DNF @ 35%?

I am actually so devastated. I loved The Ever King by LJ Andrews and was really looking forward to her first traditionally published book. I feel like I’m missing something since this comes out in a month and there’s literally no negative reviews yet.

Here are my thoughts:

I’m confused. The magic system isn’t explained properly and left me confused about what exactly it is. Since the magic is a crucial aspect of the plot it left me confused about the overall story and what the stakes were. Similarly, it had me struggling to connect with Lyra because I wasn’t sure why she was in such danger since I didn’t understand her magic and why it was forbidden. Was it forbidden? I don’t even know.

The world building was lacking as well. The hierarchies weren’t explained, the setting was lackluster and not explained, and again the magic wasn’t properly explained so I couldn’t get a good sense of the world. 

Roark and Lyla have potential but I was confused about Roark’s character and motivations. He’s supposed to hate Lyra for some reason because of her magic? I think? Again, it wasn’t properly explained. Anyway, he was supposed to hate her but would comfort her at the same time and it was really confusing.

I desperately wanted to connect with Lyra but AGAIN her magic wasn’t explained properly so I was left confused about the stakes and conflict. 
 
Positives:

-I did appreciate the representation of sign language.
-I enjoyed Kael’s character

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC