DNF @ 5%

I don't think there is anything wrong with this book per say, I just think I picked it up at the wrong time and couldn't get into it. I think I'll give it another try later in the year and hopefully be able to finish it as I really liked the premise and the blurb intrigued me!

Although the premise was really interesting, the execution missed the mark for me in some ways. The begging was hard for me to get into and some of the world-building, especially in setting up the story. But once I got into the story it really picked up and it had fun tropes with one bed, friends to lovers, star crossed lovers.

From the blurb I expected to be blown away by this book. I had exceptionally high expectations and on the whole the book met these. The storyline was such an interesting one, with the world created having exceptional detail.

I was not as invested in the love story as I had hoped, but it did still hold my attention.

Like others have said, it was perhaps a little long and verbose - but based on the premise of this book it was to be expected.

It was a bit of a challenge to get into, but I was glad I persevered.

Interesting story, I liked the idea. The first 10% of the book was very dry and so descriptive, it kind of loses you. Audra is a storyteller who can no longer finish stories until she meets Jaik.
The magic and the storytelling aspect was very unique, but the book was very long and dry. The walking scenes were unnecessary - just jump ahead because they didn’t add anything. Overall good as a one and done book.

This was surprisingly fun and I am kind of obsessed. It had a fun and unique story idea and I really like Jaiki and Addie. They were super cute and I loved that their meet-cute was more aggressive and violent than usual. I also really liked their friend group the supporting characters and world were well-rounded and fun! I have to say I was really into Addie’s stories, her stories were some of my favorite parts, especially the first story about the Mirror Prince, I also really like the new Sha and wish we saw more of the friends and got a more in-depth look at their past and backstory the story was at times slow but then a lot of the major conflicts were solved quickly. I also wish we spent more time with the Storymaker he needs his book. I was pleasantly surprised by this and will definitely be buying myself a physical copy to reread and if the story continues I will definitely follow along.

In a world where powerful magic is formed by the conclusions of well-crafted stories, we see the paths of storycrafter Audra and farmhand Jaik collide, and follow them in their epic journey together to discover why the magical stories have lost their endings.

I found this book nothing short of incredible; with complex lead characters and detailed world building, this was a refreshing, adventurous and unique read, at times leaving me full of emotion (that epilogue, hello?). The only complaint I have with this book is that I now have to wait for the next one.

Im not usually one to read books without Spice, but I really liked this one! The writing was impeccable! I love that Audra was a story teller. It’s a very different take then most fantasy books I’ve read! The world building, story telling & characters were perfect! Quick, easy read as the story engulfed you and made you want to keep reading!

First off, this book was much too long, and unnecessarily so. It was extremely repetitive and so it felt like I was just reading the same chapters over and over again. The prose was lovely, and the plot interesting, but I didn't really feel anything for any of the characters. There was supposed to be this sweeping romance but it just felt milquetoast. It also contained a lot of my pet peeves, such as introducing a bunch of characters after the halfway point by name only for none of them to really matter. It just felt like the author found a bunch of names they liked and decided to stick them in. And there's the use of a nickname I really hated. And the ending, while charming, simply dragged on for far too long. The entire epilogue could have been a couple pages.

By the Maker’s Tales! What a rollercoaster of emotion. Mystery, magic, heroism, love, adventure, humor, heartbreak, crazed villains, a world in need of saving… Dugan leaves nothing out. Like a Russian nesting doll of stories, Dugan creates layer upon layer of captivating realms for you to tumble through, all of them individual strings weaving the web that is Audra and Jaik’s somewhat messy lives. Every chapter is full to the brim with vivid and detailed imagery, taking page after page to thoroughly paint a picture and take you into her world. There is no doubt that Dugan is a true believer in the power of the written word, holds a beautiful reverence for the telling of tales and capturing how powerful our stories can truly be. This is at its heart a story of true redemption, and self-sacrifice for the greater good- “All of Mithra-Sha, suffering. Suspended. Begging. Praying. And perhaps I heard no answer to my prayers because my impossible choice was the answer to theirs. And that was my penance for all I’d set in motion with my choices years ago.” There are shocks and surprises, both incredibly exciting and then equally heartbreaking. Expect to be thoroughly gutted and so beautifully put back together, then utterly destroyed and once again lovingly pieced back together, time and time again. Dugan keeps you guessing, never knowing which side Luck’s coin will land on in the very end.

This was ok. The world building was amazing but felt at times it was a little too lyrical and descriptive and hard to get into at the start. The romance was good too but very slow burn. The last 20% however I really did enjoy! Also it was marketed as adult but felt more YA.

