I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest and voluntary opinion, review, and rating.
This book was quite long but provided a lot of story. It follows Selestra as she and a doomed soldier, Nox, adventuring to avenge wrongdoings and seek freedom. There are parts that are Rapunzel inspired, but it’s not so overt that it takes away from the originality of the story.
One thing I always have a problem with in fantasy is the amount of hard to pronounce words that are contrived for the story. Some of the words in this novel seemed unnecessarily difficult, but it’s not a deal breaker by any means. I also wanted to know more about The Festival and those that find themselves desperate enough to make a deal with the king. I would have loved to see more of the predictions that Selestra’s mother made and how those people avoided death.
Some “twists” were easily decipherable while others were more of a surprise. But this is, overall, an above average novel with good storytelling. I would even be interested in some sort of prequel with Selestra’s ancestors and their rise to power.
4/5 stars
This book was quite long but provided a lot of story. It follows Selestra as she and a doomed soldier, Nox, adventuring to avenge wrongdoings and seek freedom. There are parts that are Rapunzel inspired, but it’s not so overt that it takes away from the originality of the story.
One thing I always have a problem with in fantasy is the amount of hard to pronounce words that are contrived for the story. Some of the words in this novel seemed unnecessarily difficult, but it’s not a deal breaker by any means. I also wanted to know more about The Festival and those that find themselves desperate enough to make a deal with the king. I would have loved to see more of the predictions that Selestra’s mother made and how those people avoided death.
Some “twists” were easily decipherable while others were more of a surprise. But this is, overall, an above average novel with good storytelling. I would even be interested in some sort of prequel with Selestra’s ancestors and their rise to power.
4/5 stars