Review 398
I gave this YA stand-alone fantasy (clean romance) by Ashley Poston a 4.5/5 stars. It has two points of view and written in first person past tense.
I don’t know why some books catch my attention so quickly and other don’t but this one definitely has. It flows smoothly and I’m already hooked. Why does Cerys have magic? Or is it a curse? What happened to her best friends brother? Is he actually dead? What will be her role when her best friend becomes queen? Why is Cerys seen as different just because her mother was an outsider?
Her connection with her father is adorable and genuine which makes her immensely likeable straight away.
Who is this Fox and what does he know that I don’t?
Aaah! Yes! Fox has a POV starting in chapter 8! I love this story so far because it’s unpredictable.
I love that the male heroine is a coward so far. It’s refreshing to have the hero be afraid.
Sometimes part of the internal monologue reminds me of Shatter me by Tahereh Mafi
At the halfway mark I’m liking how it already feels like all is lost so how can anything get worse? Yet there’s also the bit of hope in the possible magical city of Voryn as refuge.
In chapter 22 it’s confusing if the scene is a flashback of current time.
In chapter 24 Fox is becoming a bit too childish and wimpy.
I love the fog that protects the city. I love the viciousness of the bone eaters and the epicness of the Ancients. I’m pretty sure I already guests the twice and surprise for later, but it’s still exciting to wonder how they’ll find out.
So the transition between climatic scene and the last chapter felt abrupt and as if there were missed opportunities, but at least we got most of the answers we needed. Two of my expectations regarding Vala and the Grandmaster didn’t pan out the way I had expected. Also, it was tied a little too neatly in a bow.
Overall I love rotting woods stories and shadowed forests so this was right up my alley. Fox seemed a bit too juvenile for my taste but I still loved them as a balanced couple.
I’d give it a 4.5/5 stars and recommend it to others who like YA clean fantasy.