i started this book feeling it could be a new favourite. that feeling still remained by the end of it -- that is, i think that many will find joy and comfort in meda's (and kalcedon and oraik, my sunshine bisexual) journey/misadventure. all the right ingredients are there: found family; rivals to lovers (there's a cool as heck dynamic between them that you'll have to read and see); beautiful magic system; and finally a compelling underdog story in meda. i would definitely encourage everyone to enter this world and see it for yourself.

personally, i found myself growing more and more indiference towards this book the more pages turned. by the end, i just... didn't care? the pitfall for me was the central relationship between kalcedon and meda. frankly, they were WAY more interesting as individuals, especially meda with her goals. i did not want to root for them as a couple T__T; their bickering was cute for a bit, only a bit. meda spent more time ranting about how kalcedon was misusing his power than developing attraction for him (most of said attraction happened before this story even started), and when something inevitably sparked between them, i was the opposite of pleased. i must give it to oraik, however. the dude charmed me the first moment he appeared and continued to entertain me for the rest of it. he was the perfect sunshine to meda and kalcedon's grumpiness and i would not be able to survive those two without him. i would love to come back to this world if there's a book about him and his lover.

all in all, this was just fine for me. i hope that everyone else will have a better time than i did.

thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the E-ARC!

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this. The cover is really what drew my interest, and I was a little apprehensive when I started it, since I hadn’t heard too much about the book, but the writing was really good. The story sucked me right in, and I enjoyed reading from Mesa’s perspective. Of course, I loved the romance that bloomed between her and Kalcedon. Overall, I would absolutely recommend this book to Romantasy readers!

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for granting me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

"Minor Works of Meda" is an adult fantasy written by Juliette Caruso.

This book captivated me from the moment I saw it, partly because of the intriguing plot and partly because of the stunning cover. I had rather high expectations and jumped into the reading with great enthusiasm, but in the end I admit I came away rather disappointed.

The light and effervescent writing, the fast and brisk pace, and the short chapters are the elements I enjoyed most. Seriously, I devoured it in a matter of hours, unable to tear myself away from the pages, despite the fact that it did not convince me.

The story takes place in the Cachian Protectorate, a group of islands diverse in economy, society, and geography. An area shrouded by a powerful magical ward that protects the inhabitants from the cruel fae who dwell beyond the perimeter, preventing fae and those with traces of fae blood in their veins from crossing it, unless they want to die. I found it a simple, concise world building, limited to the bare minimum so as not to get lost. No details are given, many things remain unexplained, and at times this left me a bit puzzled. The magic system based on symbols to be engraved on fixed surfaces or drawn in the air via hand gestures intrigued me a lot, as did the cost that each spell requires and the fact that magic is the prerogative of those with fae blood in their veins. I repeat, it is all really very concise, but overall I was satisfied!

The story proceeds between travels, searches, chases, in an atmosphere that I found lacking in urgency or pathos. During the reading I never sensed any real danger, any real threat, since the problems are solved far too easily and far too quickly. I perceived numerous situations of convenience, various plot holes, with scenes inserted here and there a bit at random, just to push the narrative in the chosen direction. The ending then seemed to me rather rushed and chaotic! I also admit that I did not feel particularly engaged with the book. Yes, I read it with pleasure, but it did not convey anything to me and above all it did not move me.

Meda, protagonist with her only first person pov, left me rather lukewarm. On paper she had all the potential to win me over, but in practice she didn't. I don't know, I found her superficial and cold at times. Not in terms of personality, but in terms of writing. Kalcedon unfortunately follows the same fate, although I admit I found him a bit more interesting than Meda. Obviously my inability to bond with the characters affected the romance in a negative way, and I am so sorry! The relationship that develops between Meda and Kalcedon is a rivals to lovers (especially on Meda's part!) mixed with a grumpy x sunshine (actually a grumpy x grumpy/sunshine), tropes that I love so much! Only here they have not won me over and I am so sad about it!

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The cover of this book is actually stunning and I would pick this up any day no hesitation. Probably without even reading the blurb! But I am so grateful I did before requesting this ARC because OH MY GOSH. This is the perfect autumn fantasy! It’s cozy, heartwarming, but also still manages to be an emotional roller coaster. I absolutely ATE this book up in under three days. The writing style is absolute perfection and I will absolutely be recommending this book to my friends.

I was captivated by this novel from the first sentence. I had a hard time putting the book down because it had so many twists and turns. It was a really pleasant book to read overall, with an incredible plot.

I was very amused with how the conversations between Kalcedon, Meda and Oraik went. It was a roller coaster of a book and I loved every bit of it.

Thank you.

GENRE: Cozy Fantasy (to me at least)
RATING:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
FORMAT: eBook Arc
Would I recommend to others?: YESS! Minor Works of Meda has made it to my roman empire books list and I honestly loved this book. I loved everything about it, from the characters to the vibe to the story to every plot twist. So, yes, read it please

Review:
Minor Works of Meda is a fantasy book in which we follow the journey of Meda & Kalcedon and them attempting to fix the ward-spell faltering before their world is gone due to cruel faes. We get to know Meda as a witch and one who is clever but does not have the required power to achieve her dreams. However, her companion and rival, Kalcedon, has all the power she could ever wish but no desire to hone it and learn powerful skills.

We follow their journey and we get to know Meda more. Meda is a neurodivergent FMC who is a mixture of grumpy x sunshine. Kalcedon is also grumpy as well. This is one of my favourite trope (grumpy/sunshine x grumpy). Throughout the book, I could 100% relate to Meda and found myself thinking things like "I do that too Meda!!". I honestly loved getting to know Meda and thought that she was ambitious and never gave up on her goal. Kalcedon, on the other hand, is grumpy and is meant to be her rival. However, you can tell that he feels for Meda and she doesnt quite realise it (Come on MEDA!! He clearly has feelings for you).

Minor Works of Meda is a journey and a story in which we see character development and watch the characters begin to learn to trust themselves and learn how to find love & friendship in a world that has cast them away and labelled them as "different". We come to love Meda & Kalcedon and come to understand the world from their view.

While I do label this book as cozy fantasy, it is filled with adventures and we go through many plot twists throughout the book and reach a satisfying ending. I would have loved to learn a bit more about the world that Minor Work of Meda is based in but most of my questions were answered by the end of the book.

Thank you to the author for allowing me to beta read this book in exchange for my honest opinion and reviews.