This book has a great potential but I really felt like it didn't show through in the storyline at all.
The stories are creative and really nice, but maybe have too much twists for the short stories they are.
The regular plot is okay, but is written with a lot of difficult terms and some typos, making it hard to get through the story.
In addition there is one major inconsistency, which basically is a big part of the whole storyline. Storycrafters can make a lot of things, but not living ones. However they dangers the main characters face are being wanted and dangerous living creatures from unfinished stories.

I felt like the writing could have been less difficult and the plot could have been better. I even thought about DNF, but kept my hopes up and continued reading. Even though I was hoping the story would get better throughout, it just didn't which did affect my rating. Therefore I unfortunately am able to give this book just 2,5 stars.

"Let me tell you a story."

This book...blew me and my expectations out of the water. I have never read anything like it, and I am certain that I never will.

Audra Jashowin is a Storycrafter. A person who tells stories that reap magical rewards, whose magic sustains the country of Mithra-Sha. One day though, Storycraft up and disappears, which brings about a depression of sorts to Mithra-Sha and leaves the country starved, full of illness, and on the verge of collapse. Stories no longer have endings, and without endings, there can be no magic to heal the country. Audra's family casts her out, her friends ignore her, and so she leaves her home to travel to find a place that feels akin to home. What ensues is a lonely road traveled, until one day Audra tells a story...that has an ending, and that ending leads her to a new beginning with a man who seems strangely familiar. A man who seems to be straight out of her stories, and straight out of her memories.

I honestly wish I could read this book again for the first time. The pacing was fabulous, the world colorful, and the uniqueness of the story stole my breath. And that ending? WOW. WOW WOW WOW.

Renee Dugan, I am in love with this story, and I cannot thank you enough for writing a man who can COMMUNICATE!

Stunning! Everything about this book is stunning! From Audra’s narrative style to her stories, everything about this book is perfection! To the point where I don't have words to describe how strongly I feel about this book.

Not only did it get me out of a massive reading slump, but it also ended up being the best book I picked out so far this year!!

Highly recommend!!

This book is excessively long, at over 600 pages with way too many of them being unnecessarily deep descriptions. It doesn’t pull you in and gives very little information on the main character until way too far into it. While the writing is beautiful it’s beautiful like a cake that’s not meant to be eaten. Never got into it but I read every page anyway just so I can be 100% sure I’m being honest when I say it doesn’t improve as you get further in.

When you’re a reader - and by reader I mean someone who reads a lot - many books fade into the fog as you read past them. This book? This book is a tale woven from threads too vibrant to fade away. You’ve read the synopsis, you know what it’s about, so I’m not repeating that here. You want to know if this book is worth your time. Not only is this book worth your time, it is a gorgeous tale of mystery, betrayal, loyalty, love, and hope. Audra and Jaik’s story absorbed me from the moment they met. Renee Dugan’s writing is so beautiful and descriptive, you can see the story unfold in your mind so easily. I loved riding along as they traveled to the Illusionarium and Erasure. I have seen a few reviews where folks were struggling with the descriptive language and world-building. It’s so worth the time. I received an ARC from NetGalley for this book, but I will definitely be buying a physical copy of this book! I ABSOLUTELY cannot wait for the sequel. I will be reading this one again at some point.

A world where stories are magic? Sold! I thought this story was very unique and engaging. Audra was such a simple yet complex character. At times I felt like Jaik in the beginning, confused and not understanding the importance of what had happened. Yet I felt like the author at times wanted the reader to be lost and not quite understand until the story further developed. I though the writing style was beautiful and the stories within the story were creative and well written. I enjoyed this book immensely and am grateful I was able to read it. Thank you again!

This was a fun adventure! I enjoyed the twists and turns of the story a lot. Some were shocking and some were predictable, but all in all it was fun.

I felt it was quite long and that it was difficult to keep my momentum while reading it. Some things were over-described and there was a lot of repetition of concepts. I’d be very rich if I got a nickel for every time they said “luck’s coin”. I also was not feeling the nickname he gave her.

I did feel this was a bit too YA for my taste, but fully recognize that this could be amazing for others.

The characters were great and I think Renee did a really great job building this world.

I’d recommend this for anyone looking for a YA fantasy with a splash of romance!

•

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Renee for this ARC!

Omg. This book. THIS FREAKING BOOK. i know the size may seem daunting but don't let that stop you from this. This was AMAZING. The WORLDBUILDING the MAGIC SYSTEM the FREAKING CHARACTERS. Just I have no complaints. No I have one complaint and that is WHERE IS THE SEQUEL?!?!?!?! I swear, knowing this is the first in the series is what's keeping me alive right now. I have never read a book by this author before but now I have to go devour everything else because DAMN.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC. This is the best one I've read so far.

