Member Reviews

2.5 stars.
Absolutely stunning cover.
But i did not enjoy the story as much as i had hoped, the writing was a bit meh and bland. I got confused who was who, and what really was happening.

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I love a good fantasy. Unfortunately, this wasn't one.

YA can be engaging and gripping, but this managed to blend together a number of cliches without elevating them into anything special. Combine that with a writing style which needs a lot more polish and this simply wasn't for me.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC without obligation.

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this was a fun read, I liked the use of fairies and vampires and werewolves. It actual felt like there was a element of risk involved.

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At first thought it would be another fantasy quest with the usual situations but was surprised. If you like fantasy quests this is a book for you with some meat

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It seems that Kindle have been keeping tabs on how many books we all finish. They will know, that despite life being too short to finish bad books, I finish everything. Well everything except Acamira. I am a fan of fantasy novels, and the premiss of this book is very promising. However, the writing style is far too wooden and simplistic. The story appeared to be developing promisingly, and there were nice early touches, gender bending of the elf/fairy/vampire/werewolf traditions. I couldn't go on, the poverty of the writing style irritated me too much every time I picked the book up. I recommend that the publishers either need to help Hannah beef up her writing style and give the book a serious edit, or start marketing the book as young teen fiction.

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DNF part way through reading - not really liked it, it was okay at some points. For those who like the mingle of many fantasy species (werewolves, vampires, etc) together - could be a good one.

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I lost the full file for this novel, however, it was really interesting as far as I read and I would love to read the rest of the story!

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I have to admit, I'm just not much of a fantasy reader but I thought I'd give this one a try. Unfortunately, I just got too bogged down with vampires, werewolves, and gruesome battles involving all of the above. The premise is interesting enough; an elf princess is kidnapped and must be saved, but I grew weary with trying to picture all these fantastical beasts. If you are a fantasy lover this might be the book for you, just not my cup of tea!

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I really have no idea how to rate this. I received an ARC of this book via netgally. I think I was lured by the cover but it was a false lure. It is hard to define just what it is that makes the book a fail for me. It felt like a series of improbable and ever more unbelievable events wrapped up in a journey leading into a battle and then a bit more hourneying followed by battling and a bit of blood curdling vampirism. It was 400 pages too long for my liking.

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I didn’t find myself reading this too often, with breaks in between. The writing needs some work and the character all act like their children even though the oldest is 20. Some places didn’t have enough detail while others had unnecessary explanations. The story could have been great and I’m sure with some practice this author can develop, and hopefully continue writing.

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ARC from NetGalley

I only finished 13% of this book, so I can't really give it a rating.

The writing is not awful, but it is not good. The author needs to spend more time learning the craft. This is a YA fantasy, but the author doesn't seem to understand teenagers. The royal children are 16, 18 and 20, and they all act like they are 12.

There is too much telling in this book. It makes it boring and difficult to visualize. It seems like every facial expression is accompanied by an explanation, i.e. her face went red with anger.

Things are too convenient and resolve too easily.<spoiler> They send the young royals out into the woods to track down a missing princess just after there is a vampire attack. Apparently they sent them with a bunch of useless tits, because they all ran away as soon as there was danger.</spoiler> A very convenient way to get them alone but not believable.

There are so many little things that make this unpolished, juvenile writing. The elf palace. Not the elven palace. On that note, things are referred to as elven, elfish and elfin without consistency.

I couldn't get into it. It just seemed like a bunch of fantasy concepts jammed together. The bad guy is caricature. The characters are completely one-dimensional, and irritating. This book reads like it was written by a high school student.

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A fantasy tale featuring elves, werewolves, vampires , griffins and four very human protagonists, who happen to be Royal siblings. - so far, so familiar and unfortunately there was not much to make this book stand out. I struggled with the writing style, it was often overly detailed , and the dialogue felt very stiff and unnatural. At times some modern turns of phrase felt so out of place that they took me out of the story completely. Unfortunately this one just wasn't for me.
I read an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

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More than a whiff of Narnia in this effort (which is no bad thing , they were classics of the genrea), four siblings sent out on a quest with personally suited weaponry , the two elder a tad stuffy at the outset, the two younger a bit more flighty and fun loving, secretly seeking validation and respect in the eyes of both elder siblings and parents alike. Some mild sibling rivalry and a whole host of creatures to contend with along the way. A wise and Noble Big cat (this time winged !), so far, so C.S. Lewis !

The vampire/Werewolf hybrid idea has been done before, but it worked very well here and was not too jarring. Perhaps a little too much emphasis on the Vampire cohort, but the addition of an integral sympathetic character at the midpoint indicated why this was necessary.

Enough though of my minor quibbles and they are very minor as this was a rollicking ride of a fantasy with some lovely characterisations often from the creatures least likely to speak, I liked the fact that each hero brought their own strengths to the tale and it was a wholly rounded story, given time to develop and I actually liked that Hannah Sandoval Was brave enough to allow the slower passages to remain to give the feeling of a gruelling task. The final showdown was complicated and suspenseful and worth the wait.

I thought some of the romantic pairings were slightly rushed, but it was an involved enough plot that it might have slowed the pace so I understand why they were not fleshed out and after reading the author’s notes I see why the one was given centre stage and it worked for me , love an underdog done good so I am more than happy. The setting was well thought out and the magical species each had their own mythologies that maybe lend themselves to more books set here.

This was a great little book suited to older Children I would suggest. There is a level of violence which might not be suitable for under 12s however. I would heartily recommend to anyone with a heart of an adventurer whether they be gifted with pointy ears, feathers or fur !

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I wasn't sure to begin with if this fantastic tale of magic, myth, teenage romance and a full range of shapeshifting creatures from fable, fighting for dominance and good over evil would capture my interest. However, the young characters from two royal houses, their elders, their subjects from human and elven realms, and their deadly enemies, desperate to gain dominance, engrossed me.
From the initial kidnap to the final battle, I was eager to know the outcomes, and though I found some of the scenes perhaps overlong, and some of the descriptions of conflicts taxing, it was overall an entertaining read, and Arcamira became a vividly pictured kingdom to me.
A well-woven tapestry bringing Tolkien and C.S. Lewis to mind.

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