'The Wild Ones' is a standalone fantasy novel about an amazing group of characters that while at times the plot could be choppy (for me), the worldbuilding and characters more than make up for it. While the book deals with various difficult themes, the one theme that stood out to me most, was that of found family. It was so resilient and empowering. The writing style might not be for everybody, but I do think that if you stick with it and give the book a chance, you'll be able to enjoy all it has to offer.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book. I was a little confused at first but once I understood the styling, it was easier for me to just dive into and enjoy. Very fantastic book, I am even going to go buy my own copy for my bookshelves.

The Wild Ones was a book completely unlike what I expected and unlike anything I've read before.

It's a book about the struggles, but more importantly, the resiliency and power of girls and young women of colour. It is an extremely raw and heartfelt story that felt rather experimental in many ways.

The thing that I enjoyed most about this book was the setting. This book takes place in various cities around the world (including one chapter being set it Jiufen!!) and it was really cool to see how the fantastical elements were tied into each place. Azad did an excellent job of transporting the reader to the various vivid settings of this book. The writing in this book was very pretty, in a sort of comforting way which I really enjoyed. I also found Paheli to be a rather compelling main character, and she, and her relationships with the other characters, felt very genuine.

Unfortunately, I struggled to connect with all the side characters, who just kind of blended together in my head as I was reading. The bits of banter were enjoyable but I personally did not feel the team/found family aspect as much as I had hoped. I also found the magic system a little confusing at times, although it didn't really hinder my enjoyment.

If you are interested in this book, please do check it out, I think it has a lot to offer and I hope it finds the right audience. But also, please do go into it with an open mind. This is far from your typical YA fantasy.

How do I write a review for a book that captured the pain, betrayal, and anger I feel on an everyday basis? How do I come up with words to express how much this book means to me? I love this book so much it hurts.

The writing style is breathtaking. I am in awe at Nafiza’s talent. I truly believe there is no one out there in the world who could have written this story as well as she did. The words, the imagery, the emotion…I could feel the anger and the pain through the page. It made me feel alive. It gave me hope. It put words to all the thoughts that have whirled around in my head for years. I love the mix of Paheli’s POV and the other Wild Ones. It didn’t bother me that we couldn’t tell who’s perspective the chapter was from. It fit with the story. These girls, their stories are so similar, yet so different. They are each their own individual, yet they’ve bonded because of the trauma and betrayal they’ve experienced. And I think having the book written like this was very unique, but also perfect for the story Nafiza was trying to tell.

Paheli’s POV was fun. That’s the best way I can describe it. And I think the reason I liked it so much was because her inner narrative fits so much with my own. It fits with her as a character too. We see how the trauma Paheli has gone through hasn’t disappeared completely. Trauma never completely does. You learn to move on, soften it a bit, squish it into a small ball and surround it with happier memories. But it never disappears completely. And we see that so well in her relationships with Taraana, Eulalie, and the other girls. Ngl I almost cried when [Paheli tells Eulalie that she does love her (hide spoiler)], she just has trouble expressing her emotions because she’s constantly on alert for betrayal. When she is separated from the others, her first thought is “what if they realize they don’t need me/what if they don’t love me.” And even with Taraana…the relationship is kind of instalove, but also not. You guys know how picky I am when it comes to romance, but this was done so well. It didn’t feel rushed, and Paheli’s hesitancy and fears made complete sense with her past. I really appreciated how much time we got to spend with Paheli and Taraana as they get to know each other. I loved how they actually communicated (even if it took some pushing from Taraana lol), because that’s the one thing I find lacking in a lot of books with romance. The romance definitely didn’t overtake the plot and even when it was the centre of a scene, it didn’t make me cringe or feel awkward. I really liked the two of them together.

My favourite part of this book, besides for everything else I’ve mentioned, was seeing so many different cities and experiencing the culture and food. I read this book while on vacation in Italy, and I could actually imagine Paheli and her girls wandering the streets of Rome, wearing flowy dresses in the sweltering heat, and eating gelato. For a lot of us, I think this book can be a perfect escape from our current world and allow us to travel to other cities and countries in our minds, since it’s still not easy to travel right now.