This was so expertly woven together that I could not step away. I was so invested in Audra figuring out what felt off, and was rooting for her from page one. No one knows why, but the Storycrafter magic no longer works to give stories their endings, and has caused devastation for the people. Crops no longer flourish, goods no longer sail across the oceans with safety and experience, and mistakes are far worse than ever before, resulting in death and destruction.

When Audra meets Jaik and is finally able to finish a story, she doesn't know what to do, except that she absolutely needs to escape the town she's on, and she MUST take him with her. Of course, he thinks she's a creep and refuses...but she has her ways. Now they're on the run from the soldiers inevitably send by the Sha to capture them, and realize that they will need to work together much better if they're going to outrun word of her finished story and get to safety.

With a plan on place, Audra and Jaik face the wilds and travel towards the coast where Jaik knows someone who can sail them to where they need to go. Along they way they're plagued by a mysterious soldier who seems to know them, but while Jaik vaguely knows him, Audra has no memory of him at all. Something is very wrong, and she will stop at nothing to find out what.

Audra and Jaik grow undeniably closer on their quest to find answers, and the truth that is revealed is bigger than they ever thought possible, yet drawn down to a single Master Storyteller. It's been clear that information has been missing in weird ways, but they never expected everything to change upon their meeting in a Tavern the night she was able to finish a story, all because of Jaik's presence in the room.

This was a long one, but it was riveting and compelling and kept me coming back for more. The emotion of the characters was so real, and I felt the agony and pain over the decisions to be made; the love they had for each other, and the impossible sacrifices they must make. The ending absolutely destroyed me and I had to finish it with tears!

Thank you NetGalley and Wave Walker Press for this ARC copy!

The instant that I saw this cover I knew it was going to be a book that I wanted to read and after the synopsis I was completely sold. A story about stories, fantasy, unique magic system, realistic forced proximity sitationship. If you are looking for spicy this is not the book for you but if you want to smile and kick your feet and also hold your breath action and stress then you will definitely enjoy this book.

My only complain about this book, and why it is a 4 and not a 5 star read, is that it could have been 350-400 pages easily. The intricate and beautiful descriptions were wonderful in the beginning but over time it became cumbersome. It would go from slow, to complete chaos, and then suddenly we are just back on the road again learning bits and pieces about the characters at a time. If the pacing had been just a little smoother this definitely would have been a 5 star read for me.

I still highly recommend this book book, but just go into it knowing that it is a very long story, and you will travel from one end of the world to the other with many different stops and stories in between.

I was first drawn to A Story Spun in Scarlet by R Dugan because of the striking cover, but as soon as I read the synopsis I was all in, and knew that this was a book that I needed to read. A world where stories have lost their endings leaves storyteller Audra Jashowin without a purpose, and a falling out with her family leaves her without a home. When she moves to the city the last thing she expects is to actually be able to finish a story, but thanks to an unexpected encounter with Jaik Grissom , a farmhand with an unlikely knack for weapons and fighting , that is exactly what happens. It seems like he is a natural amplifier, gifted with the ability to strengthen Audra's talent , and maybe with the power to reverse whatever happened to the magic of stories in the first place. Together the pair embark on an adventure that will see them travelling through danger and fleeing from the law, through the wilderness and across the high seas and uncovering a past that will shock them both.
This is a long book filled with descriptive writing which will not be to everyone's taste but personally I really enjoyed it. I loved the premise and thought the author did a wonderful job of expanding on her central idea. The characters were great individually but it was the relationship between them that really had me hooked, I loved the banter and the smoulder of the slow burn romance. The book was not without its flaws however, most notably the rather theological undertones that became evident later in the book. I also found the pacing a little inconsistent at times which sometimes slowed the pace just a little too much.
Overall this is a book that I did enjoy and would recommend to readers who like to dive into a long immersive read.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley, Wave Walker Press, and the author for an eARC to review.

This is the first book I've read by Renee Dugan, and I can confidently say she has an excellent way of using words. Her writing style fits the feeling of the book so well. I can tell Ms. Dugan is a gifted storyteller, and that gave her the ability to write the characters and their storytelling abilities so well.

Yes, the book is long but packed with countless details that create a beautiful story. The stories within the story are also so good. It took me a while to get into the book, but I was invested once I did. You must take your time with this book to fully appreciate it. I myself am going to give it a re-read.

