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heartbrekker's Reviews (797)
‘He gives me a basket
full of fruit.
“I can’t take this,” I say.
“For your sister and you
to share.” He puts it in my hands.’
Not only is the cover to this story absolutely beautiful, but the content inside is amazing as well. It flips back and forth between prose and poetry, and I really enjoyed it. It added an extra depth and imagery to each of the sisters points of view. Made the story very unique.
I was curious to see how Rena Rossner would juggle the fantastical, historical, Jewish, and Goblin Market tones to the story, and they meshed really well. She’s really talented at combining it all because it seemed like it could be slightly overwhelming. It wasn’t in the slightest.
The Jewish history and representation was my favorite part. In the authors note you see the inspiration and the reasoning to how/ why Rena wrote this story, and I started tearing up because it only strengthened the message of the story at the end.
Lastly, the sisters relationship was fantastic. I always love seeing familial relationships in stories, and this one was indeed genuine and difficult to be honest. The sisters butted heads, and to me that reminded me of my own interactions with my brother. It felt SO real even though the world has fantasy. The sisters are truly their own individuals, but their love for each other binds them together.
I connected with both Liba and Laya, depending on the moment within the story, but Liba specifically just spoke to me on another level. A lot of her thoughts have just been in my head before.
Lastly, in short there’s a mixture of past and present. Hope and innocence. Sexuality and love.
I recommend this story to any one who wants a fantastical walk in the woods. It’s definitely for fans of Uprooted/ Spinning Silver and The Bear and the Nightingale. I cannot wait for y’all to dive into this luscious tale.
Thanks Orbit Books for providing me with an ARC to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
full of fruit.
“I can’t take this,” I say.
“For your sister and you
to share.” He puts it in my hands.’
Not only is the cover to this story absolutely beautiful, but the content inside is amazing as well. It flips back and forth between prose and poetry, and I really enjoyed it. It added an extra depth and imagery to each of the sisters points of view. Made the story very unique.
I was curious to see how Rena Rossner would juggle the fantastical, historical, Jewish, and Goblin Market tones to the story, and they meshed really well. She’s really talented at combining it all because it seemed like it could be slightly overwhelming. It wasn’t in the slightest.
The Jewish history and representation was my favorite part. In the authors note you see the inspiration and the reasoning to how/ why Rena wrote this story, and I started tearing up because it only strengthened the message of the story at the end.
Lastly, the sisters relationship was fantastic. I always love seeing familial relationships in stories, and this one was indeed genuine and difficult to be honest. The sisters butted heads, and to me that reminded me of my own interactions with my brother. It felt SO real even though the world has fantasy. The sisters are truly their own individuals, but their love for each other binds them together.
I connected with both Liba and Laya, depending on the moment within the story, but Liba specifically just spoke to me on another level. A lot of her thoughts have just been in my head before.
Lastly, in short there’s a mixture of past and present. Hope and innocence. Sexuality and love.
I recommend this story to any one who wants a fantastical walk in the woods. It’s definitely for fans of Uprooted/ Spinning Silver and The Bear and the Nightingale. I cannot wait for y’all to dive into this luscious tale.
Thanks Orbit Books for providing me with an ARC to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
To start this review off, I’m really upset that I didn’t enjoy this book. Frankenstein is my favorite classic, and I love Kiersten’s Conquerors Saga. I wasn’t expecting to finish this novel with a less than loving rating. Things just happen though.
I love watching authors take liberties within historical fiction or reimagined tales, but this one felt all sorts of wrong to me. I expected to see Elizabeth growing up with Victor and her noticing his darker side, but the way this story was written felt like they went the easy route. I can’t explain much more than that because it would spoil, but it just felt EASY. It took away the deeper questions you’re left with after reading Frankenstein. If you’re a fan of the original book, I would say steer clear from this story because.. just you’ll have similar issues to mine.
I think a lot of my issues stem from my absolute, intense love for the classic Frankenstein. It felt as if she took the original story and overly sensationalized it. It felt like a fan fiction and quite frankly one of those dramas on TV that amplify everything to high and higher levels of ridiculousness.
