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Bloodring
Lark Greenpool became a Guardian at just the wrong time. A forbidden artifact known as a Bloodring has been awoken. It released a malevolent energy that threatens to destroy the barrier that protects Lark’s world from the Outside and it’s the Guardians’ job to put it right. Help arrives in the form of an ambassador from the Ringsworn, the people who made the Bloodring. Violet Ironwrought is prickly, most likely very dangerous, dislikes everyone, and is completely fascinating to Lark. After a rocky start, friendship blossoms between the two women, and slowly grows into something much more than that. When circumstances threaten to separate them, Lark has to decide where her loyalties lie, and what she is willing to risk to protect not only herself, but the woman who has become the most important part of her life.
251 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 31, 2020
6 people are currently reading
216 people want to read
About the author
Mildred Gail Digby
8 books57 followersMildred Gail Digby's favorite thing to do is add women-loving-women to any situation and make a novel about it. She will squeeze a happy ending out of anything and still blushes when she writes love scenes.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
August 1, 2020
4.25 Stars. I really enjoyed this! This is only my second book read by Digby but I am already a fan. I like her writing style and I love that she changes up genres so much. When I saw that she was going to tackle WLW fantasy-romance, for the first time, I knew I had to read this. In my mind we need as much good WLW spec-fic as we can get and I’m happy to say that I had fun reading this.
This was an interesting world Digby thought up that is actually hidden away from ours. In this world you have three main types of magic users: Crystalgazer’s who use crystals to make magic, Wanderer’s who use wand magic, and Ringsworn that use metals like rings. After a big war that pitted Crystalgazer’s and Wanderer’s against the Ringsworn, tensions between the two sides are still high. But when humans in the “Outside” world get their hands on powerful banned relics of the Ringsworn, The Ringsworn and the Wanderer’s must work together to stop the danger before it permanently damages their hidden world.
This story revolves around Lark who was adopted into a Crystalgazer family but knows that she doesn’t really belong. Crystalgazers are country folk, mostly farmers that tend to get married young and have children. Lark knows that’s not for her so she trains to become a Guardian, on of the magical protectors. This book actually starts when Lark is 15 and continues until she is 19 -if I remember correctly-.
I did have a little bit of trouble getting into the story at the beginning. Lark is what she would call a country bumpkin so there was a lot of “Aw dags” and “nah Mah” so it took me a bit to get used to this country slang. Once Lark is away at training and she loses her hayseed-ness, I found I could connect with her character much more and she was a real sweetheart.
My only other issue was I wished for a little more info from the world building. I think Digby was trying to not info dump, and she didn’t, but I wished there was a little more info about the different groups near the beginning and how their magic’s differ. You do learn more as the book goes on, but like another reviewer mentioned, it took me two thirds of the book to realize a Wanderer was named for their wand magic. I thought it meant a magician that traveled all around working and helping people. That kind of thing needed to be better explained earlier even if Digby needed to do a little info dumping. For me a little is okay in fantasy books.
While I enjoyed the adventure of the plot, I have to say I was even more blown away by the romance. It is an age-gap romance. I believe it is ages 19 and 30, so at least 11 years if not more. It is also between Lark and an ice queen character. One of the old enemies, the Ringsworn and Lark is on a mission to thaw her ice. Violet, the Ringsworn, has lived in an abbey sheltered all her life. So while she is scary and completely dangerous, she’s very sheltered when it comes to love just like Lark is because of her young age. They end up being on a similar page emotionally so you end up forgetting about the age gap or at least I did. I could not get over the chemistry of these two! The sparks were flying for pages. Digby was able to write such clear and in your face chemistry and I loved every second of it. The story was nice, but I was really here for the romance.
If you are looking for a good WLW fantasy book, with a very strong romance, this book is for you. Digby, has hooked me in after only two books and she’s turning into an automatic read for me. I can’t wait to catch up on some of her back catalog and I can only imagine what she might write next. This book has potential for a sequel and I would absolutely read it if it did.
