“In my observation, feelings as passionate as hatred and ardor are two sides of the same coin. One bleeds into the other remarkably quickly, given the correct circumstances. More sparks fly from friction than cooperation, after all. Sometimes you hate someone so much, you fall in love.”

Well, we all knew it was coming, but because of Violet and her spikiness, it was a fun and memorable journey getting there. Yes, Violet is snarky, and difficult, and did not learn at a young age that it can benefit you to trust someone else, even a little, so she had to learn that lesson later in life. She actually could learn that lesson a little more, which is something I’m hoping is explored more in the next book. (Presumably she’ll be given more responsibility and actually has to learn to care about other people, not just herself.)

I know Chen purposefully set out to have a main character who is prickly and self-serving, so it was a bit obvious that Cyrus wouldn’t be like that, but I so appreciated Cyrus not being afraid to call Violet out on her BS and her not always accurate visions. I really liked him staying so true to himself, even against his father and the Council. I’m hoping Violet grows up a bit in the next book, actually follows through with trying to fix her mistakes, but most of all I hope that Cyrus continues to stick to his beliefs and makes choices based on his position and what is right for all the kingdom, which may not always be what is right for him.

His heart will be damnation or salvation. His choice may save us all.

Chen should also get credit for her random incorporations of other fairy tales, which were delightful to see, and of course credit for her great twist on Cinderella. Please continue to have Camilla as one of the main characters, because that girl is the damn best, and please don’t fold to social convention and cure Cyrus. Giving him this beast thing to deal with, on top of everything else, and never curing him of it is a great way to set him apart from the many many MANY other Prince Charmings of the world.

Also, PROPS to Chen for a great opening line: Today, Prince Cyrus returns to the capital with a bride, or else. Immediately sets the tone for the book and draws you right the hell in.

Also also - long live the Briar King and his Bride. I will always be a fan of their story.

“The worst mistake I ever made,” Cyrus says, stained lips cracked and swollen, “was letting Camilla convince me we should sneak out to the Moon District that day.”
I finish the thought for him. “Because you met me?”
“Because I fell in love.”

Without a doubt, this is the best fairytale retelling I’ve read to date. I was totally sucked in from the first page. Violet is an incredible protagonist, truly morally gray and at times downright unlikeable…and yet, I adored her. She was wonderfully complex and compelling, I was drawn to her and so eager to see what she would do next. Her relationships are fraught and interesting and I enjoyed each of the secondary characters though Cyrus was an easy favorite of mine. The romance is fantastic! It takes the enemies-to-lovers trope to a whole new level.

I had an impossible time putting the book down the entire way through. The stakes are high and just get higher as the plot moves on. I was so upset to finish it and I’m hungry for the sequel. I cannot recommend this book enough. It’s unique in the YA fantasy genre for how it weaves so many fairytale aspects together around a truly one-of-a-kind protagonist that you’ll love even in her most hateful moments. I can’t wait to see what’s next!

Note: I received a free electronic edition of this book via NetGalley in exchange for the honest review above. I would like to thank them, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to do so.

The plot of this book was a fairytale retelling centered around the witch, Violet. Only Violet isn’t quite a witch - she’s a Seer, who can read the threads of the Fates in order to see the future. Or the past, which is less helpful considering her job as the Royal Seer. She’s been put in charge of prophesying Prince Cyrus’ fate.

Thank you so much to NetGalley & Random House Children's for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was compared to The Cruel Prince and Serpent & Dove, but unfortunately I didn't love this as much as either of those. Violet & Cyrus were definitely enemies-to-lovers, but I didn't like their relationship as much as I wanted to. I liked the political intrigue and world was interesting. Overall though, there wasn't anything about this that made this book standout amongst the many other books with this formula unfortunately.

LOVED THIS. Morally gray character are always celebrated in this household. The prose is viciously gorgeous, the plot is callback to some of my very favorite fairy tales, and it feels like Violet has been carved from the darkest most secret corners of all our hearts. Can't wait to reread!

I really really wanted to love this one more than I did. There's nothing glaringly terrible about it, but I think it was marketed as comparable to a lot of books that accomplish the goals of political intrigue, enemies-to-lovers, etc,, a bit better than this one does. It just didn't bring anything new and mind-blowing to the genre, though it was perfectly okay.

Thanks so much for the review copy!