Also Elizabeth in the beginning had this really unhealthy and weird devotion that made me super uncomfortable, which could’ve been the point, but for me it just didn’t work. I know most of her feelings were due to her survival instincts that Victor and the Frankenstein family gave her, but HENRY WAS JUST AS WEALTHY AND SUSTAINABLE. GO TO HIM! Also the shift away from her "devotion" wasn’t realistic. It was instantaneous instead of believable.
The story ends up being COMPLETELY different from the classic, which was another point of contention for me. Mary Shelley had put all this hard work into creating two tragic “heroes” and “villains” in her original tale, and to see that taken to base levels.. upset me.
The story did have some good dark and creepy moments, but other times it felt as if the author was trying too hard to be gothic. It felt unnatural and took me out of the story immediately.
The saddest part to me was how the depth to Victor and the creature got taken away. They were always my favorite part of the original because you can sympathize and relate to both on certain levels. Though because of their revenge and malevolent emotions, they turned themselves into shadows of their former selves. Plus, the whole Antarctica aspect was taken away, and just NOPE I LOVED THAT NOPEDY NOPE NOPE.
I understood her creation of Elizabeth as a strong female character, but it didn’t feel right to me. Mary made all her females weak to show how man takes away their rights and their livelihood through the atrocities of Victor and his creation. It’s was to criticize the time period because her family certainly exemplified strong feminism since her mom was Mary Wollstonecraft. Women during this period showed strength in other ways than just the trivial ones represented in this.
The ending also just- *shakes head*
This is getting too long, but I’m so sorry for such a negative review. I just have so many emotions about it. As I said I do love Kiersten’s other works, but this one was not for me. I had such high expectations, and I was sadly disappointed. Maybe if you have never read this classic you can enjoy it, but it took out all the elements I love from the classic. That’s something I can’t ignore.
I love watching authors take liberties within historical fiction or reimagined tales, but this one felt all sorts of wrong to me. I expected to see Elizabeth growing up with Victor and her noticing his darker side, but the way this story was written felt like they went the easy route. I can’t explain much more than that because it would spoil, but it just felt EASY. It took away the deeper questions you’re left with after reading Frankenstein. If you’re a fan of the original book, I would say steer clear from this story because.. just you’ll have similar issues to mine.
I think a lot of my issues stem from my absolute, intense love for the classic Frankenstein. It felt as if she took the original story and overly sensationalized it. It felt like a fan fiction and quite frankly one of those dramas on TV that amplify everything to high and higher levels of ridiculousness.
Also Elizabeth in the beginning had this really unhealthy and weird devotion that made me super uncomfortable, which could’ve been the point, but for me it just didn’t work. I know most of her feelings were due to her survival instincts that Victor and the Frankenstein family gave her, but HENRY WAS JUST AS WEALTHY AND SUSTAINABLE. GO TO HIM! Also the shift away from her "devotion" wasn’t realistic. It was instantaneous instead of believable.
The story ends up being COMPLETELY different from the classic, which was another point of contention for me. Mary Shelley had put all this hard work into creating two tragic “heroes” and “villains” in her original tale, and to see that taken to base levels.. upset me.
The story did have some good dark and creepy moments, but other times it felt as if the author was trying too hard to be gothic. It felt unnatural and took me out of the story immediately.
The saddest part to me was how the depth to Victor and the creature got taken away. They were always my favorite part of the original because you can sympathize and relate to both on certain levels. Though because of their revenge and malevolent emotions, they turned themselves into shadows of their former selves. Plus, the whole Antarctica aspect was taken away, and just NOPE I LOVED THAT NOPEDY NOPE NOPE.
I understood her creation of Elizabeth as a strong female character, but it didn’t feel right to me. Mary made all her females weak to show how man takes away their rights and their livelihood through the atrocities of Victor and his creation. It’s was to criticize the time period because her family certainly exemplified strong feminism since her mom was Mary Wollstonecraft. Women during this period showed strength in other ways than just the trivial ones represented in this.
The ending also just- *shakes head*
This is getting too long, but I’m so sorry for such a negative review. I just have so many emotions about it. As I said I do love Kiersten’s other works, but this one was not for me. I had such high expectations, and I was sadly disappointed. Maybe if you have never read this classic you can enjoy it, but it took out all the elements I love from the classic. That’s something I can’t ignore.
Can I just start off this review by stating Naomi’s fairytale writing is pure gold? And, yes, that is a slight pun to this whole story reimagining Rumplestiltskin. It was just magical and marvelous with lush writing to its core.
They’re six point of views, and while I enjoyed all of them in the end, there was one that took me a bit of time to warm up to.
Naomi weaves a tone that resembles an old fairytale, but instead of the obsessive patriarchy that left women as empty shells of who they’re in those old tales, this story shows them as strong humans who do not bend to male will.
I cannot tell you the amount of times I screeched for Miryem, Irina, and Wanda because they all emphasize strong family dynamics and love for them. These girls in the end hold themselves higher. They don’t balk in the cruelty or threats of others because they themselves have seen the darker side of humanity. You watch them grow into themselves, and it is beautiful. They know what they want and what they’re worth, which is something fairytales never really gave to women.
SS also includes a mix of fairytale folklore with Jewish faith. Miryem is a Jewish moneylender, and throughout the entire novel we see the anti-semitism evident throughout Europe. It isn’t the main plot of the novel, but it is strongly there. I was curious to see how Naomi was going to juggle these two aspects (fairytale/ Jewish faith), and I’d say she represented them very well. Miryem was incredibly strong about her faith, and it made me happy to see her pursue her desires. She was strong willed and hardworking, but her intelligence was my favorite aspect. It’s runs along with her other attributes, and her thought process and scheming really surprised me. She was an equal Slytherin and Ravenclaw. Miryem just really became my absolute favorite, and I cannot thank the author enough for her complexity and empowering nature. Some may see her as greedy and all, but slowly, the reader realizes that that is just a front. Plus, starvation is a big motivation to change and work harder.
I’ve read from some other reviews that certain characters mirror different Rumplestiltskin personalities or ideals within the original fairytale, and after looking back, that aspect is really incredible. I’m annoyed I didn’t pick up on it while reading, but it’s such a unique aspect to this retelling.
Now I could go on and on to tell you about the beautiful writing or the stellar plot/ world building but all you really need to know is that it is there. And it was beautiful *heart eyes*
Okay I’m going to splurge on the setting a tad. It seemed to have magic edged into each word and description. It felt like you were reading a fairytale honestly (what I wanted so YAY!), and the countryside/ city dynamics really added to it. It felt peaceful, heart wrenching, and VERY cold. Naomi’s ability to mirror the environment to emotions is astounding.
They’re six point of views, and while I enjoyed all of them in the end, there was one that took me a bit of time to warm up to.
Naomi weaves a tone that resembles an old fairytale, but instead of the obsessive patriarchy that left women as empty shells of who they’re in those old tales, this story shows them as strong humans who do not bend to male will.
I cannot tell you the amount of times I screeched for Miryem, Irina, and Wanda because they all emphasize strong family dynamics and love for them. These girls in the end hold themselves higher. They don’t balk in the cruelty or threats of others because they themselves have seen the darker side of humanity. You watch them grow into themselves, and it is beautiful. They know what they want and what they’re worth, which is something fairytales never really gave to women.
SS also includes a mix of fairytale folklore with Jewish faith. Miryem is a Jewish moneylender, and throughout the entire novel we see the anti-semitism evident throughout Europe. It isn’t the main plot of the novel, but it is strongly there. I was curious to see how Naomi was going to juggle these two aspects (fairytale/ Jewish faith), and I’d say she represented them very well. Miryem was incredibly strong about her faith, and it made me happy to see her pursue her desires. She was strong willed and hardworking, but her intelligence was my favorite aspect. It’s runs along with her other attributes, and her thought process and scheming really surprised me. She was an equal Slytherin and Ravenclaw. Miryem just really became my absolute favorite, and I cannot thank the author enough for her complexity and empowering nature. Some may see her as greedy and all, but slowly, the reader realizes that that is just a front. Plus, starvation is a big motivation to change and work harder.
I’ve read from some other reviews that certain characters mirror different Rumplestiltskin personalities or ideals within the original fairytale, and after looking back, that aspect is really incredible. I’m annoyed I didn’t pick up on it while reading, but it’s such a unique aspect to this retelling.
