I struggled for a while to assign a star rating to this book because what do you rate a book that does absolutely nothing? Like it wasn't necessarily bad or good for any reason, it just...is. I would have put this book down at about the 40% mark if this wasn't an arc. This book was boring to me and the language was flowery but didn't add anything to the descriptions or characters. The characters themselves were flat and I didn't care about the main romance because there was nothing drawing me to any of these characters. I feel like there was a lot of potential here but it fell flat.

3.5/5
This is a book about two sisters, Liela and Dunet, who are very close to each other but are slowly drifting apart because of various reasons. Amidst all of this, the older of the two sisters, Liela, encounters Myllia, and they fell for each other, making the rift between the sisters even wider. The book is not very plot-heavy, the focus is on these three characters, their struggles, and how they see the other two. You can certainly categorize this book as both cozy fantasy and romantasy, but it doesn't feel like the book is written in a way where the author is just checking off a list of tropes of both of those genres, instead, it feels very natural, it feels like a story that just happens to be cozy fantasy/romantasy, instead of a story that's intentionally written to be those genres.

The story itself (or lack thereof) is fine, as long as you don't expect anything too crazy plot-wise. The writing style is beautiful but in a simple way, not in a way that feels annoying to read. That, combined the the fact that the book is so character-centric means that this book is probably a good fit for readers who are more used to reading literary fiction, especially as the fantasy element isn't that big, the story could've been set in our world, and it could still work.

The one thing that didn't really work for me (but it might work for others) is the dialogue. The dialogue sounds very formal, and most of the characters speak almost the same way, these things make it so that the dialogues read more like something out of an older fantasy novel, so if you're more used to modern fantasy dialogues, it might take a while to get used to it. Another thing about the dialogue is the fact that the characters say each others' names very often in the dialogues, a lot more often than you'd find in other books, which can be a bit distracting. Other than those things, I had no complaints about this book.

I would like to express my appreciation to NetGalley and the author for providing me with a complimentary copy of the book for review.

I struggled to gather my thoughts about this book. There is nothing happening in the book - no buildup, no plot, no character development. I have also received a free copy of the sequel, but I'm not sure if I'll want to read it.

The narrative spends an excessive amount of time on the first sister with little advancement in the plot. When the focus finally shifts to the second sister's perspective, the exploration of her depression seems hurried and lacking in depth. As someone who has experienced depression, I found the portrayal to be unrealistic. While I understand that everyone's experiences are different, I have encountered other books that depict depression more authentically.

The sapphic romance in the story left me with mixed feelings. The romance felt abrupt and lacked depth. Overall, I found it difficult to follow the events in the book as I felt that there was no clear connection from one chapter to another. Although I didn't dislike it, I think there are certain changes that could have made my reading experience better.

Great story, loved the story and the characters. The writing was flowing nicely. Definitely interested in a second part of the story

I CRIED SO MUCH AT THIS BOOK. It’s beautifully written, I love the characters, and the story is just amazing. It took me way longer to read than I was hoping (im still not used to reading on my phone 😅) but I thoroughly enjoyed it all the way through. It truly was beautiful and I can’t wait to read the sequel.

CW: Depression

2.5 / 5 Stars

You know, I've been avoiding writing this review for a while, but I guess I can't really put it off for longer. If you wanna know why that is...well... the book isn't bad in any way. But it's also not ... really... well... good? Okay, let me explain.

The book's biggest problems can mostly be summed up in a few simple sentences and points. Those being: Nothing is happening. And pacing. As in. Nothing is happening, until we're basically at the end of the book, which makes the whole book feel like a really, like, REALLY long prologue for book 2, which I'm having higher hopes for, but also... we'll see. So far book 2 is strugging with a few similar issues as this one, so we'll see how things go. But back to this one, cause I've sadly got a bit more complaining to offer.

But before I do, I'd like to point out, that I have seen that the author themselves descibes this as a "Slice of Life" kind of book. I'm also aware that "Slice of Life" stories are calmer stories, with lower, more personal stakes. But there's still a difference between having low stakes and having no stakes at all.
Which isn't really fair, given that the book is trying to get you to care about the mental health struggles that kind of everyone is having and going through. But the issue is, that we're simultaniously too early and too late in the "where should we have started the story" journey, for the stakes to have any kind of weight.
What I mean by that is, that we get a huge portion of book delivered in the POV of sister 1, where less than nothing happens and then, once we finally get to the POV of sister 2, where we could hammer home that she's been struggling with depression all this time and that every smile she's ever shown has always been fake, we kind of... don't. Because instead we get a chapter that could have as easily been written out entirely and nothing would have changed.
Instead the book decides to take it slow, picking one weird and unimportant moment as the one thing pushing sister 2 over the edge and so deep into depression, that she starts book 2 with suicidal thoughts, causing me to feel a lot of things, but mostly, confusion. I'm struggling with depression myself. I'm not always lying in my bed, crying, planing my suicide 24/7, but the decision to reveal the depression that late in the game was - in my opinion - a mistake. I'm also aware that it's hard - or impossible - to pick a moment that was THE thing that's too much. At least for me. But given the nature of the 'too much' it's kind of ...I don't know. It felt almost childish to me. I know anxiety and depression are monsters whispering sweet lies into our brains, that twist the world oh so horribly in their favour, but I would have still picked any other thing than that one. And I say this as a depressed, neuro-diverse person mysef.

