Linsey Miller is a lovely person. Sadly, her books and I do not get along. I've tried to pick up every book of hers and I've dnfed each one. They all have great rep and great premises. I think it's mostly me not being a fan of her writing style. I truly appreciate the review opportunity but I think What We Devour may be my last Miller attempt for awhile.

I'm stuck between a 2.5 and a 3 on this book, so I'll round up since Goodreads is tyrannical in not allowing half stars.

Let's start with the positives:
I was REALLY into the premise of this book. I saw the author talking about it on Twitter and was immediately into it, which is why I ended up requesting the ARC. The set-up is good, I was hooked very quickly, the magic system is unique, I really liked most of the characters, and I was intrigued by the story!

Lore, as a main character, is great. I like her as a person, she's really interesting, I like the way she interacts with everyone else, and I really enjoyed her worldview and how that shaped her whole story. She was very compelling, in a way that was a much needed offset for how the most prominent secondary character just kind of floats along with things.

Despite all that, the reason this is a 2.5/3 star read for me is that it was incredibly hard to follow. I read a lot of fantasy, I read a lot of books about magic and fantastical lands and creatures and monsters and kingdoms created from nothing, so I'd like to think I have a very good grasp on picking things up and running with them in fantasy books. For some time I really did wonder if it was just me; was I just an idiot not picking things up? Was I just unable to wrap my brain around what was going on??? Luckily I saw that someone else I know had picked up the ARC as well and we were able to bounce off of each other and it turns out...not just me. The story is just insanely hard to follow sometimes.
There are two characters whose genders I had swapped for probably a good thirty pages because something about their initial dialogue interaction with each other had me mix up their pronouns and I just didn't notice. A character literally dies at one point, and I didn't realize the extent of what had happened for a few pages. Fundamental stuff that I was just completely lost on.
That feeling stayed with me for a lot of the book. I felt like I was constantly playing catch up and having to use contextual clues in one chapter to realize what had happened in the previous chapter. That can be fun if it's in a "the plot is so intricate and complex and layered that you miss things if you don't look close enough" kind of way, but in this case it just felt like things were never fully explained. I'm struggling to explain what it felt like, but the gist of it is that the story is very very hard to follow and you're really left just accepting that something happened even though you have no idea how it happened, moving on from there, and then repeating that to the end.

I really WANTED to love this book, and given a little more fleshing out of the story I think I would, but it's difficult to truly enjoy something you're struggling to understand. I really love Lore's outlook on her world, her interaction with people at all different levels of society, and how she deals with the injustices she sees around her. She's a great character to carry this story, but I think just about everything around her could just use more...well, more.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of What We Devour in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to like this so, so, badly. The story is fantastic. If someone described it to me, I'm sure I would have fallen in love. But this is a big character heavy piece and the establishment of our MC, her relationships, and the progressions of those relationships happen so, so quickly that I was left bored and uninvested.

I think it's important to mention that while I went into this hoping to enjoy it, I'm similarly not a Belle Revolte fan because of the narration and characterizations which I know a lot of people actually really enjoyed so if you were a fan of that one, maybe take this review with a grain of salt.

I loved this SO MUCH!!!
Cunning & strategic ace protagonist, a horrifically fascinating magic system, and full of cannibalistic vibes, the excellent writing and layered worldbuilding made this a whole experience to read and so, so intriguing from the very first page onwards.

Content warnings include: violence, gore, death, magic system based on self-harm and harming others, mistreatment of workers, classism, aphobic microaggressions, mass murder; Mentions of: cannibalism, burning.

What We Devour was breathtaking from the very first page. I loved how the worldbuilding was done. Every page was a joy to read, every sentence a puzzle piece that added more nuance, more detail, and more meaning, thus slowly expanding the setting, painting a picture that grew bigger and more vivid as the book progressed. It made reading super engaging and a ton of fun, and I was thoroughly fascinated by pretty much everything it.

The cannibalism theme is present throughout the entire book, and I especially loved the lyrical taglines/poems/subtitles that headed the two parts of the book: "If you can’t tame your demons, set them free / If they love you, they’ll come back." and "Mouth like night / Teeth like stars."
Both are beautiful in their own right, in how they roll off the tongue, but they are also relevant to plot and characters.

Speaking of characters, I adored Lorena, the protagonist. She’s cunning but also kind, quick-thinking and not afraid to make bold decisions, which had me, who is forever undecided, cheering on her all the time. I also loved that she was unaplogetically asexual, and how that noticeably affected her behaviour – how she hid parts of herself because of the expectations an ever-sexual society ascribes to certain actions. I found that super relatable, and I just love seeing a visibly and noticably asexual character be front and center in a fantasy novel.