Now I could go on and on to tell you about the beautiful writing or the stellar plot/ world building but all you really need to know is that it is there. And it was beautiful *heart eyes*
Okay I’m going to splurge on the setting a tad. It seemed to have magic edged into each word and description. It felt like you were reading a fairytale honestly (what I wanted so YAY!), and the countryside/ city dynamics really added to it. It felt peaceful, heart wrenching, and VERY cold. Naomi’s ability to mirror the environment to emotions is astounding.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Xenophobia, Antisemitism
Parental abuse
A few words to describe this book: strange, weird, captivating, and familial.
I really REALLY enjoyed this book.
My biggest issue was the fact that the first 115 pages were really boring to me, but I urge you to try to trudge through that because once you come out into space- it’s a whole ‘nother ball park!
This story follows this relationship between the alien species known as the Leviathan and the humans of Earth in a program called the Honors program. Zara is a criminal who is chosen to participate, and she is actually the first of someone from the lower sectors to be included. It follows her journey through the program, and I’m going to leave it at that because I wouldn’t recommend knowing a lot going into this story.
I supremely loved the relationship between Zara, her partner, and their Leviathan Nadim. It’s honestly one of the most unique relationships I’ve ever read about, and it was complex and incredible.
Original and unique are the two words to describe this book the best in my opinion. I can’t go too much into detail as to why that is because I feel it includes spoilers, but trust me, this story was out of this world! Pun intended.
Another aspect that ran under the radar at first was the diversity. It’s similar to Warcross since all humans from different cultures are chosen to participate, and they come together as a whole despite their differences. I really loved it! Zara is also a person of color as is her partner, and there even was this conversation about pronouns, which took me a moment to process because A DISCUSSION OF PRONOUNS IN A SCI-FI BOOK?! I screamed because I’m so happy sci-fi and fantasy books are adding in this diversity.
Last thing- the descriptions of the program are a little confusing at times, but I honestly think that’s purposeful because Zara is just as confused as the reader.
Also the inclusion of abuse and bullying really enchanted the story and made it more powerful. It sent a message that did not apply to just humans but spanned even the most different of creatures (aliens and humans haha). It stunned me and left me in a state of reflection because it was so thought provoking.
SIDE NOTE: Nadim must be protected at all costs, and I will fight anyone who dares try to lay a hand upon his innocent and sweet self!
I really REALLY enjoyed this book.
My biggest issue was the fact that the first 115 pages were really boring to me, but I urge you to try to trudge through that because once you come out into space- it’s a whole ‘nother ball park!
This story follows this relationship between the alien species known as the Leviathan and the humans of Earth in a program called the Honors program. Zara is a criminal who is chosen to participate, and she is actually the first of someone from the lower sectors to be included. It follows her journey through the program, and I’m going to leave it at that because I wouldn’t recommend knowing a lot going into this story.
I supremely loved the relationship between Zara, her partner, and their Leviathan Nadim. It’s honestly one of the most unique relationships I’ve ever read about, and it was complex and incredible.
Original and unique are the two words to describe this book the best in my opinion. I can’t go too much into detail as to why that is because I feel it includes spoilers, but trust me, this story was out of this world! Pun intended.
Another aspect that ran under the radar at first was the diversity. It’s similar to Warcross since all humans from different cultures are chosen to participate, and they come together as a whole despite their differences. I really loved it! Zara is also a person of color as is her partner, and there even was this conversation about pronouns, which took me a moment to process because A DISCUSSION OF PRONOUNS IN A SCI-FI BOOK?! I screamed because I’m so happy sci-fi and fantasy books are adding in this diversity.
Last thing- the descriptions of the program are a little confusing at times, but I honestly think that’s purposeful because Zara is just as confused as the reader.
Also the inclusion of abuse and bullying really enchanted the story and made it more powerful. It sent a message that did not apply to just humans but spanned even the most different of creatures (aliens and humans haha). It stunned me and left me in a state of reflection because it was so thought provoking.
SIDE NOTE: Nadim must be protected at all costs, and I will fight anyone who dares try to lay a hand upon his innocent and sweet self!