I really felt for Audra and Jaik, and as a reader, I need the author to make me feel connected to the characters, and Ms. Dugan did just that. The romance between Audra and Jaik, though not overly focused on, adds just the right amount of sweetness to the book.

4/5 stars

A storyteller who lost her purpose, Audra Jashowin runs from the unending stories of Mithra-Sha and hopes to start fresh with her stories (even if she has no endings). That is until she meets farmhand, Jaik Grissom; a person who seems to bring out the creativity in her and helps her unlock the endings of her stories.

This was such an amazing read! Filled with compelling lore and an intriguing plot, R. Dugan's A Story Spun in Scarlet has such a uniqueness to it that allows it to stand out as a Fantasy novel and prove itself a strong start to a series I never knew I needed. Telling a tale without an end is every storyteller's worst nightmare and Dugan weaves this into an amazing story that had me devouring it from cover to cover. Audra is a compelling protagonist who feels very three-dimensional with her personality fiery and witty as well as compassionate and caring; she doesn't hold back her true self and doesn't apologise for it. Jaik is just as memorable with a snarky, confident personality that dominates each scene he's in.

If you're a high fantasy fan who wants to explore a world with neverending tales, the dangers that come with an ending and a new series that is on par with Stephanie Garber, Holly Black and Sarah J. Maas (to name a few) then A Story Spun in Scarlet is the perfect book to read.

Thank you, NetGalley, Wave Walker Press and author, R. Dugan, for sending me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Regrettably, my journey through "A Story Spun in Scarlet" by Renee Dugan came to a premature end at the 70% mark, as the over-bloated length of the novel proved insurmountable. Despite my initial enthusiasm for the story, the excessive descriptions and limited points of view that we only got form the main character ultimately weighed it down, leading to my decision to DNF.

From the outset, the narrative felt inundated with superfluous details and meandering descriptions that did little to enhance the story. I found it extremely odd that we spent so much time reading about Audra's (aka Addie, Addie-cat, Ahjay, tiger) inner turmoil but hardly anything about how the heck these characters were surviving in the wild for months at a time with barely any supplies. So rather than adding depth to the story, these excessive elements bogged down the pacing and left me grappling with a sense of tedium. What might have been a concise and engaging tale was overshadowed by the overwhelming verbosity of the prose.

Reaching the 70% mark, I found myself trapped in a cycle of repetitive plot points that failed to propel the narrative forward. Instead of building tension or fostering anticipation, the repetition contributed to a sense of stagnation. Despite my initial determination to soldier through out of sheer stubbornness, I ultimately found that my waning interest eclipsed any desire to see how the story concluded.

The potential for an intriguing plot was obscured by the novel's own length, and as a reader, I struggled to maintain the enthusiasm that initially drew me into the tale. The book itself had a lot of potential, especially when it came to the unique magic system that revolved around the power of storytelling and the profound impact it has on this world and its inhabitants, especially after this magic is lost all of a sudden.

Basically, A Story Spun in Scarlet became a casualty of its own excesses, with an overextended length that detracted from the narrative rather than enhancing it, and perhaps with a more judicious edit and a streamlined approach, the story could have flourished, but alas, it was not to be, at least for me anyway.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

3.5 stars. This a story about stories, and how the spoken word can be magical all on its own!

Audra Jashowin is a storyteller without a purpose. When all the tales in the land of Mithra-Sha lose their endings, Audra flees from her family and the only home she ever knew and she arrives at long last in a city of fresh starts and second chances.

There, she finds an adventure greater than she ever dreamed... jaik grissom might be the key to bringing back the power of all stories. Together they must discover the truth of the lost stories of mithra-sha.

I loved the unique storyline of this book! The idea that people can speak stories into existence was super cool! And then the journey of figuring out what happened to all the story crafters of the land was a cool idea. However it was just too long. The book feels really dragged out and I wish she would have shortened it a bit and made this a series with a huge cliffhanger!

I can tell Renee is a great writer, the prose is really poetic and beautiful, but sometimes I felt myself getting pulled out of the story as it started to feel too wordy. I wish she would have done a bit more to explain the world and the magic system as it felt a bit underdeveloped. I could tell she knew the world but it didn't always come across. Stuff didn't always seem to fit the same "era". It seems like this is a medival type of era, however they also have airships and rifles but it's not explained how they came to be. Which again comes back to I feel like the world building and magic system could have been explained more.

I really liked the two main characters, I think she did a great job of making them lovable characters and I was rooting for them the whole way! I wish there was a bit more spice and/or tension .. it doesn't say whether this is supposed to be YA or adult so I think that also needs to be more clear. But even for a YA book the romance was not enough and I think she needed to have more tension filled moment between these characters.