This one took me a hot minute to get into, but once I did I really didn't want to put it down. The relationships, the world and the writing were all really good and I definitely want more from this story! I also think the main character is pretty awesome. I will DEFINITELY be picking up the next one in the series! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Such a masterful balance of suspense and character development--you just have to keep reading to find out what happens next, and nothing feels predictable because of the author's ability to create authentic concern in the reader for what happens to these characters.

Can't wait to add this one to my classroom library for my high schoolers to devour!

[3.5/5 stars]

I was sold by the premise - prophecy, morally gray witch and a cursed prince. I love that Violet is unapologetically herself and not the typical heroine - she is stubborn, arrogant yet bold and strong willed when needed. The Prince Cyrus is charming and exudes a mysterious vibes that allure us. However I was more fascinated about Dante, a charismatic character and true partner.

While I really enjoyed Chen's writing style, I thought that the plot felt flat until 60%, when the pace picked up and I was truly invested into the story. Then the characters' dynamic got better and the storyline became juicy. I liked the enemies-to-lovers romance and the inclusion of magical creatures. That being said, I found the world-building not nuanced enough and hope to read more about it in the conclusion.

VIOLETS MADE OF THORNS is about making difficult decisions and there are a lot of manipulation, scheming and political intrigue. This book started with 3 stars and ended with 4 stars. Lastly, I am excited to dig further into the characters and storyline. Recommended for those who enjoy fairytale with a twist.

It's been months since I've read this and I'm still ruined by how much I adore these characters! The banter and snark was amazing and I am dying to get more from this world!

Como vocês já sabem, essa resenha é em parceria com a Random House Internacional, de quem recebemos esse eARC (Advance reading copy: algo como “uma cópia de leitura avançada”, ou seja, o livro ainda pode sofrer alterações antes de ser publicado). Também lembrando que essa resenha terá um formato diferente: por ser um ARC, não haverão quotes, já como os livros podem sofrer mudanças em seu texto antes de serem comercializados. Gostaríamos de agradecer profundamente a Editora pela oportunidade de parceria.

Eu estou APAIXONADA e não estou brincando: “Violet Made of Thorns” tem absolutamente tudo que eu amo, um livro de fantasia com enemies-to-lovers, traições, mocinha que chuta bundas (e dá tapa na cara do mocinho porque ele merece HAHAHA) e ainda reviravoltas, tudo embalado em uma leitura que é muito, muito rápida de tão fluída que é. Você não consegue largar o livro um segundo sequer porque você precisa muito saber o que vai acontecer, sem contar que o livro não é nada longo (meu eBook tinha 304 páginas).

Antes de tudo, preciso dizer que o mundo no qual “Violet Made of Thorns” existe, há magia, exatamente como vocês podem imaginar pela sinopse. Há magia e há fadas capazes de fazerem magia, coisa que elas fazem durante a narrativa. Há monstros e há Deuses também, tudo em uma mitologia nova, com uma roupagem que se aproxima de um conto de fadas – sim, isso mesmo. Inclusive, há pontos na narrativa que basicamente espelha a história de uma tal Cinderella, com um sapatinho ficando em um baile, e termina com uma nota direta na direção de outro conto de fadas. A intenção é clara aqui: aproximar a narrativa daqueles mundos repletos de princesas precisando serem salvas, príncipes moralmente impecáveis e no qual o amor é capaz de salvar qualquer um, mas não se iluda porque não vamos ter isso aqui. Há também bastante tramas palacianas e reinos, mas isso termina ficando como tramas secundárias. Também não pense que o que pesa mais é a fantasia, porque não, não é.

Se você quer saber em que lugar o livro se encaixa, eu te afirmo que ele é, na verdade, um romance com fantasia e não o inverso – o enredo central é exatamente o que tem a sinopse, mas não só isso, porque há muito mais que não é entregue ali, então vamos do começo: Violet, a vidente do Reino de Auveny, subiu ao lugar depois de salvar o príncipe Cyrus, filho do Rei Emilius, da morte certa. Antes morando em um orfanato, a pequena Violet não sabe nada sobre sua vida, só que tem visões estranhas, e querendo descobrir se o que sonhava era real, foge e vai para o lugar aonde via este garoto morrendo. No dia certo, na hora certa, lá está ela, esperando e salvando Cyrus. Claro que a vida da pequena, aos 10 anos, é completamente mudada e ela é levada para o palácio, caindo nas graças do Rei viúvo e da irmã gêmea de Cyrus, a princesa Camilla. O posto de Vidente Real era anteriormente de Felicita, que morreu deixando basicamente uma maldição sobre o príncipe e quem viria a ser a dona de seu coração – que essa pessoa poderia ser a salvação ou a danação de todo Reino.

