I'm SCREAMINGGGG at how cute the romance in this book is. It's a good 'ol will-they-won't-they slow burn, and I am HERE for it. I haven't been this in love with a fictional man since George Freaking Cooper (Song of the Lioness Series). In other words, it's been a LONG time. Kellyn is a sweet, compassionate mercenary and we love to see it.
The next best thing is my girl Ziva, the tall smithy that can whisper magic into her creations. She's better with metal than she is people, and I can certainly relate. The author's depiction of her social anxiety was so spot-on for me. I think that's why this book totally works in first person: we get a front-row seat to the spiraling thoughts that come with anxiety. YET, I didn't ever feel like it was heavy-handed. Does it mean sometimes Ziva says or does the wrong thing? Yeah. But if you struggle with anxiety, you know that sh!t happens sometimes, and your brain does its damndest to convince you that the world is against you. YES, even when all signs point to something being GOOD, that doubt remains. For me, that was relatable as hell.
Despite Ziva's battle with her anxiety, she grows as a character and learns how to push her boundaries in a way that is healthy. She isn't perfect, but she tries. And I love that for her. It's amazing to have a character who has such a whirlwind internal struggle and still has the strength to face it down. That's yet another thing I admire. I've see some criticism that internally she struggles yet externally she's more or less fine, and that it somehow makes the representation bad. But I have extreme social anxiety and I'm forced to face it all the time! I probably (hopefully) seem fine on the outside all the time. So personally, it really worked for me.
The other two characters in our band of misfits are also wonderfully fleshed out, and I love the distinct feeling each person has. Not to mention, the banter between our four heroes is top-notch. I genuinely enjoyed the dialogue and how the characters interact with each other.
Readers, take note that on occasion, the conflict can have to do with miscommunication. I'm tired of the miscommunication trope as much as the next person, yet in this case, I feel like it's done with a careful hand. Levenseller chooses only the things that make sense. Without spoiling anything, the characters are still learning to trust each other. And, in some cases, social anxiety facilitates miscommunication. This is done VERY lightly, and in my opinion, just enough to be believable without being frustrating. However, I hope the sequel continues to be this light-handed.
The story itself was entertaining, if not open-ended. Because the general plot was just "hide from enemies," this left a lot of room for surprises in the flow of the story. This unpredictability made for a good time, and even better character interaction/development. While it wasn't revolutionary for a fantasy plot, I did find it refreshing. Ziva and her friends are not your typical heroes, and they're not out there fighting evil and trying to save the day. That was plenty to keep me hooked.
And then, of course, there's the romance. There's no spice in this book, which is YA, and there doesn't need to be. What we get is so perfect and sweet: Levenseller really knows how to build the tension and longing. Give me more anticipation! It makes the payoff sooooo much better.
The only thing I think would improve the book is more detailed world building. I have no problem believing that this is a medieval-ish fantasy. However, every once in a while, Levenseller employs a term or concept that doesn't seem to fit. Granted, this isn't OUR world, so it doesn't have to play by our world's rules. There are plenty of modern-ish, medieval-ish fantasies that work. (The ones that come to mind are Galavant and the Ella Enchanted movie.) But I think that could be better established in the book. Instead, I'm left to wonder if those are simply mistakes or misunderstandings. For example, in the first few chapters, the characters go to a "restaurant" and order off menus from a waitress. It was jarring, since most fantasies tend to have taverns and barkeeps...and I'm pretty sure menus are fairly modern.
The kingdom also had some surprising geographical elements. Like apparently they've got every type of biome right next to each other on one map, though this is never explained well. At one point they go somewhere in the middle of the map and suddenly refer to it as the tropics, but also there are penguins? These things don't ruin the story for me, but they did give me pause.
Ultimately though, this promises to be a phenomenal duology, and I can't wait for book 2! Thankfully, I won't have to wait too long. If you're a fan of Tamora Pierce, I think you'll enjoy this.
The next best thing is my girl Ziva, the tall smithy that can whisper magic into her creations. She's better with metal than she is people, and I can certainly relate. The author's depiction of her social anxiety was so spot-on for me. I think that's why this book totally works in first person: we get a front-row seat to the spiraling thoughts that come with anxiety. YET, I didn't ever feel like it was heavy-handed. Does it mean sometimes Ziva says or does the wrong thing? Yeah. But if you struggle with anxiety, you know that sh!t happens sometimes, and your brain does its damndest to convince you that the world is against you. YES, even when all signs point to something being GOOD, that doubt remains. For me, that was relatable as hell.
Despite Ziva's battle with her anxiety, she grows as a character and learns how to push her boundaries in a way that is healthy. She isn't perfect, but she tries. And I love that for her. It's amazing to have a character who has such a whirlwind internal struggle and still has the strength to face it down. That's yet another thing I admire. I've see some criticism that internally she struggles yet externally she's more or less fine, and that it somehow makes the representation bad. But I have extreme social anxiety and I'm forced to face it all the time! I probably (hopefully) seem fine on the outside all the time. So personally, it really worked for me.
The other two characters in our band of misfits are also wonderfully fleshed out, and I love the distinct feeling each person has. Not to mention, the banter between our four heroes is top-notch. I genuinely enjoyed the dialogue and how the characters interact with each other.
Readers, take note that on occasion, the conflict can have to do with miscommunication. I'm tired of the miscommunication trope as much as the next person, yet in this case, I feel like it's done with a careful hand. Levenseller chooses only the things that make sense. Without spoiling anything, the characters are still learning to trust each other. And, in some cases, social anxiety facilitates miscommunication. This is done VERY lightly, and in my opinion, just enough to be believable without being frustrating. However, I hope the sequel continues to be this light-handed.
The story itself was entertaining, if not open-ended. Because the general plot was just "hide from enemies," this left a lot of room for surprises in the flow of the story. This unpredictability made for a good time, and even better character interaction/development. While it wasn't revolutionary for a fantasy plot, I did find it refreshing. Ziva and her friends are not your typical heroes, and they're not out there fighting evil and trying to save the day. That was plenty to keep me hooked.
And then, of course, there's the romance. There's no spice in this book, which is YA, and there doesn't need to be. What we get is so perfect and sweet: Levenseller really knows how to build the tension and longing. Give me more anticipation! It makes the payoff sooooo much better.
The only thing I think would improve the book is more detailed world building. I have no problem believing that this is a medieval-ish fantasy. However, every once in a while, Levenseller employs a term or concept that doesn't seem to fit. Granted, this isn't OUR world, so it doesn't have to play by our world's rules. There are plenty of modern-ish, medieval-ish fantasies that work. (The ones that come to mind are Galavant and the Ella Enchanted movie.) But I think that could be better established in the book. Instead, I'm left to wonder if those are simply mistakes or misunderstandings. For example, in the first few chapters, the characters go to a "restaurant" and order off menus from a waitress. It was jarring, since most fantasies tend to have taverns and barkeeps...and I'm pretty sure menus are fairly modern.
The kingdom also had some surprising geographical elements. Like apparently they've got every type of biome right next to each other on one map, though this is never explained well. At one point they go somewhere in the middle of the map and suddenly refer to it as the tropics, but also there are penguins? These things don't ruin the story for me, but they did give me pause.
Ultimately though, this promises to be a phenomenal duology, and I can't wait for book 2! Thankfully, I won't have to wait too long. If you're a fan of Tamora Pierce, I think you'll enjoy this.