I liked the idea of the epilogue ... but unfortunately I didn't love the way she ended it! Since I got the arc so early, I know she changed the ending. And I actually was able to read both endings and the new one is much better. Super glad she changed it as it feels more like it's leaving it open to be part of a series where the original felt like the story was over and it was very abrupt. So I'm glad she made the change! But it did feel a bit confusing, as I don't quite understand if she does or doesn't remember them and is just pretending because when he walks in she says "and all at once, I remembered"

I definitely liked this enough that and I want to read the second one cause I do want to know what happens to our two main characters!

Thank you NetGalley for the sending me the ARC digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

Somebody call Netflix because this needs to be adapted into a series ASAP!

This was an amazing work of storytelling. It took me a minute to really get into the story - the world-building was very descriptive (and lends itself to being perfect for an adaptation!) - but once the action truly began I was hooked. I was intrigued by the premise from the get-go and wanted to tease out Audra's story faster than the author was giving it to me, but like all great stories, there are twists and turns and mysteries that readers can't be privy to until the story allows it. I loved Audra and Jaik, their adventures, the creatures and villains and troubles they come across on their trek, the underlying thread of dealing with your past and mistakes...I had some favorite scenes and moments for sure, but once I took a step back I could really see and appreciate the journey this story took me on. Overall, an amazing story and I hope others find this indie author so they can experience this work of art!

For anyone looking to read a clean SJM-esque story, fans of the Grishaverse, adventure reminiscent of LOTR, or someone just looking for an epic story that tugs at your heartstrings in the best ways - check this one out!

Thank you @netgalley for the opportunity to read this fantastical story. I loved every second of it and will 100% be buying a physical.
A Story Spun in Scarlet follows the tale of a young story crafter who is just trying to make her way into the world, until she meets someone who she cannot deny a connection to. This story will be close to my own heart as I am a writer and I struggle with a lot of what Audra struggles with as writers block plagues the minds of writers.
The story between Jaik and Audra is one that is filled with hope of a better world around them. The world building is immaculate and feels like you're within the world or at least wanting to jump through the pages to explore along side them.

When I picked up A Story Spun in Scarlet on Netgalley, I had no way of knowing this book would have such an emotional pull on me. Initially, I was lured in by the promise of a book about the core of storytelling, something that is close to me as a writer. But throughout the pages, it turned into something so much more than that. It turned into the story of two people who love each other so deeply that they will move Heaven and Earth to be with each other.

In Mithra-Sha, stories hold power, bringing the lands great prosperity. Until not a single Storycrafter can finish their tales any longer. Audra is a Storycrafter disowned by her family on a journey across the country to find the solution, unable to complete the stories brimming in her mind. Until she meets Jaik - a witty farmhand, the only known human amplifier. Together, they set off on a mission across Mithra-sha to restore Storycrafting or die trying.

But an unnervingly obsessed soldier named Galan is after them, hounding them every step of the way, making their journey that much harder. And their memories aren't what they seem - Jaik and Audra are familiar to each other, and they both have skills they don't know where they got them from. What happened to Storycraft, but also, what happened to them?

One of my favourite parts of the book was the realistic portrayal of mental illness and trauma. Although we didn't get to meet many of the characters, the ones that we did (Audra, Jaik, Naomi, and Galan) were done well, especially Audra. Dugan knows what trauma and abandonment do to a person and either has personal experience or did a lot of research. Galan's obsessive behaviour, while clearly disturbed, was quite realistic. When Audra spiralled, lashing out in ugly and manipulative ways, I could see what she was doing -- and knew I'd done the exact same thing in the past under similar circumstances. Her nightmares and the feelings afterwards are quite familiar as well. The characters are unhealthy and imperfect, but incredibly human.

I think I would have enjoyed more depth to the characters, though. Jaik was always the good guy (who was strangely unbothered to leave his pet behind), Galan was always obsessed and vengeful, and Naomi was always kind and caring. The characters introduced at the palace near the end of the book were difficult to be memorable because there were suddenly quite a lot. The ship crew wasn't given much to go off of either. Stronger characterisation and more aspects to every character could've elevated this book further.

Another thing I enjoyed while I read was the imagery Dugan used to describe Storycrafting. The prose was beautiful, the way the physical effects of the storytelling were described. The stories themselves were simple but effective, akin to fairytales - able to progress the story so much in so few sentences. It was inspiring. And then the effects that Storycrafting has; creating a gilded road from north to south, affecting weather patterns and climate, summoning airships, making fields of crops grow into bountiful harvests, creating giant golems of stone and wood. The possibilities are endless, limited only by the imagination.

