I was pumped reading the description for this book - because when it comes to fantasy I am really here for the political intrigue and chess like maneuvers that can occur. The world building in this book was phenomenal but didn't feel overdone, which was great.

Once we got to the characters though I just felt like they were just ok. Not really memorable or distinct to me. For me, that was what brought the reading down - the pace was great, writing quick and light - but I just couldn't connect to these characters.

This started out really well. I found the premise, the world building, and the characters really interesting and unusual, which is always a good sign for a fantasy novel. But then it kind of nose dived. There was little chemistry between the main protagonists, and the book really fell flat for me.

All the Fragile Hearts is an adult fantasy novel that combines mystery, politics, and romance in an epic tale.

This was pretty good. I look forward to more books in the series.

Thank you netgalley for the earc . I finished this book in 1 day . Awesome book . Cecelia is strong , confident and brilliant. It was great how the author showed female power . Cecelia fights like a warrior. This book was unpredictable . There was so many twist and turn .
Recommended to fantasy fans

I feel rather undecided about this book. I was excited about reading it based on the description but felt that the story did not quite live up to the expectations. Honestly, the characters were sort of all over the place. The main characters are Cecilia, a beautiful warrior princess, and Viktor, a gruff kings guard. The dynamic between them felt very odd. Sometimes it seemed that they didn't like each other very much in parts of the story where you would expect them to be in love (although loving someone and liking them can sometimes be very different things). The political unrest around them was a bit confusing and difficult to follow since the reader never really gets enough information about the different groups and their goals to feel invested in what's happening. I very much wanted to love this book and I did anxiously read through it over two days, but there was just something not quite finished about it...like when you pull a batch of cupcakes out of the oven too early. Sure, they're edible but a bit flat and dense with random gooey bits. This story needed to bake just a little longer to bring it to where it needed to be. I am absolutely looking forward to the next book to see how the author grows and continues developing their writing skills. Would love to see the world more rounded out and hopefully the character growth as well. This first book is a little shaky but I. see some pretty cool potential with the next one.

I was really interested in reading this book. The premise and idea is really great, but it really just fell flat for me personally. I didn’t get enough world building or even a good backbone of character structures and dynamics to really care what happened. It’s an okay book, but definitely not among my favorites. Also the way age is done really bothered me. Saying “she’s eight and twenty” to be twenty-eight and then a few paragraphs later saying a number normally. It really threw me off the during the entire book. Even as I continued to read I hoped the romance would blossom and help me raise my rating but it just wasn’t fleshed out enough.

So, this book had a lot of good qualities. It was well written, the world was interesting and I loved Cecila. I loved how strong and capable she is, she is a good example of how women can be strong in many ways, not just the expected. it was very enjoyable to read from her pov. I enjoyed the relationship between her and Victor although I did think it was a bit rushed in the beginning. I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised by the plot twists... I would never have guessed. Unfortunately I do think some parts of the story were a bit underdeveloped, I didn't always see the relevance in some of the things mentioned in the book and othertimes it felt like we were jumpimg around. On the other hand, I genuinely think this is a good book and I believe many people will love it. Unfortunately, it just didn't click for me. I really think M.T. Solomon is a talented writer and I can see her going places. I mean no offence with this review, I just thought it better to be honest.

DNF this pretty early on. It just didn’t manage to hold my attention. I usually like a book to incite me in with the first few pages and this one just really didn’t. Felt like it was a chore to continue reading after the start too.
The characters and the whole world felt a bit flat. The writing didn’t really appeal to me either. There was just pages of dialogue for the first part and none of it intriguing. I guess this wasn’t for me.

"All the Fragile Hearts" is the first volume of "Dual Moons," an adult fantasy duology written by M.T. Solomon and currently in progress.

This is a book with fascinating premises and a beautiful cover, which unfortunately did not convince me in its unfolding.

The world building is my favorite element of the story! Large, intricate and complex, it intrigued me from the start. I was captivated by these kingdoms with their traditions, beliefs, politics and internal dynamics! Not to mention the elaborate religious system, various cults, myths and legends that hover in these territories. And what about the two moons, called Mother and Daughter, that occupy the night sky? Simply stunning! In addition, I loved the short excerpts that make up the beginning of each chapter, coming from tomes, scholars, letters or otherwise from this world. In general, I found the setting to be well drawn, described effectively, simple and easy to follow.

The writing, in my opinion, is brisk and light, characterized by a fast pace and the presence of short chapters. I found it smooth and compelling, so much so that I finished the book in a day, unable to tear myself away from the pages. I liked the aesthetic descriptions (environments, appearance of characters, etc.) a lot, as well as the combat scenes. Too bad the dialogues and partly the characterization of the characters did not satisfy me as much.

The plot is one of the elements I enjoyed the least. As mentioned above, the premise tantalized me a lot, and initially I was caught up in the various power plays, court intrigues, and political strategies. However, going forward I began to sense more and more plot holes and convenient situations. Now I have no problem with a few easy passages here and there, but when they become too many I have a difficult time ignoring them. I don't know, I sensed a lot of really rushed actions, important events treated superficially and then shelved, and in general a great superficiality. Episodes potentially charged with meaning, with emotion, in my opinion were rendered rather coldly, so much so that I didn't feel an ounce of involvement. And I'm sorry, because I loved the world building and the early part had given me hope.

Cecelia and Viktor, protagonists with their third person povs, left me a little lukewarm. Or rather, I liked Cecelia a lot, Viktor didn't. Cecelia is the heir to her father's throne, in a court where she has always felt like an outsider. Shunned, isolated and looked upon with suspicion, she has never felt comfortable. The daughter of a standoffish father, oppressed by a stepmother who cannot stand her, Cecelia longs to discover the true identity of her deceased mother, a woman she never had the opportunity to meet. Cecelia is a strong, courageous, determined and extremely independent person, trained in the use of weapons from a young age. Unaccustomed to polite court manners, she prefers to fight or shoot with a bow. Apparently grumpy and arrogant, under the armor of biting irony hides a sensitive and wounded soul. Cecelia longs for a place she can call home, a place where she can feel accepted and recognized. She is a very multifaceted character who I enjoyed a lot!

Viktor, on the other hand, is a kingsguard of Korith, a warrior as formidable as his gruff attitude. Deeply loyal to his king, he is tormented by a turbulent past and his own inner demons. Viktor had all the makings to win me over, but he did not. I found him flat, poorly analyzed, and this kept me from bonding with him and his events.
The romance between Cecelia and Viktor, as a result, left me indifferent. I love the arranged marriage trope a lot, but here it seemed badly handled. I felt no chemistry between the characters, no passion, except maybe a hint at the beginning. I found the dialogues forced, at times absurd, so much so that I was puzzled at certain moments.

The rest of the secondary characters, for me, follow the same fate as Viktor. I found them anonymous, nebulous, almost indistinct dots in the background.

All in all, I found it to be a beginning of a series with very good premises, which unfortunately did not convince me in the unfolding. However, I think I will continue because I am curious to know how the story will evolve!

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Net Galley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co op for the opportunity to read rate and review this arc which will be available October 10,2023!

A political romantasy that is heavy in the world building and politics and light in the romance. I was honestly intrigued until I started reading it. I wanted to get to the two characters love story and not Wade thru the politics of the world.

However I do highly recommend this series. It is very well written, only 244 pages and I think once it comes out to buy I will try again to read it.

Really enjoyed this book, I read this in one sitting and am already looking forward to the next book in the series. All the Fragile Hearts has: court intrigue, arranged marriages, enemies to lovers (loose definition), magic, and a realistic FMC/MMC romance/relationship that I really enjoyed. There was also a strong emphasis on female power that I enjoyed in this book and I can’t wait to see how the FMC continues to grow.

I really enjoyed the politics in All the Fragile Hearts, as just was well written and interesting. The romance between Cecila and Viktor, is realistic in the circumstances and I loved the tension between the two. I appreciated that they are in thirties and forties. It was great to see a romance in a fantasy between two characters that is not usually seen in fantasy books.

If a book is boring, I'm going to skim it. This was... fine. The beginning was very strong. However, once I got past page 30, it was an absolute slog. At no point in time did I feel connected to either Cecelia or Viktor and while I enjoyed Cecelia's character far more, Viktor felt so one-dimensional. His biggest personality trait was that he was beaten by his father. We were all beaten by our parents, but I haven't made it my entire identity.

Cecelia was far more interesting to read, so imagine my disappointment when almost 75% of this book ended up being Viktor charging around the country. This shouldn't be tagged as romance. So much of this felt like pure wandering around and just general postulating. This book is around 250 pages, but when reading, it felt like it went on and on. While the characters are quite simple, the writing is not. Solomon tends to spin circles around the reader before arriving at a point that does not make sense.

The romance was excruciating. What was even the point of having them interact in the beginning if you're just going to rip them apart so early in their relationship? Viktor goes on and on, moaning about how he misses Cecelia's warm body and her comfort. Exactly what the hell is going on. Solomon writes this beautiful, strong female character and then pairs her with someone who thinks she's warm?? Beyond me. Viktor and I are going to fight.

All this being said, I did enjoy all of the worldbuilding/mythology. My favorite part was probably the little journal entries in the beginning of each chapter.