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heartbrekker's Reviews (797)
I grew up reading Morgan Rhodes in 2012 and beyond, so it was a big deal to see her new duology releasing in 2022. I'm very honored to have received this eARC early because as a tween, I never would have guessed that I'd read her fantasies before they were published.
Anyway, I'll admit— I had very high expectations going into this novel. I think my overall enjoyment stemmed from me comparing this book to the Falling Kingdoms series, which is NOT GOOD of me to do. I know. I know. I couldn't help myself! The biggest difference is the personality of characters. Josslyn is the orphan of the previous Prime Minister, who was sadly assassinated roughly a year prior to the book's start. She's everything one would assume of a child of her status: spoiled rotten. She even references herself as one at some point within the novel. Now Cleo from Falling Kingdoms was the exact same with a bit of a spoiled, naïve streak to her nature. I don't dislike that trait in young adult characters (love growth in this household), but for some reason, Josslyn's shift into a more rounded character seemed very sudden, not natural. It felt awkward and off-putting. Maybe this has to do with how Josslyn handled the information given to her. She just jumped back and forth a lot in her beliefs, which can be understandable, but also, who believes in the opinions of people they only have known for a few days or at most two weeks? NOT ME.
One of the most confusing aspects to this book is also the setting overall. I don't feel like I have a good grip on this world building, so it's safe to say we need more. I thought this was a medieval fantasy much like Falling Kingdoms because of the balls and clothing, but then there's hints of modern day like paparazzi and t-shirts. Although, I truly didn't understand this was modern fantasy until cell phones were brought up about 15% into the story, which threw me for a HUGE loop. It's definitely making me think of Crescent City vibes, but I don't even know the full ramifications of this because lack of world building.
Moreover, I feel like this novel suffers from set up syndrome. I'm incredibly excited for the sequel. The villains, not-so villainous characters, and even the mysterious witch for Jericho have me intrigued to my core. I wish we could've skipped over the middle plot of this novel and jumped straight into the reveals and interactions of all the characters in the castle. It just felt drawn out and unimportant compared to the beginning and end. The memories still could've been drawn out within the palace walls or something along those lines.
Again, the sequel has me hooked, but this was not a strong start for me. I probably shouldn't even given the sequel a shot, but Morgan Rhodes was an auto buy author for me. I have to see this through.
Anyway, I'll admit— I had very high expectations going into this novel. I think my overall enjoyment stemmed from me comparing this book to the Falling Kingdoms series, which is NOT GOOD of me to do. I know. I know. I couldn't help myself! The biggest difference is the personality of characters. Josslyn is the orphan of the previous Prime Minister, who was sadly assassinated roughly a year prior to the book's start. She's everything one would assume of a child of her status: spoiled rotten. She even references herself as one at some point within the novel. Now Cleo from Falling Kingdoms was the exact same with a bit of a spoiled, naïve streak to her nature. I don't dislike that trait in young adult characters (love growth in this household), but for some reason, Josslyn's shift into a more rounded character seemed very sudden, not natural. It felt awkward and off-putting. Maybe this has to do with how Josslyn handled the information given to her. She just jumped back and forth a lot in her beliefs, which can be understandable, but also, who believes in the opinions of people they only have known for a few days or at most two weeks? NOT ME.
One of the most confusing aspects to this book is also the setting overall. I don't feel like I have a good grip on this world building, so it's safe to say we need more. I thought this was a medieval fantasy much like Falling Kingdoms because of the balls and clothing, but then there's hints of modern day like paparazzi and t-shirts. Although, I truly didn't understand this was modern fantasy until cell phones were brought up about 15% into the story, which threw me for a HUGE loop. It's definitely making me think of Crescent City vibes, but I don't even know the full ramifications of this because lack of world building.
Moreover, I feel like this novel suffers from set up syndrome. I'm incredibly excited for the sequel. The villains, not-so villainous characters, and even the mysterious witch for Jericho have me intrigued to my core. I wish we could've skipped over the middle plot of this novel and jumped straight into the reveals and interactions of all the characters in the castle. It just felt drawn out and unimportant compared to the beginning and end. The memories still could've been drawn out within the palace walls or something along those lines.
Again, the sequel has me hooked, but this was not a strong start for me. I probably shouldn't even given the sequel a shot, but Morgan Rhodes was an auto buy author for me. I have to see this through.