I had been soooo excited to read this and was so happy to get approved on NetGalley. It took me so long to get through this because my interest wasn’t as heavy as I thought it would be 😫 it was not a bad book overall. I really loved the “side” characters Finn and Isla SO much. I’d marry Isla myself 🤣 I wish we had gotten more time and magic from the enchanted library, because I really enjoy that whole concept. The cliffhanger did make me want to read book two! I think things just moved too quick and jumped around for me and I would’ve loved some things fleshed out more. It read very much so like YA fantasy and had the two steamy scenes not been in the last 20% it could’ve easily fell in that category.

This was such a great debut novel! I’ve been seeing this cover everywhere and am obsessed with it! I was so happy when I got approved for an ARC!

It did take a bit for me to get into this story but once it picked up I was hooked! Lore is a human that is taken to fae territory because only a human can get into the library. She agrees to organize the library in exchange for the fae to help clean up her hometown. She finds a magical book and this is when things really start to pick up. I don’t want to spoil anything else but this book does end on a cliffhanger. I’m so excited to continue this series and I have a feeling it’s going to get better and better!

🖤cozy fantasy
🖤fae x human
🖤love triangle
🖤magical library
🖤diverse characters

My rating: 4⭐️

Received an eArc from NetGalley

Lore is a human trapped in a village, Duskmere. She works at her aunt’s apothecary shop (the cozy vibes are immaculate) and helps her aunt and uncle run the local orphanage. After an earthquake destroys Duskmere, Lore agrees to help the Fae (the same Fae keeping humans trapped in Duskmere) organize their dusty, but magical library (the cozy vibes are strong). In exchange, the Fae promised to send aid to Duskmere. And guess what Lore finds in the magical library? A magical book! Lore begins an exciting and dangerous journey to save her community . . .

I LOVED this book. It had everything - found family, cozy description, and a compelling plot. The world building was immersive. I wish I could step into this book and have a cup of coffee with Lore, read books with Finn, and drink with Isla. Also,I need a line of candles and teas inspired by the scents described in this book. Lore of the Wilds is going to live rent free in my head for a while. I can’t wait for the next book.

It's good. Read it.

I don't know if there was anything particularly ground-breaking about the plot- it's very similar in structure and style to other books about fae and magic, but I enjoyed Lore of the Wilds nonetheless. The world-building was intriguing and engaging, and the ending has me pretty excited for book 2 (and made me want to go back and re-read this one!)

I screamed when I saw that I got the approval for this ARC through Netgalley. As soon as I read the synopsis, I knew I would love Lore of the Wilds and I’m so glad I was right. It’s hard to put this book into a box, I would say it falls in “cozy romantasy” and at times (especially later on) the story starts to have higher stakes. Some of my favorite scenes in Lore of the Wilds definitely take place in the library. I love books with a central plot point of magical books or libraries so I was very happy that a lot of the beginning is set in a magical and mysterious library. I found the magic and world building to be interesting and not too complicated and got swept away in the story almost immediately. I’m obsessed with Lore and her strength. The sacrifice she makes at the beginning of this book is all for her home/her family and that thread continues until the very end. Lore is strong and full of life even in the midst of intense grief. While I missed leaving the library, I did really enjoy when the world started to expand and we met Finn and Isla. FINN IS MY EVERYTHING. That’s all I’ll say. I cannot wait to read the next book because I can’t believe how this one ended. I was shocked. Incredible debut!

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Voyager for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

ARC reader for NetGalley

OMG! This book wove a spell on me! I thoroughly enjoyed the story, everything about this book was amazing! This is not a standalone, which I thought. It starts out with vibes like acotar but it’s nothing like it, still an adventure, has magic and fae and a love triangle, slow burn, 1 🌶 spice level. They are humans from a different world, so their legends say, they were dropped in this magic world full of fae and basically walled off in a village like a prison guarded by fae and not allowed to leave. Then one day the fae come look for a human that can read their language to clean and sort through a magic library that no one from their world can enter in search of a magical tome. Will definitely be waiting impatiently for the next installment.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of Lore of the Wilds.

I have been super pumped for this book ever since I heard about it. A magical library, fae and a human girl desperate for magic? Yes please! I am so sad that I didn't absolutely love this book but it has several issues that I just can't get over.

This book is being marketed as Adult Romantasy. The writing is middle grade/young YA at best. I realize not all fantasy novels have to be long and epic but I do not understand the pacing at all. Problems and challenges are literally solved overnight and all the action is quick and over immediately. There is no build up here, no heightened drama or suspense because things move to quickly.

The romance? We all love a "stay at the inn with only one bed" trope but this one felt forced and just didn't do it for me. Again, no build up and no tension = no chemistry between Lore and Asher.

Things I enjoyed? Lore learning more about the book and her friendship developing with Finn as they explore her magic. I feel like this is the only part of the novel that slightly slowed down and allowed the plot to develop over time. Everything else was so rushed and honestly, it really hurt the story. The ending was completely predictable and expected, with a slight twist.

