_{^{This book was kindly provided to me by the author, and I am leaving a voluntary review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.}}

MY RATING:

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• Pages: 572
• Genre: Fantasy, Romantasy, Magic
• Publication date: October 15, 2024 by KDP
• Format: Kindle, Paperback
• Source: Author

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PURCHASE LINKS:
AMAZON

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THE REVIEW:

TL;DR: A great introduction for a fantasy series, following different and well-developed characters. Intricate politics and magic, as well as plot and world-building. This book was a solid 4 stars for me, and I would absolutely love to continue with this series and see where it all goes and why certain things are happening, as I believe it can only get better from here. Maybe a tad too long, and some details could have been cut out, but a good story nonetheless that I do recommend. It tackles mental and physical abuse, so be wary of this.

This book really hooked me from the beginning!

Nadia, Emiil, Venne, Johanna, and Xander as well as Faith, were all intricate and multifaceted characters that you get to know slowly and understand on a deeper level, each one with their flaws and virtues.

The story in itself is surrounded by mystery as we follow our main characters Nadia, Emiil and Venne as they are all bound to be wedded to each other on the completion of their 18th birthday, and this has been the tradition for as long as they can remember. Secluded in a village that no one has ever stepped foot outside of, they know nothing else but prayers, weddings, bearing children and respecting their elders and their gods. But here comes the rebel in Nadia, who has endured both physical and mental health abuse, and she is not to be confined and tamed any longer, let alone told who and when she will marry! She did remind me a bit of Joan of Arc.

Those three together will discover and start something that will change their lives and probably the lives of those in the village as they know it. Secrets are uncovered, battles are to be fought, and a new world is discovered, as well as their characters develop, as things get messier and literally the chaos befalls around them and throws new challenges in their way. Without spoiling the new world behind the walls of their village has a lot to offer, but is it really as good as it appears, and what other secrets are yet to be unburied is to be seen, and I am all here for it!

The magic system was interesting; it gave off Shadow Hunter’s vibes with the runes, which I liked.

I really appreciated the writing style; it was easy to follow, and you can tell that this story is very close to the author’s heart, for the way she is describing certain scenes and how very well her characters are crafted. The whole plot to me was intriguing and kept me wanting to know more, and what is really going on and why. We do get answers to some questions, and more questions resurface as we go on. The last few chapters really left me wondering where the story will go from now and what is going to happen to our protagonists.

This said, there were times when I found we deviated from the main point of the story, and a lot was going on, but nothing really important that contributed to the plot. It isn’t anything major, but I think this book could have been a tad shorter and would have had a bigger impact had we concentrated more on the important things of the story. I understand this is a series, so maybe this was done on purpose, but I personally would have enjoyed it more had some things been trimmed and left out. There was the chosen one vibe, too, and the strong and independent FMC, which nothing wrong with that, but it will be interesting to see how this plays out in the other books and what will happen to their complicated relationship!

I also think that this is the type of series that gets better with each book, as there is still a lot to be covered and discovered!

Not going to spoil anything even though there are things I would love to share haha

Regardless, this was a solid 4-star read for me that I highly recommend if you are looking to read something that will keep you hooked and glued to the pages. Be wary that there are some difficult scenes about physical abuse, so if this triggers you, keep this in mind. It is not a lot, but still worth mentioning.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

When not writing, she can be found playing video games, reading or hugging dogs. She also speaks regularly about her battle with physical and mental illness. You can find her on Instagram @sophgabswrites