Another thing I’ll mention…I love me a “weak, scared” male love interest. How rare is it to see this in books? The men are always brave and strong, nothing ever terrifies them or if it does they don’t show it. The women are always described as more emotional and scared and weak. But in this book we have a lovely switch in gender portrayal. The Wild Ones are strong, they are undefeatable. The very cry that is expected from a woman cowering in fear can be used in defence. And maybe it is the trauma and hard lives that have made them this way, but isn’t that the way of male characters too? Aren’t they also brave and rash and angry because of their past? So why can’t women be shaped by their past also? This book ajakskdkd is just so empowering. If you’re a woman or identify as a woman, this book will make you feel seen, it will give you hope and strength to get you through whatever you’re going through. It will make you angry, but in a good way.

The last lines of this book sum up everything so well.

”Embrace this anger. Let if fuel your everydays. Defy everyone who tells you that you can’t. Be wild.”

Also sharing this one because I love it so much:

”Some days we are so sad, we want to drown the world. Some days we are so angry, we want to set it on fire.”

Overall, 5/5 stars. I need to buy this book immediately.

On this episode of Everything is Canon, Steve talks with Nafiza Azad all about her brand new book The Wild Ones, “A thrilling, feminist fantasy about a group of teenage girls endowed with special powers who must band together to save the life of the boy whose magic saved them all.”

The Wild Ones is many things. It’s definitely an alarming and disarming alternating stream of consciousness/plot-based fantasy full of magic and wonder. But it’s also a very personal story to Nafiza who in own words has been there, tasted the helplessness, the darkness, the frustration, and the anger. Nafiza has revealed a pathway to healing not only for her large cast of Wild Ones, but us as well.

Steve and Nafiza talk about how Peter Pan inspired parts of this story, her experience recording for the audiobook, pirating books, The Wild Ones of course, and much, much more.

For the full interview with the author, click the link below...

https://www.cinelinx.com/off-beat/shows/everything-is-canon-the-wild-ones/

Thank you Simon & Schuster Canada, NetGalley and Nafiza Azad. This was a good book. It had a great cover but a deeper more sadder inside but the mission to rise above was very much beautiful. I like it but didn't love it. I may be getting a bit to old for some YA because my mind can handle more depth than YA but it still produced a great book. It may have been a bit long as well but it was still good.

Thank you!

The Wild Ones tells the story of Paheli, a girl who was sexually assaulted by the man her mother sold her to when she was a teenager. After the assault, Paheli escaped and met a boy who was also on the run from his kidnapper. This boy changed the course of Paheli's life by giving her a box of stars, that when embedded in her palm, gave her immortality and empowered her by turning her screams into a weapon. Now Paheli saves girls who were betrayed like her by gifting them a star and allowing them the time and support that they need to heal. This group of women are dubbed the Wild Ones. Fast forward a few centuries and the Wild Ones are still living in a world of magic and grief, but the boy who gave them the stars is calling on them for help in escaping his captor once and for all.
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This is a story of sisterhood and feminism, but as such, it is also filled with the grief and trauma that comes with being a women who has survived violence.

CW: sexual assault, suicide, abuse, child trafficking.
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This book started off slow for me, but after about 40% into the book I couldn't put it down! I loved the girls and their relationship with each other. They had really great dynamic with each other and you could tell that they really cared for one another.  I also really liked how the author infused feminism within this sort of epic fantasy adventure. Sure I've read books, even fantasy books with some feminism in them. But this book was more like a feminist agenda in a fantasy setting. And that might sound boring, but for me it really wasn't! Don't get me wrong this book absolutely broke my heart, but it also healed it too. If you are a women and you are angry, read this. If you are a feminist and you are angry, read this. If you are a person and don't understand why we are angry. READ. THIS.
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Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Release date: August 3, 2021
[Disclaimer: I recieved an eARC from Simon and Schuster Canada via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!]

