I’m about 40% of the way done and I’m gonna have to DNF this for now. I really wanted to love this and the story itself isn’t bad but I’m finding it hard to keep up with the lack of character and world building as to why they love each other. I’m on page 125 and have no idea why. Then enters Torin and he has some interest in Elara relating to his past love. I’m not sure if this is gonna turn into a why choose trope type situation. I love a touch her and die moment but the renaissance era “unhand her” type writing just doesn’t hit the same. It’s just not for me, as I read it I find myself wanting to read other books vs being captivated by this story in itself. I don’t dislike it but I also don’t find myself enjoying it either.

This was an ok book. Some parts were very interesting, other parts were very cringy for me. The concept of the elders having ultimate control over everything was very intriguing to me and fed into the forbidden love between Elara and Varek.

The storyline gave me slight "The outsider" vibes mixed with one dark window.

The World building and character development wasn't the best, but it wasn't the most I've read. The writing style and "old" language was not my up of tea and not something I would typically head.

I really hate doing this, but I have to be brutally honest. I DNF'd at approximately 50%. I really hate doing this and very rarely do, but I just could not engage with this book.

The world building was essentially non-existent meaning that from the very beginning it was almost impossible to actually connect with or engage with the story. The prose felt very flat, there wasn't really any emotion or depth from the characters. Even though it is told through their perspective it felt very much as if you were being told what was happening as opposed to experiencing. The same can be said for the scenes with attempted spice, it felt flat, no passion or emotion.

This story is very much insta love from basically the first page with little to no explanation as to why or how the characters actually developed these feelings. This leaves it very difficult to actually get behind the relationship or the love story.

There seemed to be a lot of explanation lacking also. Much the same as the world building. We were being told things but there was no explanation as to why things were a certain way, or how that came to be.

For these reason I really struggled through the 50% I did read and was unable to persevere any further.

Thank you Net Galley and Raven More for this arc!

I want to be upfront and say that i dnfed this book at about 40% as i am definitely not the target audience.

Fans of the Insta-love trope, touch her and die, love triangles, would probably like this book.

A huge part of my decision to DNF this book was based on the couple Elara and Varek. I could not make myself be invested in their characters and relationship due to the instalove trope. I felt that as the reader i never really understood why they loved each other, vague allusion are made but i never got a solid understanding of their relationship which makes much of the scenes that would probably read romantic to some fall flat for me.

the biggest thing i take issue with and is primarily what my reasoning for a 2 star review is the lack of world building. i’ve heard that there is some at the end of the book, but there was very little in that 40% i read which imo is not okay. bc of the severe lack of world building i struggled to ground myself in the world and become actually immersed in the story. i had so many questions constantly that are not answered or even hinted at being answered by 40%.

this world has the beginnings of what could be a really interesting gothic fantasy (it reminds me a lot of One Dark Window in its concept with fevers and such), but fell flat in a lot of ways on delivering that gothic vibe again mostly bc of the completely lack of necessary world building.

This book was very enjoyable. The romance was amazing and I enjoyed the setting and the world building so much!

I wanted to like this book so much! I love fated mates, forbidden love, a badass warrior female main character, a man who would give everything for her- but sadly this just did not do it for me. It was tough getting thrown into the story already in the middle of our two leads in love (even if they didn't say it to each other), and the language was a little too prosey for me. I DNF'ed at about 35% but will consider coming back to it with a fresh mind later!