sadly, only 2⭐️ for this one
oh boy, where do I even start?
this should have been at least a 3, possibly a 4-star read for me. marriage of convenience? high fantasy? spice? sign me the f up.
however, it was a big, fat letdown. I almost dnf'd it a couple of times, but I was just so hopeful it would get better that I ended up finishing it. see my problems below:
this whole book reads young. like should-have-been-categorized-ya-young. now, don't get me wrong, I like reading YA. but this wasn't supposed to be that. especially since the FMC is 29, and the MMC is around 200(?), they should have adult voices. they don't. they just cannot, FFS, communicate as adults. their emotional maturity, their behavior, everything screams teenagers. which again, would not be a problem if they were, in fact, teenagers.
another big issue I had was the whole arranged marriage trope. I expected a slow burn. I expected some tension. what did I get? very insta-love vibes and some "conflict", which was 100% miscommunication and teenage sulking. 😭
also, some parts were complete SJM rip-offs. the Autmnland Lord's son? Lucien. EVEN HAD THE SCAR AROUND HIS EYE. I can't make this up. Strella's power was basically the shein-version of Bryce's starlight. the 4 "kingdoms" are Winter, Autumn, Summer, and Spring. this was the least problematic, but combined with everything, it just left a sour taste in my mouth.
shocking, I know, but I won't continue this series.
thank you to the author and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.