I was lucky enough to get this book as an ARC read after the author reached out to me (she is super sweet!).
First, this cover is absolutely beautiful, I can't wait to see it in print!
This book has magic, dragons, romance, and tragedy. Here is my honest review.
The great:
Pronunciation guide at the beginning - this was great! Even though the names were fairly easy to read, it was nice to have this, most don't do this
A map - tough to read on Kindle but a great addition in print
World building that was easily and very well explained-the world building in this book was not overly complicated-in places where additional explanation was needed, it was given. There was never any confusion over what was happening and I never had to go back - this is key in a fantasy read and much appreciated!
The overall plot - the story line captured me from the beginning and flowed easily. There were no gaps and everything made sense.
Character connections - I did feel like I connected with these characters
The ending - WHEW!! I was on the edge of my seat, very well done!! And shocking.
Reasons for deducting a star:
The romance between the FMC and MMC moved much too fast-I'm a slow burn girl and while I loved both main characters, it just seemed to happen so fast. But the spicy scenes were well written!
At times, the writing felt a bit off for me-we are immersed into this magical world, but then the language seemed rough and didn't quite fit in with the story line/timeline/expectation I had for what was happening. I certainly don't mind swearing in books, but the placement seemed forced and out of place - maybe too casual for the time period and world I had built in my head?
Overall, I did really enjoy this book and I am very much looking forward to reading book 2. I think with a bit of tweaking in the editing, this truly has the potential to be a top fantasy series!