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Nectar of War
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 212 reviews
January 22, 2024
I loved this book, this world and BOY did I love these characters. Who knew I like high fantasy
December 31, 2023
I wish this book came later in the author's career. Her writers craft has not caught up to her vision.
There were so many inconsistencies in the language she used that it was difficult to immerse myself in what I'm sure is a beautiful world. I think a seasoned editor would have done this book justice.
Character development fell flat as well. My fourth graders are getting the same lesson currently - your characters HAVE to be flawed. You simply can't create an untouchable power that is actually untouchable. This stripped certain characters of dimension and intrigue. The story is in the fight.
Finally, I am a seasoned fantasy reader, but this was more difficult to follow than I expected. Again, I think a good editor would have done very well here. The author spends too much time explicitly stating unimportant details that could be introduced gradually in dialogue or simply touched on less. We were left with huge gaps in important world building and history that should have had more time spent. I suggest that in future complex fantasies, the author takes more time in the first chapters to reveal the wonderful worlds she has imagined. :)
Also, my advice to ANY romance author is this: Don't let the romance take over! You can get away with it in the cheap raunchy tiktok self-publishings, because let's face it- none of those readers care about plot. In fantasy it is IMPERATIVE that we are more plot focused. It felt at some points the plot was pushed to the side to get to the romantic quotes.
I give ratings based on the purpose of the book. If it's meant to be a quick romance read with minimal plot and it does its job - that's a 5 star read to me! This book intended to be a complex fantasy in an intricate world. It needs a lot of work.
There were so many inconsistencies in the language she used that it was difficult to immerse myself in what I'm sure is a beautiful world. I think a seasoned editor would have done this book justice.
Character development fell flat as well. My fourth graders are getting the same lesson currently - your characters HAVE to be flawed. You simply can't create an untouchable power that is actually untouchable. This stripped certain characters of dimension and intrigue. The story is in the fight.
Finally, I am a seasoned fantasy reader, but this was more difficult to follow than I expected. Again, I think a good editor would have done very well here. The author spends too much time explicitly stating unimportant details that could be introduced gradually in dialogue or simply touched on less. We were left with huge gaps in important world building and history that should have had more time spent. I suggest that in future complex fantasies, the author takes more time in the first chapters to reveal the wonderful worlds she has imagined. :)
Also, my advice to ANY romance author is this: Don't let the romance take over! You can get away with it in the cheap raunchy tiktok self-publishings, because let's face it- none of those readers care about plot. In fantasy it is IMPERATIVE that we are more plot focused. It felt at some points the plot was pushed to the side to get to the romantic quotes.
I give ratings based on the purpose of the book. If it's meant to be a quick romance read with minimal plot and it does its job - that's a 5 star read to me! This book intended to be a complex fantasy in an intricate world. It needs a lot of work.
December 16, 2023
The Plot developed two legs and walked away.
August 28, 2023
Fans of ACOTAR and From Blood & Ash, and high fantasy romances, look no further than Nectar Of War. Each turn of the page makes you feel like you are stepping deeper and deeper into a magical world full of beauty and mystery.
The characters are some of the most in-depth i have encountered in a fantasy in a long time. I have no doubt you will fall in love with Laven and his pals and how courteous but also hilarious they are.
This novel is expansive and vivid and you may have to reread some parts because every detail is key, but it is worth the patience!! This book is like a glass of wine, it deserves to be savoured!
Leilani’s mind is truly something else and i cannot wait for you all to experience this majesty ✨
The characters are some of the most in-depth i have encountered in a fantasy in a long time. I have no doubt you will fall in love with Laven and his pals and how courteous but also hilarious they are.
This novel is expansive and vivid and you may have to reread some parts because every detail is key, but it is worth the patience!! This book is like a glass of wine, it deserves to be savoured!
Leilani’s mind is truly something else and i cannot wait for you all to experience this majesty ✨
November 23, 2023
DNF at chapter 5…. i’m sorry… i realllyyyyy wanted to like this book and support a young author but there were just too many things with the writing that prevented me from being able to get into the story and character at all.
The writing is really monotonous and superrrrr tell not show. there’s really no depth to the characters or story from the get go, and the really robotic energy of the writing just has no flow and doesn’t feel natural at all.
Someone else said that it feels like a thesaurus threw up on the pages too and I could not agree more. There were soooo many times in just these first few chapters that really unnecessarily large words were forced into sentences where they really did not fit.. and then it’s just another thing that takes you out of the story to sort of scratch your head…
I may try to keep at it for a bit until I get some new books, but I had such a hard time reading these early
chapters that i don’t expect i’ll be able to get through all 700 pages.
The writing is really monotonous and superrrrr tell not show. there’s really no depth to the characters or story from the get go, and the really robotic energy of the writing just has no flow and doesn’t feel natural at all.
Someone else said that it feels like a thesaurus threw up on the pages too and I could not agree more. There were soooo many times in just these first few chapters that really unnecessarily large words were forced into sentences where they really did not fit.. and then it’s just another thing that takes you out of the story to sort of scratch your head…
I may try to keep at it for a bit until I get some new books, but I had such a hard time reading these early
chapters that i don’t expect i’ll be able to get through all 700 pages.
November 17, 2023
“We are not exactly the luckiest nor the most loved beings the Gods have created. We are given mates, someone specifically crafted and created only for us. Either we fall in love with everything about them or not—there is always that deep-rooted connection that holds our soul to the earth. When they perish, we do as well; we may still be here, but it feels as if we are dead—a walking, living corpse. We have the chance to hold on to immortality and youth if we continue to phase into our Wolves, yet all that means is merely living, being here as just an object. When they die, a part of us dies as well. We can either live with the emptiness or end it all to be with the person destined for us. Those are our options. We carry on cut in half or die to be whole again. There is no living in-between the two after someone so dear to you is ripped away.”
A masterpiece. This is House of Dragon meets ACOMAF featuring Greek Mythology.
Expect dragons, wolves, fairies, sorcerers, mates etc. this book is a work of art.
“Art, poetry, music, it all sets off dreams, and for sanity to exist, we need those dreams to give us something to look forward to through the chaos. We need the Artists, the Poets, we need them to live so there is ease. Do not ever stop creating, even if it is not beautiful. Life is just as hideous as it is pulchritudinous.”
December 29, 2023
I picked up this book since I saw the author promoting quotes/scenes of the book on her social media. I went in blind not knowing this is a werewolf book. I almost DNFed for that reason alone but the plot was getting interesting, so I decided to keep reading. Surprisingly, the characters were almost never talked about as werewolves and only once was there a vague mention of what shifting is like. Considering this was a main point of the storyline, I felt this was inconsistent with the advertising and summary.
The romance fell super flat for me. You are telling me that a man is mated to a woman and in love with her (she is not aware they are mates) but he decides to sleep with another woman the second she rejects him? I was so disappointed since this definitely is considered cheating to me. Also when she learns the truth of them being mates, she throws his mindful actions (hiding the truth so she can choose whether or not she wants to know the truth) in his face and accuses him of not honest with her. The romance was all over the place and not in a good way. Overall, there were many inconsistencies and holes in this plot which made it irreconcilable. I really wanted to love this read, especially since this is from a new, younger author, but I cannot say I enjoyed it. However, I must say that this author is young and for a 600 page novel, she has some strengths that are there for better writing in the future.
The romance fell super flat for me. You are telling me that a man is mated to a woman and in love with her (she is not aware they are mates) but he decides to sleep with another woman the second she rejects him? I was so disappointed since this definitely is considered cheating to me. Also when she learns the truth of them being mates, she throws his mindful actions (hiding the truth so she can choose whether or not she wants to know the truth) in his face and accuses him of not honest with her. The romance was all over the place and not in a good way. Overall, there were many inconsistencies and holes in this plot which made it irreconcilable. I really wanted to love this read, especially since this is from a new, younger author, but I cannot say I enjoyed it. However, I must say that this author is young and for a 600 page novel, she has some strengths that are there for better writing in the future.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 18, 2023
As a SJM and GOT fan I was super excited for this book and have been pretty disappointed. I’m about halfway through and intend to finish it but not sure if i will. We have just completely lost the plot and the characters have become entirely unlikable. It started strong but has seemed to unraveled, the story jumps to its next plot points so quickly with no explanation of how it gets to places. Not talking about things to be revealed or things purposefully left out to be explained later, the story is so rushed that there is no real substance to it. It surprised me how much this book has actually put me in a bad mood, 1. it just genuinely pissed me off and 2. I’m severely disappointed as I had extremely high hopes for it.