The side characters were great too. Alistair, the Vile crown prince, was an intriguing character in so many ways, and I especially liked reading about his relationship with Lorena. They grow so close and familiar, yet are so different and never manage to get rid of the last barriers between them, which ended up being a complex give-and-take, and a refreshing difference to the leading-male and leading-female main characters dynamics seen in most YA (fantasy, but also other) books.
I also enjoyed the colleagues Lorena ended up working with, especially Basil, who is nonbinary. Lorena’s friend Mack was great too. Julian, her bethrothed and best friend, played a very different role than expected, but I found that a very interesting and intriguing choice.

The plot was great as well. There was an almost dystopian vibe, especially in combination with the magic system and history of the world. I don’t want to get into too much detail as part of the book’s charm for me was the layers of the story slowly unfolding itself within the atmosphere the excellent writing creates. Same goes for the magic.
What I can say however is that I loved that it didn’t shy away from gore-y stuff (none of Linsey Miller’s books do), and the cannibalistic influence that the title of the book already implies remains a common theme the entire time.

Overall, What We Devour is a stunning standalone fantasy novel. It scores through its characters, plot, atmosphere, worldbuilding and more, and I cannot wait to hold a physical copy of it in my hands. I adore this book, in particular that it adds great ace representation to YA genre fiction.

Lorena Adler has the power of both banished gods and has been hiding most of her life, hiding her dual power. That is, until she is taken by the crown prince into the city in exchange for letting Will, her soon-to-be father-in-law, have a fair trial for a treason no one believe Will has committed. The crown prince quickly recognizes the dual power of Lorena and both begin working on a common project that would safe countless lives. What they didn't count on, was how little time they had.

At the beginning you can't help but feel a bit confused about what is happening and how things work. Also,I found the language at the beginning of the book more like old English and hard to understand, but this quickly changes. Once you start to understand how the powers work it is an incredible immersive experience. I can say that I absolutely loved this book. There really isn't any romance, and it is an lgbtqia book because of the many characters that are lgbtqia but not because of any romance story.
Instead, the book takes you on a ride into a world where the rich have power and rule everything, and when it comes to saving people, they only care about themselves. And what a young girl, Lorena, does and goes through in order to save most people and get rid of those rich rulers.
Through the book Lorena discovers who she really is and what she is capable for in the name of justice and salvation of humanity.
I wonder if there will be a second part to this story, not that it needs it, but I am a bit intrigue in what is in store for Lorena and the survivors.

I received thin ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“Remember Lorena - there is always someone with dirtier, meaner hands than you, so who do you want holding the knife?”

I was so drawn in by the synopsis of this book that I knew I had to read it immediately. It promised intrigue, a morally grey prince, and a magic system and world-building that seemed amazing. Unfortunately, the execution of this all fell a little flat.

The MC Lorena is a fantastic character - I really enjoyed her attitude, her conviction. The plot was interesting and the idea fantastic, I just think it could have been executed in a much less confusing way. At times I had to go back or guess at what was actually happening because it wasn’t clear. All in all, it was just a little too convoluted.

The book is extremely fast-paced, so I was left with little idea of what was going or an inkling of what anyone was saying for the first quarter or so. The dialogue during this time also seems as if every character is purely speaking to themselves, or answering questions that weren’t asked - it does not feel as if they are truly interacting with one another. The writing style made it difficult to connect with the characters - I felt like I was always at a distance from them. It felt like their connections to others were just as flimsy.

All in all, the plot was enjoyable and it kept me reading to the end to try to figure out what was going on.

★★☆☆☆ 2/5

although the writing is beautiful, i would be lying if i said i had any idea what the hell was going on

DNF @ 60%
Thanks to the Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange of an honest review .

I decided to DNF this story because it was pretty clear that nothing in the remaining portion of it could change my opinion about it. The rating, if I had to give any, would've been 1 star. The synopsis was extremely compelling, it had potential to be an amazing story about morally gray or downright evil characters that had the powers of gods coursing through their veins and the political machinations the main character did to achieve her goal but the story was just a confusing mess.

The book reads like the 2nd book in a series with chunks of the story taken out of it. The writing style did not help the sense of confusion that the introduction of the characters and their purpose creates. The main character was supposed to be a cunning type of girl but there was no connection between her actions and her personality, or lack thereof, and that's a problem that all characters encounter. The characters are stereotypical and lack any sort of depth, this made my attention dwindle and I couldn't really care for whatever they were planning because they were not interesting enough to root for in the first place.

In conclusion, I'm really disappointed at the execution of the premise. I can't even describe how utterly lost and confused I was through this book and how detached the characters are from the story.

