An immersive, thrilling, and romantic escape into a fantastical world of fae magic and adventure. Romance and magic run wild in the start of this duology

[arc review]
Thank you to HarperCollins Canada for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Lore of the Wilds releases February 27, 2024

I need to stop being baited and gaslit by nice covers and blurbs that try to dress up a book as something that it isn’t.
The writing had the simplicity of a middle grade novel but with added sexual content that was jarring, and I think just all around this hasn’t been marketed very accurately to reach its intended audience.

I’m not convinced by the main characters at all.
I’m supposed to believe that after hundreds of years of this human town being barricaded, that Lore just somehow figures out that the fear of leaving the borders is actually just a spell? This just comes to her out of thin air while she’s walking through the forest with the fae guards?

What about the lack of detail in regard to the enchantment that was placed on the Alytherian castle library a thousand years ago, deeming no access for all fae.
Why did it take 1000 years for them to think: oh maybe a human can enter!!!
Why did Lore need to organize the entire library and pick out titles that she’d think would be important to them (keep in mind that that the fae language is not her primary language)? If she’s physically able to transfer books out of the room, wouldn’t it be faster and more efficient for her to remove everything as is to another part of the castle so that the fae can determine what it is they do and do not need?
I shouldn’t have to read until the very last chapter to get one miniscule sentence that gives a half explanation.

Very little of the book is actually spent in the library, and the main character is so infantilized for her age.

The plot progression and transitions from Duskmere to the castle, and then having Lore and Asher on the run was so unnatural. The motivations needed to be more clear and thought out.

(first in a series with a cliffhanger ending, and possible tw pertaining to lack of bodily autonomy and reproductive rights)

Our main character, Lore, is a human girl who finds herself living amongst the fae after a massive earthquake destroys her town. She hopes to uncover answers to the mysteries of her people when the fae have give her an opportunity to work in an enchanted library that they cannot enter.

Lore of the Wilds was one of my most anticipated books of the year, so I was incredibly disappointed when I couldn’t connect with the writing or the story.

Things I liked:
- Lore was a strong main character
- Diverse cast of characters

Things I didn’t like:
- inconsistent pacing
- No depth to any characters other than Lore
- Lackluster romance. I felt zero tension or build up to the romance
- A lot of telling, not showing

While I didn’t enjoy this book, I do think many people will love this book.

I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC of this book, my first from the author, and I really enjoyed it! The magic system here was quite interesting, and the plot was woven through with a bit of intrigue, a bit of mystery, and a bit of romance, all of which made this an enthralling tale. Anything that has to do with a magic library and/or book has me sold but I really enjoyed the way this was used in the story of Lore, Asher, Syrelle, Finn, and Isla! It was compelling and full of tension, adventure, and secrets revealed! Definitely worth the read and cannot wait for book two, especially after THAT ending! WOW!

Unfortunately Lore of the Wilds just isn’t for me right now. I’ve tried to pick this one up multiple times but I just don’t want to come back to it. The plotline feels a little too messy which is a shame because there’s so much potential here to be something I’d love. Maybe I’ll try this one again down the line and it’ll be a better fit for me then.

Look, I flew through this one, and found it incredibly escapist and enjoyable.

The magical world is unique where the dark fae have imprisoned humans in an impoverished town with limited resources and mobility. Lore, a human woman, runs an apothecary shop and assists her aunt and uncle in running a foster care home. When a powerful fae lord discovers her fluency in an old language, he brings her to his kingdom to work in his enchanted library. She agrees to be his prisoner and work to catalogue his collection in exchange for resources for her human town. As Lore diligently works in the enchanted library, she forms a friendship with her lower fae guard and tries to accumulate as much knowledge about fae and human history and magic. A magical text begins to summon Lore, imploring her to leave the library and embrace her own magical abilities.

Lore and her friend escape the castle and begin an adventure of covert danger, hiding in towns with allies while being hunted by dark fae guards. There are cottage core magical vibes, dark and brooding fae heroes, a love triangle, fascinating magical powers/systems, LOL moments, and character growth/maturity that I adored. The end of the story does have quite the shocking reveal and cliffhanger, but I will absolutely be picking up book 2!