January 29, 2024
i’m disappointed with this book after seeing it on social media :/ i lost count of how many times i had to look up what words meant, like WHY does the word pulchritudinous have to be used instead of beautiful ???
i did like the diversity in the characters which was what drew me to the book but honestly the writing style made it lack overall for me.
however, the preview of the next book in the series did seem interesting with the plot twist so i’ll probably read it with hope the author develops in her writing style as this was one of her first novels!
i did like the diversity in the characters which was what drew me to the book but honestly the writing style made it lack overall for me.
however, the preview of the next book in the series did seem interesting with the plot twist so i’ll probably read it with hope the author develops in her writing style as this was one of her first novels!
April 10, 2024
I really wanted to enjoy this book, to be frank the reason it has 2 stars instead of 1 is because the story had a very strong start. But as I proceeded it just got progressively worse.
Fantasy authors, especially new fantasy authors, I’m begging you all to be consistent with your writing. Do not include language that is so clearly taken from 2023 because not only does it date your book but it does not make sense to speak that way when in the rest of the story they are speaking more “old time”
Why am I seeing one of the characters say “I was today years old” this is just lazy. My other frustration was inconsistent world building. Mentioning of Greek god names but the world being completely new and from scratch… that doesn’t make sense. And on top of that, how are you going to have characters named after Greek gods and have Greek gods mentioned but then the currency is dollars ?
Another thing I urge is that you do not need to make an insanely complicated magic system in order for your fantasy to be good. Many of my favourite fantasies, aka the poppy war and the Daevabad trilogy have quite simple magic systems, what separates them from the rest is the depth of how rich the world building is in the sense of honing in on their craft and keeping things consistent and not doing too much. As far as I’m aware this is a multiple book series and already we have fae, werewolves, the real world, portales, dragons… it’s too much especially too much for the debut.
I pretty much lost interest in the plot about 60% of the way in and at this point Ivella and the guy, I already forgot his name, made me want to rip my hair out. This was not a good slow burn, it was just two characters acting daft and annoying and couldn’t find a single reason as to why I should be rooting for them.
To end on a positive note tho, I really enjoyed esme and Roanan, and I’m so sad that their story just went non existent it was one of the only things I was enjoying. Both of their characters were dynamic and had a lot of chemistry with each other - they reminded me a little of Nesta and Cassian from acotar.
Fantasy authors, especially new fantasy authors, I’m begging you all to be consistent with your writing. Do not include language that is so clearly taken from 2023 because not only does it date your book but it does not make sense to speak that way when in the rest of the story they are speaking more “old time”
Why am I seeing one of the characters say “I was today years old” this is just lazy. My other frustration was inconsistent world building. Mentioning of Greek god names but the world being completely new and from scratch… that doesn’t make sense. And on top of that, how are you going to have characters named after Greek gods and have Greek gods mentioned but then the currency is dollars ?
Another thing I urge is that you do not need to make an insanely complicated magic system in order for your fantasy to be good. Many of my favourite fantasies, aka the poppy war and the Daevabad trilogy have quite simple magic systems, what separates them from the rest is the depth of how rich the world building is in the sense of honing in on their craft and keeping things consistent and not doing too much. As far as I’m aware this is a multiple book series and already we have fae, werewolves, the real world, portales, dragons… it’s too much especially too much for the debut.
I pretty much lost interest in the plot about 60% of the way in and at this point Ivella and the guy, I already forgot his name, made me want to rip my hair out. This was not a good slow burn, it was just two characters acting daft and annoying and couldn’t find a single reason as to why I should be rooting for them.
To end on a positive note tho, I really enjoyed esme and Roanan, and I’m so sad that their story just went non existent it was one of the only things I was enjoying. Both of their characters were dynamic and had a lot of chemistry with each other - they reminded me a little of Nesta and Cassian from acotar.
December 29, 2023
I’m never one to write reviews… however this story is so special and objectively amazing that I cannot hold back.
From reading what was released on wattpad I was absolutely hooked, crying when I reached the end of a chapter because I knew I would have to wait for the release of the next one. And it is all I could think about.
The characters, the world building, the ACTUAL diversity that, unlike most authors, is not pretentious but an adequate representation of how all authors should represent their worlds.
Every sentence was like poetry and the thought of getting this physical copy in my hand, delving into this world with all of these incredibly thought out characters and characters arcs, and being able to live life in this fantastical world makes me want to cry with anticipation.
From reading what was released on wattpad I was absolutely hooked, crying when I reached the end of a chapter because I knew I would have to wait for the release of the next one. And it is all I could think about.