A copy was given to me for a honest review.
This was an interesting world Digby thought up that is actually hidden away from ours. In this world you have three main types of magic users: Crystalgazer’s who use crystals to make magic, Wanderer’s who use wand magic, and Ringsworn that use metals like rings. After a big war that pitted Crystalgazer’s and Wanderer’s against the Ringsworn, tensions between the two sides are still high. But when humans in the “Outside” world get their hands on powerful banned relics of the Ringsworn, The Ringsworn and the Wanderer’s must work together to stop the danger before it permanently damages their hidden world.
This story revolves around Lark who was adopted into a Crystalgazer family but knows that she doesn’t really belong. Crystalgazers are country folk, mostly farmers that tend to get married young and have children. Lark knows that’s not for her so she trains to become a Guardian, on of the magical protectors. This book actually starts when Lark is 15 and continues until she is 19 -if I remember correctly-.
I did have a little bit of trouble getting into the story at the beginning. Lark is what she would call a country bumpkin so there was a lot of “Aw dags” and “nah Mah” so it took me a bit to get used to this country slang. Once Lark is away at training and she loses her hayseed-ness, I found I could connect with her character much more and she was a real sweetheart.
My only other issue was I wished for a little more info from the world building. I think Digby was trying to not info dump, and she didn’t, but I wished there was a little more info about the different groups near the beginning and how their magic’s differ. You do learn more as the book goes on, but like another reviewer mentioned, it took me two thirds of the book to realize a Wanderer was named for their wand magic. I thought it meant a magician that traveled all around working and helping people. That kind of thing needed to be better explained earlier even if Digby needed to do a little info dumping. For me a little is okay in fantasy books.
While I enjoyed the adventure of the plot, I have to say I was even more blown away by the romance. It is an age-gap romance. I believe it is ages 19 and 30, so at least 11 years if not more. It is also between Lark and an ice queen character. One of the old enemies, the Ringsworn and Lark is on a mission to thaw her ice. Violet, the Ringsworn, has lived in an abbey sheltered all her life. So while she is scary and completely dangerous, she’s very sheltered when it comes to love just like Lark is because of her young age. They end up being on a similar page emotionally so you end up forgetting about the age gap or at least I did. I could not get over the chemistry of these two! The sparks were flying for pages. Digby was able to write such clear and in your face chemistry and I loved every second of it. The story was nice, but I was really here for the romance.
If you are looking for a good WLW fantasy book, with a very strong romance, this book is for you. Digby, has hooked me in after only two books and she’s turning into an automatic read for me. I can’t wait to catch up on some of her back catalog and I can only imagine what she might write next. This book has potential for a sequel and I would absolutely read it if it did.
A copy was given to me for a honest review.
November 23, 2020
If you plan on reading this, read it for the romance. You'll be a happy camper just like me who took a lil bit too long to finish reading it.
November 9, 2020
Oh man... I love the characters in this book. Lark's great and as aloof as she held herself to be, I thought Violet was pretty enticing herself. Watching Lark through the pages grow from her clumsy teenage self, to her slightly older and still clumsy self... who is more aware of her powers, was fun. The way she got so infatuated with a lady was cute too even if she was a tad clueless.
My heart broke for Violet. When you learn little tidbits of how she grew up and what her own people did to her at such a young age. It's no wonder she kept others at a distance and it made me appreciate Lark more for never giving up on her. They truly did make a great team.
This is definitely my favourite of all of Digby's book's that I've read thus far.
My heart broke for Violet. When you learn little tidbits of how she grew up and what her own people did to her at such a young age. It's no wonder she kept others at a distance and it made me appreciate Lark more for never giving up on her. They truly did make a great team.
This is definitely my favourite of all of Digby's book's that I've read thus far.
