. I think, with some major work though, this could be a good book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 24, 2024
Thank you NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review
⭐️⭐️.5
0.5 🌶️
Overall I liked the concept of this book and the characters, but it definitely needs a lot of editing and fleshing out. It felt like I was beta reading a first draft rather than a finished story so while it has a lot of potential, it needs more work.
There was a lot of repetitiveness with overuse of character names as well as sentences like “Only for the excuse of using the weather as an excuse to stay in the house and read or watch her favorite shows” and some slightly nonsensical sentences like “Anya looked out from her mirror in her living at the car driving further away by the minute”
I also felt like I didn’t really get to know the characters as they weren’t really fleshed out at all. They all have a lot of potential, but even by the end of the book I could really only tell you one thing about each character and it’s not that deep. A majority of information that I learned was in the prologue which takes place 30 years before the story starts.
All in all this book was mostly just okay, but with a lot of potential. I will likely not be continuing the series unless the author does a lot more in terms of editing and rewrites.
⭐️⭐️.5
0.5 🌶️
Overall I liked the concept of this book and the characters, but it definitely needs a lot of editing and fleshing out. It felt like I was beta reading a first draft rather than a finished story so while it has a lot of potential, it needs more work.
There was a lot of repetitiveness with overuse of character names as well as sentences like “Only for the excuse of using the weather as an excuse to stay in the house and read or watch her favorite shows” and some slightly nonsensical sentences like “Anya looked out from her mirror in her living at the car driving further away by the minute”
I also felt like I didn’t really get to know the characters as they weren’t really fleshed out at all. They all have a lot of potential, but even by the end of the book I could really only tell you one thing about each character and it’s not that deep. A majority of information that I learned was in the prologue which takes place 30 years before the story starts.
All in all this book was mostly just okay, but with a lot of potential. I will likely not be continuing the series unless the author does a lot more in terms of editing and rewrites.
July 11, 2024
Appreciation to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for access to this digital ARC in return for an honest review.
So pretend that this book doesn't feel like a middle school rough draft with endless grammatical mistakes, misspellings, and weird phrasing. The prologue is an emotional, dramatic start that then becomes a tired romance between a baker and a perfect, blue collar "man". Neither main character is particularly unique or giving main character energy. When the action starts, we finally see hints of Anya having a personality, but her best friend Nat is honestly the only character with any oomph. From there, the world building and entanglement of the mortal and fae realms is underdeveloped. The ending was unsurprising, cliched, and left me with the feeling very little had happened in the story itself. I don't see myself picking up the sequel.
So pretend that this book doesn't feel like a middle school rough draft with endless grammatical mistakes, misspellings, and weird phrasing. The prologue is an emotional, dramatic start that then becomes a tired romance between a baker and a perfect, blue collar "man". Neither main character is particularly unique or giving main character energy. When the action starts, we finally see hints of Anya having a personality, but her best friend Nat is honestly the only character with any oomph. From there, the world building and entanglement of the mortal and fae realms is underdeveloped. The ending was unsurprising, cliched, and left me with the feeling very little had happened in the story itself. I don't see myself picking up the sequel.
July 9, 2024
thank you to the author + netgalley for the chance to read and review!
This book was definitely a cozy atmosphere and I loved the concept - a runaway, “forgotten” prince living in the mortal world and finding his mate, an average human who runs a bakery with her best friend.
The concept was very good, I just think it felt a bit rushed and repetitive throughout the story. This was definitely an “insta-love” type of connection and randomly fast forwarded 4 months into the relationship and I felt like I missed any sort of actual connection/progression being built.
I am intrigued by the storyline and what will happen in the next book as it does leave on a bit of a cliffhanger!
This book was definitely a cozy atmosphere and I loved the concept - a runaway, “forgotten” prince living in the mortal world and finding his mate, an average human who runs a bakery with her best friend.
The concept was very good, I just think it felt a bit rushed and repetitive throughout the story. This was definitely an “insta-love” type of connection and randomly fast forwarded 4 months into the relationship and I felt like I missed any sort of actual connection/progression being built.
I am intrigued by the storyline and what will happen in the next book as it does leave on a bit of a cliffhanger!
July 15, 2024
— 1.5 ⭐️. I don’t know what to say in literal meaning about this book. The prologue and the very few first chapters were good enough and entertaining. However, as the story goes by and how it wrapped up, it just doesn’t make any sense and too much missing pieces. As a reader of fantasy and liking the “Fae realm”, I kinda disappointed with this book
The story began after Anya (the no one and suddenly pop up character) found her like with the person who comes to her bakery repeatedly. She suddenly felt attracted to the man named Aleryn without any cause, then, they exchange few words and suddenly fucking already. On the next day, she was kidnapped because this Fae people wanted Aleryn and classic strategy appeared. That’s where the story “should be interesting”.
The characters are a so-so, I was liking Theo because of his appearance and his silver white hair in the first place but then, he seems stupid in a horrible way. Anya and Nat, they were loving but not on my categories. Even the main Male Lead — Aleryn was supposed to be “the cold hearted male lead” but the author failed to describe his characteristics in the meantime.
Too many questions and things needed to be revised to be honest, rather than analyzing the book. If I have more time to re-read the book, I might be able to point out several things to be analyzed later.
The Questions:
💭 Why does one of the villager sacrifice their son on behalf of the King. WHY?
💭 Why the wings were cut off (Berin, Theo, and Aleryn) plus what crimes that made them being punished?
💭 When was Aleryn and Anya become couples anyway? How come Anya suddenly say that he is the boyfriend?
💭 When was we introduced to Theo personally? We’re not talking about the little Theo, but we talking about the adult version Theo
💭 Has Aleryn ever mentioned about his uncle to Nat and Anya? Nope, I don’t think so, and how come Nat able to point out that Aleryn has uncle?
💭 When was Anya asked Aleryn about the scars (the cut off wings he had) on his back? Never. Then how come she could describe his expression???
💭 Anya able to hold Theo’s body as a human being compared to Fae strength? Nonsense, how come? Please do enlighten me somehow
💭 Theo as a Fae and the one who has responsibility to protect Anya is kinda stupid, don’t you think?
💭 Why does this particular Fae who help Anya and Theo kind enough to help them, why??
Analyzing:
🥯 Trying and be disappointed is better than wondering what the result would be without any progress
🥯 Creators, having your final creation admired by people give you tremendous joys
🥯 Great team work give the best result
🥯 Take precious things from your target and they will crawl on their knees
Assumptions:
🌳 Nat is Berin’s fated mate
🌳 Ryn’s crime was because either he is illegitimate son or his mother doesn’t want the son to be on Kingdom’s politics
This book is good in the beginning but getting more worse as the storyline goes by. Nothing was make sense and many missing pieces on the storyline. Even analyzing this book isn’t much and there aren’t much to be analyzed. I don’t know if this book is good enough to be categorized as fantasy. This failed miserably. Kinda disappointed. I don’t think I would recommend this book to anyone and continue the series, even though the end was giving us the cliffhanger and we have too many questions to be answered
The story began after Anya (the no one and suddenly pop up character) found her like with the person who comes to her bakery repeatedly. She suddenly felt attracted to the man named Aleryn without any cause, then, they exchange few words and suddenly fucking already. On the next day, she was kidnapped because this Fae people wanted Aleryn and classic strategy appeared. That’s where the story “should be interesting”.
The characters are a so-so, I was liking Theo because of his appearance and his silver white hair in the first place but then, he seems stupid in a horrible way. Anya and Nat, they were loving but not on my categories. Even the main Male Lead — Aleryn was supposed to be “the cold hearted male lead” but the author failed to describe his characteristics in the meantime.
Too many questions and things needed to be revised to be honest, rather than analyzing the book. If I have more time to re-read the book, I might be able to point out several things to be analyzed later.
The Questions:
💭 Why does one of the villager sacrifice their son on behalf of the King. WHY?
💭 Why the wings were cut off (Berin, Theo, and Aleryn) plus what crimes that made them being punished?
💭 When was Aleryn and Anya become couples anyway? How come Anya suddenly say that he is the boyfriend?