The characters, the world building, the ACTUAL diversity that, unlike most authors, is not pretentious but an adequate representation of how all authors should represent their worlds.
Every sentence was like poetry and the thought of getting this physical copy in my hand, delving into this world with all of these incredibly thought out characters and characters arcs, and being able to live life in this fantastical world makes me want to cry with anticipation.
June 27, 2022
2023 come sooner please!! my most anticipated read of the year🧚♀️🦋🤍
Read
May 5, 2024DNF (35%)— while the concept of this fantasy is compelling, the lack of skillful storytelling makes this unreadable. The world building is poorly fleshed out with exposition thrown in randomly breaking up the already lacking rhythm.
The only redeeming aspect is Laven’s interactions with Maivena, but even those scenes feel forced and deflated at points. Their relationship lacks foundation and character building from either side. This entire novel feels like a sequel in a series, not the inaugural book. Information is thrown on the page with little skill or nuance.
This author has a wonderful concept on her hands but could benefit from proper editing and critiques. I have seen a lot of attention on TikTok for this novel… hopefully the author will be given the resources to continue her writing, building up skills that are severely lacking in this novel.
The only redeeming aspect is Laven’s interactions with Maivena, but even those scenes feel forced and deflated at points. Their relationship lacks foundation and character building from either side. This entire novel feels like a sequel in a series, not the inaugural book. Information is thrown on the page with little skill or nuance.
This author has a wonderful concept on her hands but could benefit from proper editing and critiques. I have seen a lot of attention on TikTok for this novel… hopefully the author will be given the resources to continue her writing, building up skills that are severely lacking in this novel.
December 22, 2022
*contains minimal spoilers with the plot so beware*
As of the early released chapters
Nectar of war is genuinely a page‐turner. Every page will make you want to read more and want more, to find out what will happen next.
I am not a fantasy reader and not really familiar with all the stuff within a fantasy world but Nectar of War was still very entertaining to read. The plot captivated you to read more and the characters are interesting, same with the worldbuilding. Its interesting enough to make you want more.
And I think Leilani Helen Aki's prose is also one of the big factors of what's making you want to read more. Her writing is lyrical but not in a way of metaphors and similes, but in rich detail that makes you visualize the world much more vividly.
The only thing that was lukewarm to me was all due to personal taste like the wolf and mates trope. I think I have associated the wolf trope into something unserious like the twilight or omegaverse lol
So as serious as the scenes and plot are and then suddenly wolves are like taking me out of the serious mood of the book.
*SPOILERS AHEAD WARNING*
As of the early released chapters
Nectar of war is genuinely a page‐turner. Every page will make you want to read more and want more, to find out what will happen next.
I am not a fantasy reader and not really familiar with all the stuff within a fantasy world but Nectar of War was still very entertaining to read. The plot captivated you to read more and the characters are interesting, same with the worldbuilding. Its interesting enough to make you want more.
And I think Leilani Helen Aki's prose is also one of the big factors of what's making you want to read more. Her writing is lyrical but not in a way of metaphors and similes, but in rich detail that makes you visualize the world much more vividly.
The only thing that was lukewarm to me was all due to personal taste like the wolf and mates trope. I think I have associated the wolf trope into something unserious like the twilight or omegaverse lol
So as serious as the scenes and plot are and then suddenly wolves are like taking me out of the serious mood of the book.
*SPOILERS AHEAD WARNING*
February 18, 2024
I was so disappointed in it to be honest.
The overall idea the author had was certainly 10/10 but the execution was very underwhelming.
In my opinion, it was written very poorly with a messy writing/plot.
The story didn’t progress much over the EXTREMELY LONG and big book, which was annoying because it felt like we were going in circles.
The characters were super flat (apart from Roaner and maybe a tad bit of Laven). Ivella was my most disappointing one. I was so excited to see her character development, but it never came; she went from being a scared damsel in need of saving, to the most powerful woman in a blink??? I understand her having trauma at the beginning of the book, but the jump from that to her being a smiley killer just didn’t sit well with me.
And then don’t get me started on the whole mate thing.
HE KNOWS SHES HIS MATE AND AT THE BEGINNING OF THE BOOK WE ARE TOLD THAT HES THIS BIG POSSESSIVE MATE, AND THEN THROUGHOUT THE BOOK HE JUST DOESNT SAY SHIT ABOUT IT TO HER? WHERE IS THE POSSESSIVENESS THAT A MATE HAS? YOU CANT TELL ME HE WAS ACTUALLY DOING FINE PHYSICALLY WHEN SHE WAS BEING COURTED BY OTHERS?????