(3.5)

I really enjoyed the characters and plot! The world building was really well done, but I feel like the pacing could’ve been better. Definitely hit a wall around the middle, but overall a great read!

3.5 stars/5

Author Linsey Miller blends Beauty and the Beast with Wicked Saints in this dark fantasy standalone that packs quite the punch. Lorena has always known what her life would hold and has never thought to expect anything different than what was given. Keeper of a rare power, one that combines the powers of both nobel and vilewrought, she has lived her life with a target on her back. When the elusive crown prince Alistair cuts her a deal in exchange for the freedom of her betrothed, Lore is taken away from the world she knows in service of a terrible plan that will have deadly repercussions if achieved. Sacrifice is something she knows all too well though, and as she is led deeper into the complicated maze of secrets, divided loyalties come to a head and Lorena must decide which power she will ultimately serve – a flawed authority or herself.

What We Devour is a book that was made to be just that, devoured. In the perfect blend of magic and darkness, Miller creates a world riddled with blood, it’s characters at the mercy of capitalism, and a clash of powers they find themselves subject to. Right off the bat, this doesn't shy away from its tribute to Beauty and the Beast and elements similar to Emily Duncan’s Wicked Saints trilogy. Having not enjoyed the latter, I was rather surprised by how attention-grabbing the material was. With hidden doors and an eclectic group of characters I was more than intrigued prior to starting this, but the fact that I enjoyed it far more than I initially thought is worth noting. This is a book that is bloody and empowering, or perhaps both of those two things combined; and the protagonists are all likable, even if they do tend to make some choice decisions from time to time. Where this fell short for me particularly though, was in the aftermath of its strong beginning. Past that, the plot became a bit too convoluted and heavy, feeling as if with each passing page I was wading through quicksand. This could partly be attributed to the content heavy world building that never seemed to reach a certain stopping point. You know the first hundred or so pages into a fantasy book where you never really grasp what’s going on, well that was essentially the last two thirds of the book for me. There was just far too much going on and it felt like the author had expected you to keep pace with everything, when in reality you had been left behind in the dust. While this has so many worthy aspects like ace protagonists, dark fantasy elements, and an interesting cast of characters, I think plot wise there was a lot left to be desired. That is not to say this won't be a hit for many readers, but it may not be everything it was let out to originally be.

Trigger warnings: blood, violence, gore, death, murder, attempted murder, grief, human sacrifice, self-harm, abuse

I can honestly say that this book is a masterpiece! I have never read anything like it and could not put it down.The world building was brilliant and the different wroughts were so intricately thought out.
I instantly connected with Lorena’s character and struggle. The banter and curious personalities of the side characters added another layer of interest to this book that elevated the plot so well. I really appreciated the time that the author took to add in Lorena’s thought process and inner struggle.
It is a testament to the authors skill that I did not see any of the plot twists coming. This plot line is set in the brutal world of Cynlira and Lorena wields not only her wrights but her mind skillfully to survive it. I don’t think I can possibly recommend this book highly enough.
I will be posting my review within the week that the book is published on the following platforms:
Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads, Tiktok, and Instagram @allbookedup95.
Below are the links to my platforms:
https://www.instagram.com/allbookedup95/
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/33947766-hannah-bishop
www.tiktok.com/@allbookedup95

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I was so excited to get sent this ARC! My favorite genre of books is YA fantasy, and I loved reading the description of What We Devour by Linsey Miller. Thank you so much to the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this ARC. I honestly can't thank you enough.

In the fantasy world that Linsey Miller created, certain people are "noblewrought" or "vilewrought." The main character Lorena, or Lore, is "dualwrought," which is rare because she has the power of both the Noble and the Vile inside her. Here is a quote from the opening chapter that explains these terms:

"Before the gods abandoned us and when the Noble and the Vile still walked this world, mortals hadn’t been able to use magic. They fought back against the Noble and Vile to no avail, and then, they were left with only one option. There was only one way to escape the terrifying grip of their immortal tyrants—they devoured the Noble and Vile and took their magic as their own. We noblewrought and vilewrought were the legacy of those who had feasted."

At the beginning of the book, Lore's betrothed's father, Will, is arrested by the cruel crown prince, the Heir. In exchange for a chance for Will to receive a trial and possible freedom, Lore agrees to work for the Heir and use her powers to serve him. The book starts off very strongly with an interesting and action-packed beginning. I couldn't wait to read on to find out what the Heir needs Lore for and how her dualwrought powers manifest. I was imagining some sort of quest or battle that would require Lore to use her powers for good. Since other reviewers have mentioned the morally grey characters and compared this to Wicked Saints, one of my favorite books, I thought that maybe she would choose to use her powers for more nefarious purposes as well.