Thank you to Harper Voyager for the arc in exchange for my review, and congratulations to Sbrana for this fantastic debut!

I am honestly not sure how I feel about this. The writing wasn't awful. However, it did not come across as an adult or even NA book. It read as very juvenile, minus the one scene. The ending was kind of predictable. Maybe not exactly how it played out, but what happened was.

The pacing was also off. From what I gathered, Asher and Ilsa were gone for more than just two weeks. At least that's how the book made it out to be. There were also moments where new names popped up for things much later than they needed to. For example, the woods where they were stay with Isla and her family. Lore called them the woods then the wildwood and then the Wilds with a capital w. Just came out of nowhere it seemed and there were similar instances with other things.

It wasn't a bad debut. Maybe the sequel and writing will continually get better. Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.

A magical, lore-filled (pun intended) fantasy debut with a side of sweet and steamy romance.

In our world full of fantasy romance books, Lore of the Wilds is one of the few that stands out because of its intriguing and intricate magic system and world-building history - which are the two biggest stars of the book. It's also one of those books where the romance is enticing, but not the main focus.

The main character Lore is a talented healer in her small, impoverished town that's separated from but still beholden to the fae world. After a natural disaster strikes the town, Lore is forced to travel to the fae world to work in the cursed but enchanted royal library in exchange for resources to rebuild her home. The fae ruler is looking for something, and he wants Lore to retrieve it for him.

When Lore finds a magical book and inadvertently connects with its ancient power, she learns just how little the fae care for human problems. She then flees the kingdom with the help of a dashing, antlered fae guard to learn more of her growing powers in order to save the people she loves.

Author Analeigh Sbrana succeeds with emotionally compelling character development as well as the introduction of side characters you instantly fall in love with. The novel also ends on an epic, super twisty cliffhanger that will leave you reeling.

The only drawback, for me, was the writing style. At times, especially in the beginning, Lore of the Wilds felt too much like an upper YA novel rather than an adult fantasy. And while the romance (one spicy scene) was good, it did feel like it came out of nowhere and was based solely on physical attraction.

Still, Lore of the Wilds is a delightful debut with fresh fantasy, compelling book-loving characters, and swoon-worthy romance.

A Blurb: Human Lore Alemeyu strikes a risky deal with a fae lord to save her village: she'll organize a forbidden library and provide him with books about magic. With her sights set on unlocking magic for herself, Lore teams up with two dangerously attractive (obviously) fae males as she ventures into a hostile world. But as chemistry ignites, Lore faces the perilous prospect of losing not just her life, but also her heart, to creatures she can't fully trust.

My Thoughts: Romantasy girlies rejoice - another banger of a series is beginning! I was hooked on Lore of the Wilds from the get-go and I wanted to keep reading so I could have all my questions answered. A lot of this book is world building and understanding the setting of the book, but I can tell that it's setting us up for an awesome series! I did want a little more romance and woo-ing but I'm hopeful it'll be in the next! Be forewarned -- this book ends on a massive cliffhanger and I don't really know how I'm supposed to wait for the next oneeeee.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC!

I love this book!!!

What I love about it:
-romantasy (think ACOTAR; Fourth Wing; and The Cruel Prince)
-cozy fantasy (think Nettle & Bone; Legends and Lattes; The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches)
-Lore is an amazing MC -- witty, smart, determined, relatable, willing to go to hell and back for the ones she loves
-diverse characters & asexual representation
-world building is richly detailed but not convoluted
-genuinely hilarious moments
-high stakes
-hottie hot love interest(s)
-the food writing is next level, I got so hungry reading this

The only drawback...
-a big cliffhanger (but don't worry, I'll be back for book 2)

I’m a bit conflicted on how to rate at the moment. It’s marketed as romantasy, but there wasn’t much romance in it. It’s definitely a sub plot, so if you’re looking specifically for a romance, know that you’ll only find a little of it. This book also ends in a cliffhanger, without an HEA, so not really a romance for me yet. As a fantasy, I really enjoyed it and will continue the series. It’s written well, especially for a debut. I was just really looking for more romance in something marketed as a Romantasy.