OMG and then the arrival of his uncle and his death were sooooo rushed. You’re telling me the reason the main couple had problems and the reason for the main political problems, got such a fast and flat death? I’m so so annoyed with that.
Either way, the author definitely has a great mind for high fantasy so I hope in the further future she’ll bless us with something up to her ideas.
The overall idea the author had was certainly 10/10 but the execution was very underwhelming.
In my opinion, it was written very poorly with a messy writing/plot.
The story didn’t progress much over the EXTREMELY LONG and big book, which was annoying because it felt like we were going in circles.
The characters were super flat (apart from Roaner and maybe a tad bit of Laven). Ivella was my most disappointing one. I was so excited to see her character development, but it never came; she went from being a scared damsel in need of saving, to the most powerful woman in a blink??? I understand her having trauma at the beginning of the book, but the jump from that to her being a smiley killer just didn’t sit well with me.
And then don’t get me started on the whole mate thing.
HE KNOWS SHES HIS MATE AND AT THE BEGINNING OF THE BOOK WE ARE TOLD THAT HES THIS BIG POSSESSIVE MATE, AND THEN THROUGHOUT THE BOOK HE JUST DOESNT SAY SHIT ABOUT IT TO HER? WHERE IS THE POSSESSIVENESS THAT A MATE HAS? YOU CANT TELL ME HE WAS ACTUALLY DOING FINE PHYSICALLY WHEN SHE WAS BEING COURTED BY OTHERS?????
OMG and then the arrival of his uncle and his death were sooooo rushed. You’re telling me the reason the main couple had problems and the reason for the main political problems, got such a fast and flat death? I’m so so annoyed with that.
Either way, the author definitely has a great mind for high fantasy so I hope in the further future she’ll bless us with something up to her ideas.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 13, 2024
This book embodies “Work song” by Hozier…. I’ve never been able to place a song with a book immediately quite like this one. An unexpected 5 stars and beautiful high fantasy world. Can’t wait for the second!!!
A mixture of everything. Greek gods. Large universe with different realms, realm of wolves, realm of fae, vampires, shifters, banshees, sorcerers, mortal lands, etc. The magic is really pretty and ascending is a form of world-walking. Easy to follow after you get the names of the characters down. Not super action packed more of a slow burn but the beautiful world and multiple different character perspectives keeps it entertaining.
A mixture of everything. Greek gods. Large universe with different realms, realm of wolves, realm of fae, vampires, shifters, banshees, sorcerers, mortal lands, etc. The magic is really pretty and ascending is a form of world-walking. Easy to follow after you get the names of the characters down. Not super action packed more of a slow burn but the beautiful world and multiple different character perspectives keeps it entertaining.
April 13, 2024
1.5 stars is the real rating and that is generous I feel like. I had seen some really great reviews but this just fell really flat for me.
I thought for awhile it was just taking some time to get into the world building but then I realized there just actually wasn’t world building.
What happened in the Old Quamfasi war? Why is Stravan ruthless but then suddenly had a complete character shift when he was with Laven? The portals are modern?! The dialogue felt so forced and almost cringey.
The idea is there but I felt like it was lacking some serious explanation. I actually couldn’t tell you wait the main driving focus of the plot is.
I thought for awhile it was just taking some time to get into the world building but then I realized there just actually wasn’t world building.
What happened in the Old Quamfasi war? Why is Stravan ruthless but then suddenly had a complete character shift when he was with Laven? The portals are modern?! The dialogue felt so forced and almost cringey.
The idea is there but I felt like it was lacking some serious explanation. I actually couldn’t tell you wait the main driving focus of the plot is.
June 27, 2022
You guys, I’ve read the snippets of this book along with a more substantial chunk of the unedited version and I am absolutely IN LOVE with it. The prose is lyrical and magical and sucks you in within a few sentences. I don’t want to give too much away but Leilani has me drooling over this series and it really will be the next big high fantasy series. I’m so proud of her as an author and even more proud of her as a friend.
