I’ve got a lot of mixed feelings about this one. On one hand, the beginning was extremely confusing and kinda difficult to get though, imo. I felt this way with Wings of Ebony, too. J Elle likes to start right in the action, but she does so in a way that feels hard to get your bearings. I think a part of it is that her characters are a part of a magical world they know nothing about. So we’re just as confused as they are, and Quell’s story is no exception. I’m not a fan of narratives that like to keep you in the dark about crucial world building just for the heck of it, which is a bit what it felt like.
To make matters worse, no one explained anything to Quell! She was thrust into a magical new world with tons of rules, and no one bothered to sit her down and explain anything??? The characters knew she was in the dark, but just expected her to fall in line. So important lore about the world and the magic system were sprinkled in haphazardly, and I kept wondering “who taught her that?” Because Quell seemed to suddenly know a lot for a person who knew nothing about magic.
That being said, after the first part or two, the book settles into the main story, which is Quell trying to fit into this magical debutante society. I loved this part. I thought the academy concept was great, the magic (when it made sense) was really compelling and special, and I enjoyed the academy vibes. I think some of the characters could have been explored on a deeper level, but overall I really enjoyed them.
The end kinda threw me for a loop, but it definitely made me interested to know what happens next.
I don’t think the comp to Bridgerton is a good one—it’s not a historical romance at all. It would have been better to comp to something like The Selection and maybe…Vampire Academy? But I know those are much older series so maybe not the most relevant.
To make matters worse, no one explained anything to Quell! She was thrust into a magical new world with tons of rules, and no one bothered to sit her down and explain anything??? The characters knew she was in the dark, but just expected her to fall in line. So important lore about the world and the magic system were sprinkled in haphazardly, and I kept wondering “who taught her that?” Because Quell seemed to suddenly know a lot for a person who knew nothing about magic.
That being said, after the first part or two, the book settles into the main story, which is Quell trying to fit into this magical debutante society. I loved this part. I thought the academy concept was great, the magic (when it made sense) was really compelling and special, and I enjoyed the academy vibes. I think some of the characters could have been explored on a deeper level, but overall I really enjoyed them.
The end kinda threw me for a loop, but it definitely made me interested to know what happens next.
I don’t think the comp to Bridgerton is a good one—it’s not a historical romance at all. It would have been better to comp to something like The Selection and maybe…Vampire Academy? But I know those are much older series so maybe not the most relevant.