☆☆☆,75 /5
(english review below)

C’est une lecture belle, dure, forte en émotions que j’ai apprécié mais qui m’a laissé un goût d’inachevé.
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Rencontrez les « Wild Ones » : des filles qui ont été blessées, abandonnées et trahies toute leur vie. Tout a commencé avec Paheli, qui a été trahie par sa mère et vendue à un homme en échange d'une faveur. Lorsque Paheli s'échappe, elle se heurte à un garçon avec des étoiles dans les yeux. Ce garçon, aussi meurtri qu'elle soit, lance à Paheli une boîte d'étoiles avant de disparaître.
Avec les étoiles, Paheli accède à l'Entre-Deux, un lieu de pure magie et de mystère. Maintenant, Paheli collectionne des filles comme elle et ces Wild Ones utilisent leur magie pour parcourir le monde, aidant et sauvant les autres du sort qu'elles ont subi.
Puis, un jour, Paheli et les Wild Ones apprennent que le garçon qui leur a donné les étoiles, Taraana, est en danger. Il fuit des forces puissantes du monde de la magie. Mais si Taraana n'est plus en sécurité et libre, les Wild Ones non plus. Et c'est… un destin qu’elles refusent d'accepter. Jamais.
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L’autrice nous offre à travers ce roman l’histoire de femmes et de filles qui n’ont connu que le désespoir et la cruauté des hommes. Violentées par le sexe opposé, elles se sont réunies et sont déterminées à éviter que d’autres filles subissent ce qu’elles ont subit toute leur vie. Le texte est très dur et il y a énormément de trigger warning (abus sexuel, violence, etc…). Et cette lecture fut d’autant plus dure pour moi lorsque j’ai su que ce roman était un ownvoices. Me dire alors que l’autrice était concernée, qu’elle avait vécu tout ce qu’elle racontait dans son roman à travers les personnages des Wild Ones m’a complètement retournée l’estomac. Évidemment, je ne suis pas naïve et moi aussi j’ai subi des agressions, des attaques ou des discriminations de la part des hommes parce que je suis une fille. Ce texte est confrontant et montre une réalité qui peut ressembler à la réalité de quelqu’un d’autre. Malgré tout, l’autrice envoie des messages importants à ses lecteurs et surtout ses lectrices : pas de forcément craindre et détester tous les hommes, mais de se faire confiance, de savoir quelles sont leurs forces et leur valeur et de se battre quand elles le peuvent (et de toutes les manières que ce soit).
J’ai été touchée par ce groupe de jeunes filles détruites mais solidaires. J’ai également apprécié les personnages masculins lorsqu’il y en avait. Ce roman était poignant et bouleversant.
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Cela dit, si j’ai été emportée par les personnages et leur histoire, j’avais tout de même des difficultés à entrer et rester dans cette lecture. On suit plusieurs points de vue et je dirais presque que l’histoire est divisée en tranches de vie. J’ai été perdue parfois et le style d’écriture me rendait confuse. Certains paragraphes manquaient de fluidité selon moi et c’était difficile d’enchaîner les pages. Aussi, je reste sur ma faim quant à l’univers. L’Entre-Deux m’intrigue beaucoup, la magie des Wild Ones aussi et tout ce qu’elles font… Et pourtant, je n’en sais pas grand-chose. Les informations qui sont données sont vagues et quand je termine ce roman, je reste sur une idée floue de l’univers.
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En bref, c’est une histoire qui transmet des messages importants, qui se veut poignant, dur et en même temps rassurant pour le lectorat féminin. Malgré les difficultés, nous avons nos propres armes, notre propre valeur et il faut les retenir et savoir s’en servir. J’ai, certes, manqué d’information sur l’univers et pourtant, je ne nierai pas la richesse présente dans la personnalité des personnages et la diversité.

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ENGLISH REVIEW:

It was a beautiful, hard and emotional read that I enjoyed but which left me with a sense of unfinished business.
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Meet the Wild Ones: girls who have been hurt, abandoned, and betrayed all their lives. It all began with Paheli, who was once betrayed by her mother and sold to a man in exchange for a favor. When Paheli escapes, she runs headlong into a boy with stars in his eyes. This boy, as battered as she is, tosses Paheli a box of stars before disappearing.

With the stars, Paheli gains access to the Between, a place of pure magic and mystery. Now, Paheli collects girls like herself and these Wild Ones use their magic to travel the world, helping the hopeless and saving others from the fates they suffered.