Tropes:
One bed
Slow burn
Friends to lovers

The concept of this book is incredible and I think the story is really strong but I think the book suffers from favouring world-building and descriptions of setting over developing strong and engaging relationships between characters. One of the main plot points of this book relies on the chemistry between the two leads but I think the author rushed the development of their relationship and the implied tension building between them wasn't earned. The book is over 500 pages long which should have been enough time to get me to root for their relationship but I think the author spent so much time on world-building that this was lost.

The author's prose was beautiful but at times became too cliche for me, personally.

I DNF'd at 20%, not due to the content, but the way it was written in an almost lymeric was challenging for me to follow. I am Dyslexic and I just could not read this and retain any of the information.
If you are someone who loves books that flow like poetry I would check out some other reviews to see if this book is a good fit for you.

Unfortunately this book is just not for me. I did not enjoy any aspect of this story and I cannot recommend it.

I had a hard time appreciating the premise of the book, it felt like there was not any justification for why or how this plot would happen, which pulled me out of the story. I expected some strong explanation or justification but it never got there. It felt very fanciful and YA, with lots of magic and vague confusing metaphors but very little substance to back it up.

The MCs were not well defined and did not feel believable as people. Similar to the plot it just felt flat and nothing felt justified or plausible.

Finally, this is billed as an adult romance book but it was IMO way too clean for that description. Overall this book felt like something that would be better suited to the 8th grade - 12th grade demographic, not adult.

4.25 stars (ish)

this is a book about stories. so if you like books about books, or books about stories, i highly recommend this. i also recommend it if you like:
- one-bed troupe
- star-crossed lovers
- strangers (🤭) to friends to lovers
- he has nicknames for her

the whole development of this story was really well done. this story is extremely character-driven, and i did feel that all the characters were well fleshed out and developed. each of the main characters had flaws and some past trauma, but the way the two characters were always there for each other and comforted one another was so sweet.

the romance was everything. it's a good slow-burn romance, and ugh it hit me in the feels. the side characters were soooo nice i loved them so much ahhh. all the characters in this book were really fun to read about.

the last like 70% of the book was what did it for me, making me like this book much more than i thought i would. my mind exploded; the mystery, revelations, and descisions made me lose my mind i loved it. and that epilogue OMGGGG i want them to be happy so bad, and that ending gave a sense of hope. it also gives excitement for future books.

the only problem i had was that there were a lot of descriptions. like a LOT. especially at the beginning, and that almost made me dnf it because for the first i think 10 chapters there were only descriptions and so few dialogues.

overall, definitely give this book a try!

I wanted to be blown away by this book; the plot sounded so unique and interesting that it had all the makings of a book I would love but it just fell a bit short for me. Don't get me wrong, I liked it, I had a good time reading it but I didn't love it in quite the way I was expecting.

Let's start with the positives - this story is unique, I absolutely love the idea of storytelling as a magic form and the idea of the endings going missing was just a brilliant one. It's whimsical and interesting and I thought a great basis for the book.

The world building is good, the magic system is interesting, I liked the characters. There is an appropriate level of romance for this book albeit it is definitely on the YA end of romance but that's fine.

The characters are well developed and I enjoyed reading about them.

The challenge I found overall, which made me like rather than love the book, was the writing style. This is a big book (possibly too big for a YA) so it's a bit daunting to take on and then the writing is dense and very descriptive which I found difficult. I would find that I lost my focus part way through paragraphs because so much was being described that I almost switched off a bit. The writing is beautiful and I so wish it was for me but I just found it too much. I don't think the book needed to be as long as it was and that kind of took away from the story for me.

I sound like a bit of a negative Nelly on this one which is not my intention at all; like I say it is beautifully whimsical, unique and great characters. I know plenty of readers will absolutely love the writing style and wonder what on earth I'm going on about. Overall for me, this was a good read but a bit of a long and intense one.

*Thanks to Netgalley for providing an ARC for an honest review!*

What I Enjoyed:
- This book is really for the people who just love a good story. It had such classic fairy tale vibes, with the story woven together to make it sound like an epic tale that would be told around the camp fire. It was beautifully written, and I loved how the magic system was based around the power of stories. I especially enjoyed how the author utilised this, and sprinkled the little stories that Audra tells with her power throughout the main plot!

- Talking of the plot – it was so fun! We got to see our two main characters, Audra and Jaik, travel the whole country looking to restore the power of stories, and see the devastation that came from people losing the power of a happy ending. There was action, a range of awesome settings to see our characters in, and an overwhelming feeling of hope as our characters tried to restore what was lost. I loved the adventure these two went on, and would love to see more from this world! I would especially like to see more sea-faring escapades in future books!

