When I read the First Look for this book, I felt hooked by worldbuilding and intrigue of this book. Caspian and his obsession with a girl he paints over and over, a war between two Houses that serves as a backdrop for political intrigue, it was all very powerful for a beginning.
Reading this book, it definitely took some time getting into the story. Despite the explosive beginning, the characters and the overall plot take some time getting warmed up to the action and tension I expected from the first few chapters. For one thing, both Darling and Talon take some getting used to. The book fluctuates between their POVs, meaning that it takes a bit longer for the reader to get used to their character and what makes them different. I enjoyed Darling's chapters, as she has a very unique perspective, with her Chaos-magic eyes and her healing boon. She approaches things with caution and due to the genocide of her family by House Dragon, she has a score to settle that means all her interactions with the people of House Dragon are strained and packed with hate. Except for when it comes to Talon.
Talon is a pretty typical male MC in the fantasy genre. He's bred for war, he is gruff and only friendly to family/close friends, and he will do anything to protect his brother, who is always making life difficult for him. I always knew how he would approach things because he is a predictable character, but I still enjoyed watching him and Darling grow closer. This book definitely follows the enemies-to-lovers trope (to varying degrees of success). The thing that this book suffers from in the romance department is that Talon and Darling fall for each other much too quickly. I would not call it insta-love, per se, but it's pretty close. They become curious very quickly and it doesn't take long for them to feel romantically towards one another. This might, however, be due to the fast-paced nature of the story.
The one issue I had with this book is pacing. For a not very long book, it takes quite a bit to get going. But once it does, the plot takes over and it becomes a driving force, pushing you through the story. The political intrigue, the tensions between the Houses, the violence throughout definitely lead this to be a very action-oriented story. But this unfortunately has the side-effect of diminishing the character development. I felt like more space was given to developing the world and the plot, especially after the first quarter of the book, so that there isn't much space for the characters to really grow. By the end of the book, I don't feel like they have much depth and the relationships feel very one-dimensional, which is a shame, because I think the authors have created some very interesting personalities to people this story.
I would still recommend this book. Fantasy lovers will find many things to enjoy from this first installment in the series. There's quite a bit of action, the war/politics will keep you guessing, and the romance is decent and doesn't seem too sappy or typical. There is room for improvement, but I think this is often a problem with books that are co-authored, as it makes it difficult, unless the authors really mesh, for the story to feel cohesive and fully-formed.
Reading this book, it definitely took some time getting into the story. Despite the explosive beginning, the characters and the overall plot take some time getting warmed up to the action and tension I expected from the first few chapters. For one thing, both Darling and Talon take some getting used to. The book fluctuates between their POVs, meaning that it takes a bit longer for the reader to get used to their character and what makes them different. I enjoyed Darling's chapters, as she has a very unique perspective, with her Chaos-magic eyes and her healing boon. She approaches things with caution and due to the genocide of her family by House Dragon, she has a score to settle that means all her interactions with the people of House Dragon are strained and packed with hate. Except for when it comes to Talon.
Talon is a pretty typical male MC in the fantasy genre. He's bred for war, he is gruff and only friendly to family/close friends, and he will do anything to protect his brother, who is always making life difficult for him. I always knew how he would approach things because he is a predictable character, but I still enjoyed watching him and Darling grow closer. This book definitely follows the enemies-to-lovers trope (to varying degrees of success). The thing that this book suffers from in the romance department is that Talon and Darling fall for each other much too quickly. I would not call it insta-love, per se, but it's pretty close. They become curious very quickly and it doesn't take long for them to feel romantically towards one another. This might, however, be due to the fast-paced nature of the story.
The one issue I had with this book is pacing. For a not very long book, it takes quite a bit to get going. But once it does, the plot takes over and it becomes a driving force, pushing you through the story. The political intrigue, the tensions between the Houses, the violence throughout definitely lead this to be a very action-oriented story. But this unfortunately has the side-effect of diminishing the character development. I felt like more space was given to developing the world and the plot, especially after the first quarter of the book, so that there isn't much space for the characters to really grow. By the end of the book, I don't feel like they have much depth and the relationships feel very one-dimensional, which is a shame, because I think the authors have created some very interesting personalities to people this story.
I would still recommend this book. Fantasy lovers will find many things to enjoy from this first installment in the series. There's quite a bit of action, the war/politics will keep you guessing, and the romance is decent and doesn't seem too sappy or typical. There is room for improvement, but I think this is often a problem with books that are co-authored, as it makes it difficult, unless the authors really mesh, for the story to feel cohesive and fully-formed.