First off let me premise this review by saying Amanda Foody truly outdid herself with her world building and character development/ description/ interaction. It’s as if she took everything I loved about DOTBC and turned it up to full volume. These aspects to stories are SO important, and she blew it out of the water. As I said on my Twitter- descriptions of smog and piss were popping up because of the atmosphere of the story, and I was dead inside because of the details and writing in regards to it.
Levi is by far my favorite because I loved the different segments to him as a character. He contrasts himself severely, and it was stunning to see Amanda juggle him being both moral and immoral. He’s a very realistic and grey character, which y’all know I love! Also his character description looks-wise just... *fans face* Amanda Foody is fabulous at creating unique and incredible characters.
Furthermore, the crime in this story was written superbly! I’ve never really read a crime/ gang story before, and this novel just makes me wanna read more. You can really tell that Amanda did her research.
The political intrigue was AMAZING. It was a mix of political and criminal, and the lines became blurred and just YES. Political stories make me so happy, and it was done so well in this book!
Now the fantasy element was really fascinating to me. I’m not going to explain it because of spoilers, but I really LOVED it! It really added this emphasis on family names. AOS is a gang story, and since gangs have this importance on names and familial relations- it just felt perfect for the story.
All in all, I could go on about how great this story was, but then I’d probably start spoiling and that’d be bad haha. AOS comes out April 10, 2018, and the preorder link is in my bio for anyone interested. I cannot wait for y’all to get your hands on this story that is much more than just a criminal one!
Another favorite aspect was the representation! Oh my goodness Amanda Foody is incredible at incorporating diversity, especially sexuality-wise, into her stories. There is POC as main characters, a character who dresses as a female or with no gender, and a individual who is attracted to both males and females to just name a few. It is incredible. Fantasy books do not often have this depth, and it only added to the greatness within this story.
Also the squad- THE SQUAD. They don’t show up till the latter parts of the story, but I’m dying for this sequel because they made it amazing. It’s making me WISH that it was next year, and I only had to wait for the sequel- not the first book.
All in all, this story was everything I wanted, needed, and could’ve hoped for. I’m so excited for everyone to get a taste of this luscious and criminally exciting tale!
Levi is by far my favorite because I loved the different segments to him as a character. He contrasts himself severely, and it was stunning to see Amanda juggle him being both moral and immoral. He’s a very realistic and grey character, which y’all know I love! Also his character description looks-wise just... *fans face* Amanda Foody is fabulous at creating unique and incredible characters.
Furthermore, the crime in this story was written superbly! I’ve never really read a crime/ gang story before, and this novel just makes me wanna read more. You can really tell that Amanda did her research.
The political intrigue was AMAZING. It was a mix of political and criminal, and the lines became blurred and just YES. Political stories make me so happy, and it was done so well in this book!
Now the fantasy element was really fascinating to me. I’m not going to explain it because of spoilers, but I really LOVED it! It really added this emphasis on family names. AOS is a gang story, and since gangs have this importance on names and familial relations- it just felt perfect for the story.
All in all, I could go on about how great this story was, but then I’d probably start spoiling and that’d be bad haha. AOS comes out April 10, 2018, and the preorder link is in my bio for anyone interested. I cannot wait for y’all to get your hands on this story that is much more than just a criminal one!
Another favorite aspect was the representation! Oh my goodness Amanda Foody is incredible at incorporating diversity, especially sexuality-wise, into her stories. There is POC as main characters, a character who dresses as a female or with no gender, and a individual who is attracted to both males and females to just name a few. It is incredible. Fantasy books do not often have this depth, and it only added to the greatness within this story.
Also the squad- THE SQUAD. They don’t show up till the latter parts of the story, but I’m dying for this sequel because they made it amazing. It’s making me WISH that it was next year, and I only had to wait for the sequel- not the first book.
All in all, this story was everything I wanted, needed, and could’ve hoped for. I’m so excited for everyone to get a taste of this luscious and criminally exciting tale!
This book reminded me why I loved Maggie's writing and storytelling. The last two books of TRC really did not move me the way the first two did, and I severely missed her writing because of that.
This story is different!
The whole time I was entranced and giddy, and I loved how the romance was prevalent but not the main idea.
The wishes MAAANNNN. I was not expecting this story to take the route that it did, nor did I even know anything going in. It was like submerging myself into water when the book started, and the prose/ writing was just too eloquent- though at the same time had this purely Maggie vibe.
