What do you think?
Rate this book
In Unknown Ways
Crylon is a kingdom full of contrasts - here shadows and light come into union. Forced to marry the enemy to her country, the newly crowned queen soon discovers how truthful it is. Caught in the middle of political intrigues and betrayals, Alison realises the bright side of leaning into the shadows. And, with old and new friends, tries to outrun destiny and keep herself from going insane.
Story full of adventures and mystery, power of knowledge and admitting the darkness we all have within us.
Story full of adventures and mystery, power of knowledge and admitting the darkness we all have within us.
- GenresRomantasy
367 pages, ebook
First published March 21, 2023
1 person is currently reading
29 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 5, 2025
“In Unknown Ways” is a story set in a world where the lights and sun are the main sources of history, culture, and religion. It partly reminds me of the Grishaverse, where the belief in the Sun Summoner is idolized to eternity in Ravka. However, in this world, there are no known magicians, summoners, or wizards that are implemented. There is no magic, or so people believe. Alison, the main protagonist, is the Princess of Theria who is forced to marry the King of Crylon, the kingdom that is in a state of war with her homeland. She doesn't go there alone - her friend, Benoit, goes with her to protect and help her in any way he can.
Admittedly, at first, I expected there to be a love triangle, a phenomenon that is ordinary for YA books, but there is none. The enemy is, in fact, an enemy that the main character learns to live with. What is also interesting is how the story explores characters that we do not get to know from the beginning. The story is full of different personas that help to explore kingdoms that are not yet available to us geographically. They bring cultural, historical, and political context to the existing conflict between the two countries that we know of. Theria and Crylon are always on the verge of war, but are they the only countries that are? The main topic of the book is "the darkness that we all have within us," and it's true. No character is completely good, and no character is necessarily evil. There is a greyness that you can find in Leigh Bardugo's "Six of Crows," which makes the characters complex and interesting to follow. However, the problem comes from the number of stories we have to keep track of. There are seven characters that can be considered the leads, and even though they are all part of the bigger events, they still have their own backgrounds and goals that have little time to be explored.
What is considerably interesting in the book is the lack of obvious signs of romance - they are implied, talked about, but still left in the shadows. There are two girls who learn to enjoy being together, two men who adore each other in a peaceful way, a man and a woman who have known each other for years and try to figure out their feelings for each other, and a boy and a girl who were friends for so long, loved each other in silence, always knowing they couldn't be together. Honestly, the amount of peaceful, not tragic LGBTQ+ romances is refreshing because being part of the community and seeing all the tragic and dramatic romances can be exhausting. Sometimes you just want a good old romance without all the drama that usually comes with it, you know? Where the book lacks is in the time to develop all the characters, but the second book has the potential to solve that problem.
There is also an intricate storyline that has a good amount of interconnections and storylines that, at first sight, won't connect. The magic system is interesting to follow, but beware of spoilers! now. The way one person can hold both shadows and light is unique, as we often see romances develop from the contrast of one having light and the other darkness. The book explores how power can corrupt people and how magic can bring its owner to insanity. The history of the realm that is being created is also well-developed, with the light and sun being the main theme of anything that actually exists. The stories of Saints and Gods, fallen angels and different realms, and how ordinary things are not so ordinary - you just need to look closely - all add to the richness of the world-building.
Another part that lacks in the story is pacing - some scenes are slower, while others go by fast, including some important ones. The exploration of ordinary things is usually what gets cut off by publishers, but here it is, for some reason, present and adds to the world, even if it slows down the pacing of the swiftly moving forward plot. It's up to you to decide what you prefer. After all, despite the book lacking in timing and pacing, it is still worth reading through. The main topics, intrigues, character relationships, humor and drama, and some amount of good quotes that made you ache (I didn't cry, but was very close to) make it at least interesting. And the ending that leaves you in a state of sadness and hope makes you look forward to the second part.
Admittedly, at first, I expected there to be a love triangle, a phenomenon that is ordinary for YA books, but there is none. The enemy is, in fact, an enemy that the main character learns to live with. What is also interesting is how the story explores characters that we do not get to know from the beginning. The story is full of different personas that help to explore kingdoms that are not yet available to us geographically. They bring cultural, historical, and political context to the existing conflict between the two countries that we know of. Theria and Crylon are always on the verge of war, but are they the only countries that are? The main topic of the book is "the darkness that we all have within us," and it's true. No character is completely good, and no character is necessarily evil. There is a greyness that you can find in Leigh Bardugo's "Six of Crows," which makes the characters complex and interesting to follow. However, the problem comes from the number of stories we have to keep track of. There are seven characters that can be considered the leads, and even though they are all part of the bigger events, they still have their own backgrounds and goals that have little time to be explored.