July 24, 2020
I was given an ARC by the author and ordered at the point of a sword to my throat to give a review or suffer a fate more horrible than death. I wondered what that was, but at the time, I didn't contemplate the latter possibility. Swords change everything. **
Now, to the review. In short, I really enjoyed it. I'm no stranger to Ms. Digby's style of writing. It is both lush and compelling, and has a smoothness to it that I could only compare to silk flowing upon quiet waters. (Yeesh, did I just write that? I did, but I haven't had my covfefe yet...).
Bloodring takes place on the Protected Isle, a realm that's hidden from our world, and it features the two MCs of Larkspur Greenpool and Violet Ironwrought.
It seems that some artifacts left behind in a war with the Guardians--protectors, as the name implies--are tainted. Thank the Ringsworn for that. Not a nice group of people--at all. So, in order to get rid of those artifacts, the Guardians engage the services of Ambassador Violet Ironwrought, a former enemy.
Sounds straightforward--sorta. There's a lot of magic going on, wands and innate powers and crystals, and at first, it was kind of confusing, but then I figured things out. I imagine that the author didn't want to infodump; to her credit, she didnt.
Where it got a tad confusing for me was Lark's origins along with another character named Amelia. It was mentioned that they didn't fit in, and...was that it? Well, yeah. As it turns out, Lark really IS different, and because she has quite formidable powers, she chooses to train as a Guardian.
Oh, did I mention that she and Violet team up? Their partnership eventually turns to something more romantic, and since love IS magic, they use it to destroy the Bloodring. Yay! Power to the ponies, 'cuz friendship is magic, and...oh, never mind, different review. ;)
Moving on. I really enjoyed the story, minor typos and previously mentioned confusion over origins aside, enjoyed it enough to round it up to that all-too-coveted five-star rating. Best of all, the author left enough of the door open for a sequel. Let's see what happens.
**No swords were used in the writing of this review.
At all.
Seriously.
Now, to the review. In short, I really enjoyed it. I'm no stranger to Ms. Digby's style of writing. It is both lush and compelling, and has a smoothness to it that I could only compare to silk flowing upon quiet waters. (Yeesh, did I just write that? I did, but I haven't had my covfefe yet...).
Bloodring takes place on the Protected Isle, a realm that's hidden from our world, and it features the two MCs of Larkspur Greenpool and Violet Ironwrought.
It seems that some artifacts left behind in a war with the Guardians--protectors, as the name implies--are tainted. Thank the Ringsworn for that. Not a nice group of people--at all. So, in order to get rid of those artifacts, the Guardians engage the services of Ambassador Violet Ironwrought, a former enemy.
Sounds straightforward--sorta. There's a lot of magic going on, wands and innate powers and crystals, and at first, it was kind of confusing, but then I figured things out. I imagine that the author didn't want to infodump; to her credit, she didnt.
Where it got a tad confusing for me was Lark's origins along with another character named Amelia. It was mentioned that they didn't fit in, and...was that it? Well, yeah. As it turns out, Lark really IS different, and because she has quite formidable powers, she chooses to train as a Guardian.
Oh, did I mention that she and Violet team up? Their partnership eventually turns to something more romantic, and since love IS magic, they use it to destroy the Bloodring. Yay! Power to the ponies, 'cuz friendship is magic, and...oh, never mind, different review. ;)
Moving on. I really enjoyed the story, minor typos and previously mentioned confusion over origins aside, enjoyed it enough to round it up to that all-too-coveted five-star rating. Best of all, the author left enough of the door open for a sequel. Let's see what happens.
**No swords were used in the writing of this review.
At all.
Seriously.
July 29, 2020
Spoilers ahead!
.
.
.
I volunteer as tribute!!!
Volunteering to read ARCs in exchange for an honest review can be hit or miss, in my experience, but I'm so glad I volunteered to read Bloodring! It’s an enchanting, well-written, and new (to me) take on classic fairytales.
This is the first book I’ve ever read by Ms. Digby and I was immediately drawn to Lark’s spirit; I definitely want to be her friend. And then Violet came into the picture and I think I fell almost as hard for her as Lark did. The sweetness of their developing relationship and their own characters contrasted quite well with the chaos taking place in their world. I laughed, I ached, and I cried right along with them - which is the hallmark of a good book to me!