Once future books are out, I may revise my rating.

Lore of the Wilds is for the cozy fantasy bookworms. This book is perfect to curl up with a blanket and tea (or coffee) and escape into another realm.

Lore Alemeyu lives in the human town, Duskmere, where she helps her family run the orphanage and apothecary. The humans are governed by the ruthless fae of Alytheria and are not allowed to leave their town. Life in Duskmere is challenging and the humans dream of the day they would be able to leave and return to their homeland. When the fae come looking for a human who can read their language, Lore finds herself leaving for the palace where she is tasked with caring for a cursed library. In this task, her goal is to learn as much information as possible about magic and find a way to help her people. However, not all is as it seems and Lore finds herself on an adventure for the ages, hiding from the fae and desperate to help her people.

Analeigh has created a world rich with loveable characters, a unique magic system and PLOT. This book was a great introduction to the world and political intrigue of and was overall a great first book in a series. I do wish more time had been spent on world building and understanding the politics and history within the world. It is clear these things will be important to the story and I found myself questioning if I learned enough about it in time to follow what comes next.

Overall, I truly enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the next one! Thank you to Netgalley, Analeigh Sbrana and Avon and Harper Voyage for providing me with an ARC copy of this book to provide this honest review.

I am super disappointed. The cover immediately caught my attention and I had been looking forward to this story for months. Great concept and lots of good intentions with the character development, worldbuilding and magic system but this book just did not deliver.

The romance and love triangle? (honestly I don't even know what to call it) was not believable. I didn't feel it at all. I'm assuming this was meant to be enemies to lovers but there was no build up or tension to get from "we're enemies because I'm human and you're Fae" to "lovers". And I'm using the term lovers loosely here. There was no chemistry and not authentic. Also the plot twist at the end made me sort of angry. Feels like the small bit of romance we did have was basically just a waste and filler.

It was definitely more YA than I was expecting (which is a genre I hardly read anymore) so maybe readers that tend to enjoy YA more will relate to the romance better.

I know the FMC is 21 so I would expect her to make some not so smart choices but to have her continually sneak off alone, go to save friends, and pull off these seemingly impossible feats with hardly no conflict or consequences? Ehhh...not really believable. There wasn't really any time to have her develop her skills in magic or with weapons but yet she succeeded in everything she did.

The magic library seemed very cool. I would have liked to get more answers about all the weird stuff that had happened in there. The world building and the introduction to the library at the beginning was promising but sadly didn't keep my attention.

Overall, just sort of underwhelming for all the hype I've seen for it.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I love this cover. It’s so beautiful. And I love how many folk and fae books are being released in February. I also really loved the fantasy aspects in the world building. It always makes me so happy to see POC in fantasy and fae stories. This is an excellent debut that discusses love, family, loyalty, and is full of twists and lovable characters!

I was very excited about this book and couldn't wait to read a romantasy with a love triangle and enchanted library vibes, but I feel like the description was a little misleading. I think the plot was interesting and could have been great! The enchanted library was a great plot point with excellent magical bookish vibes, and the overall storyline was very entertaining. But the pacing was off. The action sequences went by so quickly that I wasn't always sure if they were important plot points, and even the big action sequence and twist at the end seemed rushed. Also, I spent most of the book wondering where the love triangle came in. The second romantic interest wasn't even introduced until 60% into the story, and their story felt like what you would expect from a grumpy main character in the first five percent of the book, not the last ten. Overall, I was intrigued by this book and liked certain parts, but I'm not sure if I didn't like it because I expected something different or just didn't click with the book. I didn't dislike it, but I don't think I will pick up the rest of the series.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Voyager for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Lore of the Wilds is book one in this new and exciting series by Analeigh Sbrana is a charming Romantasy debut!
I was totally captivated from start to finish.
Analeigh immediately captured my attention with this book. From the first page, I could not put it down. The characters were my favourite and definitely a highlight of this book.
All of the action and magic throughout made this a fast-paced read that kept me interested throughout.
And the word-building is stellar and flows effortlessly throughout.
The ending left me wanting more and I can’t wait for it.

