What a great cosy, magical read perfect for the start of fall! I will say this was slower paced than I am used to and the audio book narration wasn't my favourite, but that's just an individual preference issue rather than a comment on the story. If you're a fan of world-building this is definitely for you as it is one of the more descriptive fantasy books I have read. The representation is also great, but I think overall something just didn't full click for me, this book definitely has an audience and I can see why others love it!

Thank You Netgalley, Atthis Arts LLC, and E.D.E. Bell for the audio version of Night Ivy.

There was a lot to love about this book. There was excellent LGBTQIA+ representation, and I loved the world-building that was present throughout the book. Unfortunately, it was a very slow read for me. The narrative style just wasn't to my preference, and I felt like there was a lack of action that I wanted.

That being said, it was great for a cozy, magic read! I loved the main character and learning about her world and thoughts. Check this one out if you are looking for a slower-paced magic book!

Thanks to NetGalley, E.D.E. Bell, and Atthis Arts for the chance to read and review! My thoughts are my own.

Full review available on TikTok. https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGeWvF2eJ/

As a neuro divergent I'm always really excited when I come across a character in a book that mirrors my own, perhaps unusual, thought patterns. That's exactly what happened with this book. I have no idea if the main character was intended to be neuro divergent but that's definitely how she came across to me.

It was definitely that that kept me reading this book rather than the slow and somewhat midiling plot. This was very much a book 1. There is a lot left unanswered and I think I would have been happier if there had been more plot development in this first book.

That being said i definitely enjoyed it enough to want to come back for the next installment.

Excellent book! I really hope there is more in the series! As I really need to know what happens next!

Title: Night Ivy
Format: Audiobook
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Review: An Arc given by Netgalley for an honest review.

This was my first book by this author. I found it written well and quite descriptive. Xelle was a great character who is easily relatable. There was a lot of diversity in the other characters, which is not something showcased often. I would like to try this one again, not in audiobook. The audio was quite monotone and took away from the story for me.

The premise sounded great but I didn't like the narrator as much as I'd hoped and I just couldn't get into the story.

The writing was good from what I remember and I love lgbtqia+ representation, but something didn't work for me on this one

I really liked this book. The world building was fantastic and I just love LGBTQIA+ characters and stories.

This hasn’t completely grabbed me yet and because of that I haven’t finished this audio book yet, I will update my review when I have. In the meantime time so far. This is a gentle, slow tale. Xelle has been given a challenge to discover who is causing problems in her tower. She relishes magic but has issues with her style, and place. So accepts the mission. I liked some of the characters I’ve read so far, the best being the portrayal of the dragons. I believe there is more action to come later in the book, I’ll tell you about it soon. Thank you to Atthis Arts and NetGalley for the audio ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atthis Arts for the advance listeners copy.

There is some really good worldbuilding and fully rendered characters here. Zelle is such a relatable main character that I connected with her anxieties while on her quest undercover. The plot is structured in a way that details have a satisfying payoff later in the book. It's all around a well-constructed and exciting story, and I can't wait for the next book.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6645446508

https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/ad48b04b-0fee-4134-8942-efd80d222ec1

Check out this review of Night Ivy on Fable. https://fable.co/review/457bed3c-9d6d-42c1-a079-55111a4447ea/share

Night ivy by E. D. E. Bell is an interesting tale. This novel tells the story of Xelle, a young person who has a mighty passion for magic, however finds immense difficulty in figuring out what role she wants to be within the organization of its constitution. Through this story Xelle works to figure out what her true calling is when it comes to magic, but as she does this she is sent on a mission to gather information, meets a dragon, and finds out confusing truths.
The author incorporates lgbtqia+ characters as well as a number of unique modified words and terms. Though I personally found the number of words and terms in which were modified to be overwhelming I do truly appreciate and admire the dedication in which this effort takes. Not only this but Bell also incorporated a number of mental health struggles within this novel, which I’m sure many readers can greatly appreciate, especially considering the accuracy of the representations.
I truly do appreciate the strong character and world building as well as all points mentioned above that Bell brings in this piece, however it’s not for me. Anyone who enjoys fast paced work will agree. However, those who find a slower paced read more suited for them should pick this up. It’s a great read for beginners as well seeing as it isn’t to expansive so

This book was took me by surprise and in a direction I was totally not expecting (in a great way!) I really enjoyed the attention to detail that the author took, especially in relation to consent and the diverse representation of gender and sexuality (breaking down those binaries, woohoo!). And there were dragons, hell yeah!

I read the main character, Xelle, as someone who struggles with anxiety and is neurodivergent. I thought this was an extremely refreshing viewpoint, as I saw myself repented through Xelle at many times throughout the story (especially the never ending thoughts and worries). However, these traits did not hold Xelle back from being an interesting, heroic and intelligent character. I also appreciate that Xelle didn’t have to “overcome her flaws” but instead showed up as her true self. The confidence and kindness that Xelle displays towards the end of the book were wonderful, as she recognized that her thoughts and contributions are important and valid, and took control of the situation without resorting to violence.

I also enjoyed the fact that the author narrated the audiobook, as I think this allowed for such a perfect representation of Xelle, as the character was intended to be portrayed.

My one piece of feedback would be to include a legend of the different terms used in the book (ex. Hues, Pers, Ze Zem, etc). Perhaps this already exists in the physical copy of the book but as an audiobook reader I found it a bit hard to follow at first and would have found the ability to look up a legend of terms super helpful!

