So I was a little underwhelmed with the first few chapters, I will admit this. Not that I didn't like it necessarily, I just wasn't invested yet? But! When I did begin to become invested, I was all in. So if you aren't feeling it at the very start, give it a second, because it was very much worth it for me!
I absolutely adored Marlow! She is wonderfully imperfect, and certainly has a lot of issues going on in her own life. Her mom is missing, for one, which is obviously not ideal. And she has a hard time letting people in in general, because she was hurt in the past. Frankly, she's rather curmudgeonly, but in an empathetic and likable way.
I adored her rapport with Adrius. They are both really well developed, so it genuinely felt like two former friends trading barbs. But you can also tell that behind the banter are some serious mixed and hurt feelings, on both sides. I loved getting to explore that dynamic.
I also enjoyed the cursebreaking aspect, which is saying a lot because magic systems and I are hit or miss. But this one was a hit. I liked that it took not just magic, but a lot of intelligence and sleuthing to figure these curses out. And Marlow certainly has her hands full! In addition, it seems like a very scant number of people in this world are to be trusted- and that isn't just Marlow's jaded outlook, it just is the truth. So I loved getting to try to figure out who Marlow should trust at the same time that she is trying to decipher the same thing.
Bottom Line: Loved the characters, loved the plot, and am so glad I gave this one a full chance!
I absolutely adored Marlow! She is wonderfully imperfect, and certainly has a lot of issues going on in her own life. Her mom is missing, for one, which is obviously not ideal. And she has a hard time letting people in in general, because she was hurt in the past. Frankly, she's rather curmudgeonly, but in an empathetic and likable way.
I adored her rapport with Adrius. They are both really well developed, so it genuinely felt like two former friends trading barbs. But you can also tell that behind the banter are some serious mixed and hurt feelings, on both sides. I loved getting to explore that dynamic.
I also enjoyed the cursebreaking aspect, which is saying a lot because magic systems and I are hit or miss. But this one was a hit. I liked that it took not just magic, but a lot of intelligence and sleuthing to figure these curses out. And Marlow certainly has her hands full! In addition, it seems like a very scant number of people in this world are to be trusted- and that isn't just Marlow's jaded outlook, it just is the truth. So I loved getting to try to figure out who Marlow should trust at the same time that she is trying to decipher the same thing.
Bottom Line: Loved the characters, loved the plot, and am so glad I gave this one a full chance!