Não lemos sobre todos os anos de Violet vivendo e crescendo até chegar a idade de 18 anos, quando a trama do livro começa, mas podemos entender através de sua visão como ela cresceu e como vê toda família real e seu papel na corte. Sem controlar suas visões, muitos vezes a garota fala o que querem ouvir e outras tantas lança pequenos enigmas que são capazes de lhe render algum tempo – e é exatamente o que ela fez: dizendo ter tido uma visão com Cyrus, ela falou que a dona do seu coração seria encontrada no fim de sua “jornada”. Obviamente a palavra é muito vaga e pode sim, significar tanto uma viagem quanto um momento de autodescoberta, e é assim que a Vidente vai mantendo as graças do Rei. Cyrus sai em uma viagem e quando o livro começa, ele está retornando. E é ai que a coisa começa a complicar, porque ele não encontrou ninguém para ser seu amor verdadeiro na viagem.

Encontrando uma saída, Violet justamente usa o termo “jornada” sobre ele se descobrir e que em um baile ele descobrirá quem é seu verdadeiro amor, o que provoca no Rei uma ideia de fazer o tal baile aonde o filho encontraria a tal garota que deveria estar com um determinado vestido, usado pela garota de sua escolha. Violet concorda em embarcar nessa, indo dar a descrição certa para Cyrus como se fosse uma visão, mas algo estranho começa a acontecer com ela: seus sonhos começam a “falar” com ela, lhe dando uma frase exata que ela deveria falar com o príncipe.

A principio relutante, Violet decide falar exatamente o que a tal voz lhe mandou porque não consegue manter um relacionamento educado com o príncipe por acreditar que ele se decepcionou com ela ao longo dos anos ao desconfiar de sua real habilidade como vidente, deixando claro que a permanência dela ali não é algo que está definitivo quando ascender ao trono. E aqui eu preciso parar de falar da trama para falar destes dois personagens que estão, definitivamente, entre meus favoritos da vida.

Violet é uma mocinha como poucas. E, sendo sincera, eu não sei bem se ela cairá nas graças dos bookstans porque não espere mesmo alguém idealista e que quer salvar pessoas: Violet quer manter a vida que tem, quer continuar exatamente onde esta e nunca mais voltar para as ruas, nem perder o poder que tem. Cultivando um desprezo imenso em sua mente por várias pessoas da corte (a cena dela lendo a sorte de várias Damas da Corte é maravilhosa porque mostra bem quem ela é) e capaz de mentir e enrolar quem quer que seja, Violet não tem nenhum remorso de ser quem é. Em certa altura, durante uma discursão com Cyrus, ela deixa claro que sabe que é assim e não tem a menor vergonha de ser. E eu amei cada momento dela porque não quero ler sobre personagens perfeitas, que cedem tudo por amor. Eu quero ler sobre mulheres que sabem o que querem e como fazer para chegar lá, e Violet me deu exatamente isso. Seu humor irônico, sua falta de paciência, sua sagacidade, tudo isso junto me fez amar a personagem com todo meu coração bookstan.

Duelando com Violet, temos Cyrus, o príncipe da vez. Mas calma ai que ele não está no polo do príncipe canastrão pegador e tampouco está no polo príncipe ingênuo. Cyrus é também mordaz, sempre pronto para cutucar e manter Violet longe dele – e olha, enquanto escrevo esta resenha, me dou conta que eu pagaria bastante para ler um livro com o ponto de vista dele, porque temos só o ponto de vista de Violet. Voltando ao ponto, Cyrus tem um relacionamento distante do pai e próximo da irmã, sabendo que é desejado tanto por ser um príncipe e ser bonito quanto por usar magia sem pudor algum. Cyrus sabe o que precisa fazer e não tem qualquer ilusão sobre o que deve fazer: precisa encontrar a tal garota, se apaixonar por ela (seja quando for) e se casar, tudo para manter o reino em segurança, já como tudo depende dele e tudo agora pode explodir porque quando os dois protagonistas estavam juntos, eu queria continuar lendo as batalhas dos dois enquanto cada um tentava arrancar do outro o que queria. O ritmo dos personagens juntos é insano, a forma como eles funcionam juntos, como eles se “bicam”, como se provocam, como são perfeitos um para o outro, me deixou até meio tonta. Fazia bastante, mas bastante tempo mesmo, que eu não shippava tão forte assim dois personagens.

Continuando a falar um pouco mais na trama, tudo explode mesmo no tal baile (Sim, um baile. Como falei no começo dessa resenha, há uma clara intenção de ter esse tom de “contos de fadas”, mas é claro e obvio que os valores foram subvertidos aqui), quando enfim a tensão entre Violet e Cyrus explode, assim como outras coisas porque o Reino está sendo atacado por bestas. A partir dai, a narrativa engata de vez e te deixa com a certeza de que tudo vai dar muito errado e, sinceramente, vou confessar: eu sempre falo o quanto eu não me importo com finais agridoces e também fico bem se o casal não ficar juntos porque na vida real é assim e etc, mas aqui, nessa altura da narrativa, se a autora não desse uma roubadinha e não desse um jeito de salvar os dois, eu iria xingar muito no twitter (os velhos como eu entenderão o meme).

Espantosamente, esse é o primeiro livro de Gina Chen, que somente participou de outras duas coletâneas de livros, e demorou 11 anos escrevendo este livro – sim. Onze anos. Por isso saiu tão perfeito assim, ouso afirmar. Não sei de nenhuma noticia sobre o livro ser publicado aqui no Brasil e ele ainda não foi lançado oficialmente (será mês que vem), mas eu definitivamente já vou começar a panfletar a partir de agora porque ele merece. E ah, uma última informação: no Goodreads, mostra como se o livro fosse o 1º, como se houvesse uma possível continuação, mas não achei uma confirmação oficial com todas as letras da autora, então levem isto como rumor. A trama termina de uma forma satisfatória, mas há sim, espaço para uma continuação, e, novamente, fugindo de uma regra, não vou me incomodar se mais livros sobre Violet e Cyrus vierem por ai (e um que foque na Camilla, por favor!).

Vou terminar por aqui assinalando minha própria hipocrisia que sempre assinalo que não devemos querer finais felizes sempre ou que prego sentir falta de livros únicos e que as autoras deveriam fazer mais destes, mas hey, eu sou uma bookstan, e como boa bookstan, uma boa história me ganha, e é isso que temos aqui: uma história nova, vibrante, com uma mocinha nada boazinha, com um mocinho nada legal e maldições, fadas e um amor que pode destruir o reino – e, sinceramente, se for para este casal ficar junto, pode destruir quantos reinos quiser.

Thanks for the free book, Penguin Random House International.

DNF 50%

I wanted to love this book and I thought I would because the blurb compared it to "The Cruel Prince", but... I simply could not.

The plot was interesting, I will give you that. I am not used to reading about oracles and the like (I have a soft spot for faes, elves, etc when it comes to YA fantasy.), so I was curious. I think that is the main reason I kept on reading.

However, I did not like any of the characters. They are flat, predictable and tremendously vain. I would not mind them being like that if they PROVED that they are as ruthless and witty as they say, but it is not the case. They always ended up doing nothing to solve their problems. In addition, the attraction between the main characters felt forced. I cannot believe that they like each other and thus all the dialogues and scenes where they supposedly show their interest through teasing or disdainful gestures felt wrong. You have to be very careful with love-hate relationships; I have learnt that after reading a ton of books that revolve around that cliché. Otherwise the romance looks unrealistic and, unfortunately, even toxic sometimes.

I know many other readers have enjoyed this book, so I still encourage you to read if it catches your eye.

Violet Made of Thorns centers on a young seer , Violet, who is employed by the king. A complication of her abilities as official seer is that the king manipulates her sight for his own political machinations. As a character, Violet has a small friend group, but you don't get a sense that they are really close., and this solidifies her portrayal as an isolated outcast of sorts who lives in the tower of the palace. She has a rocky relationship with Prince Cyrus, who she unashamedly refers to as "Princey" throughout. And besides her name calling, the reason for his disdain for her never becomes really clear.

The role of fate, the foretelling of the downfall of the kingdom that they are desperately trying to avert, as well as the love-hate relationship between Violet and the prince are the driving forces throughout the novel.
While the premise of the novel is an interesting one, it was difficult for me to have any investment in the morally gray, Violet, or any of the other characters for that matter. I didn't love any character nor did I really have any strong feelings for the characters. At times, the plot because slightly confusing with the inclusion of voices and dreams in Violet's head. Overall, I am wasn't engaged with the characters, and the plot did not make up for the lack of connection with the characters.

Thank you to #netgalley for the advanced readers copy!

VIOLET Made of Thorns is the type of book that comes along when you're deep into a book slump and desperately looking for something to click. There's mystery, drama, angst, tension, action, and swoons (of course!). By the end you'll wish you could go back and read it again for the first time and it WILL persuade you to rethink your top enemies-to-lovers couples even though you thought your list was solid. Mine was not and I gladly made the change. 😁 A highly recommended read with a stellar beginning and a sequel to come!

Fantasy politics. Morally questionable main character. Lies and prophecies and the blurry lines between the two. The girl who wants to kill Prince Charming instead of flirt with him. Enemies-to-lovers romance. Have I convinced you yet? Violet Made of Thorns by Gina Chen was one of my most-anticipated books of 2022, and reader, it delivered. This is the sort of debut that makes me incredibly excited about this author’s future works (and has me chomping at the bit for the sequel!).

This is it: the morally gray witchy prophetess I didn’t know I needed. Violet was a fantastic protagonist in this book, with a perfect mix of sass, strength, and stubbornness, but seasoned with self-doubt and an (understandable) inability to trust. Violet is an accomplished liar (or teller of half-truths, depending on who you ask) and filled with a ruthless sense of self-preservation. And her quick wit, coupled with her insightful (and somewhat cynical) view of the world and her willingness to push back against anyone made her narration entertaining and unpretentious to read while simultaneously leading me to highlight an absurd number of lines (see my incredibly lengthy list of quotes below, and know that this was a pared-down version of my full highlights).

That’s not to say that she was the only character in this story; the supporting characters were engaging to read about as well. There’s Dante, the sassy gay misanthrope-turned-best-friend. There’s Camilla, the princess who loves fashion but also has a keen eye for unearthing deception. There’s King Emilius, an horrid imperialist with a silver tongue and an iron grip on his court. And there’s Cyrus, the idealistic young prince who just wants to find his true love to fulfill the prophecy…despite his feelings for Violet, who is strictly off-limits.

And oh, this romance. Fans of enemies-to-lovers will relish this part of the story. The tension between Cyrus and Violet crackles in their every interaction. The power dynamic between them is an interesting one–he is the future king and thus her future leader, while she is the Seer who has the ability to keep him from the throne with a few well-chosen words–and so they skirt the edges of their duties, look for loopholes in the rules and boundaries around them, reluctant to admit feelings but nevertheless finding their attraction sometimes overpowering. There is banter, there is a literal dagger-to-the-throat moment, there is betrayal, and there is even a little bit of steam. Nothing super spicy or very explicit, but there is a sex scene that is not graphic but also not fade-to-black. And, following one of my favorite tropes, there is a dose of grumpy/sunshine here, with the stone-hearted Violet and passionate Cyrus.

I know the plot may not be everyone’s cup of tea, as it is really driven by intrigue and political scheming, not by action and sword fights (though there are plenty of monsters and a dark enchanted forest!), but I absolutely loved that element of the story. This is a kingdom where everyone lies to get what they want, and nothing can be taken for granted. The mix of magic types–fairies, Seers, witches, Fates and gods, and more–made for a complex power system that those on the throne don’t fully comprehend, and Violet’s existence at the juncture of magic and royalty highlighted both sides of this struggle. And there were some nice nods to classic Western fairytales, including Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast, among others, which lent a nice intertextuality to the story.

I will say, there were a few things I would have liked to see fleshed out a bit more—Camilla didn’t get quite as much development as I would have liked to see, and there were a lot of things that remained unanswered about the fairies and certain blood magic elements, but I’ll concede that perhaps the author is reserving these for exploration in the sequel. (I do low-key ship Camilla with another character who will remain nameless for now.) I also would have liked a little more on the history between the two neighboring kingdoms, beyond their recent border struggles under King Emilius; given the political elements that informed all the characters’ actions, I would have liked a little more historical political insight to round out the worldbuilding. However, again these are small things and didn’t hurt the book at all; I just think they would have helped it shine even brighter.