Bicho Raro, the desert, and the Sorias' are my new favorite thing! I mean Pete is also downright adorable!
I loved the owl symbolism and prevalence to the story, and this book is just an amazing standalone.
I wasn't sure if I would get enough from such a short book, but, boy, was I wrong. Ugh! I just loved the diversity, time period, and character descriptions. I'm a record on repeat right now when it comes to that.
Beatriz just was just an amazing character. To me she was the most main of any of them, and I loved her interactions with her cousins and Pete. Especially Pete!
One word to describe this book is: weird.
But it's the best kind of weird.
This story is different!
The whole time I was entranced and giddy, and I loved how the romance was prevalent but not the main idea.
The wishes MAAANNNN. I was not expecting this story to take the route that it did, nor did I even know anything going in. It was like submerging myself into water when the book started, and the prose/ writing was just too eloquent- though at the same time had this purely Maggie vibe.
Bicho Raro, the desert, and the Sorias' are my new favorite thing! I mean Pete is also downright adorable!
I loved the owl symbolism and prevalence to the story, and this book is just an amazing standalone.
I wasn't sure if I would get enough from such a short book, but, boy, was I wrong. Ugh! I just loved the diversity, time period, and character descriptions. I'm a record on repeat right now when it comes to that.
Beatriz just was just an amazing character. To me she was the most main of any of them, and I loved her interactions with her cousins and Pete. Especially Pete!
One word to describe this book is: weird.
But it's the best kind of weird.
An enchanting and fairy tale toned story that really blew me away! This debut is certainly one y'all are not going to want to miss.
I instantly connected with Isobel about her passion and love for her craft, and it was amazing to see my emotions reflected in a character like that. A lot of times authors will use painting and being artistic as a segment to their character, but a lot of times it doesn't feel right or real to me but this one did.
The whole time I just loved the bantering. Probably one of my favorite aspects besides the VIVID imagery. I mean it doesn't get any better visual wise than that, and I get so excited to read books with beautiful descriptions like that. Anyway- the bantering alone is a HUGE reason to read this story, and also the chemistry between the love interest... AGH IT WAS FANTASTIC!
Now the story was really entrancing. It was a fae story, but it was very different than all these other ones we read now a days. It felt the closest to all the folklore you hear about, and it was just exciting/ interesting to read this story based on the lore.
Also I thought it was very right to have the fae be ignorant about a lot of human things as well as them have that "fae are better than humans" thought process. The reasoning was done really well for that portion of the story, and the faes' not having emotions was an amazing plot point.
Basically, everything just felt more realistic and true for some reason. I know I'm a broken record right now, but it is true. I read this book in less than half a day because I was THAT obsessed.
I also loved the full circle of how important Isobel's craft was. A lot of stories will have aspects to a character that are important in the beginning, but they are soon lost over time. Though that wasn't the case here, and I really appreciated it.
The story didn't make Isobel into something she wasn't, and I'm so happy that even though the story was short, I'm so fulfilled with the ending and how the pacing of the story went (I mean there was one part where everything was super fast paced, but in my opinion now that was part of that section in the book).
This book was just really thought out well, and I'm so happy I got to review this debut ahead of time!
Edit: So after thinking about it- I think I'm going to move down the rating to a 3/5 stars because I ignored the awkward/ fast paced portions of the story because I love the characters much. I also ignored the insta lovey tones in the story (I mean it wasn't that bad for me, but it left me feeling weird a lot). Now I still enjoyed this story, but it isn't a perfect or even THAT exciting.
I instantly connected with Isobel about her passion and love for her craft, and it was amazing to see my emotions reflected in a character like that. A lot of times authors will use painting and being artistic as a segment to their character, but a lot of times it doesn't feel right or real to me but this one did.
The whole time I just loved the bantering. Probably one of my favorite aspects besides the VIVID imagery. I mean it doesn't get any better visual wise than that, and I get so excited to read books with beautiful descriptions like that. Anyway- the bantering alone is a HUGE reason to read this story, and also the chemistry between the love interest... AGH IT WAS FANTASTIC!
