3 Stars

This was a book that I would maybe recommend to young adult fantasy reader beginners.

For me, the story lacked a lot of things. The pacing was off and the characters also had no chemistry together. The romance was not convincing enough for me to root for the characters to get together.

The POV and writing style was really confusing and it made it very difficult for me to follow the story.

Although the ending sets up for a sequel, I will not be reading it.

"Brittle" by Beth Overmyer is a compelling exploration of resilience and survival in a world that is both beautifully crafted and harshly unforgiving. The narrative centers around themes of fragility and strength, effectively highlighting the emotional and physical challenges faced by the characters.

Overmyer’s writing is both lyrical and poignant, drawing readers into the intricacies of her world. The characters are well-developed, each grappling with their own vulnerabilities while navigating a society that often feels brittle itself. The interplay of hope and despair adds depth to the story, making it a thought-provoking read.

The pacing keeps the reader engaged, with moments of tension balanced by introspective passages that allow for character growth. Overall, "Brittle" is a thought-provoking and beautifully written novel that resonates with anyone who has faced adversity. It’s a story about finding strength in fragility, and it lingers long after the last page.

I really struggled with this book purely because I didn’t like the writing. I wouldn’t say it was bad just not for me but when you don’t enjoy the style it affects your enjoyment of the whole story

➤Plot

Brittle follows our main character Verve, the second oldest daughter, who is now the one mainly taking care of the family since her father left for war and hasn't returned yet. Her eldest sister had already married and moved so it falls on her shoulders to help protect her family while he is away. However the strange thing is... the war has long since been over and he still hadn't returned. One evening she hears movement near the hens late at night to investigates and runs into her father who tells her a secret letter with three questions she must ask another person, how he cannot return, and to not trust everything you see. From there, things somehow only continue to get stranger....

While reading this, I got heavy Studio Ghibli (mostly Spirited Away) and Labyrinth (Jim Henson) vibes. I'm not sure if the author was inspired by them but I loved how wild the fae and magic is in this story.

➤Characters

The characters are some of the strongest parts in this story. From main important characters to random side characters that only appear shortly, both really pull you into the world. I instantly felt that family connection to Verve, her sisters, and her mother. Small moments of being annoyed with your younger sibling but willing to do anything to protect them.

The Fae characters are great at being both whimsical and mysterious. They seem so friendly.... but why? Is their gleeful joy to use you for their sinister plot? You never truly know who to trust because their laws work differently than the mortal realm and it makes it so interesting to read. You are actively wondering if they can be trusted along side Verve.

Verve is the only one that falls a bit short than the rest. She is very much one of those "not like other girls" YA protagonist you have read before. I personally didn't mind too much but I know others weren't the biggest fan. Verve actually suffers from PTSD which I think the author handled pretty well!

➤Enjoyment

Overall, it was an enjoyable read - especially when you like the more sinister sides of the fae world/characters. That was the strongest part of the story to me. It takes a bit to truly get into that side so its a slow build up.

The one thing that was rough for the story was the pacing. Very slow start. Even when you start to get into the more interesting points - it still feels like nothing is happening (however, I'd argue that is a good point since you follow Verve only and it can enhance her daily life within these parts). It truly picks up and becomes really interesting when you get to part 2.

Another thing - the fae world isn't described super well to really get you invested, even if you want to be. I was dying for more, any crumbs to get me imbued into this world but the author kept it a bit vague to perhaps play on the mysterious side. I understand not wanting to be too detailed with the passage of time because it works differently but I want to know what Verve is seeing. Make it wonderous and out of this world. Even later on when Verve should be aware of time passing, it was hard to truly understand what was happening.

If you are looking for something to read with an interesting Fae plot - Brittle is a lovely read!

Brittle (Blade and Bone Book 1) by Beth Overmyer was an intriguing fantasy read. The book was executed with great attention to detail, featuring well-developed characters, captivating magical elements, and a richly imagined world. Despite a slow start, the story kept my attention. I especially appreciated how realistic Verve is, driven by her desire to protect and provide for her family in the wake of a tragedy.

Sad to say that this book with a gorgeous cover didn't work for me. There was so many structural problems with the pacing and the characters being all alike that I started skimming just to get to the end.