There's also a sapphic romance in this, which I have also mixed feelings about. Mostly because I see what it could have been and what we got instead and I'm sad because. Boy. It could have been something amazing. Especially since I see way more of my own depression in Mylia, than I ever saw in Dunet. Which is kind of why I'm hoping, begging, book 2 to do something with those two depressed beans. Cause let me tell you, noone quiet gets your depression, like your also depressed friend. (speaking from experience here : P) That being said, romance had no build up, was just there, kind of happend partly off screen and on screen at the same time - because apparently those two had oh so many deep moments together we didn't see - and didn't really give as much at all. Which is a shame, cause I loved Myllia a lot. She was - by far - my most favourite of the bunch and I'm happy she's getting more time to shine in 2.

I felt very conflicted about this one. I didn't hate it. Truly, I didn't. It's just that ... certain changes would have improved my reading experience a lot. But it is what it is. Let's go and hope 2 manages to blow me away.


Side Note: Autism stuff was done well. Especially in the case of Dunet. I didn't meantion it, cause I was way too busy thinking "Is Liela giving anyone else really huge ace vibes, or is it just me?? Just me?...oh...okay." to notice all the autistic vibes I was supposed to pick up from her instead.
Ups xD

BEAUTIFUL writing. Elegant. Almost to the point of "flowery," but without making it overshadow the plot and the characters. The relationships were lovely and inspiring. Their connections and love felt genuine and believable. I was left a little underwhelmed by the plotline throughout the book, especially at the end. Everything felt half-finished or like it was the set up for the actual beginning of a story to come. So the characters, relationships and writing were what really shined for me in this book.

This was a nice read, but also one I feel a little conflicted about. I really liked the writing, which was flowery without being dense or long-winded. I also really liked the relationships between the characters, which felt so loving and kind.

I think this book shows a lot of potential, but it also felt confusing and a little unfinished at times. In the end, I feel like I barely learned anything about the world building, and as for the character development, this felt more like a set-up for the next book in a lot of ways.

3,5*

Let's start with the good stuff: I love the diversity representation, not just LGBTQIA*, but there's also neurodivergent representation in the story. I firmly believe it's important to tell these stories too, so loved seeing it in a book!

However, while I enjoyed reading the book, it was lacking character development and a little depth. That's why I only gave 3,5 stars. I also found the story also a bit dragging along at times. I still enjoyed reading the book though, so I would recommend!

First of all, I love all of the nuerodivergent and mental illness representation! You can tell it's very personal to the author and that's a huge plus. That being said, this story fell flat for me. It just wasn't for me. It was confusing from the jump. I do like the core story here; it's a solid foundation. Food luck with the rest of the series! Thank you for my copy to read and review. ❤️

First, a note: I had the opportunity to read this book via Netgalleys, which is super cool, so a big thanks for that!

This book was lovely, start to finish! The story was slow-paced in the best way; it didn’t feel like it dragged along, rather took its time getting to the places it wanted to. The writing style was interesting, very formal and descriptive, so it took a while to get used to but it grew on me. It gave the whole narrative this atmosphere of present, dignified nobility that I think suits the characters and setting very well. Speaking of the setting: wow!! I love the world of this book. It always felt like there was more happening than what the audience was shown. Very alive, and I love that about it. I found the characters lovable and their relationships were decently compelling. The plot took a backseat to character development, but it wasn’t diminished because of that. This book shines in its characters more than anything else. Also, the way the book was broken up into chapters was really interesting to me— temporality is a bit unclear through the different vignettes but I think that’s the point. It gave the whole narrative a dreamlike, reminiscing feel that is subtle and hard to describe. It added a lot of depth to the central theme of familial relationships, which can often be tinged by memory to the point that they’re defined by recollection and perceptions (or misperceptions!). Really nice effect.

I do have a few criticisms: there is a tendency to tell more than show through this book, and while it didn’t ruin the writing, the whole story just would’ve shone so much more if that wasn’t an issue. Some of the dialogue also felt a bit clunky, possibly due to how formal the writing was, but it wasn’t a dealbreaker for me.

Regardless of that, though, this book is an obvious labor of love by the author; you can tell while reading it how much she clearly cares about the characters, their relationships, and the world they live in. That obvious passion for telling this story is I think what made it most compelling to me— it is so genuinely incredible to feel this much effort and love has been poured into a book. I liked it a lot.

It was good, I liked it. However, it wasn't particularly special, which is why I'm only giving it three stars. The characters were slightly underdeveloped, but Istill thoroughly enjoyed reading this. I would still recommend it to people though.

not a lot to say the writing and story were uninspired, and i was forcing myself to read through lots and lots of useless dialogues that were the worst written part of the book.

None of the characters or their relationship left any mark on me

This story is about mental health and how we grow, learn to love ourselves, and let go of the things that keep us from being our best selves.

As a reader, you can really get a sense of how each character develops.Hamel produced a truly upbeat book that inspires readers to be their most beautiful selves while simultaneously making them feel vulnerable.

A sweet and sentimental beginning to a very promising series about love and sisters. I'll be looking forward to Part Two!

It wasn’t quite what I expected. Personally, it felt like just another fantasy book. I did not get attached to the characters, the storyline was simple.

I loved the representation. Just for its sake, the book is worth reading. The characters were relatable, but I couldn’t get to like them. The writing style was okay, I got through this book very quickly.

There wasn’t anything that stood out in any way. I wasn’t blown away by anything, everything felt repeatable.