💭 When was we introduced to Theo personally? We’re not talking about the little Theo, but we talking about the adult version Theo
💭 Has Aleryn ever mentioned about his uncle to Nat and Anya? Nope, I don’t think so, and how come Nat able to point out that Aleryn has uncle?
💭 When was Anya asked Aleryn about the scars (the cut off wings he had) on his back? Never. Then how come she could describe his expression???
💭 Anya able to hold Theo’s body as a human being compared to Fae strength? Nonsense, how come? Please do enlighten me somehow
💭 Theo as a Fae and the one who has responsibility to protect Anya is kinda stupid, don’t you think?
💭 Why does this particular Fae who help Anya and Theo kind enough to help them, why??
Analyzing:
🥯 Trying and be disappointed is better than wondering what the result would be without any progress
🥯 Creators, having your final creation admired by people give you tremendous joys
🥯 Great team work give the best result
🥯 Take precious things from your target and they will crawl on their knees
Assumptions:
🌳 Nat is Berin’s fated mate
🌳 Ryn’s crime was because either he is illegitimate son or his mother doesn’t want the son to be on Kingdom’s politics
This book is good in the beginning but getting more worse as the storyline goes by. Nothing was make sense and many missing pieces on the storyline. Even analyzing this book isn’t much and there aren’t much to be analyzed. I don’t know if this book is good enough to be categorized as fantasy. This failed miserably. Kinda disappointed. I don’t think I would recommend this book to anyone and continue the series, even though the end was giving us the cliffhanger and we have too many questions to be answered
June 11, 2024
♡𝐞𝐀𝐫𝐜 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰♡
4 🌟
-
𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬 :
•faes
•fated mates
-
This is book one, also a novella in the, "Thread of Fate series." This is a quick easy read with a Fated mates mixed with fantasy and Faes. This is a good beginning to a series. I like how this novella gives you backstory about the characters and what's to come in the next book.
𝑵𝒐𝒘 𝑳𝒊𝒗𝒆!
-
Thank you, Netgalley, and eArc Victory Editing for giving me the (eArc)-eBook for my honest review.
4 🌟
-
𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬 :
•faes
•fated mates
-
This is book one, also a novella in the, "Thread of Fate series." This is a quick easy read with a Fated mates mixed with fantasy and Faes. This is a good beginning to a series. I like how this novella gives you backstory about the characters and what's to come in the next book.
𝑵𝒐𝒘 𝑳𝒊𝒗𝒆!
-
Thank you, Netgalley, and eArc Victory Editing for giving me the (eArc)-eBook for my honest review.
June 5, 2024
This book was a quick read but seemed to be jumbled at times. The cliffhanger was an abrupt ending that could have been better tied together.
June 10, 2024
This was such a great novella and I can't wait to see where it goes from here! I was invested right away but wish there was more :)
August 1, 2024
DNF at 40 pages. As a NetGalley reader, I understand that the books I am given to read are usually not final drafts and to expect a few grammatical, spelling, or sentence structure errors. However, this book felt like a first draft. The quality of writing and mistakes ruined the reading experience for me. I was having to reread sentences and break them down to figure out what was trying to be said. Too much time was spent discussing things that don’t matter and important things were brushed over leaving me confused.
July 12, 2024
Ryn and Anya meet when Ryn shows up at her house to build the shed she's always wanted. When they start to feel this instant connection pulling at them, they start hanging out. Four months into dating, Ryn had to go out of town. That's when all hell broke loose. Anya and Theo must fight back and try to escape while Ryn and Nat try to figure out what happened.
This is a good book. I am disappointed that I'm left with a cliffhanger at the end!
Thanks, netgalley, for the opportunity to read this book!
This is a good book. I am disappointed that I'm left with a cliffhanger at the end!
Thanks, netgalley, for the opportunity to read this book!
July 4, 2024
🇬🇧: thank you to NetGalley for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
I found the prologue very interesting, Akira Varma made me empathise with Samira.
Samira is Mairene’s queen. She is a disowned queen, as well as his son, and hunted by the new king’s soldiers. Loved by her people, in the prologue she tries to escape with her child to the mortal world, leaving the fairy world forever.
But she is much more than this. Samira is a mother. A mother who knew that in order to save his child she had to sacrifice herself.
It’s about the genuine love that binds a mother to her baby, and I think it’s a wonderful concept.
Before her sacrifice, however, she meets Berin, the Privy Councillor of Mairene (Advisor to the Crown of Mairene), with whom she had planned the escape. The queen gave him Aleryn and then she went to face her fate.
His character intrigued me particularly, I was convinced that his two days delay was due to a betrayal against the queen, however he was actually saving another child (Theo).
Too bad, after the prologue, we’ll never get back to Mairene. Now we find ourselves in a city - we do not know which -, the environments are divided between a shed under construction, a bakery and the female protagonist’s (Anya) house.
On their first meeting, the two protagonists Aleryn and Anya, feel like they belong to each other. Anya had commissioned the construction of a shed to work on her cakes and Aleryn was one of the workers.
I tried to don’t mind the speed at which things were happening, on the week - which we didn’t get to read - they were knowing each other more.
Some dialogue here and there is not enough to make me like a couple, despite they had very tender moments.
There is also a four-month time lag in which things apparently evolve between them.
The chapters present a double point of view (after the prologue), of Anya and her best friend Natasha, "Nat" .
This is the relationship that I enjoyed most, a true friendship. Nothing from their past has been dug up, but their interactions are the most sincere.
The ending did not strike me, but I appreciated Nat’s point of view, which seems to me the only one who has had a constant personality since the beginning of the book.
I wanted to talk about the "content warnings" written at the beginning of the book. I will just say that, in my opinion, there is no need to explain everything that happens in the prologue.
Of course, there are TWs and it is right to mention them to avoid making readers uncomfortable, but if you get an explanation in detail there’s the risk of losing that halo of mystery that should wrap the story.
I hope that the book will be revised because in some parts it lacks of capital letters to names or letters.
🇮🇹: grazie NetGalley per avermi inviato l'eARC in cambio di una recensione sincera.
Il prologo l’ho trovato interessante, Akira Varma è riuscit* a farmi empatizzare con Samira.
Samira è la regina di Mairene. Una regina rinnegata insieme al figlio e braccata dai soldati del nuovo re. Amata dal suo popolo, nel prologo cerca solamente di fuggire con il suo bambino nel mondo mortale, lasciando per sempre il mondo delle fate.
Ma lei è molto di più. Samira è una madre. Una madre che ha capito che per poter salvare lui deve sacrificare se stessa.
L’ho trovato meraviglioso come concetto, soprattutto per l’amore genuino che lega una madre al suo bambino.
Prima del suo sacrificio, comunque, riesce ad incontrarsi con Berin, il Consigliere della Corona di Mairene (Advisor to the Crown of Mairene), con cui aveva progettato la fuga. Gli consegna Aleryn e poi la regina va verso la sua sorte.
Il suo personaggio mi intrigava particolarmente, ero convinta che il suo ritardo di due giorni fosse dovuto ad un tradimento nei confronti della regina, invece stava salvando un altro bambino (Theo).
Peccato che, dopo il prologo, non torneremo più a Mairene. Ora ci ritroviamo in una città — non sappiamo quale —, gli ambienti si dividono tra un capannone (shed) in costruzione, una panetteria e la casa della protagonista femminile, Anya.
Al primo incontro i due protagonisti, Aleryn e Anya, sentono di appartenersi. Anya aveva commissionato la costruzione di un capannone per poter lavorare ai propri dolci e Aleryn era uno dei lavoratori.
Ho cercato di perdonare la velocità con cui si stavano svolgendo le cose, la settimana — che non abbiamo avuto modo di vedere — in cui si conoscono.
Qualche dialogo qua e là non è sufficiente per farmi piacere una coppia, nonostante abbiano avuto dei momenti teneri.
Vi è anche un salto temporale di quattro mesi in cui apparentemente le cose tra loro si evolvono.
I capitoli presentano un doppio punto di vista (dopo il prologo), di Anya e della sua migliore amica Natasha, “Nat”.