It took me a while to pick up on the fact that their world is a hidden part of ours, but it’s such an intriguing concept! Their journey to the “Outside” and ultimate triumph over evil, plus a HEA that couldn’t have been a better choice for Lark and Violet, made this book a delicious little appetizer that left me wanting to devour more of Ms. Digby's books!
.
.
.
I volunteer as tribute!!!
Volunteering to read ARCs in exchange for an honest review can be hit or miss, in my experience, but I'm so glad I volunteered to read Bloodring! It’s an enchanting, well-written, and new (to me) take on classic fairytales.
This is the first book I’ve ever read by Ms. Digby and I was immediately drawn to Lark’s spirit; I definitely want to be her friend. And then Violet came into the picture and I think I fell almost as hard for her as Lark did. The sweetness of their developing relationship and their own characters contrasted quite well with the chaos taking place in their world. I laughed, I ached, and I cried right along with them - which is the hallmark of a good book to me!
It took me a while to pick up on the fact that their world is a hidden part of ours, but it’s such an intriguing concept! Their journey to the “Outside” and ultimate triumph over evil, plus a HEA that couldn’t have been a better choice for Lark and Violet, made this book a delicious little appetizer that left me wanting to devour more of Ms. Digby's books!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 20, 2020
In exchange for an honest review, I received an ARC of Bloodring by Mildred Gail Digby, and I am happy to report that I enjoyed the book immensely.
The story takes place in what is called the Protected Isle, which is a hidden realm outside our own world and revolves around two main characters Larkspur Greenpool and Violet Ironwrought.
But the Isle is endangered from the taint of cursed artifacts created by the Ringsworn and left behind when they were driven back to their own lands at the end of a war with the Guardians. To find these cursed items and destroy them, the Guardians need the help of their previous enemy. Enter Ambassador Violet Ironwrought.
I have to admit I was really confused at first when Lark, who was termed a Wanderer, which I took to mean the dictionary version of the word, but in this story is someone that does magic with a wand. Then there are also the Crystalgazers who have their own magical attributes that revolve around harnessing and using the power of crystals, so the name was apropos. I wish the author had spent a bit of space at the first part of the novel to explain more about what both groups could do, but I did eventually figure it out as the story moved along. Also, something was said about Lark, and at least one other named Amelia, who was termed one of many foundlings that families took in. But nothing was explained about their origins or why they were different from the other inhabitants, but a point was made that they didn’t quite fit in.
Needless to say, Lark really was different, and with her powers chose to train as a Guardian herself. This is how she comes to meet Violet and befriends her, which over time, deepens into love. With the strength of the magic that flows between these lovers, they combine their energies and destroy the most powerful of all the cursed artifacts The Bloodring.
The concept of the whole story was excellent, and I whipped through the book in record time. There were some typos and such just like there are in almost anything in print but were marginal. It is also left open in the Epilogue for a second book, and I hope the author writes one.
Overall I give this novel a solid 4 Stars.
The story takes place in what is called the Protected Isle, which is a hidden realm outside our own world and revolves around two main characters Larkspur Greenpool and Violet Ironwrought.
But the Isle is endangered from the taint of cursed artifacts created by the Ringsworn and left behind when they were driven back to their own lands at the end of a war with the Guardians. To find these cursed items and destroy them, the Guardians need the help of their previous enemy. Enter Ambassador Violet Ironwrought.
I have to admit I was really confused at first when Lark, who was termed a Wanderer, which I took to mean the dictionary version of the word, but in this story is someone that does magic with a wand. Then there are also the Crystalgazers who have their own magical attributes that revolve around harnessing and using the power of crystals, so the name was apropos. I wish the author had spent a bit of space at the first part of the novel to explain more about what both groups could do, but I did eventually figure it out as the story moved along. Also, something was said about Lark, and at least one other named Amelia, who was termed one of many foundlings that families took in. But nothing was explained about their origins or why they were different from the other inhabitants, but a point was made that they didn’t quite fit in.