Thank You NetGalley and Harper Voyager for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I loved the set up and premise for this book. I am obviously a reader, so having the library be a grounding point in the story was super cool and I really loved that aspect of the story. I liked Lore and Asher, my only real issue with the book is I couldn't tell if it was supposed to be YA or adult. The tone felt very YA but some of the content made me think adult.

This book feels like the epitome of what’s wrong with current trends in books: A promising romantasy, set in a world and starring characters that don’t look like medieval Europe, from a young author of color. What publisher wouldn’t want to snap it up? It’s got all the ingredients for the next booktok obsession.

I so badly wanted this book to work. Instead, it feels like a great first draft that nonetheless needs a lot of work. Lore of the Wilds is a heap of unrealized potential. Character, pacing, plot and style — the raw materials are good, but the result is a book that doesn’t know what it’s really trying to say.

Publishers, I am begging you to rediscover editing.

If I’m Ms. Sbrana’s editors, for the sequel, I’d pay close attention to ensuring Lore’s behavior is believable (and if she does something stupid, it has consequences), that her growth feels earned, and that her relationships feel organic (but not in a ‘he tastes like blackberries and honey’ kinda way). The gaps need to get filled in on the so-far very sketchy world building. Not every side plot needs to make it into the book.

This also feels like a Young Adult book with some spice thrown in to appeal to adult readers of YA (I mean, hi, but I didn’t ask for this) in that the characters are firmly YA but the handful of sex scene(s) feel firmly adult. Ick. Once again (I feel like I’m saying this a lot lately!) pick an audience and stick with it. Please.

No one wins when the latest hype is a disappointment.

I’m giving this 3 stars even though I really thought it was a 2.5, maybe lower, because I genuinely think the blame lays with a book industry so eager to pump out books that will go viral that it’s hurting books and authors that deserve better.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this read! It was a solid 4/5 stars overall for me. The reasons it wasn't a 5/5 was because it was little bit slow in the beginning and I just felt like it was missing something in a few places but maybe that will make more sense once the duology is completed.

Lore is our fmc and she is a human that is trapped in this forrest prison, called Duskmere. She ends up being taken from her village and taken to the dark fae kingdom. She is then forced to work for them in this magical library. Lore is to clean, organize, and find magical text for the fae. She is the only one thats able to enter due to the door being warded. Did I mention that the library is over 1,000 years old?

-fae lord
-magical library
-medium paced
-moon/star magic
-magic book
-bipoc rep
-found family
-plot twists/cliffhanger
-adventurous fantasy romance

thanks to netgalley for sending me this beautiful arc!!!!

5/5 stars, absolutely wonderful! Where's the next book?? What a cliffhanger!! Just a couple of things that I found a little hard to digest. Asher and the girl twin had no chemistry or ex vibes? At the end, in Syrelle's big reveal, he made it sound like a fling, so why was the dad of the twins so intent on helping? It gave more of a long time family friends vibe than anything. Also, did none of the patrons notice Lore and her small stature? The girl twin (I'm sorry to forget her name, I'm not sure what purpose she truly served) clocked Lore as someone different almost right off the bat. If Grey could have been a girl too, I would have liked that a lot more. Lots and lots of male characters, would have appreciated some more well rounded female ones. I also kept picturing for myself Lore putting the tome in a backpack of some kind because it would seem a little obvious and maybe a red flag if she's walking around with a huge book all the time? Also, wouldn't she want to protect it a little more; sometimes the book doesn't mention where she stashes it, and I feel like with how key it is to her accessing magic, that she'd want to keep it close? But there's little to no mention of how she carries it beyond holding it in her hands. I can't wait to see where book 2 will lead!!