Lore of the Wilds has one of the prettiest covers and that, plus the synopsis had me smashing the request button on NetGalley. Cursed library, two handsome fae, magic… you know, all the stuff I can’t say no to. It started off great!
Lore Alemeyu lives in an isolated human village that’s essentially a cage. The Dark Fae keep the humans in Duskmere, ban them from trading their goods freely, and tax them heavily to ensure they can’t get too much wealth or power. After an earthquake ravages the village, Lore is offered the chance to have Duskmere rebuilt if she will simply enter a cursed library, catalogue the texts, and retrieve anything regarding magic or astronomy for the Chief Steward. While most of the fae actively avoid Lore or look at her with disgust, her guard, Asher, is kind, handsome, and treats her like a person and not a pariah. When Lore finds a grimoire and soon after finds out her village isn’t being rebuilt after all, she escapes, inadvertently catching Asher up in the madness.
The two travel to the lands of the Light Fae, where they take shelter with Isla and Finn, two fae that Asher has known for years. Here Lore begins experimenting with the grimoire to learn how it works and grows closer to Finn, as he helps her translate the ancient fae language. Aside from the parts where Lore is wandering around this massive, wonderful library in the beginning, the part where she’s studying with Finn is my favorite. I thought Lore clicked with Finn much more naturally than she did with Asher and he’s definitely the stoic, grumpy type.
I am of the opinion that the relationships in this book feel forced. Lore and Asher hit it off reasonably well and the banter was cute… unfortunately, this quickly turned into them having the mad hots for one another unreasonably fast. This is a problem that so many fantasy romances have, but I expected Lore to be more of a distrustful skeptic, considering that she’s only had negative interactions with the fae her entire life. Her father was killed by them, she was almost killed by one in the forest, and even Asher was rude to her when they first met. And don’t even get me started on the plot twist at the end. I rolled my eyes into the back of my head so far my husband nearly summoned an exorcist. Not to mention, Lore decides to immediately trust Isla, a fae she’s never met before, get drunk, reveal she’s a human, and that she also has a priceless magical grimoire.
I wanted to love this book and it started off well, but it started to feel like every other fae romance I’ve read recently and didn’t even have the benefit of some good spice. It had a couple steamy scenes, but I had so little investment in the characters and their relationships that I found myself skimming them. Aside from this aspect, it felt very much like a young adult novel that was aged up a bit to try to grab the adult audience. I was so annoyed by the character reveal at the end that I may not be able to forgive that particular betrayal. It was so cheaply done and did not fit that character’s previous actions AT ALL. Overall, I didn’t hate this but I was left feeling negatively enough about the latter portions of the book that I’m not sure I’ll continue with the series.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon/Harper Voyager for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

3/5 stars

I really enjoyed the different Fae species and magic this book included. I think the author setup an interesting hierarchy and I enjoyed learning about the dark and light fae. The author did a good job describing the injustices Lore and her family faces.

Lore was impulsive and struggled thinking through plans. Which I partly understood because of how they would be treated. Thankfully Asher and Finn seemed to help keep her on the right track. I enjoyed watching her become friends with Asher and learn about him.

Where this book missed its mark for me was pacing/transitions between chapters. She left her room and was suddenly caught sneaking at the castle. It was like whiplash how fast scenery could change. The other problem is it just didn’t seem realistic. How can a human who has not harnessed magic save her friend from the queens hold? By herself? It just didn’t seem plausible.

Overall I enjoyed learning about the library and history. The book was cool to learn about and it was fun to see what it could do. There were a few surprises in there that made it fun to see what happens next.

3.5/5 (rounded up because the ending was just that good)

Overall this is a solid start to a promising fae-centric new adult fantasy romance series! It's got some excellent cozy-ish fantasy vibes including an enchanted library, some traveling/quest elements, and a likable cast of characters. Lore is an easy heroine to root for and I overall quite enjoyed the romance(s) (there's a love triangle-ish thing happening, which I'm into, but one love interested isn't introduced until a little over halfway through the book so really it feels like there's one main love interest in this book) all the way through.

All that being said I did struggle with the pacing of this story and so my enjoyment wavered. The beginning was strong and then I felt it stalled quite a bit in the middle. There were also quite a few small time skips (usually a week long/two weeks long) which helped move the plot along but at the same time made me feel character/relationship development was happening off page and so I wasn't as emotionally invested as I could've been. I wanted more from Lore's internal characterization and I wanted more yearning and build-up for the romance.

I was tempted to DNF this book at multiple points because I didn't think I cared enough to make it to the end. Ultimately, I'm SO GLAD I stuck it out. The last section of the book was fantastic and it ends with an excellent plot-twist/cliffhanger which makes me intrigued to keep going with this series (and likely reread this before the next installment). It was surprising yet satisfying and once the reveal happened it made me appreciate the middle of the book a bit more in hindsight. Once I finished, I immediately went back to earlier chapters to see how it was all foreshadowed - I thought it was really well done.

I'm very excited to see how this story develops in the next installment!

I’m halfway through this story but I already know my review :/

I was anticipating this release because the premise sounded very good and it’s adult fantasy but ultimately I was a bit disappointed.