Then Paheli and the Wild Ones learn that the boy who gave them the stars, Taraana, is in danger. He’s on the run from powerful forces within the world of magic. But if Taraana is no longer safe and free, neither are the Wild Ones. And that…is a fate the Wild Ones refuse to accept. Ever again.
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The author offers us the story of women and girls who have known only the despair and cruelty of men. Abused by the opposite sex, they have come together and are determined to prevent other girls from suffering what they’ve been through all their lives. The text is very hard and there are a lot of trigger warnings (sexual abuse, violence, etc.). And this reading was all the harder for me when I found out that this book was an ownvoices. To tell me then that the author was concerned, that she had experienced everything she told in her book through the Wild Ones completely turned my stomach upside down. Obviously, I’m not naive and me too, I’ve been subjected to mugging, attacks or discrimination from men because I’m a girl. This text is confrontational and shows a reality that may resemble the reality of someone else. Despite everything, the author sends important messages to her readers and especially to the girls: not to necessarily fear and hate all men, but to trust each other, to know what their strengths and their value are and to fight (in all ways) when they can.
I was touched by this group of destroyed but united girls. I also liked the male characters when there were some. This book was poignant and overwhelming.
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Having said that, although I was carried away by the characters and their story, I still had difficulty entering and staying in this reading. There are many points of view you follow and I would almost say that the story is divided into slices of life. I got lost at times and the writing style confused me. Some paragraphs lacked fluidity in my opinion and it was difficult to go through the pages. Also, I remain unsatisfied with the universe. The Between intrigues me a lot, so does the magic of the Wild Ones and everything they do And yet, I don't know much about it. The information given is vague and when I finish this book I’m left with a vague idea of the universe.
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In short, it’s a story that conveys important messages, which is meant to be poignant, harsh and at the same time reassuring for the female readership. Despite the challenges, we have our own weapons, our own worth, and we have to hold onto them and know how to use them. I certainly lacked information about the universe and yet I won't deny the richness in character and diversity.

Nafiza Azad has created a world that I want to live in, and that, I think, is the greatest compliment I can give to a writer.

The relationships between the characters were amazingly well written and I absolutely fell in love with the way that she wrote and described her characters. Her writing style is not one that is commonly found, which just adds to the magic of the story.

Enter the Wild Ones - girls who have been hurt, abandoned, betrayed all their lives. Paheli, was the first, betrayed by her mother and sold to a man in exchange for a favor. When she escapes, she runs into a boy with stars in his eyes. This boy, battered just like her, tosses Paheli a box of stars before vanishing.

With these stars, she gains access to the Between, a world of pure magic and mystery and marvel. Now, Paheli collects girls like herself and these self-titled girls, the Wild Ones use their magic to travel the world, helping the hopeless and saving others from the fates they suffered.

Then Paheli and the Wild Ones learn that the boy who gave them the stars is in danger. He’s on the run from powerful forces within the world of magic. But if he, the boy, Taraana, is no longer safe and free, then neither are the Wild Ones. And that is a fate the Wild Ones refuse to accept. Ever again. And they will do everything they can to stop it from happening.

Overall this book was amazing, and one of the best that I've read this year. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book in advance in exchange for an honest review.

The Wild Ones is a stand alone fantasy novel about a group of girls known as the Wild Ones, who are able to wield magic powers and live immortal lifespans because of the stars they carry in their palms. When the man who gave them the stars at their worst moment comes to them in need of help, they drop everything to help him escape the man trying to torture hum to steel his magic. Let me just start out this review by saying there were a lot of things about this book that I did like, but there were also a lot of parts that just fell short for me.

So starting out about what I did like. I loved the premise and the world the best, and really enjoyed the concept of characters travelling using the Between, as well as the contrast between the middle worlders and magic wielders. I found the story concept to be very unique. I also loved how much this book talked about issues that women face every day and addressed them very well. This is something that I find to be rare in fantasy novels, as these issues are either glossed over or not mentioned at all. I also loved such a female centred book, especially having so many women of colour as main characters. I did come to like many of the characters, especially by the end of the book, especially Paheli, Valentina and Taraana.

But there were some things I did not like about this novel. I wished for more bonding moments between the girls, as there were many wild ones mentioned but we never got to see them interact much, and besides the three characters I mentioned about I was not able to connect to any of the other ones. I wish we got to see more moments of the girls in more carefree situations so we could have got to know them better. The other thing I did not like much in this book was that the pacing was choppy. There were many things I wanted to know more about, like the middle worlders and the other members of the wild ones like I mentioned before. However I feel like not much happened in the first half of this book so it made it a bit boring to read. But the last half did pick up which I appreciated.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me an advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and thoughts are my own!

Overall: 3/5
Plot: 3.5/5
Characters: 3/5
Writing: 3/5

First off, the cover for this book is gorgeous!

I had high hopes for this novel as it sounded really interesting - a group of women of colour with magical powers saving the world? Done deal. However I couldn't really get into it despite the intriguing storyline. I think the author's writing style just isn't for me. Even though I am used to YA books being written for a younger audience, it just read a little juvenile and I wasn't really into it. But I do hope young people pick it up and read it as I think it is amazing and empowering to have a story like this out there.

THE WILD ONES has been a release that i’ve been very excited for these past few months. i thoroughly enjoyed the storytelling, the world building, and the character development that occurs throughout.

however, i found there to be several weaknesses in the writing itself. the dialogue between the characters often felt stilted and abrupt. the backstories of each one were not clear enough nor touched on enough in their own development - in fact other than paheli and valentina, there was no development. it must be noted that this interpretation could be entirely a result of the poor formatting of the ARC itself on my kindle, but nevertheless, it weakened the story for me.

what’s more, taraana is described as being a fully grown young man but is described so often as nothing but a child. while i can appreciate that he is soft, sweet, and simple, i had a hard time seeing his character as anything but the little boy he was introduced as in the first chapter of the book. as a result, i found it difficult to reconcile his and paheli’s growing bond throughout the story.

i loved that each location of this book was somewhere that is not often touched on in larger YA circles: north africa, eastern asia, the middle east, etc. the uniqueness of each location and the incredible descriptions of each one enriched the experience for me both as a reader and as a reviewer. what’s more, the sentiment of steady anger and pain throughout this novel hit me hard. THE WILD ONES managed to discuss and include topics such as sexual assault in a way that was not as triggering as it normally is for me, which i deeply appreciate. i found those sensitive topics to be handled very well throughout the book and woven excellently into the collective sentiment of anger, frustration, and, eventually, healing.

I don't know what exactly it was about the writing of this book, but I really couldn't stand it. It was the main thing that made me want to stop reading halfway through. I did finish it, however, and all I have to say is that I liked the diversity of the cast of characters, but that didn't make me like or care about any of them any more. It was just a miss for me.

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review*

The Wild Ones by Nafiza Azad has a promising premise to it, I will admit that. And the cover is absolutely stunning. But my god, I was confused the entire time.

I gave myself some time to gather my thoughts on this book, so here we go.

The Wild Ones follows multiple women, and centres on their hard struggles in life, the strength they can gain from one another, and creating a family out of nothing to feel supported in.

Characters: there are so many god damn characters. It’s hard to keep track of all of them. There’s 11 Wild Ones, plus lots of side characters like Taarana. I don’t honestly remember any of the Wild Ones names except Paheli, because she is the one POV where it’s obvious that it’s her. I wish we could have get to know more of them.

Plot: this plot was so choppy, and I’m disappointed in it. It has such a cool premise but it fell so flat for me. On top of that, the story was told in alternating POVs. One pov would be Paheli, and one would be from a Wild One, but we wouldn’t know who it is. I already knew going in that those types of POVs I don’t like, but I had no clue it was going to be in here. It wasn’t done that well for me.

Worldbuilding: I felt like the world wasn’t flushed out enough. We didn’t get that many descriptions, only that the Wild Ones went to a place called “The Between”. Only Middle Worlders can go there, and the Wild Ones are able to become invisible in the real world. That’s really all I understood about the world in this book. I’m still confused about it.

Since I gave myself a few days to gather my thoughts, I found that I forget a lot of what happened. And that doesn’t happen often. When a book I read becomes one I don’t remember key details of, it shows me that the book wasn’t for me.

Even though this book was not for me, I think it will definitely be one that is beneficial to other people. I am a very white passing Métis man, this book was not written for me. I am reviewing it from my standpoint, not someone else’s. Please keep that in mind.

Chefs kiss fabulous?! Yes ma’am! I am a feminist and absolutely adored how Nafiza was able to mix fantasy and feminism and bring it to a youthful light! Education is key and this novel can educate us all! Girl power for life!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of the Wild Ones in exchange for an honest review!