June 27, 2024
just like no
March 30, 2024
my head hurts. this was A LOT
November 16, 2023
After finding myself in emotional turmoil in the aftermath of reading Iron Flame, one of my best friends found this book and we decided to read it together. Now I have finished and once again found myself in emotional turmoil, but it is turmoil in the best way. This book was incredible. The characters are lovable, but also sometimes frustrating to no end which is my favorite kind of character. The story is beautifully written. I did have some confusion in the story with the split perspective and the use of flashbacks, but once I adjusted (I don’t read a lot of split perspectives because I’m usually not a fan) I thoroughly enjoyed it. I just wish I didn’t have to wait for the next one.
May 2, 2024
Really enjoyed!! Can’t wait for the sequel, hated the fuckboy haircut but I love love the characters in this story! Great world building in the first half!
October 10, 2023
An absolute MASTERPIECE🤌🏽🤌🏽 I devoured this book in 3 days and can’t wait for the second in the series to come out🥹
November 19, 2023
Dnf at 62% as a fan of acotar and tog because that’s what everyone seems to be comparing it to.
Sounds like someone threw up a thesaurus and the crappy politics lacked any intrigue. Shame, I actually thought I could get passed the writing as the plot seemed to develop nicely in the beginning. WRONG!
Sounds like someone threw up a thesaurus and the crappy politics lacked any intrigue. Shame, I actually thought I could get passed the writing as the plot seemed to develop nicely in the beginning. WRONG!
January 20, 2024
DNF @ 32%!
I couldn’t get into it.
The writing was so pretentious and there was a lot of telling and not showing. For me, Laven and Maivena’s relationship didn’t seem authentic at all because it felt so rushed. It could’ve been an amazing slow burn, but we didn’t get that.
I hope the author drops the 10 SAT words used on every single page. That really took me out of the book.
I couldn’t get into it.
The writing was so pretentious and there was a lot of telling and not showing. For me, Laven and Maivena’s relationship didn’t seem authentic at all because it felt so rushed. It could’ve been an amazing slow burn, but we didn’t get that.
I hope the author drops the 10 SAT words used on every single page. That really took me out of the book.
June 17, 2024
Currently this book is on my DNF list, maybe I’ll pick it back up in the future and start over. But it’s just really confusing and hard to follow. They talk about certain topics but always feels vague and not flushed out. I hate not finishing a book but I just can’t get into it.
did-not-finish
December 12, 2023DNF @17% this is just so hard to follow
December 1, 2023
I’m so sorry I really wanted to like it so bad
January 12, 2024
Why doesn’t this book have more reads? I’m literally about to go insane, it’s soooooo good😮💨🫶🏾
March 21, 2024
2⭐️
Although I liked certain aspects of this novel, I did find the world building and character development left me rather disillusioned. I am taking into account that this is a new author and with time these "flaws" could be overcome.
I felt VERY confused by all the terms and characters and the past. It lacked consistency, proper explanation and clarity when reading. This makes something like high fantasy extremely hard to keep up with because of all the fantastical elements. I literally had no idea who was who or what was what for a good portion of the book. I NEEDED A GLOSSARY, DESPERATELY. The relationships also lacked depth so it was hard to root for them or be consumed by their relationship when there was SO MUCH MISSING. I felt like a lot of their storylines were left unfinished or they would just "walk away" and I was like ?????
Also, the very proper and intense language used was definitely an overkill.
I feel like I can see what the author was trying to accomplish, however it did not reach the mark for me and I found myself wanting to finish the book rather than enjoy it. I may give the second installment a chance, however if it's the same vibe I will have to DNF. I do want to support new and upcoming authors so I am so sad to leave this review!
Although I liked certain aspects of this novel, I did find the world building and character development left me rather disillusioned. I am taking into account that this is a new author and with time these "flaws" could be overcome.
I felt VERY confused by all the terms and characters and the past. It lacked consistency, proper explanation and clarity when reading. This makes something like high fantasy extremely hard to keep up with because of all the fantastical elements. I literally had no idea who was who or what was what for a good portion of the book. I NEEDED A GLOSSARY, DESPERATELY. The relationships also lacked depth so it was hard to root for them or be consumed by their relationship when there was SO MUCH MISSING. I felt like a lot of their storylines were left unfinished or they would just "walk away" and I was like ?????
Also, the very proper and intense language used was definitely an overkill.
I feel like I can see what the author was trying to accomplish, however it did not reach the mark for me and I found myself wanting to finish the book rather than enjoy it. I may give the second installment a chance, however if it's the same vibe I will have to DNF. I do want to support new and upcoming authors so I am so sad to leave this review!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 212 reviews