Final Rating:
Date of Completion: 16/02/2024
Published by: HarperVoyager
ISBN: B0CK8KR2CB
Cover:
This design nicely captures the fantasy genre of the story and aspects of the world, but it portrays little else about the story and I do not find it captivating.
Writing:
Even with a considerable amount of world-building information and several interesting concepts, the fantasy world seemed underdeveloped and shallow. I also struggled with the awkward writing style that told more than it showed and dragged down the narrative with information dumps about the world and characters.
We must let the wind of change ease our flight, not hinder it.
Storyline:
The slow, character-driven storyline is centred on the thin internal struggles and romantic angst of the main characters. Besides, despite some dire situations, the stakes always felt low and the events were predictable, making the storyline very simple and unengaging.
Main character(s):
I found the sisters Yeeran and Lettle painfully one-dimensional, as they only had one or two defining traits and no character arc. Their words and actions also made them seem very immature, despite all we told to portray them as kind and fierce leads.
our ignorance made victims of us
Secondary characters:
Like Yeeran and Lettle, the few secondary characters seemed one-dimensional and unremarkable. Apart from their contributions to the storyline, none experienced any growth or complexity, so they all failed to make a strong impression on me.
Romance:
The two romantic connections relied on so many tropes that they seemed forced and lacked convincing chemistry. There was also little depth to these connections, and I constantly cringed at the strong feelings that developed from nothing but lust.
Love and hate are oil and water, separate but similar, and sometimes they swirl together, making it difficult to tell one from the other.
Narration & Audio:
While I enjoyed the narration by Bahni Turpin, her performance only made the characters seem even more childish and annoying. The little vocal variety and some weird inflexions also made this audiobook less engaging.
In the end, I cannot believe that this book was written by the same author who wrote one of my favourite reads from last year – The Final Strife. The simple storyline, flat characters and forced romance left me feeling bored and uninvested throughout. Those who liked this may also enjoy Unseelie by Ivelisse Housman, which is a similar romantasy read.
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