“Brittle” was a fast-paced descent into the trickery and devious web-weaving faeries are notorious for. When Verve’s father returns from the war with a dangerous secret that costs him his life, the world turns upside down for Verve. Snatched by a faerie and brought into Letorheas, the world of faeries, Verve is held hostage and questioned about the location of an ancient faerie artifact. The characters are fascinating. It's easy to fall under the natural charm of the fae characters, who know how to sweet talk and tell half-truths until there is nothing more pleasing than to bend to their every wish and desire. Despite Verve's ruthless determination and strength, it is easy to see how even she can become lost in the web of deceit the faeries are so good at weaving.

Thank you to NetGalley and Flame Tree Press for providing me with a free e-arc of this book and the opportunity to write an honest review!

Standard fantasy fare in the modern YA age. The writing is good but shifts between contemporary voice and ... "elfish" old. Although I had a laugh at "Fenn's deep, erotic chuckle." The characters are ... there. Simply present. I'm afraid I just couldn't feel the "anger" that our lead was supposed to embody. I kept getting confused between the two love interests. On more dire notes ... this text could have gone beyond a basic fae narrative in so many ways that I suspect flew past the author. Let's take gender for example. Now we have "she-fae" to demarcate women from the rest (menfolk?). A more compelling narrative that made use of the fantasy medium to tackle social issues would have been our lead deciding to stay in faedome as an ambassador of feminist upheaval and crusader against elvish sexism. Alas, our "Miss Springer" is left to a tired love triangle comprised of ancient beings and her woefully girlish self, poor lass. The cover is gorgeous, though, and I can just imagine the anime version ... if only it was worth pursuing.

I think that Carissa Broadbent is a great comp author for this book, because I also do not care for Carissa Broadbent. The market for fae romantasy is absolutely saturated and I find almost all of the available titles to be mediocre; this book seems to fit perfectly and unremarkably among those ranks. Fae romantasy needs to do a lot more to stand out these days.

This was okay, and I liked the characters, but it was too short for me to get fully invested in the world and the characters. It also started quite abruptly in what felt like the middle of the story. Just fine.

I tried really hard to finish this book, but I could simply not connect with the main character. I skimmed the last 20%

I thoroughly enjoyed Brittle, and found it an easy read to get into. One of my rules for myself is that I don’t read reviews for a book before I read it, so that I can into the story with no preconceived ideas.

Since I finished the book I’ve seen a lot of reviews compare this book to ACOTAR, but it actually reminded me more of The Cruel Prince in terms of the way characters treat humans and how the treatment is endured. The comparisons to ACOTAR come from the love triangle, which if we’re honest, was never a love triangle because she always hates the one guy.

Brittle also has very obvious parallels with Little Women, which very few people have mentioned, and it’s one of my absolute favourite classics so I was really excited about that.

I saw a review say that the love interest was a surprise, but if you know Little Women, the love interest is spelled out very early on in the book - he even has the same name.

I would love to delve into the magical systems a bit more in the next book, and I love that there is a residual scent to magic. (Hallo candle merch opportunity!) Needless to say, I have to know what is going to happen next with Verve, her family and the prophecy.

This may be for you if you enjoy :
- Little Women
- The Cruel Prince/ACOTAR
- Fae
- Closed door romance
- Magic
- FMC’s with fiery tempers

This book was not bad but I just don’t think it was for me. The writing was a bit juvenile. The main female character was whiny af.

I think the book needed more world building.

The romance was kindof cute which is a big reason why I gave it 3 stars.

I think many will like this book, but unfortunately I am not in that category.

Brittle was an interesting and fresh story with great character development and plot as well as pacing. I really enjoyed the book and am sure the author, Beth Overmyer is one to watch!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I love fae stories and this didn’t disappoint. The world building is expertly done and the visual descriptions are stunning. Verve is an excellent main chat and she’s both well written and fully fleshed out. Both Dacre and Fenn and great characters too and I loved the mystery and intrigue.

Didn’t finish it. I got to chapter 6 but haven’t picked it up for weeks, which is a sign it’s not for our box We want books we can’t put down.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

An amazing action packed fantasy novel with a female main character trying to protect her kingdom from danger. Wonderful read, loved it!

This was an interesting story. I do like premise and the plot. I think my problem is that it just didn't gave me what I was expecting it to be? Nor the level of depth needed I enjoyed in a book. Overall, I think this is pretty decent.