But in that, I also had my frustrations, especially when they knew they were heading to particularly dangerous locations and had time to prepare but didn't. If you had weeks and such powerful magic at your disposal, and you had previously created a weapon capable of destroying monsters upon touch, why wouldn't you recreate a more stable one? Why wouldn't you craft protection, a better vehicle, magical tools? Why would the only thing you use your skills for be summoning thousands of apples as a joke? This lack of foresight was frustrating, considering they had the power at their fingertips and no reasonable explanation not to use it, and it later cost them dearly to be so underprepared.

One thing is that the book is quite long. Not just physically - the Kindle edition comes up at 665 pages - but some parts of the story can drag. This is mostly the travelling sequences, which could go on for quite a few chapters without something story-relevant happening. I found my attention slipping during the prolonged travel, while it'd been captured quite well at the beginning and at Erasure. The pacing at the end is a bit slow too, with the month-long loitering at the palace. This makes sense for Audra, but perhaps there's a way to shorten it writing-wise.

For the majority of the book, the tone is consistent - fantasy adventure, grand quest to save the world, slowly budding romance, always on the run because soldiers are after them. However, two-thirds of the way in, the tone suddenly shifts into full-on horror, including a whole abandoned fairground, monstrous versions of soulless infants and children, and a whole lot more violence, torture, and executions. After that, the tone suddenly shifts again to almost palace intrigue - the grand quest has stopped, as has the running. These tone inconsistencies were quite jarring, and it felt like I'd started reading different books.

Other minor things that didn't match the tone of the book to me included the names. Many of them were normal English names but slightly misspelt. For example, Jake becomes Jaik, Zeke becomes Ziek, and so on. And in that one scene with the snow, where the music quite literally stops when Audra gets hit, everyone holds their breath for a moment, and then the whole square erupts into a joyous snowball fight - a moment that feels quite fabricated. The recurring grounding method that Jaik uses (5-4-3-2-1) feels out of place in the medieval fantasy setting as well, since many of the grounding techniques used today were developed in the late 70's.

All in all, A Story Spun in Scarlet will transport you to another world for a good many hours with its beautiful prose, taking you along the journey with Audra and Jaik as they fall into a sweet and all-encompassing love while saving the world. I'd highly recommend this book if you want an escape from our own world and a reminder of why we love storytelling. However, don't expect a spicy romance or a quick-paced novel.

-=-=-=-=-

Content warnings
Torture, death, and gore
Multiple characters are killed on-screen, some after being tortured. There are also quite a lot of gory injuries and injuries described in detail (many from first-person POV), such as gunshot wounds, a dislocated jaw, torn ligaments/muscles, and monster bites.

Terminal illness of a child
Chapters 50 and 51 are dedicated to a young child with an incurable disease given his final wish. They can safely be skipped without missing important narrative beats.

Amnesia and loss of identity
Throughout the story, amnesia is a recurring factor, and both Audra and Jaik have forgotten who they are and lost their identity. Struggles with memory and identity and fractures of memories resurfacing through dreams are regularly shown in the novel.

Miscarriage, child death, and child monsters
There are mentions of miscarriages and children's deaths to explain the existence of horror child monsters (Misspoken Ones), from babies to young children. They are used in chapters 63 through 65.

Brownie points
Indie author
R. Dugan is a self-published author, which is an automatic brownie point in my book.

Four and a half
I found this enchanting and eagerly turned the pages to find out what exactly had caused the huge upheaval that affected stories and those with the ability to previously bring them magically to life. Imagine a world that originally came to be because He made it and then certain mortals were given that same wondrous ability. It's a magic I haven't encountered in other books so clearly had me very intrigued.
Audra is a storyteller who like her brethren cannot end stories anymore but a chance encounter with Jaik finds her not only finally able to complete a tale but realising that Jaik amplifies her ability which puts them both in serious danger. So what does cautious, sensible Audra do ? Why knock him out and kidnap him of course ! Yep from the start this story is anything but predictable and that's what kept me gripped until the poignant end although I have to state that it's also quite possibly a fabulous beginning as much as its an end.
Yes I've a couple of niggles and it's not all perfect particularly when it comes to those who are villains but I can easily overlook that because this book was so very different and I very much look forward to reading more by this author.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

I wanted to like this book but I just can't get through it, I've tried twice and both times I've hit a wall. Maybe its the fact I don't care for the first person but I've DNF'd this book at 15%.