It reads as YA to me and the romance was lacking..we were being told that she was starting to look at him differently and the small moments they had before their first kiss was very lackluster. Which sucks considering that this book is being marketed as a Romantasy.

A problem I’m having with a lot of debut novels is the pacing is off and the writing style reads sort of juvenile which isn’t something I want from an adult fantasy book.

I truly understand that the copy I’m reading is not fully edited but here is a little snippet that makes my point::

“ Lore swore before jogging to catch up with the maid. Who was fast.”

“ Lore wanted to ask him more about his own magic, but this was the first time he'd ever brought it up.
Something told her she needed to let him tell her about it at his own pace.”

I’m sure everyone else will have a different opinion from me and I still think that people will enjoy this book! It has a cozy fantasy vibe to it and even though it almost put me in a reading slump it’s a bit entertaining.

This was an unexpected surprise. I loved this book. Lore is a stunning character filled with vigor and personality that just jumps off the pages. The juxtaposition of how the fae live vs humans is very well established. That Lore believes that the fae will help her human village just shows how loyal Lore is and that she will do anything to save those she loves. The love triangle reminds me a bit of Twilight, yet I love how the book ends. This is a series I know I will have to read the second book of. I quite enjoyed this book, and it will be a great recommendation for anyone looking for a fae or fantasy teen novel.
Thank you so very much to Avon and harper Voyager for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book.

I found this story to be a rather low-stakes, cozier fantasy that fits the YA genre well. The book itself was okay, but it felt like the writing was a lot of telling using the main characters inner monologue instead of the story building the development. This made it hard for me to visualize anything happening, which in turn made it more challenging to relate to the characters and story. I found some of the characters to be somewhat inconsistent, and those inconsistencies just glazed past by the characters. Without having that foundation of a connection or visualization of the world and characters, the story fell a bit flat for me.
However, This does seem like a story that those who read a lot of YA and cozy fantasy would enjoy and relate to a bit more. So take my review with a grain of salt and if this book sounds like it fits within your interest, I would say to give it a try.

star rating : 4.5 ⭐️
spice rating : 1 🌶️
the only downside to reading a book early is the wait for the next book is even longer! i devoured this book in 1 day. i was captivated from the first page and did not feel bored for a single second! i highly recommend this book

3.5 * Stars

I am definitely looking forward to the next book in this series! Overall I enjoyed this book for the most part, I liked the main character Lore she was kind, loyal and so determined to change things for the better. I also really liked the world, it was interesting and left me wanting to explore it some more with future books in the series.

The pacing of book was not well done though. The beginning was fast paced, then it slowed way down and then it picked up at end again. This is fine but sometimes it felt that important parts were skipped over and time would pass with events taking place off page that should have been written. Sometimes it was more telling than showing which was jarring and relationships would be built off page which made it seem like it was :developing too fast/unrealistically.

For the most part I was able overlook the negatives due to the plot being interesting and the fact I was invested in the main character and her arc. Keeping in mind this is a debut, I really enjoyed it. I can see the potential with this author and this series and will definitely continue reading it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for granting me access to the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lore of the Wilds is similar to many other “fae” fantasies. Similar world building and character types. Human and Fae interactions. It does have enough originality and imagination in its storyline to still make it enjoyable though.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this arc.

Unfortunately, I have momentarily DNFd this book at 47%.

The story is extremely captivating and the DNF might be just because it is not the right time for me to read it. However, I have to say that the beginning of the book is a little slow. I feel like a bit of the library investigation portion could have been cut off.

The book is cute, and I will definitely try to pick it back up in a few days.

Things I loved in this story:
-The characters! Lore was fantastic and tough and brave. And each of the supporting characters felt distinct and intriguing in their own ways.
-The world. I enjoyed learning about the world outside of Duskmere right along with Lore and seeing all the new and exciting things as she did.
-The diversity. I feel confident that I've only read Fae stories where the Fae were pale, white skinned beings - or maybe tanned skinned. Really enjoyed the diversity here and having Black characters kicking ass and taking names in the Fae world.

Things I did not love:
-The love triangle aspect (just not my fave trope)
-The cliffhanger of an ending...

Overall, this was a really strong debut and I'm so thankful I was given an ARC through NetGalley and the opportunity to read it. Looking forward to the continuation of Lore's story.

Lore of the Wilds is a magical debut novel filled with fae, romance and diverse characters! The authors prose is really good. The plot had a lot of potential but it felt a bit all over the place and rushed at times. My favorite part were the magic system and the world building aspects. I wish there had been more world building included. Lore was a great character but made many questionable choices. There wasn’t as much romance as I expected going into this romantasy. The book ends on a cliffhanger and has a good twist that makes you wish the next book was already out. Overall, I enjoyed reading Lore of the Wilds and would recommend giving it a try if you’re looking for a fast-paced magical romantasy. Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager for providing an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

That cliffhanger felt like a personal attack 😥 I'm so stressed and I need the second book now... Even though this one isn't even out yet 😩 I loved this so much, I feel so betrayed by the ending for real.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review!

*Will update with Instagram post soon*