Needless to say, Lark really was different, and with her powers chose to train as a Guardian herself. This is how she comes to meet Violet and befriends her, which over time, deepens into love. With the strength of the magic that flows between these lovers, they combine their energies and destroy the most powerful of all the cursed artifacts The Bloodring.
The concept of the whole story was excellent, and I whipped through the book in record time. There were some typos and such just like there are in almost anything in print but were marginal. It is also left open in the Epilogue for a second book, and I hope the author writes one.
Overall I give this novel a solid 4 Stars.
July 25, 2021
As a huge fantasy and WLW romance fan, I'm not even sure where to start this review. This book gives me conflicting feelings, especially after finishing two epic fantasy books that also had very well written romance in them. The most important conclusion I came to is that while those were fantasy books first that had romance in them, this was a romance book in a fantasy-esque setting. Thus after long hours of going back and forth as to how I would rate this, I've decided to go with a solid 3.5, rounded up to 4.
Let's start with the good part of this book, namely the romance. This is why I didn't rate the book 3 stars, because the romance, characters and their arcs were THAT exceptionally well done and resonated so deeply with me. Since the whole thing is set in a mostly heteronormative world, we follow our MC Lark on her own coming out journey, from slowly discovering, then realizing and finally owning up to her feelings and sexuality. All that angst, confusion and self-hate she's going through really hit home and made me wonder how much of it came from personal experience, given how well written it was.
And Violet, oh dear. She was the perfect personification of the slowly melting ice-queen trope. Loved every minute, every interaction, everything about her.
Now for the less good part, namely the fantasy aspect. It was just... not good. It felt and read like an ends to a mean, it was there so the romance has a setting. Honestly it made me wish that the author picked a more familiar terrain to write in (vampires, werewolves, etc), because as an avid fantasy fan, it made me physically cringe sometimes. Like, wand users were called Wanderers. And also cause they traveled around. You could even say they liked to wander... :sigh: The worldbuilding was barely there, plotpoints sometimes led nowhere and some parts were left entirely unexplained. Sure, info dumping is not a good thing to do, but neither is if you just barely give the reader enough material to work with. Not to mention that the book had one of my most hated tropes in it:
So is this book for you? If you are looking for a good romance and don't mind the not so great fantasy backdrop, then yes, definitely pick this book up. But if a rich fantasy world and an epic story is important to you, then better pick up something else.
Let's start with the good part of this book, namely the romance. This is why I didn't rate the book 3 stars, because the romance, characters and their arcs were THAT exceptionally well done and resonated so deeply with me. Since the whole thing is set in a mostly heteronormative world, we follow our MC Lark on her own coming out journey, from slowly discovering, then realizing and finally owning up to her feelings and sexuality. All that angst, confusion and self-hate she's going through really hit home and made me wonder how much of it came from personal experience, given how well written it was.
And Violet, oh dear. She was the perfect personification of the slowly melting ice-queen trope. Loved every minute, every interaction, everything about her.
Now for the less good part, namely the fantasy aspect. It was just... not good. It felt and read like an ends to a mean, it was there so the romance has a setting. Honestly it made me wish that the author picked a more familiar terrain to write in (vampires, werewolves, etc), because as an avid fantasy fan, it made me physically cringe sometimes. Like, wand users were called Wanderers. And also cause they traveled around. You could even say they liked to wander... :sigh: The worldbuilding was barely there, plotpoints sometimes led nowhere and some parts were left entirely unexplained. Sure, info dumping is not a good thing to do, but neither is if you just barely give the reader enough material to work with. Not to mention that the book had one of my most hated tropes in it:
So is this book for you? If you are looking for a good romance and don't mind the not so great fantasy backdrop, then yes, definitely pick this book up. But if a rich fantasy world and an epic story is important to you, then better pick up something else.