Now the story was really entrancing. It was a fae story, but it was very different than all these other ones we read now a days. It felt the closest to all the folklore you hear about, and it was just exciting/ interesting to read this story based on the lore.
Also I thought it was very right to have the fae be ignorant about a lot of human things as well as them have that "fae are better than humans" thought process. The reasoning was done really well for that portion of the story, and the faes' not having emotions was an amazing plot point.
Basically, everything just felt more realistic and true for some reason. I know I'm a broken record right now, but it is true. I read this book in less than half a day because I was THAT obsessed.
I also loved the full circle of how important Isobel's craft was. A lot of stories will have aspects to a character that are important in the beginning, but they are soon lost over time. Though that wasn't the case here, and I really appreciated it.
The story didn't make Isobel into something she wasn't, and I'm so happy that even though the story was short, I'm so fulfilled with the ending and how the pacing of the story went (I mean there was one part where everything was super fast paced, but in my opinion now that was part of that section in the book).
This book was just really thought out well, and I'm so happy I got to review this debut ahead of time!
Edit: So after thinking about it- I think I'm going to move down the rating to a 3/5 stars because I ignored the awkward/ fast paced portions of the story because I love the characters much. I also ignored the insta lovey tones in the story (I mean it wasn't that bad for me, but it left me feeling weird a lot). Now I still enjoyed this story, but it isn't a perfect or even THAT exciting.
This story is one of those stories that shows you not only the beauty of writing/ reading, but also the beauty of characters and fantasy- the beauty of storytelling.
There was something to compelling after I stared at the PhantomRin art, and I only spurred harder to read it when it arrived on my doorstep.
I picked it up- never knowing this book would be a game changer. I've been so locked under door and key within my book slump that I never dreamed this book would be the pick to break the lock.
The characters were my favorite. Nothing is more satisfying than these beautiful, complex, loving and down right captivating characters that suck you in and douse you with flame and water. Lark and Tiras destroyed my heart- my soul as everything just became them. Their relationship, interactions and personalities destroyed my every being.
I have no been so emotionally and physically moved by a book in so long. Lark completely stole me away with heart ache and tears- Tiras likewise. Together they made me cry (obviously), made me scream, made me laugh-smile and brought goose bumps and chills at their words.
Nothing was greater than finding a story to bring me back into feeling those kind of emotions- I loved this story.
My only complaint is that the story is so short- only a standalone... because I would devour another immediately. Everything was spectacular- a true fantasy lovers dream- AND IT WAS A STANDALONE FANTASY! I've never read a standalone fantasy that made everything wrap up perfectly and leave me happy and enjoying it more than life itself (but also being upset because ONE book is not enough- though it was if that makes sense).
The writing was so lyrical and eloquent... so fantastical and heart wrenching. Harmon did absolutely exquisite with her technique and skills. I cannot stop gushing about this book to my book friends over FaceTime or text.
The book is special.
There was something to compelling after I stared at the PhantomRin art, and I only spurred harder to read it when it arrived on my doorstep.
I picked it up- never knowing this book would be a game changer. I've been so locked under door and key within my book slump that I never dreamed this book would be the pick to break the lock.
The characters were my favorite. Nothing is more satisfying than these beautiful, complex, loving and down right captivating characters that suck you in and douse you with flame and water. Lark and Tiras destroyed my heart- my soul as everything just became them. Their relationship, interactions and personalities destroyed my every being.
I have no been so emotionally and physically moved by a book in so long. Lark completely stole me away with heart ache and tears- Tiras likewise. Together they made me cry (obviously), made me scream, made me laugh-smile and brought goose bumps and chills at their words.
Nothing was greater than finding a story to bring me back into feeling those kind of emotions- I loved this story.
My only complaint is that the story is so short- only a standalone... because I would devour another immediately. Everything was spectacular- a true fantasy lovers dream- AND IT WAS A STANDALONE FANTASY! I've never read a standalone fantasy that made everything wrap up perfectly and leave me happy and enjoying it more than life itself (but also being upset because ONE book is not enough- though it was if that makes sense).
The writing was so lyrical and eloquent... so fantastical and heart wrenching. Harmon did absolutely exquisite with her technique and skills. I cannot stop gushing about this book to my book friends over FaceTime or text.
The book is special.