Unfortunately, after the strong beginning, I became very confused. The book introduced a lot of new terms that I didn't understand, and then I wasn't sure what the characters were doing and why I should care about them. There are many 5-star reviews for this book, so I'm sure many readers will enjoy this book. Personally, I just didn't understand what was going on. Overall, I recommend that all fans of YA fantasy books give this book a try! If you're intrigued by the premise, you will probably enjoy this action-packed fantasy world.

I was really looking forward to this book, so I'm bummed out that it disappointment me. It felt like the reader was just thrown right into the story, which meant there wasn't much world building or character development. So I didn't particularly care about any of the characters and I didn't really understand the particular rules of the magic system. I think in general Miller's writing style just didn't work for me and kept me at a distance from the story.

This book was very spooky and amazing! I absolutely loved this book and flew through it in one afternoon. The main characters are very interesting and relatable. I will be purchasing this book for my library's YA collection.

I just

I just

Like I know I picked this book for a reason but it exceeded my reasons you know? I find I am enamored with horrible people especially when it comes down to people being called horrible because choices and circumstances made them. I love horrible boys grasping and grasping for power because it’s all they have known and just wanting more and more. Alistair reminds me of Malachaisz from wicked Saints so much, a scared horrible man made little boy reaching and reaching for deaths door just because.

Falling for that corruption knowing where it could lead only for you to struggle with keeping your own morals intact and your egregious feeling in spite of it.

I am enamored with a world made by gods only for them to be unmade driven out and the goal was in good faith but like I said circumstances change people and worlds until it’s like the gods never left.

This story was about the sacrifices you choose to make and the ones you were told to make in line with being THE sacrifice. It was about letting that greed that hunger that want drive you or letting it devour you. Choosing to turn around devouring the bad parts and creating something new.

God I spent like half this book going “ THIS IS SO FUCKING GOOD”
Linsey combined all my favorite things (also how much do you see a girl being an undertaker!!?)

This is a love story but it’s not, it takes the many forms of love, familial/Eros /Philia and love of people and country but most of all LOVE OF POWER.

This was devilishly delicious.

Full of gothic horror and monsters, of dark things that go bump in the night, of dark gods and darker devils.

I love the LGBT rep in this. Its always fun to see new ways that author can incorporate fantasy with LGBT elements, and Linsey Miller has created a wonderful cast of characters.

This is perfect for those who light candles at night and stare at the flame, who dream of dark corners and wonder what gods stare back.

Enjoy.

What We Devour sets off at a dash and doesn't stop to see if it has left you in the dust. Miller spins a spell-binding saga of a withering kingdom - a land that's a little worse for wear - that has seen to shoving its shadows behind a Door that's not quite what it seems - until they start to spill out, summoning oh-so-many questions about sacrifices and scruples when the shambolic dangers that spring up must be dealt with. Spooling the shibboleth 'eat the rich' into a spine-chilling reality, setting down Miller's dark fantasy standalone strands you with the spinning sensation of *did i devour this book, or did this book devour me*?

The corporeal context of What We Devour is gritty and grim, a gripping cocktail of cut-throat politics, paranoid governance and perverse capitalism set in a stratified society subjugated to sacrifice for self-preservation from the monsters it once ousted. Here, the most miserable are cheated for profit, the magic system is mounted on exploitation and erasure, and those who are possess its curses and charms are chained to the exhortations of the commanding peers. Toying with trades of the tangible and intangible - betting on blood and bone, mind and memory - manipulated by a mixed troupe of man, vilewrought and noblewrought, What We Devour mollifies the miasma of monster and human while commenting on the most broken characteristics of capitalism through metaphors of constraining contracts, the crushing clench of a crumbling bloodline, and a magic that balances costs and barters callously.

Most devastatingly, What We Devour delivers a depiction of a kindred duo who are above all despairingly desperate to feel known, desired beyond their worth as weapons to wield on the wavering whims of the dominion of the well-off. I particularly adored how the author parsed intimacy from physical passion and articulated accurate insinuations about asexuality throughout, and the chaste affection and companionship that crystallizes between Alistair and Lorena was all the more affecting for it. I also loved the details of the old gods' lore, and the depths delved into Lorena's undertaker duties and her disdain for her usefulness; the parallels drawn up of people as 'ledgers' was painfully perfect, and the affirming attention paid to proper pronouns is appreciable. The world and wroughts of What We Devour are weird and wonderful and wickedly well-written, and I wish there was more of it to delight in!