I tried several times to get into this to review but couldn't get past the 20% mark. I think it was me as I hadn't read The Heart of the Kingdom which may have unlocked some of my problems. I just liked the blurb and thought to dive in.

I may return to this and adjust my rating on Goodreads but for now, it didn't connect.

„The Northern Heart“ is the second book of a classic fantasy series. Elves, magic, a curse and an old conflict meet in a medieval scenario. The underlying action is simple but offers nice entertainment. Above all the dynamic between Pearce and Emmerich makes you curious about the progress of that story.

First of all: I would have given the book four stars because it has a solid and entertaining base. What spoiled me however were the many textual errors. Word repetitions, repetitions of sentences, repetitions in form and content. The book could easily get a 4 star review with a proper proofreading. Unfortunately, the publisher does not generally offer that as it seems, because I have already found a similar lack of editing in other books of this publishing company. It’s a pity.
The construction of the world came also a bit short. Often I felt that the whole plot is taking place on three square meters with short trips to another three-square meter room.

Why do I still like and recommend the book? Because it is a simple but also easy to read story with a sweet romance between Pearce and Emmerich. The reader experiences “The Northern Heart” from changing perspectives of the two main characters which makes it possible for a reader to get into the heads and behind the worries and fears of the two men. This makes it easier to understand how there are certain misunderstandings between them and why they have this or that inhibition to address a specific topic with the other. You are thus in an omniscient position as a reader, while the characters stay in the dark for a long time since they only know the half of it all. As a reader you are therefore constantly lurking and hoping for the characters to finally recognize the truth. So you can guess: Emmerich and Pearce will of course find each other in the course of the novel, but the road to it is paved with some hurdles that are also due to their own insecurity. For my part, I was curious about the moment when it finally clicked on them.

Also, I did enjoy the magic system. I have not fully understood the whole thing which might be related to the fact that I had unconsciously grabbed the second part of a book series. Much of the workings were revealed in the course of the story though and the scenes in which magic was woven were vivid and lively. Since the main characters of the first book were also others it didn’t feel as if I had missed too much in „The Nothern Heart“. For the sake of curiosity, I will also read the first part later.

What I really appreciated about this book is the fact that despite medieval settings, we find no prejudices against homosexuality. Pearce's father even goes to the point that he wants his son to fake-marry with Emmerich, because this would explain Emmerichs ability to use magic - it is normally only the royal family and their spouses who should be able to do magic, since one needs a special artifact (jewels which are called “hearts”). Even the few but quite detailed sex scenes do not force eye rolling. The romantic moments make a lovely impression. The conflict between humans and elves and Emmerich's trance wanderings however ensure that you are not trapped in a dull loop of kissing and touching. There also prisoners taken or shaky alliances made with a genuinely fierce faction.

In short: „The Northern Heart“ is not a big, innovative story, but it has all the essentials of a classic fantasy quest with a warm-hearted romance. Somehow the book manages to provide an enjoyable reading time - despite its sparse description of the world and the figures. As said before it isn’t perfect but it leaves you with a good feeling.

Sasha L. Miller has an engaging and direct writing style that I find very enjoyable to read, and the prose in The Northern Heart generally carries the story well. One of my favourite aspects was how the narrative switched perspectives back and forth between Emmerich and Pearce — this allowed a good view of both characters, especially regarding their thoughts and feelings about their current situations. This also made the miscommunication subplot more understandable too.

The concept and execution of the plot itself was extremely good, but the pacing throughout was somewhat erratic; certain events were dragged out and felt frustrating. The build up had potential, and the plot moved at a better pace in the last quarter, but then resolutions towards the end felt slightly rushed.

The main and supporting cast, and their characterizations, were excellent. While Emmerich and Pearce's tension was not exactly fun to read about, the interactions between them and with others on the whole were solid. I'm so glad that this book is part of a series and more will be seen of them, as I wanted to know a lot more about the main two and many of their side characters and their respective connections.

There was also more I wanted from the world-building: it felt promising but mostly a backdrop to the main events of the story. However, as this is part of a series I am sure there will be more to come and am eager to read more about it and the characters within it.

I was intrigued by the worldbuilding, and would like to read more. But I felt like I was lacking backstory for the relationship, and the main storyline felt unresolved when I reached the end of the book.

After Emmerich saved the royal family in the prequel, he's been afflicted with a strange sort of curse. He can't access his magic and he randomly goes into a trance. To figure out what's wrong with him, Emmerich is sent to the northern wall with Pearce, a man tasked with helping to heal the broken wall and whatever has been broken inside Emmerich. Yet, the magic at play is much more involved than a simple curse, so saving Emmerich and the country might not be possible.

This should have been a four star review. Everything about this book was wonderful. The characterizations were dynamic and interesting with each person having a unique personality. I also really liked the world building where magic and different cultures meld seamlessly, or not so seamlessly as the case with the elves has turned out to be. The plot was also well written, with interesting twists and turns I didn't see coming. All of that was more than sufficient for this book to absolutely deserve all four stars, however there were two serious issues I had to dock a star for.

The first was the lack of description. I looked closely and not once did I see a single description of Emmerich or Pearce. What colors are their eyes or their hair, or what shape are their noses? I understand that they were most likely described in the prequel, but just because this is a continuous series doesn't mean readers don't need the reminder. I purposefully reread Heart of the Kingdom, the prequel, in preparation for The Northern Heart, but even with only a few days between reading I couldn't remember what Pearce looked like at all. Certainly there doesn't have to be as much detail provided if there is a lot of description about a character's looks in a previous book, but there absolutely has to be something and The Northern Heart didn't have it.

Second, the ending was so abrupt that I found myself flipping back and forward on the last pages of my ebook to double check that I hadn't missed something. As I was reading I was getting all hyped up for a big battle as the final climax to the story, and then it ends. I don't doubt there will be a sequel at some point, but this wasn't a cliffhanger. Had it been, I might have been willing to wait for the next book to see what happens, but now I'm not even certain whether the next book will have the missing battle. At the very least, The Northern Heart needed an epilogue of some sort to tie the ends together.

The Northern Heart by Sasha L. Miller is a fantastical tale of love, magic, and mystery.

Emmerich is in trouble. Not only is he suffering from unexplained trances that threaten his life, he also must tolerate being under the protection of the prince, a man Emmerich cares for deeply but is unable to have.

Pearce is doing everything he can to protect Emmerich from coming to harm. He searching for a spell and potion anything to save the man he loves from whatever ails him. So far nothing has proven successful, but he won't stop until he finds what will.