The Veiled Kingdom by Holly Renee

I'm a bit torn on how I feel about this one.

On the one hand, I enjoyed my time reading this book and I plan to read book two. It was quick, it had fun themes, and there is the potential for book two to grow the world as a whole. 

On the other hand, there were a lot of little things that I didn't love. 

I'm a mood reader and a vibe reviewer, my technicals are surface level at best. This is a reflection of my taste as a reader, not the merits of the book or its author. 

That being said, I don't love the FMC. I've always been a fan of strong, aggressive, abrasive FMC's. Which, Nyra simply isn't. She feels more like Evangeline from OUaBH; which fits with her backstory, but not my taste as a reader.

In regards to the spice. I've now learned what my kinks AREN'T 😂. The intimacy here really didn't do it for me. The scenes felt drawn out, and the frequency overtook plot near the end.

We start off with a fantasy bang of powers and plot, but those fizzle out pretty early on. I want world building, a deeper idea of the magic system, and more on page connections.

There are noticeable repetitive phrases, specifically regarding thighs. With Nyra "clamping her thighs" or "pressing her thighs" frequently. The word "thigh" itself appeared 56 times over 338 pages, meaning it was used at least every 6 pages. 

Finally, why does everyone have "photos" in a tech free medieval esq universe? It was said 18 times...

This book was a solid 3 for me. I liked it, I'll read book two, but I doubt it'll stay with me because it didn't quite click.