I’m dying to know what happens next! Thank you to #netgalley #atthisarts and the author.

This exploration of life with severe anxiety is so beautifully woven with magic and an absolute must-read!

It took me a little while to get into the use of language in Night Ivy by E.D.E Bell, but I really enjoyed the world that it helped to create. It was an interesting mix of science fiction and fantasy and though it started off slowly, the pace picks up quickly in the last third of the book. I had the opportunity to listen to an advanced audio arc of the book, which was narrated by the author. Listening to an author read their own work to you is a fantastic experience.

DNF at 45% - I’ve finally decided to put this down, because it’s clear I’m just not the audience for this book.

My prevailing impression of this book is that more words were used then were needed to tell it. I think if you enjoy books with a slice-of-life focus, this might be more your speed, but for me it was already dragging by the 25% mark. So many conversations happen on-page when there’s just no reason for it, and while in the beginning I appreciated the insight into Xelle’s neurodivergent (autistic?) experience of the world, I don’t need to be told the repetitive details of every single time she gets anxious about calculating payment or navigating an interaction that has little impact on the broader narrative etc.

As I’m writing this, it occurs to me that the author’s intention was potentially that the character’s neurodivergence is the POINT of the story — Xelle explains her experiences in both her internal monologue and outloud to other characters. Which would be great, if it was more strongly supported by the external plot for the sake of pacing and tension, but for me there just wasn’t enough propulsion for me to stay engaged. Like I said, the structure tends toward slow-paced slice-of-life rather than character driven, on account of there not being much drive.

That said, I thought the world was really interesting and unique. It’s queernorm with a cool pronoun system, and Xelle has some gender confusion/uncertainty that pops up occasionally. The focus of the magic system is the academic disciplines into which it’s siloed, and the hope of learning more about this is pretty much what kept me reading as long as I did.
I received a free copy of the audiobook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Thank You Netgalley, Atthis Arts LLC, and E.D.E. Bell for the audio version of Night Ivy. First off, I chose this book because of the description and Praises. I purchased the 2nd audio book in the series right away thinking of course I will love the series. The Audio is read by the author and no complaints there. I must warn others because I had a very hard time with the audio and had to purchase the book to tandem read as I was so confused even after re-reading 30% of the book a few times. I would have DNF almost immediately if I wasn't giving a review and definitely without the book to read along with. The Audio is only 8 hours, but I definitely put more time than that because I had to re-read sections to understand the story. So, with that said please note this is a new world with weird names-people, places, and things. Also note I had to do some research to understand pronouns. So, if you're into the LGBTQIA+ community and keeping up with verbiage this is for you. If new to it, like myself. Note that E, Ey, Em, Eir is you know short for they, them, their. I was confused with only hearing eir and e said so much along with all the names of places (To'Breath) and people (Vi'Arc). There were also words I am pretty sure made up for say the word taxi (Vroom). However, I feel like the last two chapters the author got lazy as the word taxi was used and not Vroom. I feel like trying to be so creative and new was lost on me. I appreciate learning more and not being ignorant as our world is changing. However, my rating is for the combo of the book and audio as I could not finish or understand most of the story without seeing the words. Also, I may read the second book just to find out what happens.

Sadly, this writing style is way too distracting. The comparisons are random enough that they take me out of the story, the names are ridiculous, and the audiobook narration is a bit flat. Not for me!

"Night Ivy" by E.D.E. Bell is book one of a fantasy trilogy. I want to read the rest of the trilogy now. I liked it and if you like fantasy you probably will, too.

There is a lot of world building in this one, and it is very well done. The world is called Allysia, and across the land are seven spires of different kinds of magic.

Xellenor is an advanced study (student) at TowArc, but she hasn't yet pledged to any tower and so she can't be called a mage. Instead of a Coming of Age, this is more of a Coming of Mage story.

Xelle is sent on a mission to another tower like a spy. There is travel and visiting of towns and the tower TowBreath. And..

There be dragons!

Characters - 4/5
Writing - 4/5
Plot - 5/5
Pacing - 4/5
Unputdownability - 4/5
Enjoyment - 4/5
Narration - 4/5 by the author
Cover - 3/5
Overall - 32/8 = 4 stars

Thank you to Netgalley, Atthis Arts, and E.D.E. Bell for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Will rate higher as I didn’t fully listen to the audiobook 🙈

Got about 30 mins in and had not grasped what happened at all. The narrators voice, unfortunately wasn’t for me, but don’t like that stop you listening!

The premise and the world building sounds good and the LGBTQIA+ rep intrigued me. Will considering picking the physical book up to read, but unfortunately just didn’t mesh with the audio version!

In a world of mages, dragons and political machinations, E.D.E Bell explores the struggle of coping with anxiety whilst balancing relationships, career and the complex web of power that the protagonist Xelle finds herself wrapped up in.

Though the pacing is quite slow and the lack of clarity for some terminology/names can be confusing at times, Xelle is a captivating character and her story is engaging throughout. I really appreciated the queer norm setting and I think the subject of mental health was handled extremely well.

I would love to explore this world further as the plot really started to get exciting towards the end of the book. Future entries could benefit from clearer explanations of the magic systems and deeper diving into the history and lore of the world.

The production quality of the audiobook is excellent and the author does a tremendous job with the narration.