August 11, 2020
It seems I have to be that guy in a sea of positive reviews, but I did not like this one at all, and I struggled to complete it. I skimmed the last chapters, because it turned into one of those books that try to blend fantasy with the real world, and fails miserably. Why not write Urban Fantasy, if you want to blend the two?
Besides the above point, the other major flaw was the complete and utter lack of worldbuilding. Nothing is even remotely explained. There is a shortage of metal for some reason; Locks are something special, because of the capital L (why?) The Realm is protected by a magical boundary as a result of the war (why was it fought?). For some reason that boundary can be traversed by certain people of the Realm, as well as some outsiders (why?) There are artifacts, that by the description of things, look like normal household items. At one point Lark is shown a pair of scissors, and it makes her recoil because of the evil energy that it emits (what?). The Realm is attacked by freak magical storms (what the hell is a hungry squall anyway?)
And then we have Violet . I had high hopes for her, because when she introduces herself to the assembly of would-be Guardians, she finishes with the sentence: "and if you look at me wrong, I will kill you" (paraphrasing here). Sadly, she did not live up to that hope. Lark and Violet hook up, spend a lot of time eating snacks in the pantry, while the unexplained magical attacks continue to grow in force.
A real wtf moment for me was when a rather unsavory little man with an unhealthy attachement to a magical ring barges into the assembly of Guardians and sobs and whines that his precious ring is stolen by someone from the Outside. Coincidentally, that ring is the cause of the magical disturbances in the Protected Realms. Now, I can't put my finger on it, but I swear I have seen this before. If anyone knows, pleas let me know (hint: I already know).
Then, Lark, Violet, some other Guardian and Gollu... excuse me, the unsavory little man whose name I can't remember, break out and travel to a city in the Outside realm, and I lost any and all interest to continue. I skimmed the last chapters, and of course the The One Ring gets destroyed (I think) and Lark and Violet have their HEA.
A waste of my time, sadly.
Besides the above point, the other major flaw was the complete and utter lack of worldbuilding. Nothing is even remotely explained. There is a shortage of metal for some reason; Locks are something special, because of the capital L (why?) The Realm is protected by a magical boundary as a result of the war (why was it fought?). For some reason that boundary can be traversed by certain people of the Realm, as well as some outsiders (why?) There are artifacts, that by the description of things, look like normal household items. At one point Lark is shown a pair of scissors, and it makes her recoil because of the evil energy that it emits (what?). The Realm is attacked by freak magical storms (what the hell is a hungry squall anyway?)
And then we have Violet . I had high hopes for her, because when she introduces herself to the assembly of would-be Guardians, she finishes with the sentence: "and if you look at me wrong, I will kill you" (paraphrasing here). Sadly, she did not live up to that hope. Lark and Violet hook up, spend a lot of time eating snacks in the pantry, while the unexplained magical attacks continue to grow in force.
A real wtf moment for me was when a rather unsavory little man with an unhealthy attachement to a magical ring barges into the assembly of Guardians and sobs and whines that his precious ring is stolen by someone from the Outside. Coincidentally, that ring is the cause of the magical disturbances in the Protected Realms. Now, I can't put my finger on it, but I swear I have seen this before. If anyone knows, pleas let me know (hint: I already know).
Then, Lark, Violet, some other Guardian and Gollu... excuse me, the unsavory little man whose name I can't remember, break out and travel to a city in the Outside realm, and I lost any and all interest to continue. I skimmed the last chapters, and of course the The One Ring gets destroyed (I think) and Lark and Violet have their HEA.
A waste of my time, sadly.
December 20, 2020
Bloodring is a fine adventure, coming of age story, and romance. We meet Lark first as a teen in her home village. The people all have some form of magic, whether they’re Crystalgazers or Wanderers. We learn early that Lark was adopted, like one other child, who is mentioned briefly, perhaps to drive home the point that Lark is different from the majority of villagers.
I see this novel as being in three parts. First is Lark’s life in the village and her realization that she doesn’t want to be a farm wife and mother. The middle is her time with the Guardians, learning how to do new magical tasks and meeting Violet. The third part is the trip to Outside to address the problem they have to fix.
Another reviewer complained about the world building. I actually enjoyed how clues were slowly dropped throughout the story giving us the knowledge of this world and the Outside. Because I read the spoilers before reading the book, I knew some of it ahead of time, but it didn’t lessen my enjoyment. The hints are strewn throughout the novel.
I also liked the character development. While Violet is a lot older than Lark, she is pretty inexperienced since she grew up alone in a convent with only one person for most of her life. There are three types of magic-users, and Violet is in the third group, the Ringsworn, who are the enemy of both the Wanderers and Crystalgazers. Violet initially presents herself as vicious, but Lark is still fascinated by her. As their clandestine friendship develops, Violet drops clues about her life and training. The culmination of those clues, near the end, was kind of sadly horrifying. All the revelations made me understand why she acted the way she did with everyone.
For reasons, Lark and Violet set out without permission on a mission to Outside to rectify the problem that’s causing havoc within the Protected Isles. This trip has some humor and poignancy and lots of excitement as they work to end the problem before them along with some allies. The epilogue is satisfying and ties up any questions readers might have had.
I see this novel as being in three parts. First is Lark’s life in the village and her realization that she doesn’t want to be a farm wife and mother. The middle is her time with the Guardians, learning how to do new magical tasks and meeting Violet. The third part is the trip to Outside to address the problem they have to fix.
Another reviewer complained about the world building. I actually enjoyed how clues were slowly dropped throughout the story giving us the knowledge of this world and the Outside. Because I read the spoilers before reading the book, I knew some of it ahead of time, but it didn’t lessen my enjoyment. The hints are strewn throughout the novel.
I also liked the character development. While Violet is a lot older than Lark, she is pretty inexperienced since she grew up alone in a convent with only one person for most of her life. There are three types of magic-users, and Violet is in the third group, the Ringsworn, who are the enemy of both the Wanderers and Crystalgazers. Violet initially presents herself as vicious, but Lark is still fascinated by her. As their clandestine friendship develops, Violet drops clues about her life and training. The culmination of those clues, near the end, was kind of sadly horrifying. All the revelations made me understand why she acted the way she did with everyone.
For reasons, Lark and Violet set out without permission on a mission to Outside to rectify the problem that’s causing havoc within the Protected Isles. This trip has some humor and poignancy and lots of excitement as they work to end the problem before them along with some allies. The epilogue is satisfying and ties up any questions readers might have had.
August 6, 2020
I don’t really give 5 stars to any book only the best ones and this one deserves a solid 5 , every thing i like in a book is here .
Age gap/ a balance between the romance and the adventure/ not too much angst / at least one detailed love scene / a book that is 300 pages or bellow / the main focus on the interaction between the main characters , everything above is in this book 👏🏼 .
The chemistry between the main characters was amazing you can see it building from the beginning and I don’t usually care for the secondary characters but they all were great in the book..
Age gap/ a balance between the romance and the adventure/ not too much angst / at least one detailed love scene / a book that is 300 pages or bellow / the main focus on the interaction between the main characters , everything above is in this book 👏🏼 .
The chemistry between the main characters was amazing you can see it building from the beginning and I don’t usually care for the secondary characters but they all were great in the book..
April 9, 2022
A beautiful romance and some really cool magic made this book a great read. I loved Lark from the beginning; she was so adorable, mischievous and loyal. Violet intrigued me from the very first scene that she appeared in. Their friendship and subsequent romance developed naturally and were beautifully described. There were also a lot of really funny moments, which I wasn't expecting, but I definitely appreciated them.
To sum up, I loved the book and I really hope that maybe there'll be a sequel.
To sum up, I loved the book and I really hope that maybe there'll be a sequel.