What is considerably interesting in the book is the lack of obvious signs of romance - they are implied, talked about, but still left in the shadows. There are two girls who learn to enjoy being together, two men who adore each other in a peaceful way, a man and a woman who have known each other for years and try to figure out their feelings for each other, and a boy and a girl who were friends for so long, loved each other in silence, always knowing they couldn't be together. Honestly, the amount of peaceful, not tragic LGBTQ+ romances is refreshing because being part of the community and seeing all the tragic and dramatic romances can be exhausting. Sometimes you just want a good old romance without all the drama that usually comes with it, you know? Where the book lacks is in the time to develop all the characters, but the second book has the potential to solve that problem.
There is also an intricate storyline that has a good amount of interconnections and storylines that, at first sight, won't connect. The magic system is interesting to follow, but beware of spoilers! now. The way one person can hold both shadows and light is unique, as we often see romances develop from the contrast of one having light and the other darkness. The book explores how power can corrupt people and how magic can bring its owner to insanity. The history of the realm that is being created is also well-developed, with the light and sun being the main theme of anything that actually exists. The stories of Saints and Gods, fallen angels and different realms, and how ordinary things are not so ordinary - you just need to look closely - all add to the richness of the world-building.
Another part that lacks in the story is pacing - some scenes are slower, while others go by fast, including some important ones. The exploration of ordinary things is usually what gets cut off by publishers, but here it is, for some reason, present and adds to the world, even if it slows down the pacing of the swiftly moving forward plot. It's up to you to decide what you prefer. After all, despite the book lacking in timing and pacing, it is still worth reading through. The main topics, intrigues, character relationships, humor and drama, and some amount of good quotes that made you ache (I didn't cry, but was very close to) make it at least interesting. And the ending that leaves you in a state of sadness and hope makes you look forward to the second part.
May 30, 2023
I've finally completed this book and here's my review.
'in unknown ways ' is actually a very detailed book, the descriptions provided in all chapters are beautiful, the emotions or the 'force' in the book, are also well described.
The story and the plot makes the reader want to continue reading without giving it a break, and that is one of the things i like about the book.
The characters are so well written, each and every trait of them is perfectly designed to be just like them, whatever they do, gets back to one certain point, i also appreciate the fact that all characters have had their own time to shine, the story was surely not all about just the queen but the author also let the light shine upon the several side characters who build the story a little by little, each having their own part in making it special.
I also think that few scenes from the early chapters might seem not so important in the beginning but in the end, it all comes to together, making everything crucial to the story.
The concept of light and dark, starts as something small as a flicker, but turns to be the whole concept.
The only thing i feel that the book lacks is, quotes, or lines that leave a bigger impact on the reader, surely the book has a few of them but needs many more and that is something im looking forward to in the second part.
And lastly, to one of my dearest friends, my senya, i truly just only want to keep reminding you of how utterly proud i am of you. I cherish calling YOU an author, a writer. It is so brave of you and so wonderful, you've created such a beautiful fantasy in your head and brought it to life through words and with words you gave your characters a face, a voice and an appearance that i might never be able to forget.
Thank you for being such a huge inspiration, im thinking of following your exact steps.
All the best for writing the next part, i believe in you and i know it'll be worth my time as well, im so excited.
'in unknown ways ' is actually a very detailed book, the descriptions provided in all chapters are beautiful, the emotions or the 'force' in the book, are also well described.
The story and the plot makes the reader want to continue reading without giving it a break, and that is one of the things i like about the book.
The characters are so well written, each and every trait of them is perfectly designed to be just like them, whatever they do, gets back to one certain point, i also appreciate the fact that all characters have had their own time to shine, the story was surely not all about just the queen but the author also let the light shine upon the several side characters who build the story a little by little, each having their own part in making it special.
I also think that few scenes from the early chapters might seem not so important in the beginning but in the end, it all comes to together, making everything crucial to the story.
The concept of light and dark, starts as something small as a flicker, but turns to be the whole concept.
The only thing i feel that the book lacks is, quotes, or lines that leave a bigger impact on the reader, surely the book has a few of them but needs many more and that is something im looking forward to in the second part.
And lastly, to one of my dearest friends, my senya, i truly just only want to keep reminding you of how utterly proud i am of you. I cherish calling YOU an author, a writer. It is so brave of you and so wonderful, you've created such a beautiful fantasy in your head and brought it to life through words and with words you gave your characters a face, a voice and an appearance that i might never be able to forget.
Thank you for being such a huge inspiration, im thinking of following your exact steps.
All the best for writing the next part, i believe in you and i know it'll be worth my time as well, im so excited.
May 13, 2025
Really dark and psychological - definitely not your typical fantasy. Loved the magic in the world that doesn't believe in it. The main character’s descent from naive princess to something much colder was interesting and fascinating. Some pacing issues in the middle, but the atmosphere and character work kept me hooked. Can’t believe more people haven’t found this yet.
November 6, 2025
A well written and thought provoking read, I read it in one sitting. The writing is lovely and there is a lot of really nice prose. Only issue is, is that the characters don't feel fully developed. There doesn't seem to be enough depth to actually care about them.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
November 1, 2025
Great read, interesting story, and characters with a really wonderful atmosphere. I would highly recommend. I'm looking forward to the next book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews