2.5 stars (?) I have no clue how to rate this book as I enjoyed it. However, I know the writing has declined, and some scenes had me skipping over them2.5 stars (?) I have no clue how to rate this book as I enjoyed it. However, I know the writing has declined, and some scenes had me skipping over them/bit weirded out or annoyed lool ...more
I liked the vocabulary/writing that was intuitive of the victorian setting and liked the historical setting with fantasy element2.5 stars not sure tho
I liked the vocabulary/writing that was intuitive of the victorian setting and liked the historical setting with fantasy elements in winter.
However I didn't always feel that attached to the characters or perturbed about their circumstances as sometimes a personality trait would be establishing but then the author would go back and forth on it so that made it harder to connect to the characters (however I did like the developed sibling/sibling in law bond).
It was also a bit repetitive or slow at times, and I understand it's a short story but I read the novella 'six scorched roses' recently and comparatively, I feel that this story is less good at quickly developing a believable romance/intriguing plot and consistent characters (within the realm of character development), and would have worked better to be more fast pace with more plot development rather than just staying at the estate for agesss!!
SPOILERS AHEAD⚠️ However I do feel the romance was a bit wishy washy like the reason for them being apart felt a bit random/under developed/under-explained, like I get that it was due to miscommunication but the author doesn't explain why said miscommunication happened and is a bit contradictory about it - for example the author presents an additional reason (with Wrexam) as to why the miscommunication wasn't removed earlier with Wrexam saying he thought he didn't deserve her, despite 2 minutes ago the author emphasising how he was fighting to get her back and wouldn't stop (which we were told more than shown) and about how they were equals - in my opinion if he was truly insecure about whether he deserved her he wouldn't have been fighting as much to get her back.
Despite this, I did enjoy this at times with the world building and exploration of how human/elven politics mix, as well as character development with the fmc realising she didn't need her magic to find value, and finding value instead in teaching other women magic by opening the female magic school. I like how the author didn't go back on this by giving her magic back as that would've been a cheap way out of a character arc and gotten rid of any stakes in this series (in a similar way to a resurrection arc). Usually I don't like the trope where a female character loses their powers however with how this happened before the events of this book and how she was able to pass on her knowledge to fight misogyny of the magic world and teach women magic (rather than no women having magic at all) I didn't mind as much. I also liked seeing the lesbian rep in the other lady who was learning magic from the fmc.
Overall this book would've worked a lot better if it was fast paced, with less rushing through important moments (like the last 6 days where she had to search for a resolution to the bargain) by focusing less on slow repetitive moments, as well as a ...more
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