April 1, 2021
The first 3rd of the book is really slow but once the characters meet the romance really shines
I wish we had less early life backstory and more romance but otherwise really enjoyed this.
I wish we had less early life backstory and more romance but otherwise really enjoyed this.
July 18, 2021
Exciting adventure and coming of age story. Loved it!
July 20, 2021
Excellent
I really enjoyed this book, although I don’t normally read young adult stories.
The storyline and the characters were excellent.
I really enjoyed this book, although I don’t normally read young adult stories.
The storyline and the characters were excellent.
February 9, 2022
🔸3.5 stars🔸
November 5, 2020
🏳️🌈👩❤👩📚⚢🧙♀🩸💍👩❤💋👩📖👭🏳️🌈
Damn !! That was good and I really needed that …
OK, I’ll elaborate a little bit …
My rating : 5 ⭐️
The "Pros" :
° the originality of this age-gap novel. It’s funny, low angst-leveled and refreshing
° there’s a good balance between the adventure and sweet romance. I really appreciated the journey in this imaginary world.
° the very likeable MCs who have a good chemistery which we can witness as the story progresses …
° the good secondary characters
° I’ve read almost every books by Mildred Gail Digby (only one is "missing" for now) and I was pleased to see that her good writing style has improved once again.
° the good touches of humor
° the very sweet (and safe !!) first intimate encounter. As a matter of fact, I think this love scene was quite erotic …
The "Cons" : Hmm sorry (but not sorry), I didn’t find any …
Personal remarks :
°° since the last words of the novel were "THE BEGINNING", I confess that wouldn’t mind reading more (a lot more !!) about Lark and Violet. So, I really hope the author will release a sequel someday ...
°° this book could be the basis of a scenario for a good fantasy movie. I’d love to follow Lark and Violet’s adventures on a big screen.
If I had to make a very short and quite different version of my review, it’d be something like this :
- Did I enjoy this book? => Yes, a lot …
- Did I find the characters believable? => Yes !!
- Is this book now included in my "must be re-read"-list? => Yes …
- Will I purchase the paperback? => Yes, ASAP
- Would I read another book by this author? => Yes !! And hopefullly, it’ll even be the sequel of this novel…
- Would I recommend this book => That’d definitely be a YES.
🏳️🌈👩❤👩📚⚢🧙♀🩸💍👩❤💋👩📖👭🏳️🌈
Damn !! That was good and I really needed that …
OK, I’ll elaborate a little bit …
My rating : 5 ⭐️
The "Pros" :
° the originality of this age-gap novel. It’s funny, low angst-leveled and refreshing
° there’s a good balance between the adventure and sweet romance. I really appreciated the journey in this imaginary world.
° the very likeable MCs who have a good chemistery which we can witness as the story progresses …
° the good secondary characters
° I’ve read almost every books by Mildred Gail Digby (only one is "missing" for now) and I was pleased to see that her good writing style has improved once again.
° the good touches of humor
° the very sweet (and safe !!) first intimate encounter. As a matter of fact, I think this love scene was quite erotic …
The "Cons" : Hmm sorry (but not sorry), I didn’t find any …
Personal remarks :
°° since the last words of the novel were "THE BEGINNING", I confess that wouldn’t mind reading more (a lot more !!) about Lark and Violet. So, I really hope the author will release a sequel someday ...
°° this book could be the basis of a scenario for a good fantasy movie. I’d love to follow Lark and Violet’s adventures on a big screen.
If I had to make a very short and quite different version of my review, it’d be something like this :
- Did I enjoy this book? => Yes, a lot …
- Did I find the characters believable? => Yes !!
- Is this book now included in my "must be re-read"-list? => Yes …
- Will I purchase the paperback? => Yes, ASAP
- Would I read another book by this author? => Yes !! And hopefullly, it’ll even be the sequel of this novel…
- Would I recommend this book => That’d definitely be a YES.
🏳️🌈👩❤👩📚⚢🧙♀🩸💍👩❤💋👩📖👭🏳️🌈
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews