Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for giving me a free arc.

I was initially pulled into this book due to the content of dreamers being able to talk to one another with dreams and also loved the relationships between each of the characters. However I found myself starting to skim this book towards the middle and end of it. It was a cool concept just not executed very well especially near the end of the book.

Oh wow, this book really surprised me. A very pleasant surprise, no doubt! I loved the characters, and the storyline, and I found myself not wanting to put it down!

The Life-Giver follows main characters Lyam and Annelie as they are Forced to team up with Enoch, a mysterious man who talks in riddles, the trio must race against time to save their underground city from corruption—before their world crumbles around them.

“The myths were reality in ages past”

The concept of this book was a really unique and new one to me, with Dreamers being untouchable members of society who are protected by their Sun God (the Life-Giver), however the Dreamers are separated from society and can only communicate with each other in dreams or with their designated scribe who take notes and shares their dreams with their designer. However, something sinister is lurking in the dream world and the underground city, and thus our main characters must try to save the world.

The world building in this book is amazing, and it is really easy to envision everything the author is describing, this is definitely a young adult novel, as our MCs are 15 & 16, and I really loved their friendship throughout the book, you could tell just how close they are with one another, whilst the author did a fantastic job and shying away from any romantic ties, I found that really refreshing for a fantasy novel!

I found that the start of the book is a bit slower, however the pace and the action definitely increases throughout the book, and around the 60% mark I found that the pace had doubled, and I was fully engrossed with the book becoming a real page turner. I think the only thing I found slightly unrealistic was the time scale in which the book took place, to me it is a bit surreal that the “evil” plot was discovered and triumphed over in six days a little unrealistic., but this is a fantasy novel.

The book is split into six parts with only 19 chapters so is a very easy and quick read, and I especially liked the fact that each part of the book starts with a new dream that Annelie is experiencing, I feel this helped to keep up with how much time has passed too. Plus, the ending was absolutely lovely, and I am unsure whether this is going to be the first standalone fantasy novel I have read, if it is likely to be a series, there is no doubt I would read more about Lyam and Annelie!

( Thank you Net Galley for this ARC! )

Although featuring a familiar concept - entering dreams - Jase Puddicombe did a fantastic job in making the story and the world totally unique.

Words cannot describe how good this book is!

The ambience and overall tone is so well-developed. That, along with the little exercepts at the beginning of the chapters, truly made me feel the omnipresence of the Life Giver.

When things were becoming suspenseful, I could actually feel my stomach tightening and my breath being held. I was so immersed in this story - utterly attached to the characters and the events that surrounded them.

The complex relationship between the Dreamers, the Scribes and the Designers was really well written. You could see how much Annelie meant to Lyam, and their friendship was truly beautiful. Lyam’s character as a whole was full of depth and I admired his loyalty, dedication and bravery when dealing with his obstacles.

I loved the underground city world that Jase Puddicombe has created - it was described intricately and was a very clever concept. The myths and history were so interesting and I could clearly picture every scene in my head.

The pacing was excellent. I never felt bored for a second, and each chapter perfectly followed on from the last. I really liked the progression of the plot and as well as the ending.

As soon as I finished reading this, I placed an order for the hardcover copy which should come with some Life Giver accessories!

Very excited to own this incredible story!

The Life-Giver had an interesting premise that held my interest from start to finish. The world building was mostly fine, but a few times I found myself wishing the story had been spread over two books, as I felt there was room to expand the world building further. I also would have appreciated longer to get to know the characters. Lyam was the best formed, following by Annelie, but a few other characters, particularly the antagonist, could have been more fully developed, as we didn't have long to get a real sense of their backgrounds and motivations. Also, it was only when I read the author's end notes that I realised the relationship between Lyam and Annelie had been intended as aro/ace. That could perhaps have been illuminated further in the text, as I really didn't read it that way at all; I'd taken them as friends, and had then been thrown a little by the exchange of "I love you"s as the book closed. But, despite these small wishes for change, overall The Life-Giver was an entertaining read with a fascinating storyline and will appeal to fantasy fans looking for a standalone read. It gets 3.5 stars from me, but I will round up, rather than down in this case.

Processing The Life-Giver was a strange experience, because I felt like I had entered the book on false pretences: its official blurb comped it with The Priory of the Orange Tree, which is incredibly disingenuous, as the two books share no significant similarities at all. That meant I had entered with a set of expectations and frameworks wholly inappropriate to this book, which doesn't help it (appropriate comps are important!). On its own terms, TLG is a generally straightforward fantasy dystopia, in which a strange and mysterious world is gradually explained and explored. All the familiar aspects are there, just with their particular flavour of worldbuilding. It's generally fine and inoffensive, with a mostly clear plot and readable prose, but there were some sticking points for me. I was thrilled at the prospect of exploring Annelie's disability and also her relationship with Lyam, which I understand to be intended as queer platonic. But this really isn't Annelie's story at all, as she is more narrative function than full character; as for the QPR, it doesn't get enough attention to show how it is not just a romantic relationship that has been skipped over (I don't want to overdo it on "good representation", but I feel if you're going to champion ace/aro relationships, you need to make sure there isn't this grey area where people will just read it as romantic). All that, coupled with the weird ideological place it ends up landing with regards to authority, made this read (of a book I probably wouldn't have requested without its false comp anyway) a really disappointing experience despite any strengths the book has.