I HAVE TO SAY…

SYNOPSIS

Audra is living her life when her world gets turned upside down and she’s abducted by fae priestesses and forced onto a boat leading who knows where?

What could happen?

RECAP AND REVIEW

Thank you to the author, Netgalley, and Avon and Harper Voyager for an arc!

Out now!

This is the first book in an upcoming series.

The world building leans heavily into romantasy elements with there being different realms, including a fae realm, different classes of magic, and an eternal (desolate) winter. Plotwise, the book gives dark academia vibes due to Audra’s circumstances in the magical war academy.

The romance parts of this book are there just more so on the backburner. For me, I wasn’t disappointed about it and actually like that this book focused on grasping the world and who Audra is, though the MMC may actually be my favorite character in this book. I did want more of him, but the moments between him and Audra were enough for me to hold on to. It was a cat and mouse dynamic because of the circumstances and I loved it.

Audra is eldest daughter coded and has lots of responsibilities. She doesn’t think much about what she wants because there are things she has to do to take care of her family. Audra is stubborn, opting to handle things on her own, stuff her feelings down, and look for her own answers. Even though sometimes I was annoyed with her stubbornness, indecision, and inaction, Audra has been through a lot and carries it all with her, so I have to give her grace.

Different plot points in this book have different vibes which shifts the tone of it. In the beginning, I think Audra is relatively confident, with a good head on her shoulders. She is street smart, doesn’t take anyone’s shit, and gets things done because she has to. As the story continues on, she becomes more fearful and insecure which leads to feelings of being trapped and overwhelm up until the climax.

I think my only real critique of the story is how accepting all the students seem to be of their new circumstances. Everyone wants to succeed and do well, and while the motivations behind that are explained and it makes sense, it is still a little hard to believe none of the people Audra befriended questioned their circumstances, questioned what they were being taught, or even tried to snoop around or plan a way out of the environment with Audra.

Everyone pretty much decided to excel at being students and though I get that it was life or death, that shift did take me out of it a little, even though I understand why. I think reading about more people who were defiant and made into lessons would’ve made a difference.

That being said, I really enjoyed this book, the world, and the characters. This book has commentary about propaganda, xenophobia, classism, destiny and fate, fear, morality, and the natural balance of things if you choose to engage with it in a more…”challenging” way 😉

Read for:

✨ Dark Academia Vibes

✨ War Academy

✨ Magical Trials

✨ Fae, Demons, & Humans

✨ Prophecies Intertwined

✨ Found Family

OVERALL

Overall, I give this story a 4.25 out of 5 stars. I was hooked the entire time reading it and excited to see what would happen next. I really enjoy this author’s writing and am looking forward to seeing how this series ends. Even with my critiques, I enjoyed so much about this book, and I definitely recommend this to dark academia and romantasy lovers.