- I also adored our two main characters. Audra is so real to me. She is caring towards not only her friends, but the people of her country. However, she acknowledges that she isn’t perfect; she can be selfish, vain, and her trauma makes her quite closed off to others. But this is what makes her human, and I loved that we got to see her explore these faults and grow from them!

- Jaik, on the other hand, is just such a sweetheart. He would do anything to protect Audra, and his trust in her is unwavering. He is loyal as hell, but he also isn’t scared to speak his mind and tell Audra when she is simply being stupid. I just loved how he could go from protective and caring, to just straight-up goofy. His banter was the best part of his character for me: this man takes nothing seriously.

- The relationship between these two was just so well developed. We got to see them travelling together for months on end, and saw the connection slowly blossom between them. And it was lovely to see. They became such a powerhouse couple, protecting and loving each other at all costs. I just loved how they loved each other so much!


What Didn’t Work For Me:
- Despite me loving the writing style eventually, I will say it did make it really hard for me to get into the book . It was really lyrical and beautiful, but that also made it a bit difficult to get settled into the story. It wasn’t until Jaik was introduced, and the adventure fully got underway, that I fully started to vibe with the book.

- I liked what we got to see of the side characters, but I just wanted more. We spend a lot of time with Jaik and Audra, which is great as it truly gave the perfect pace for the slow-burn, but it just didn’t leave enough space for other relationships to be as developed. All of the relationships between our MCs and the side characters are pre-established, so we only get to experience the main development through memories of previous interactions. This just left me feeling less connected to the friendships with the side characters, which I think could have been helped by spending more time with them!


Overall thoughts:
This book was a great adventure, with an amazing magic system and two lovely characters to follow. I honestly would love to read more books set in this world! Would definitely recommend if you love a good fairy tale or a wholesome fantasy adventure!

Rating: 4 Stars!

Thank you Netgalley and Wave Walker press for the arc. This is an enticing tale of a storycrafter and a soldier who have forgotten who they are. It gripped me from the start and kept me on my toes till the very end. The writing is amazing, it is poetic and fluid, along with being downright enchanting and so full of emotion. As soon as it said, "let me tell you a story" it would send chills all over.
The plot and characters are well thought upon, it is a big book and a little intimidating but once you get into it time flies by. The main characters, Audra and Jaik are complex and interesting, and with their baggage and unrest one can connect to them well. Audra being a storyteller who cannot finish one no matter what and Jaik a farmhand who always feels like there is something missing.
It is a beautiful and unique story set around the power of storytelling and I loved the slow burn, pure romance. I loved the chemistry between the leads, like every time Audra would be close to having a breakdown Jaik would help her by asking her 5 things she sees, 4 things she feels, 3 things she hears, 2 things she smells and 1 thing she tasted... it was so endearing to see the progression of their relationship through this.
It is a good book for fantasy fans who are looking for something new and unique.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Overall Review (spoilers)

So, this is the second book I DNF’ed this year. Not that there really is anything wrong with this book, but it really is too slow for me to enjoy. Especially as it doesn’t really have a reason to be slow?

The characters are well written, the plot and concept excellent, and the world building is great. But the pacing sucks. I read over 50% of the book, and nothing had really happened beyond the initial fleeing of the city and the discovery of the forgetting. For a 600+ page book, the fact there was only two big things happen isn’t great. Especially as there isn’t enough world building to justify the fact that there is no plot movement in the time most books end.

I am going to give this book another chance this summer, and I did give it 3 stars because there is a lot of potential, but the pacing just isn’t the vibe currently.

Thank you to Netgalley, lovely author and publisher for this ARC~!

I felt a little bored at the beginning for there was too much narration and so little dialogue in this book. But who expects, after reaching chapter 10 onwards I enjoyed the story so much!

The book is long but short in each chapter so it's still enjoyable.

I was carried away by the adventures of our main characters. Their romance and relationship is very sweet and warm. I'm so fond.

If I were asked, would I like to read the continuation of this book?
The answer is: Absolutely!

Let me tell you a story....

This book revolves around storycrafters and their stories create the magic system in this world. What happens when the end to the stories never get finished? This book takes you on a journey to figure out how and why the stories lost their endings.

This book is wordy but beautifully written! It is lyrical and flows wonderfully. There's a lot of plot to keep you entertained. It does slow down 3/4 of the way through, but it's worth it to stick it out!

There is a lovely romance throughout the book. There is a lot of kissing, but that's about it. There is a bit other things that are alluded to, but never really mentioned.

This book WRECKED me!

I recieved an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. I want to thank R. Dugan, NetGalley, and Wave Walker Press for allowing me to review this book.