Okay so the world building and the characters were all pretty decent, I mean the book had a lot of potential definitely but it's just that I have read this kind of Trope so much in YA that I am kinda done with it and I was expecting something new. So it's basically our FMC Brillar who was forced to follow into her mother's footsteps and become a healer but she craves more adventure and action and so she becomes a hunter instead and now she has to kill our MMC Elden, which she can't and then she becomes his apprentice. I think this book could you a little more editing.

Brillar was expected to become a healer, but instead she decided to take of the bow and forge her own path. In her travels, and shortly after the book starts, she comes across a mage bound in magical chains and decides to free him. Turns out his name is Elden and he is quite powerful. A type of master. Together they travel into wild lands, which tests Brillar, and slowly these two become something of friends while facing challenges...

So what did I think?

I think this book was a bit slow at times. I struggled to power through some areas. It could do with a little bit of trimming when it comes to their travels and, honestly, I think that would help even out the pacing a little. I also felt like we were introduced to the villain just over a quarter of the way into the book, only the have the main conflict solved probably halfway through. Yet the book keeps going.

The world building was pretty decent for a first book of a series and once the adventures actually started, it was decently entertaining, minus all the detail in the travel bits. Tt did feel like it was written for a younger audience then I was expecting though. I usually read Teen/YA, and this felt a bit more like a middle school read. Also, it very much reminded my of reading the resulting script of a DnD campaign. Which is fine.

Brillar is a good lead/main character. She's strong in many ways, including headstrong. She has a good set of morals that she sticks to and a brave streak that helps she do so. It's not really fully explained why she decided the life she did, but seeing how this is the first book in a series, the answer may be revealed further down the line.

And for anyone who is tired of characters immediately falling in love in the first book, I have good news! No romance to be seen in this book. Just the development of a friendship, which is nice AND believable. It might turn into something later, but for now, romance free! (and hopefully it stays that way because she seems to view Elden as something of an older authority figure. Like a teacher.)

Conclusion?

Bit slow in places. Feels like it's angled a little more to a pre-teen read level, but on the whole it was a decent read.

A fun read! The writing style was good and it was easy to connect with the characters. Definitely recommend!

I really wanted to like this book... unfortunately I didn't. It felt like the two main characters were just wandering... I was 35%done with the book before I thought I knew who or what the bad guy was... it seemed like it counts have ended abut the 45% mark. #OrbandArrow #NetGalley

Synopsis:
Brillar - a young woman with an adventurous spirit - quite literally stumbles upon one of the greatest mages of her time. Thrown together out of necessity, the two embark on an adventure that will take them through quaint villages, a dark but enchanting forest, and into the Wild. Their budding friendship provides each of them the opportunity to learn and grow as they face challenge after challenge.

Target Audience:
I would recommend this book for upper elementary and junior high readers who want to get into fantasy. It has a tinge of “Robin Hood” with ample contextual descriptions, straightforward character dynamics, and little foreshadowing. The overarching story reads more like a series of vignettes than a sweeping narrative (e.g. a major plot point is essentially solved 44% of the way through), but it would lend itself to imaginative activities such as D&D or other fantasy role play games.

i really really liked this book but it very much reminded me of the ranger apprentice series, which is alright because i love it. i would definitely read this book again and buy a personal copy for myself though.

This is the first book in the new YA fantasy series following the teenage healer Brillar on her adventures through the Wild. It was a light and enjoyable read, with a strong main character to root for and an interesting world building, but a bit slow at times.

In short, the story is about the young noblewoman Brillar of Laurenfell, who was expected to follow in her mother’s footsteps and become a healer, but instead decided to take on the way of the bow and run away to explore the world as an archer. Now a highly skilled hunter, she has been forced to kill to release a mage, bound in enchanted chains. When the mage, Master Elden, insists on making Brillar his apprentice, Brillar finds herself on a new journey where her healing skills will find greater challenges. Settled lands are one thing, but in the Wild, she will have to rely on her Master’s knowledge of the terrain and the people, the Rovers, who are not always friendly…

I love strong female leads and I immediately rooted for Brillar. She’s so headstrong, brave and has such a great moral compass. I really liked the premise of the plot and the world building. But for a YA fantasy there wasn’t as much action as could have been expected. Some parts were a bit slow and the writing felt a bit drawn with long descriptions of Brillar’s and Elden’s travel and the people they met without much happening. I also never fully understood why Brillar had run away from her studies and what she’d hoped to achieve more than a wish to see the world, nor what the purpose of her and Elden’s journey really was.

For a YA fantasy, I also missed some kind of romance or pining for unrequited love. I do believe that the author will let the relationship between Brillar and Elden develop into a romantic one as the series continues, but for this installment there was nothing to spark the interest as far as romance goes. I also have some mixed feelings about the idea of Brillar’s and Elden’s relationship taking a romantic direction, since it was clear that Brillar thought of the twice-her-age Elden more as an uncle or teacher. I hope that any relationship developments onwards will be done in a way that ensures that Brillar stays powerful.

But all in all, Orb and Arrow: Exploration was a light and enjoyable read with an interesting world building, loveable characters and exciting adventures that I want to keep on reading about in the next installment of this series!

What an enchanting tale! I love the world building and the challenges our main characters face. A must-read for fantasy lovers!