ARC Review

Of Withering Dreams by Rowyn Adelaide

For me, this book gave very sci-fi/fantasy vibes and I loved it! It is listed as dark romantasy, which is true; but I also get a real science fiction feel to it as well as a good mystery. It mixes all of that with a heavy dose of corruption and political intrigue. This makes for a unique, engaging, enchanting tale of self discovery, love, magic, and quests for the greater good.

Seryn has spent all her life in a slowly dying world. People try to do their part to compensate for dwindling resources by participating in the Dormancy each year; they are placed in stasis pods for the winter months and wake 6 months later with no recollection of their time asleep. But all that changes in Seryn’s 21st year. During the dormancy, Seryn and her friends come to realize that the ruling Elders are hiding much more from them than just their time in the Dormancy.

I found this book to be well written and captivating. Adelaide’s descriptions paint a beautiful portrait of a world of dreams. 

The plot moves along quickly, told from Seryn’s POV. Adelaide also occasionally hops back and forth along the timeline while telling the story which helps with slowly unraveling the world building.

The magic system that Adelaide outlines, while similar to other fantasy novels, has definite unique aspects. And she cleverly lays out the details of this magic system in a way that has us learning alongside the main characters, who happen to be both likeable and relatable.

This book hooks you in from the very start and definitely leaves you wanting more. I can’t wait for the sequel. I have high hopes for the books to come.

“‘The dawn does not fear the night. For it knows both light and shadow are needed–the balance protected’”

And a huge bonus…chapter titles! As someone who has been a reader since childhood, it was wonderful to see chapter titles make a reappearance ♥️

There are a few spicy scenes in the book but the romantasy aspect does not overpower the storyline. 

There are minimal grammatical errors that do not detract from the overall story.

Vibes this book gives: AHS Apocalypse, Crescent City series by Sarah J Maas, The Maze Runner series by James Dashner

Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I received this advanced copy from Rowyn Adelaide via BookFunnel in exchange for an honest review and feedback.