Ecco, questo è il rapporto che ho apprezzato maggiormente, quello in cui si nota una vera amicizia. Non è stato scavato niente del loro passato o altro, però le loro interazioni sono le più sincere.
Il finale non mi ha colpito, però ho apprezzato il punto di vista di Nat, che mi sembra l’unica che abbia avuto una personalità costante dall’inizio del libro.
Volevo parlare dei “content warnings” scritti all’inizio del libro. Dirò solo che, a mio avviso, non serve spiegare proprio tutto quello che accade nel prologo.
Certo, ci sono dei TW ed è giusto menzionarli per evitare, appunto, di mettere a disagio i lettori, ma spiegando così nel dettaglio si rischia di perdere quell’alone di mistero che dovrebbe avvolgere la vicenda.
Spero che il libro verrà revisionato perché in alcune parti mancano le maiuscole ai nomi propri o lettere.
I found the prologue very interesting, Akira Varma made me empathise with Samira.
Samira is Mairene’s queen. She is a disowned queen, as well as his son, and hunted by the new king’s soldiers. Loved by her people, in the prologue she tries to escape with her child to the mortal world, leaving the fairy world forever.
But she is much more than this. Samira is a mother. A mother who knew that in order to save his child she had to sacrifice herself.
It’s about the genuine love that binds a mother to her baby, and I think it’s a wonderful concept.
Before her sacrifice, however, she meets Berin, the Privy Councillor of Mairene (Advisor to the Crown of Mairene), with whom she had planned the escape. The queen gave him Aleryn and then she went to face her fate.
His character intrigued me particularly, I was convinced that his two days delay was due to a betrayal against the queen, however he was actually saving another child (Theo).
Too bad, after the prologue, we’ll never get back to Mairene. Now we find ourselves in a city - we do not know which -, the environments are divided between a shed under construction, a bakery and the female protagonist’s (Anya) house.
On their first meeting, the two protagonists Aleryn and Anya, feel like they belong to each other. Anya had commissioned the construction of a shed to work on her cakes and Aleryn was one of the workers.
I tried to don’t mind the speed at which things were happening, on the week - which we didn’t get to read - they were knowing each other more.
Some dialogue here and there is not enough to make me like a couple, despite they had very tender moments.
There is also a four-month time lag in which things apparently evolve between them.
The chapters present a double point of view (after the prologue), of Anya and her best friend Natasha, "Nat" .
This is the relationship that I enjoyed most, a true friendship. Nothing from their past has been dug up, but their interactions are the most sincere.
The ending did not strike me, but I appreciated Nat’s point of view, which seems to me the only one who has had a constant personality since the beginning of the book.
I wanted to talk about the "content warnings" written at the beginning of the book. I will just say that, in my opinion, there is no need to explain everything that happens in the prologue.
Of course, there are TWs and it is right to mention them to avoid making readers uncomfortable, but if you get an explanation in detail there’s the risk of losing that halo of mystery that should wrap the story.
I hope that the book will be revised because in some parts it lacks of capital letters to names or letters.
🇮🇹: grazie NetGalley per avermi inviato l'eARC in cambio di una recensione sincera.
Il prologo l’ho trovato interessante, Akira Varma è riuscit* a farmi empatizzare con Samira.
Samira è la regina di Mairene. Una regina rinnegata insieme al figlio e braccata dai soldati del nuovo re. Amata dal suo popolo, nel prologo cerca solamente di fuggire con il suo bambino nel mondo mortale, lasciando per sempre il mondo delle fate.
Ma lei è molto di più. Samira è una madre. Una madre che ha capito che per poter salvare lui deve sacrificare se stessa.
L’ho trovato meraviglioso come concetto, soprattutto per l’amore genuino che lega una madre al suo bambino.
Prima del suo sacrificio, comunque, riesce ad incontrarsi con Berin, il Consigliere della Corona di Mairene (Advisor to the Crown of Mairene), con cui aveva progettato la fuga. Gli consegna Aleryn e poi la regina va verso la sua sorte.
Il suo personaggio mi intrigava particolarmente, ero convinta che il suo ritardo di due giorni fosse dovuto ad un tradimento nei confronti della regina, invece stava salvando un altro bambino (Theo).
Peccato che, dopo il prologo, non torneremo più a Mairene. Ora ci ritroviamo in una città — non sappiamo quale —, gli ambienti si dividono tra un capannone (shed) in costruzione, una panetteria e la casa della protagonista femminile, Anya.
Al primo incontro i due protagonisti, Aleryn e Anya, sentono di appartenersi. Anya aveva commissionato la costruzione di un capannone per poter lavorare ai propri dolci e Aleryn era uno dei lavoratori.
Ho cercato di perdonare la velocità con cui si stavano svolgendo le cose, la settimana — che non abbiamo avuto modo di vedere — in cui si conoscono.
Qualche dialogo qua e là non è sufficiente per farmi piacere una coppia, nonostante abbiano avuto dei momenti teneri.
Vi è anche un salto temporale di quattro mesi in cui apparentemente le cose tra loro si evolvono.
I capitoli presentano un doppio punto di vista (dopo il prologo), di Anya e della sua migliore amica Natasha, “Nat”.
Ecco, questo è il rapporto che ho apprezzato maggiormente, quello in cui si nota una vera amicizia. Non è stato scavato niente del loro passato o altro, però le loro interazioni sono le più sincere.
Il finale non mi ha colpito, però ho apprezzato il punto di vista di Nat, che mi sembra l’unica che abbia avuto una personalità costante dall’inizio del libro.
Volevo parlare dei “content warnings” scritti all’inizio del libro. Dirò solo che, a mio avviso, non serve spiegare proprio tutto quello che accade nel prologo.
Certo, ci sono dei TW ed è giusto menzionarli per evitare, appunto, di mettere a disagio i lettori, ma spiegando così nel dettaglio si rischia di perdere quell’alone di mistero che dovrebbe avvolgere la vicenda.
Spero che il libro verrà revisionato perché in alcune parti mancano le maiuscole ai nomi propri o lettere.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 16, 2024
Received my free copy from NetGalley. I was not impressed with this at all. I didn't find this writing or story any differential than most new texts being released.
June 16, 2024
The Forgotten Prince—Thread of Fate Series Book 1 by Akira Varma
Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for providing a copy of this eARC in exchange for my honest review.
The Story: The novella starts off with a prologue following Samira’s escape from their kingdom with her infant son—a bundled Prince Aleryn—nestled in her arms, both having suffered emotional and physical injury by the Mairene guards pursing them. The foundational premise of the prologue was great. It tells us how the prince would never grow up to be the royal he should, how he shouldn’t exist, and the sacrifices Samira had to make to keep them safe, but it never explains why. The only notation is that her brother took the throne, and it was rightfully Aleryn’s. But all this information would have been better served woven through the entire story instead of being a prologue, but that’s not what I care about.
What I care about is the only cool detail in the prologue is never followed up on:
WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE VILLAGER SACRIFICED THEIR OWN BABY? It is implied that the baby was killed, but who did it? Was it done in front of the guards? How did they not know it was their Prince? Why would the villager do that in the first place? What forced this to even happen?
I have so many questions, and if I am completely honest with myself, this was the only thing I cared about through the rest of the novel. I kept waiting for this fact to matter. I waited for the information to come back around. It never did. I’m still disappointed.
I carried that disappointment all the way through the rest of the novella.
The rest of the story is fine, but the world building is non-existent, which allows my disbelief to run rampant and brings out my more critical side. What I mean by this is that the way the prologue is written, you would think this is a more classic fantasy setting revolving around the patriarchal kingdom of Mairene, but what you get is the modern, almost urban, setting of the western world which means, there should be real-world solutions to these magic problems, but there is no exploration of that at all.
The Characters: Natasha was the only character I genuinely enjoyed, and she was neither the MC nor the love interest, which is a grade A bummer. Anya and Aleryn are both written pretty flat. There is no real distinction between them and every other insta-love/fated-mates trope that involves what could be described as a real-world human and a fae.
The Quality of the Writing: This novella, which is a third person narrative story told through Anya, the human baker’s POV, stands at 137 pages long, and it still took me several hours to read, mostly because of the grammatical errors and juvenile prose forced me to go back and re-read sentences, paragraphs, or entire pages, to understand what the author was intending to say. The sentences are stiff and stilted, and often the same length for several paragraphs, which leads to a boring, repetitive flow. There are also repeated details not only on the same page, or same chapter, but sometimes within the same sentence, that are written in a way that I believe is unintentional, as it does not provide any layers of depth to the story and makes for an agonizing reading experience. If the author had used a critique partner, or editors on the line and copy levels, it would have been a more pleasurable reading experience.
The best line in the novella is:
You do not see this level of prose again for the rest of the novel; this line is found in the prologue and its glory was spoiled by the following lines two paragraphs later:
Soldiers can’t scream if they’re killed instantly. Also, this is a pretty stunning exploration of what the MC’s power may become later in the novella, and it is such a shame that it’s so blandly explained.
Overall Thoughts: While the story synopsis seemed intriguing, the characters and story both lacked the depth that would allow me to read over the juvenile prose and grammatical errors. It reads much like an un-edited first draft. For those reasons, this author is not one I would choose to read another book from, as the overall quality of the product does not meet my requirements for enjoyment, and I am still so insanely mad that the villager’s infant sacrifice was never brought up again. It was such a cool detail that went completely unutilized.
Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for providing a copy of this eARC in exchange for my honest review.
The Story: The novella starts off with a prologue following Samira’s escape from their kingdom with her infant son—a bundled Prince Aleryn—nestled in her arms, both having suffered emotional and physical injury by the Mairene guards pursing them. The foundational premise of the prologue was great. It tells us how the prince would never grow up to be the royal he should, how he shouldn’t exist, and the sacrifices Samira had to make to keep them safe, but it never explains why. The only notation is that her brother took the throne, and it was rightfully Aleryn’s. But all this information would have been better served woven through the entire story instead of being a prologue, but that’s not what I care about.
What I care about is the only cool detail in the prologue is never followed up on:
“He was only alive now because one of the villagers sacrificed their own baby and smuggled Aleryn to safety. For all that the guards knew then, Aleryn was dead.”
WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE VILLAGER SACRIFICED THEIR OWN BABY? It is implied that the baby was killed, but who did it? Was it done in front of the guards? How did they not know it was their Prince? Why would the villager do that in the first place? What forced this to even happen?
I have so many questions, and if I am completely honest with myself, this was the only thing I cared about through the rest of the novel. I kept waiting for this fact to matter. I waited for the information to come back around. It never did. I’m still disappointed.
I carried that disappointment all the way through the rest of the novella.
The rest of the story is fine, but the world building is non-existent, which allows my disbelief to run rampant and brings out my more critical side. What I mean by this is that the way the prologue is written, you would think this is a more classic fantasy setting revolving around the patriarchal kingdom of Mairene, but what you get is the modern, almost urban, setting of the western world which means, there should be real-world solutions to these magic problems, but there is no exploration of that at all.
The Characters: Natasha was the only character I genuinely enjoyed, and she was neither the MC nor the love interest, which is a grade A bummer. Anya and Aleryn are both written pretty flat. There is no real distinction between them and every other insta-love/fated-mates trope that involves what could be described as a real-world human and a fae.
The Quality of the Writing: This novella, which is a third person narrative story told through Anya, the human baker’s POV, stands at 137 pages long, and it still took me several hours to read, mostly because of the grammatical errors and juvenile prose forced me to go back and re-read sentences, paragraphs, or entire pages, to understand what the author was intending to say. The sentences are stiff and stilted, and often the same length for several paragraphs, which leads to a boring, repetitive flow. There are also repeated details not only on the same page, or same chapter, but sometimes within the same sentence, that are written in a way that I believe is unintentional, as it does not provide any layers of depth to the story and makes for an agonizing reading experience. If the author had used a critique partner, or editors on the line and copy levels, it would have been a more pleasurable reading experience.
The best line in the novella is:
“And with that a blinding light cascaded the valley illuminating the dark, cloudy morning skies with the brightness of a hundred suns.”
You do not see this level of prose again for the rest of the novel; this line is found in the prologue and its glory was spoiled by the following lines two paragraphs later:
“The boom came later though, piercing the ears of everyone close to Samira – killing them instantly.
And with that came the screams of the tortured soldiers caught in her power.”
Soldiers can’t scream if they’re killed instantly. Also, this is a pretty stunning exploration of what the MC’s power may become later in the novella, and it is such a shame that it’s so blandly explained.
Overall Thoughts: While the story synopsis seemed intriguing, the characters and story both lacked the depth that would allow me to read over the juvenile prose and grammatical errors. It reads much like an un-edited first draft. For those reasons, this author is not one I would choose to read another book from, as the overall quality of the product does not meet my requirements for enjoyment, and I am still so insanely mad that the villager’s infant sacrifice was never brought up again. It was such a cool detail that went completely unutilized.
June 6, 2024
I really wanted to like this because the synopsis seemed compelling and exactly like the type of story I'd enjoy. However, I was sadly let down in the execution.
Characters
The characters were fine. None of them were particularly complex, interesting or memorable to me. There were moments where I felt a small attraction to the MMC but I wished the author took more liberties to describe him better in a way that would make me love him more.
Atmosphere
I was confused by the vibe of the setting. The prologue gave me the impression that I'd be in a typical "historical" fantasy world but was taken by surprise when phones and documentaries existed in the main body of the story. I know it can be hard to write an urban fantasy because technology can often breakdown plot points and this was one of those cases - why couldn't they just use guns against the bad guys?
However, I did get the cozy vibe from this book (a strength) but wished the author was more descriptive with the bakery to make it a more immersive read if coziness was intended.
Writing
Unfortunately, I think the writing was the weakest element of this book. There some repetitive choices of words, especially in the prologue, where sentences in the same paragraph used almost the exact same phrasing consecutively. Also, there were a lot of grammatically incorrect sentences which may have been a stylistic choice of the author to create urgency but instead, came across as juvenile and unedited to me.
Plot
The plot was probably the strongest element. The book delivered what I expected based on the synopsis and I saw a lot of potential but the execution was not as I had hoped (as I detail in the other sections of this review).
The pacing was a little strange to me. I read this book very quickly but I wouldn't necessarily say it was fast paced. There were a lot of unexplained time jumps that I felt were missed opportunities
Intrigue
This was slow going at the start with a lot of set up. However, once the story picked up around 50% of the book, my attention held and I was curious how it would pan out.
Logic
For the most part, the story seemed logical but the setting created a big unexplained plot hole for me (as I mentioned in Atmosphere). The character motivations were somewhat clear but I didn't feel the stakes involved since I felt like the characters were one-dimensional and underdeveloped.
Enjoyment
I prefer stories that are character driven and immersive and because those were weak points of this book, I didn't enjoy it overall unfortunately. The writing style made it nearly unbearable for me and I wanted to DNF this book but wanted to give it a fair chance.
Other notes
I love that the author listed the trigger warnings at the start of the book.
Thank you to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for gifting me this ebook in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Thank you BookRoast for the CAWPILE review method.
Characters
The characters were fine. None of them were particularly complex, interesting or memorable to me. There were moments where I felt a small attraction to the MMC but I wished the author took more liberties to describe him better in a way that would make me love him more.
Atmosphere
I was confused by the vibe of the setting. The prologue gave me the impression that I'd be in a typical "historical" fantasy world but was taken by surprise when phones and documentaries existed in the main body of the story. I know it can be hard to write an urban fantasy because technology can often breakdown plot points and this was one of those cases - why couldn't they just use guns against the bad guys?
However, I did get the cozy vibe from this book (a strength) but wished the author was more descriptive with the bakery to make it a more immersive read if coziness was intended.
Writing
Unfortunately, I think the writing was the weakest element of this book. There some repetitive choices of words, especially in the prologue, where sentences in the same paragraph used almost the exact same phrasing consecutively. Also, there were a lot of grammatically incorrect sentences which may have been a stylistic choice of the author to create urgency but instead, came across as juvenile and unedited to me.
Plot
The plot was probably the strongest element. The book delivered what I expected based on the synopsis and I saw a lot of potential but the execution was not as I had hoped (as I detail in the other sections of this review).
The pacing was a little strange to me. I read this book very quickly but I wouldn't necessarily say it was fast paced. There were a lot of unexplained time jumps that I felt were missed opportunities
Intrigue
This was slow going at the start with a lot of set up. However, once the story picked up around 50% of the book, my attention held and I was curious how it would pan out.
Logic
For the most part, the story seemed logical but the setting created a big unexplained plot hole for me (as I mentioned in Atmosphere). The character motivations were somewhat clear but I didn't feel the stakes involved since I felt like the characters were one-dimensional and underdeveloped.
Enjoyment
I prefer stories that are character driven and immersive and because those were weak points of this book, I didn't enjoy it overall unfortunately. The writing style made it nearly unbearable for me and I wanted to DNF this book but wanted to give it a fair chance.
Other notes
I love that the author listed the trigger warnings at the start of the book.
Thank you to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for gifting me this ebook in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Thank you BookRoast for the CAWPILE review method.
May 26, 2024
Title: The Forgotten Prince by Akira Varma
Release Date: May, 20th, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Stars
A banished fae prince, a human baker, and a mother's desperate sacrifice to save her child and maybe one day... her kingdom.
Anya, a baker who has worked in her trade since she was fifteen, now owns a bakery with her best friend Natasha. When they hire a mysterious carpenter to build a shed, Anya finds herself drawn to him.
This carpenter, Aleryn 'Ryn' Sinear, is the banished Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Mairene, who was left to die in the mortal lands after having his wings cut off.
Meeting Anya, however, turns his curse into a blessing.
With a target on Aleryn's head, their budding love faces many challenges. Will they be able to survive and reclaim his kingdom with the help of Anya, Natasha, and his best friend Theo?
I devoured this in one hour—I absolutely love fantasy novellas! This book was written really well, paced perfectly, and left you on a cliffhanger that made me crave more!
What I Enjoyed:
1. Anya's Character: Anya is an endearing protagonist. As a human living in the mortal world, she owns the cutest little bakery and has a heartwarming personality. Her instant chemistry with Ryn adds a delightful spark to the story.
2. Ryn's Mystery and Charm: Ryn is a captivating character—ridiculously handsome, incredibly sweet, and shrouded in mystery. His hidden past and the scars that mark him make his story even more intriguing.
3. Natasha's Loyalty: Anya’s best friend Natasha is a standout character. Her loyalty and support for Anya are heartwarming, and her POV chapters add depth to the narrative. I loved her character and her unwavering dedication.
4. Cozy Fantasy Vibes: Despite the fantasy elements, the story has a cozy feel to it. The quaint bakery setting, coupled with the magical intrigue, creates a unique and enjoyable atmosphere.
5. Clear World-Building: Even with a good number of characters and complex world-building, the story remains clear and easy to follow. This can be a challenge in fantasy romance, but Varma handles it beautifully, providing necessary information without disrupting the plot.
6. Perfect Pacing and Cliffhanger: The pacing of the novella is just right, keeping you engaged from start to finish. The cliffhanger ending leaves you eager for the next instalment, ensuring you'll be back for more.
"The Forgotten Prince" does a fantastic job of introducing key characters and setting up what promises to be an enthralling plot moving forward. I really, really enjoyed this, and I cannot wait for the next book in the series! If you’re a fan of fantasy novellas with a touch of romance and intrigue, this one is definitely worth your time.
Thank you to The Publisher Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op ,The Author Akira Varma & NetGalley for an advanced reader copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest review.
Release Date: May, 20th, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Stars
A banished fae prince, a human baker, and a mother's desperate sacrifice to save her child and maybe one day... her kingdom.
Anya, a baker who has worked in her trade since she was fifteen, now owns a bakery with her best friend Natasha. When they hire a mysterious carpenter to build a shed, Anya finds herself drawn to him.
This carpenter, Aleryn 'Ryn' Sinear, is the banished Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Mairene, who was left to die in the mortal lands after having his wings cut off.
Meeting Anya, however, turns his curse into a blessing.
With a target on Aleryn's head, their budding love faces many challenges. Will they be able to survive and reclaim his kingdom with the help of Anya, Natasha, and his best friend Theo?
I devoured this in one hour—I absolutely love fantasy novellas! This book was written really well, paced perfectly, and left you on a cliffhanger that made me crave more!
What I Enjoyed:
1. Anya's Character: Anya is an endearing protagonist. As a human living in the mortal world, she owns the cutest little bakery and has a heartwarming personality. Her instant chemistry with Ryn adds a delightful spark to the story.
2. Ryn's Mystery and Charm: Ryn is a captivating character—ridiculously handsome, incredibly sweet, and shrouded in mystery. His hidden past and the scars that mark him make his story even more intriguing.
3. Natasha's Loyalty: Anya’s best friend Natasha is a standout character. Her loyalty and support for Anya are heartwarming, and her POV chapters add depth to the narrative. I loved her character and her unwavering dedication.
4. Cozy Fantasy Vibes: Despite the fantasy elements, the story has a cozy feel to it. The quaint bakery setting, coupled with the magical intrigue, creates a unique and enjoyable atmosphere.
5. Clear World-Building: Even with a good number of characters and complex world-building, the story remains clear and easy to follow. This can be a challenge in fantasy romance, but Varma handles it beautifully, providing necessary information without disrupting the plot.
6. Perfect Pacing and Cliffhanger: The pacing of the novella is just right, keeping you engaged from start to finish. The cliffhanger ending leaves you eager for the next instalment, ensuring you'll be back for more.
"The Forgotten Prince" does a fantastic job of introducing key characters and setting up what promises to be an enthralling plot moving forward. I really, really enjoyed this, and I cannot wait for the next book in the series! If you’re a fan of fantasy novellas with a touch of romance and intrigue, this one is definitely worth your time.
Thank you to The Publisher Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op ,The Author Akira Varma & NetGalley for an advanced reader copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest review.
June 24, 2024
The writing quality of this "novella" desperately needs improvement and it completely ruined the story for me. This reads like a first draft that the author has not even glanced back at, let alone it getting anywhere near an editor. It's full of typos, repetition and sentences that don't make grammatical sense. So many sentences begin with "But" or "And". There's an extreme overuse of the word "though". There are far too many short sentences that break up the flow without purpose and there are so, so many pointless sentences/paragraphs that could have been easily cut.
So what about the plot? There wasn't really much of one. Very little happens and the "cliffhanger" is more of an abrupt (and yet unsurprising) ending just as the story starts to get going. I'm curious where the story is going but I cannot put myself through reading another "novella" like this one. If really refined, these could be the opening chapters of a real book. I feel that the author needs to attend multiple writing courses and spend years developing their writing skills first though or it would be a wasted effort.
How about the characters? Well, we have two bland main characters, Ryn and Anya, who meet when he helps build her shed. This "romance" was just bizarre. It was a full on insta-love where they both act really weird around each other, then they spend every day for 4 months together (but we fast forward after the first week or so to the 4 month mark) and it's only at that 4 month mark that they suddenly have sex all night long. There doesn't seem to be any reason why they waited and when they do finally take their relationship up a notch it's triggered by a bit of brushing past each other in the kitchen and her swaying her hips a bit. These characters are supposed to be in their 20s but it felt more like a couple of awkward teenagers. I don't care either way when it comes to spice but there was no romance or genuine sexual tension either and it's a strange choice to skip the most interesting period of their relationship. I also didn't really care about either of the main characters and they lacked any personality. I must mention again that these characters are in their 20s but behave like teenagers. Her best friend keeps teasing her about the fact she had sex with her boyfriend of 4 months? I wanted to ask her to please grow up. Along with the juvenile writing standard I can only assume this book is in fact written by a teenager.
The book desperately needs multiple revisions by an expert. This review has had more time spent on editing than the novella itself. The story has some potential but the plot still isn't anything astounding so far. If this had been a full length novel I would have had to DNF as the writing was too awful to enjoy the book at all. Though I understand it is a novella, there was next to nothing plot wise as a lot of the story was uninteresting filler.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC copy of this book.
So what about the plot? There wasn't really much of one. Very little happens and the "cliffhanger" is more of an abrupt (and yet unsurprising) ending just as the story starts to get going. I'm curious where the story is going but I cannot put myself through reading another "novella" like this one. If really refined, these could be the opening chapters of a real book. I feel that the author needs to attend multiple writing courses and spend years developing their writing skills first though or it would be a wasted effort.
How about the characters? Well, we have two bland main characters, Ryn and Anya, who meet when he helps build her shed. This "romance" was just bizarre. It was a full on insta-love where they both act really weird around each other, then they spend every day for 4 months together (but we fast forward after the first week or so to the 4 month mark) and it's only at that 4 month mark that they suddenly have sex all night long. There doesn't seem to be any reason why they waited and when they do finally take their relationship up a notch it's triggered by a bit of brushing past each other in the kitchen and her swaying her hips a bit. These characters are supposed to be in their 20s but it felt more like a couple of awkward teenagers. I don't care either way when it comes to spice but there was no romance or genuine sexual tension either and it's a strange choice to skip the most interesting period of their relationship. I also didn't really care about either of the main characters and they lacked any personality. I must mention again that these characters are in their 20s but behave like teenagers. Her best friend keeps teasing her about the fact she had sex with her boyfriend of 4 months? I wanted to ask her to please grow up. Along with the juvenile writing standard I can only assume this book is in fact written by a teenager.
The book desperately needs multiple revisions by an expert. This review has had more time spent on editing than the novella itself. The story has some potential but the plot still isn't anything astounding so far. If this had been a full length novel I would have had to DNF as the writing was too awful to enjoy the book at all. Though I understand it is a novella, there was next to nothing plot wise as a lot of the story was uninteresting filler.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC copy of this book.
August 16, 2024
The Forgotten Prince by Akira Varma is a really cool fantasy book about Aleryn "Ryn" Sinear, who got kicked out of his kingdom and left to die. But then he meets Anya, who owns a bakery, and they go on this wild journey of love, figuring out who they are, and Ryn trying to get back his place as prince.
Varma is really good at making characters with layers. It's awesome to see Ryn go from a prince who has fallen from grace to a leader who's determined. Anya is such a strong and tough hero - you can really connect with her and find inspiration from her. The other characters, like Anya's BFF Natasha and Ryn's wise advisor Theo, give the story so much more depth and detail.
Varma's writing is super poetic and interesting. The way they describe stuff really makes the world of Mairene come alive, drawing readers in with all its magic and mystery. The characters feel really real because of the natural dialogue, which helps build strong relationships between them. But some people might notice that the pace of the story can be a bit all over the place, with some parts feeling super quick and others dragging on a bit.
The book looks at stuff like forgiveness, figuring out who you are, and love being super important. Ryn's adventure shows how tough people can be and why it's crucial to be true to yourself. It also talks about power being tricky and the things you might have to give up to get it back.
Varma uses all kinds of cool writing tricks to make the story more interesting. Flashbacks give us important background info, and seeing things from both Ryn and Anya's views helps us understand the story better. And the symbolism, like the wings, makes the story even more meaningful.
The book is set up nicely, moving along in a logical way. But sometimes it speeds up or slows down randomly, which can mess with how much you enjoy reading it. Still, it's a fun book with enough action, love stuff, and character growth to keep you interested.
The Forgotten Prince is a really cool book for people who like fantasy and romance. Varma tells a sweet story about love and redemption mixed with some political drama, which I found pretty interesting. The pace might drag a bit at times, but the awesome characters and detailed world totally make up for it.
If you're into fantasy books with deep characters and a bit of romance, I'd totally suggest checking out The Forgotten Prince. It's the first book in the Thread of Fate series and I can't wait to see what happens next in the story.
Varma is really good at making characters with layers. It's awesome to see Ryn go from a prince who has fallen from grace to a leader who's determined. Anya is such a strong and tough hero - you can really connect with her and find inspiration from her. The other characters, like Anya's BFF Natasha and Ryn's wise advisor Theo, give the story so much more depth and detail.
Varma's writing is super poetic and interesting. The way they describe stuff really makes the world of Mairene come alive, drawing readers in with all its magic and mystery. The characters feel really real because of the natural dialogue, which helps build strong relationships between them. But some people might notice that the pace of the story can be a bit all over the place, with some parts feeling super quick and others dragging on a bit.
The book looks at stuff like forgiveness, figuring out who you are, and love being super important. Ryn's adventure shows how tough people can be and why it's crucial to be true to yourself. It also talks about power being tricky and the things you might have to give up to get it back.
Varma uses all kinds of cool writing tricks to make the story more interesting. Flashbacks give us important background info, and seeing things from both Ryn and Anya's views helps us understand the story better. And the symbolism, like the wings, makes the story even more meaningful.
The book is set up nicely, moving along in a logical way. But sometimes it speeds up or slows down randomly, which can mess with how much you enjoy reading it. Still, it's a fun book with enough action, love stuff, and character growth to keep you interested.
The Forgotten Prince is a really cool book for people who like fantasy and romance. Varma tells a sweet story about love and redemption mixed with some political drama, which I found pretty interesting. The pace might drag a bit at times, but the awesome characters and detailed world totally make up for it.
If you're into fantasy books with deep characters and a bit of romance, I'd totally suggest checking out The Forgotten Prince. It's the first book in the Thread of Fate series and I can't wait to see what happens next in the story.
June 19, 2024
Anya is a baker in the human world and meets Aleryn (Ryn) a handsome man who she has an undeniable pull towards. They quickly form an attachment unlike any she has felt before. Anya is lighthearted and kind, as is Ryn, who feels the same immediate connection as Anya (although this is determined just from Anya's POV).
Natasha (Nat) is Anya's best friend and partner of the bakery that she owns. Nat is charming and funny. Our other supporting character is Theo who is Ryn's family/best friend and is stoic but becomes friendlier as we move along and is clearly very loyal to Ryn.
As the story progresses, we find our characters in a dangerous situation and the story ends on a cliffhanger (where I proceeded to say "Wait no!") where two of them are left in peril.
Review:
This was a fun novella with a lot of potential! It laid the ground work for the (hopefully) series quickly but efficiently.
I think there were one or two things I'd loved to have had quickly clarified. For example that humans already knew that fae existed, as well as their land/country (Nat seemed surprised to see fae but not at their entire existance). Also, at one point Berin was referred to as an elf but then later said he was fae? Not sure if that was just an editing error.
It took until 40% of the way through (per my Kindle) for Anya and Ryn to officially get together, even though he had been referenced as her boyfriend? It seemed a bit long to drag that out (especially in a novella). However, the beginning of their love story was very enjoyable to read (though I felt the writing of Anya's thoughts were a bit juvenile surrounding it). I enjoyed seeing how fierce a friend Nat was once the story picked up and Anya's resilence in all the confusion. I'd like to have had maybe one POV from Ryn at least.
Overall, it was a quick and fun read (finished in just over an hour). I think it would be perfect for people starting to dip their toe into the fantasy world.
Thank you to The Publisher Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op, The Author Akira Varma & NetGalley for an advanced reader copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest review.
Natasha (Nat) is Anya's best friend and partner of the bakery that she owns. Nat is charming and funny. Our other supporting character is Theo who is Ryn's family/best friend and is stoic but becomes friendlier as we move along and is clearly very loyal to Ryn.
As the story progresses, we find our characters in a dangerous situation and the story ends on a cliffhanger (where I proceeded to say "Wait no!") where two of them are left in peril.
Review:
This was a fun novella with a lot of potential! It laid the ground work for the (hopefully) series quickly but efficiently.
I think there were one or two things I'd loved to have had quickly clarified. For example that humans already knew that fae existed, as well as their land/country (Nat seemed surprised to see fae but not at their entire existance). Also, at one point Berin was referred to as an elf but then later said he was fae? Not sure if that was just an editing error.
It took until 40% of the way through (per my Kindle) for Anya and Ryn to officially get together, even though he had been referenced as her boyfriend? It seemed a bit long to drag that out (especially in a novella). However, the beginning of their love story was very enjoyable to read (though I felt the writing of Anya's thoughts were a bit juvenile surrounding it). I enjoyed seeing how fierce a friend Nat was once the story picked up and Anya's resilence in all the confusion. I'd like to have had maybe one POV from Ryn at least.
Overall, it was a quick and fun read (finished in just over an hour). I think it would be perfect for people starting to dip their toe into the fantasy world.
Thank you to The Publisher Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op, The Author Akira Varma & NetGalley for an advanced reader copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest review.
July 3, 2024
Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGallery for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
I was really excited going into this book because I’m a sucker for fantasy and with this being a Novella, I thought I was going to get sucked into an epic fantasy series with the way the plot was described. Man, was I wrong.
The story is about Aleryn ‘Ryn’ who is the forgotten Prince of the fae realm. It opens with his mom running for her life with him in her arms before he was even a year old. Flash forward decades later and you get the viewpoint of Anya, a sweet, kind, too naive for her own good, baker. When her and Ryn meet, you can tell they have some sort of connection but nothing feels properly developed. At times the story feels jumbled together and rushed. The characters don’t have any qualities or depth that make you relate or care for them in any way.
And the cliffhanger ending wasn’t enough to make me itch for the next book. Which, mind you, this novella was released in April of 2023 and no other story for this series has been brought up or released. So you’re kind’ve just left hanging.
If this novella was released as an actual novel and developed more, I’d be more hyped about it. Then the author could’ve released a different novella that focused more on what happened in the prologue with Aleryns mother that gave us an even deeper backstory. This just wasn’t for me.
On top of all that, with the repetition and god awful grammatical errors, you’d think this was a first draft. I understand that ARC’s usually haven’t been edited yet but a simple once over of the story would’ve helped catch so many mistakes.
I was really excited going into this book because I’m a sucker for fantasy and with this being a Novella, I thought I was going to get sucked into an epic fantasy series with the way the plot was described. Man, was I wrong.
The story is about Aleryn ‘Ryn’ who is the forgotten Prince of the fae realm. It opens with his mom running for her life with him in her arms before he was even a year old. Flash forward decades later and you get the viewpoint of Anya, a sweet, kind, too naive for her own good, baker. When her and Ryn meet, you can tell they have some sort of connection but nothing feels properly developed. At times the story feels jumbled together and rushed. The characters don’t have any qualities or depth that make you relate or care for them in any way.
And the cliffhanger ending wasn’t enough to make me itch for the next book. Which, mind you, this novella was released in April of 2023 and no other story for this series has been brought up or released. So you’re kind’ve just left hanging.
If this novella was released as an actual novel and developed more, I’d be more hyped about it. Then the author could’ve released a different novella that focused more on what happened in the prologue with Aleryns mother that gave us an even deeper backstory. This just wasn’t for me.
On top of all that, with the repetition and god awful grammatical errors, you’d think this was a first draft. I understand that ARC’s usually haven’t been edited yet but a simple once over of the story would’ve helped catch so many mistakes.
May 27, 2024
Review dari aku yang pastinya mengandung spoiler✌️ :
Jujurly aku awalnya tertarik karena covernya keren abisss, ada efek fade ya di covernya trus ada mahkota yang aku asumsikan (sebagai orang awam design) sebagai forgotten prince ini sendiri. Kemudian yang buat aku tertarik banget juga si blurb buku ini, yang mana aku sebagai pecinta genre fantasi dan dunia fae langsung terhipnotis dengan ke-misteriusan dari back story si tukang kayu tampan ini.
I love sweet how Ryn as it shown atas sikapnya ke Anya, laki-laki berbadan besar tapi sweet itu jarang loh such a Golden Retiever nih!
Anya = Female Main Character (Heroine)
Ryn = Male Main Character (Hero)
Minusnya dari buku ini yaitu alur ceritanya menurut aku terlalu cepat yaa, atau mungkin karena short book? Ada satu lagi yang ganjel di aku yaitu di awal buku dimana H+h first meet, baru mau ngomong malu-malu gitu dan banyak giggling nya, like what (?) ngomong dulu sih baru ketawa 😔
But overall🌟🌟🌟3/5 Stars from Me! Ending ceritanya ngegantung meskipun sudah di peringatkan oleh author dari awal buku, tapi plis author kasihanilah aku yang penasaran iniii dan berikanlah aku kisi-kisi kapan next book dirilis🥺
Terimakasih The Publisher Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op ,The Author Akira Varma & NetGalley for an advanced reader copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest review ♥️🔥
Bagi pecinta fae dan fantasy world buku ini bikin penasaran banget kan? Kalau sudah baca bukunya kita sharing pendapat yuk di kolom komentar, see you on my next review. Have a nice dream Escapist
Jujurly aku awalnya tertarik karena covernya keren abisss, ada efek fade ya di covernya trus ada mahkota yang aku asumsikan (sebagai orang awam design) sebagai forgotten prince ini sendiri. Kemudian yang buat aku tertarik banget juga si blurb buku ini, yang mana aku sebagai pecinta genre fantasi dan dunia fae langsung terhipnotis dengan ke-misteriusan dari back story si tukang kayu tampan ini.
I love sweet how Ryn as it shown atas sikapnya ke Anya, laki-laki berbadan besar tapi sweet itu jarang loh such a Golden Retiever nih!
Anya = Female Main Character (Heroine)
Ryn = Male Main Character (Hero)
Minusnya dari buku ini yaitu alur ceritanya menurut aku terlalu cepat yaa, atau mungkin karena short book? Ada satu lagi yang ganjel di aku yaitu di awal buku dimana H+h first meet, baru mau ngomong malu-malu gitu dan banyak giggling nya, like what (?) ngomong dulu sih baru ketawa 😔
But overall🌟🌟🌟3/5 Stars from Me! Ending ceritanya ngegantung meskipun sudah di peringatkan oleh author dari awal buku, tapi plis author kasihanilah aku yang penasaran iniii dan berikanlah aku kisi-kisi kapan next book dirilis🥺
Terimakasih The Publisher Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op ,The Author Akira Varma & NetGalley for an advanced reader copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest review ♥️🔥
Bagi pecinta fae dan fantasy world buku ini bikin penasaran banget kan? Kalau sudah baca bukunya kita sharing pendapat yuk di kolom komentar, see you on my next review. Have a nice dream Escapist
June 23, 2024
The Forgotten Prince is the first in a series of novellas by Varma. As expected with a novella this is a short and quick read. I did read an ARC and I hope that by publication this book has had a much needed through edit. Make sure you read the synopsis as it is very helpful to understand a bit more that is not explained in the story.
Here it is for your enjoyment: Anya has worked in the bakery ever since she was fifteen. Seven years later, she, along with her best friend Natasha own the very bakery they used to work in. When the two of them commission for a shed to be built behind their house, Anya finds herself attracted to the tall, mysterious, dark-haired carpenter with two mysterious scars on his back.
Aleryn "Ryn" Sinear, the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Mairene, was banished from his homeland at a young age. With his wings cut off, he, along his best friend and family advisor, were left to die in the mortal lands. What seemed at first like a curse of fate was actually a blessing in disguise when he meets his mate.
But with a target on Aleryn's head, will Aleryn and Anya's love survive?
Can he get his kingdom back with the help of Anya, Nat, and his best friend Theo?
The thing that was a bit crazy was that Anya is kidnapped and they say mate she doesn't even have a reaction. I would think that one shocked that there's fae and two that they are mates would be a bit of a bigger deal to her but it is just glossed over. I will be looking forward to the rest of the stories in the series. 3.5 stars
Here it is for your enjoyment: Anya has worked in the bakery ever since she was fifteen. Seven years later, she, along with her best friend Natasha own the very bakery they used to work in. When the two of them commission for a shed to be built behind their house, Anya finds herself attracted to the tall, mysterious, dark-haired carpenter with two mysterious scars on his back.
Aleryn "Ryn" Sinear, the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Mairene, was banished from his homeland at a young age. With his wings cut off, he, along his best friend and family advisor, were left to die in the mortal lands. What seemed at first like a curse of fate was actually a blessing in disguise when he meets his mate.
But with a target on Aleryn's head, will Aleryn and Anya's love survive?
Can he get his kingdom back with the help of Anya, Nat, and his best friend Theo?
The thing that was a bit crazy was that Anya is kidnapped and they say mate she doesn't even have a reaction. I would think that one shocked that there's fae and two that they are mates would be a bit of a bigger deal to her but it is just glossed over. I will be looking forward to the rest of the stories in the series. 3.5 stars
June 4, 2024
If you are interested in reading a romance with a twist of magical realism, then this is the book for you! The prologue sinks its hooks into you by grabbing your attention, creating mystery, and thrilling you to read more. I didn’t know what to expect, but I knew I had a lot of questions that needed to be answered. Aleryn is a Fae. A royal Fae at that. While he was a baby, his uncle had his wings clipped and banished from the Kingdom of Mairene. Wanting a better life for her son, his mother escapes and gives her baby over to their family advisor to raise. We are transported to years later, where Aleryn and Theo are older, and meet Anya and Nat. Anya and Nat are expanding their business and commissioned to get a shed built close to their house. From then on, we are introduced to the attraction and pulling urge between Aleryn and Anya.
Thank you, NetGalley and Victory Editing, for this copy! I don’t read a lot of fantasy or magical realism, but this book has put this genre on my radar. My only complaint was that the book was too short and ended on a cliffhanger, so I expect a second book to be in the works. Other than that, the storyline flowed. There was even some SPICE added to the mix, which I enjoyed. I loved the characters in the book. They complimented each other, and their storyline was easy to follow. They were also relatable. I could picture the characters among the individuals I interact with daily or in a series I am interested in watching. Overall, it was good, and I can’t wait for the second book in this series.
Thank you, NetGalley and Victory Editing, for this copy! I don’t read a lot of fantasy or magical realism, but this book has put this genre on my radar. My only complaint was that the book was too short and ended on a cliffhanger, so I expect a second book to be in the works. Other than that, the storyline flowed. There was even some SPICE added to the mix, which I enjoyed. I loved the characters in the book. They complimented each other, and their storyline was easy to follow. They were also relatable. I could picture the characters among the individuals I interact with daily or in a series I am interested in watching. Overall, it was good, and I can’t wait for the second book in this series.
June 30, 2024
I really wanted to love this book! The cover is beautiful, and the title is well chosen. I loved the beginning of the story, which was his mother's backstory. It was heartfelt, well developed and interesting.
But when the book delved into the real world where Anya was running her bakery, I forgot I was reading about a prince. This is where the story lagged, and though I can appreciate what the author was doing by connecting the world of fae with the modern world, I felt there was too much time spent there and there's a disconnect from the heart of the story. But the remainder of the book when they were returning to the world of fae was truly enjoyable, fast paced and full of adventure! If the middle of the book resembled the begining and end of the book, and if their time in the fae world was expanded upon with some more detailed world building, I would have given it 5 stars! I also would have liked to have seen the characters themselves fleshed out a bit more.
But I hate to sound critical of anyone's works because writing a book is hard! I know when a lot of your heart and soul goes into your story, it can feel personal when there's critical remarks about it. So I hope this honest review isn't perceived as an insult, but is just one person's opinion on how it can be improved!
But when the book delved into the real world where Anya was running her bakery, I forgot I was reading about a prince. This is where the story lagged, and though I can appreciate what the author was doing by connecting the world of fae with the modern world, I felt there was too much time spent there and there's a disconnect from the heart of the story. But the remainder of the book when they were returning to the world of fae was truly enjoyable, fast paced and full of adventure! If the middle of the book resembled the begining and end of the book, and if their time in the fae world was expanded upon with some more detailed world building, I would have given it 5 stars! I also would have liked to have seen the characters themselves fleshed out a bit more.
But I hate to sound critical of anyone's works because writing a book is hard! I know when a lot of your heart and soul goes into your story, it can feel personal when there's critical remarks about it. So I hope this honest review isn't perceived as an insult, but is just one person's opinion on how it can be improved!
November 28, 2025
This book had a LOT of grammatical issues. And the repetition of word usage was getting really annoying. I knew from the second "chilled her to her bones" in less than two paragraphs in the prologue that this was going to be a hurdle for me. I know some authors use repetition of phrases to emphasize a point or pacing, this was not the case. Get a thesaurus.
It had an interesting premise, but did not feel very fleshed out. There was zero character or relationship development. We hopped around so fast with the "I can't ask for a number" to they're in LOVE, to finally a kiss, to I think hooking up? It felt like too many "just trust me" moments. There is literally no reason for them to be in love other than the Mate bond.
The friendship dynamics are also odd. Part of it I think is the stilted dialogue. The interactions between Nat and Ryn, and Anya and Theo had no consistency. I think it was supposed to be banter, but there was no foundation for any of it. On top of that, I genuinely couldn't tell if Fae were a known thing in this world or not because Nat and Anya's reactions were so mild.
I also take umbrage with the fact that literally nothing was resolved in this story. It truly did not need to be a novella. All that did was make
With a good editor I think this has a lot of potential, but at the moment it really just felt like an outline and not an actual story.
It had an interesting premise, but did not feel very fleshed out. There was zero character or relationship development. We hopped around so fast with the "I can't ask for a number" to they're in LOVE, to finally a kiss, to I think hooking up? It felt like too many "just trust me" moments. There is literally no reason for them to be in love other than the Mate bond.
The friendship dynamics are also odd. Part of it I think is the stilted dialogue. The interactions between Nat and Ryn, and Anya and Theo had no consistency. I think it was supposed to be banter, but there was no foundation for any of it. On top of that, I genuinely couldn't tell if Fae were a known thing in this world or not because Nat and Anya's reactions were so mild.
I also take umbrage with the fact that literally nothing was resolved in this story. It truly did not need to be a novella. All that did was make
With a good editor I think this has a lot of potential, but at the moment it really just felt like an outline and not an actual story.
October 3, 2024
A wonderful read that hit just the spot!
Not on the long side, but equally as satisfying, it was truly a treat and sweet beyond belief - with just enough spice to get you going, even when it's behind closed doors. There's mystery and suspense, and the whole "touch her and you die" trope which, let's be honest, is the kryptonite for all us romantasy girlies.
Also, we see the female lead's BFF go on a rescue journey with the male lead, arguing because they disagree on some things but still united because they both love Anya so much. I pity any foe they come across, they make a good team and Aleryn's PISSED!
For those of you not into the "insta-soulmate" trope, this might not be for you. But if you're like me, and dream of the one true love that was fated to be yours and knows it the minute he sees you -then dive right in. You're gonna love this story!
P.S.: Bring us more Theo in the next book, please, the grump is to die for!
***I was given an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinion stated in this review is solely mine, and no compensation was given or taken to alter it.***
Read this and other reviews at: http://cupcakesandpopcorn.wordpress.com
Not on the long side, but equally as satisfying, it was truly a treat and sweet beyond belief - with just enough spice to get you going, even when it's behind closed doors. There's mystery and suspense, and the whole "touch her and you die" trope which, let's be honest, is the kryptonite for all us romantasy girlies.
Also, we see the female lead's BFF go on a rescue journey with the male lead, arguing because they disagree on some things but still united because they both love Anya so much. I pity any foe they come across, they make a good team and Aleryn's PISSED!
For those of you not into the "insta-soulmate" trope, this might not be for you. But if you're like me, and dream of the one true love that was fated to be yours and knows it the minute he sees you -then dive right in. You're gonna love this story!
P.S.: Bring us more Theo in the next book, please, the grump is to die for!
***I was given an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinion stated in this review is solely mine, and no compensation was given or taken to alter it.***
Read this and other reviews at: http://cupcakesandpopcorn.wordpress.com
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