ā
ā
ā
ā
ā
5
Outstanding Indie Fantasy! You NEED to read this!
I have started and deleted my intro to my review multiple times at this point. My mind is sufficiently BLOWN. This book has landed itself into my top favorite romantasies right alongside ACOTAR and FBAA. ITS SO DANG GOOD. I literally woke up, popped it open on my kindle app (Thanks author and R&R Book Tours for the arc!) and got to reading and just didnāt stop. I couldnāt stop. From the first dang page, Menard dragged my butt in and tied me down. I. Was. HOOKED.
Writing Style: I absolutely love the writerās style! Told from mainly Millaās POV, with the occasional glance into Nicoās POV when its important. Her world building is rich and immersive, sticking firmly into the steampunk/gas lamp fantasy atmosphere. Her magic systemāwhile feeling familiarāstill feels unique and blends beautifully with the world sheās created.
Characters: I canāt begin to describe how much I love the characters Menard has created for this story. Milla is a firestorm. Sheās passionate, fiesty, loyal, and self confident. She doesnāt back down, no matter the odds. For me, personally, sheās ranking right up there with Feyre (ACOTAR), Poppy (FBAA), and Sera (FBAA prequel) as one of my favorite female leads. Despite her fierceness, sheās not invincible and sheās still vulnerableāwhich unveils itself more as the story goes on.
Nico, mmmmmmmm, Nico. Heās cocky, and strong. His heart is for his blood and family. Thereās nothing he wonāt do for those he cares for. Heās incredibly insightful which leads to a lot of me squeeing and highlighting his quotes. Pairing him up with Milla is a riot I will watch again and again.
The side characters are all phenomenal, ranging wide in personalities and giving the world a richer vibrancy. They compliment both main characters, bringing out the best and worst in them, helping to bring secrets to light and keep the plot going. Not a single character felt out of place, or ever out of character.
Relationship: Yāall know I love a good slow burn and this burns so good. The push and pull of their hate/love relationship is a thrill to witness. Watching them fall for each other is a joy and the spice (when we get there) is HAWT.
Plot: This story had me hooked, and thatās largely in thanks to how well planned out the storyās plot is. Menard did an excellent job, masterfully balancing her foreshadowing and reveals. While I halfway guessed the big reveal, i definitely did not expect the big reveal. (Read the book, then youāll understand lmao). The pacing is fantastic. Nothing about the story felt rushed, not the relationship, not the reveals, not the over arching plot line. Just absolutely phenomenal.
Enjoyment: 100/10 will read again. I need a physical copy in my life. I HIGHLY recommend this book.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2023