In short, this was a book that more than lived up to my mental expectations for it. Highly recommended for anyone who likes their books filled with tension of all sorts–internal, political, and romantic–and fans of fantasy where the romance really is relevant to the plot.

Rep: Asian MC, gay male SC, queer female SC

4/5 ✨✨✨✨

A Violet Made of Thorns is a fairytale turned grim full of liars, enemies, and dark magic.

Violet is a Seer employed by the King himself; and arguably the best liar in the kingdom. When her web spins itself out of control concerning the ever-irritating Prince's marital status she has to do whatever it takes to make sure her untruths don't see the light of day.

I enjoyed this far more than I thought I would, considering fairtyale-esque isn't generally my scene, but the way it leaned dark helped with that. I can see why it was compared with The Cruel Prince, though I wouldn't consider the characters nearly as developed, the fact that none of them were truly all good and were allowed to be flawed definitely did something for me.

Violet and Cyrus' banter was fantastic. I enjoyed every interaction where I ended up unsure of whether they were going to sink their teeth into each other or set someone on fire. They were easy to root for and I thought their dynamic flowed nicely. There was also a lot of intrigue concerning Violets actual dreams that I loved, because each one was certainly a page turner in itself.

I enjoyed the world building, but wished there was more of it. So many aspects seemed to be brushed over (I'm sure for space saving, this isn't a fault I'd put on the author necessarily) and I dearly wish that other characters like Cyrus' sister and Dante had gotten more attention.

My review might be late, but trust me I blew through this book quickly!

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Violet Made of Thorns is a story of schemes, curses, and enemies to lovers, and it is all showcased inside a dark fantasy fairytale. The author relied heavily on the fairy tale trope to move along with her story. The two main characters are Violet, the seerer, and Cyrus, the prince plagued by a prophecy (curse). They constantly fight to the point where you want to scream oh, make out already. The romance is intense in places, and the dark parts are borderline mayhem of what is going on.
I continued with the story cause the world-building made the world so enjoyable. The beasts, the fairies, and the fairy wood combined to create a world I liked to explore more as I continued reading the story. I felt that the story was solid tell we got to the end, and then it felt like the author wasn't quite sure how she wanted things to go, so she threw a whole bunch of stuff in and left us waiting for the next book to see how it all gets solved.
Overall this was not a bad debut, but it could have been better

I had high expectations for this book so maybe that's why I felt disappointed by it. I'm not really sure what was missing, but I personally wasn't able to connect with any of the characters or get into the plot. I went weeks without reading it between chapters and just didn't feel that page turning, on the edge of my seat feeling.

I think the author definitely has potential so I'll give her future books a try, but this wasn't for me. There just wasn't anything special.

I was genuinely so excited for this book when I first came across the synopsis prior to its release. Anyone who knows me, also knows I live in the gray and likewise I love morally gray characters. Life is not black and white, people and their problems are never that simple. So, I find the characters that hang out in the middle to be far more interesting and realistic, even in fantastical worlds.

Violet is not morally gray. At best, she's morally egg-shell colored. Frankly, so is Cyrus. To be honest, none of the characters have much personality or charisma at all. I suppose Camilla is the most fleshed out character, but even she feels like a pale 2D concept more than a person.

Until I reached the 80% point of the story, I wasn't even invested in a single scene.. let alone the idea that there was some burgeoning love story here. I understand what happened. The author was trying so hard to make both parties come across as cold toward each other and aloof, that she simply failed to show they resonated anywhere else at all. And that's a shame, because there were brief glimpses toward the end.. of real texture.

Unfortunately, by that time I just wanted it to all be over. Luckily, after simmering on low for most of the novel, once the drama hit.. the ending was tied up in a rush. It did, however.. leave me feeling like I wished I could get the time back I'd spent reading the book.

There are plenty of good ideas here. Interesting approaches to magic and familiar topics are sprinkled throughout. The villain I think could have been quite heavy if given more focus. As this is Chen's debut novel, I'm hopeful she'll grow into those ideas and really spend some time honing her craft. Occasionally she writes really beautiful lines worth quoting.. but none of that holds together without any real feeling of connection between the characters, the story, and the reader.

If you still desperately want to give this book a try, you won't hate yourself. It's all right. It just isn't particularly great either.

All of the ideas were good but the execution was not. The writing was more telling, not showing and the first 30% was info dumping and hardly anything actually happened. The set up for the romance could have been good, if the characters had any chemistry at all. Overall, this was a disappointment.