[UPDATE]
So, a few days after posting this I finally finished, and these are my final thoughts:
- There was a very predictable character twist that I guessed as soon as they were introduced. That was disappointing.
- I don’t understand the infinite tie to the childhood love who, once again, acts like a child in ever further adulthood.
- The word “booty” is used for treasure and it seems inconsistent with the period of the novel.
- Warning: random softcore porn scene and a pedophilia reference
- The final section of the book seems rushed and the ending leaves much to be desired. And the reference to Merlin was clearly to sell the novel (and the second book) because it’s lacking in the Merlin department.
Final decision: 2.5 or 3 out of Five
Would not read the second book.
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This book has been wildly released since 2018, so if you’re looking for an easy YA read to get you out of a slump, this might be it. I’m halfway through but I fear that I might dive into my new books when they arrive (tomorrow!) that I forget about this one, so I wrote a quick ‘likes and dislikes’ review for the book, thus far:
Like:
– It’s a world founded on spirituality and concepts of healing
– The point of view from which it is written (Languoreth, the young woman) is easy to follow and read and gives the book a good perspective as if you’re immersed there as well
– It is interesting enough to keep you reading
– No character feels unnecessary
– I love that it’s about cult-like Christianity moving into Briton lands and pushing people from old world ways: very fitting for our times
– It’s historical fiction; it brings life to a long-forgotten woman (the twin sister of Merlin)
Dislikes:
– The end of chapter hooks are… not… “hooky” enough
– All. The. Confusing. Gaelic. Names. I literally had to look up the main character’s name for this post but apparently, this is historical fiction of sorts so the names haven’t just been made up to make your life difficult (cough, cough, Game of Thrones)
– The age (she goes from 10 to 14) is really bizarre; she sounds too wise for ten at the beginning of the book but then turns into a big baby sometimes, and at 14 she sounds like she’s 17 or 18, but then goes back into that baby mentality at points – I don’t understand it, it’s inconsistent
– She is attracted to a moody, angsty, boring character who ignores her, and I’m so sick of the moody loser being the love interest; he’s supposed to be around 24, grow up
– There could be more action but I suppose this is historical story development
– I didn’t know it was 544 pages when I agreed to read it (as a reviewer for NetGalley), and now I don’t want to leave it as a DNF because I actually like it (lol)
Currently, I rate this book a Three out of Five. There’s a second book to the series, but unless the ending of this one is super spectacular, I don’t anticipate that I will read it.
lifeofcloud 