This book was very fun! I really enjoyed the writing style, it was almost poetic. I really enjoyed the elements of found family and diversity that the novel displayed. I especially enjoyed the world-building and magic system. My biggest issue with the book was the different points of view throughout. I found that it wasn't always clear whose point of view I was reading from. There is not enough distinction between characters which left me a little confused and not sure how to feel about them. I love character-driven stories but I found it difficult to immerse myself in this one.

Overall, this novel was beautifully written but fell a bit flat for me. The themes were very important and I definitely think it is worth the read if you enjoy female-centred stories with a diverse and magical world. 3.5 stars

I wish I could get into it, but it did not work out for me. I think it was because fantasy just isn't my thing nowadays, even if I REALLY want to. I just couldn't get into the world and it sometimes felt a little bit dramatic? Nevertheless, I will keep supporting this author and her future books!!

This book is literally a MUST READ so please go get it on August 3rd!
If you love fantasy, magic, powerful women, feminism, and beautiful diversity, this is the book for you. It is full of theory and reflection about sexism and the violent treatment of women, but is balanced out with gorgeous prose and wonderful magic!
Please be aware of the trigger warnings, as this book mentions rape, sexual assault, suicide and violence against women in general.
It is a stunning, inspiring, and heartbreaking story about women of colour coming together to help heal from their trauma. It is about rage and courage, but also about pain and loneliness.
Most of the book is written from a collective point of view, using the pronoun “we”, which I thought was fascinating! I don’t think I’ve ever read a book written in that kind of group perspective and it was very powerful.
The characters are so complex and diverse, and learning where all the girls are from is super fun. We get to visit so many places like India, Lebanon, Iraq, Turkey, Korea… I learned so many things- especially about the foods in all of the places in the book!
Overall, this is a 5 ⭐️ ya fantasy that everyone, especially women and girls, should read! The message in this book is so incredibly important and the magic is super cool too!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of the Wild Ones in exchange for an honest review!

This book was beautifully written. I had to stop myself at times because I didn't want to speed through it too fast. Words can't describe how much I enjoyed the concept of this book and all of the magical elements that made this book special. The author touches on many sensitive topics throughout, but she does so in a way where each plays a key role in how the Wild Ones came to be.

While overall I did thoroughly enjoy this book, I did have a hard time figuring out which member of the Wild Ones was narrating the story at times. Some chapters are told from Paheli's point of view (the leader of the Wild Ones) and others are told from another member, who is not specifically stated. I found this a bit difficult to follow at the start, but accepted that all of the Wild Ones were connected and one voice was essentially used to tell the story. The chapters were enjoyable and easy to get through, each with their own title, giving us a taste of what was to come. I enjoyed the concept of "the Between" and how these magical beings can travel from one place to another through magical doors. I thought the world building was done very well, taking us on a journey through different cities, with a focus on historical locations and local food that caused my mouth to water.

While the Wild Ones are comprised of nearly a dozen different women, there are only a few we truly get to know throughout the story. Small facts about some of the other Wild Ones are told through short sections, titled "from the Book of Memories", but not enough information was provided to really get an idea of who these women are. While I did find myself wondering more about these women and what brought them to the Wild Ones, it might have been too overwhelming to have a full backstory for each of them. I do think the author did a good job selecting which of the characters to shine a brighter light on to tell the story of the Wild Ones and how they came to be in existence.

Romance and sisterhood were also two aspects of this book that I really enjoyed. I found that the growing relationship between Paheli and Taraana didn't take away from the plot in any way, showing us a different side of Paheli than we were used to up until the two officially meet. Paheli and Taraana complement each other well, and his character was one that I truly did like. I also loved the sisterhood between the members of the Wild Ones. Each of the women seems to support and truly care for each other. It is clear that each of the Wild Ones have gone through something horrible in their lives to bring them to where they are, and the love and support they have for one another is heartwarming.

I 100% would recommend. "Be wild."

I don’t usually fall in love with a writing style but this book really had me from the beginning. I really loved how lyrical and almost poetic this book was.

The story was so good and I loved how immersive this world felt while reading.

My only issue was that I got a little bored about 40% into the book and had to force myself to keep reading. But by about 55% I was hooked again.