Let me start by saying I was really excited to read this book, the story had such potential! But it didn't live up to my expectations.

For the first half of the book I was really confused with what was happening and the second half I was slightly less confused but only because everything was overly explained. I just felt that the story was jumped into way to quickly like I started reading the book halfway through.

This book was okay, not good but also not bad. Just wished it had lived up to the story I expected more.

"It’s a dumping ground for residual magic. It has mutated the animals that live inside into hideous creatures and other things. I’d rather not have them following us." - Reynolds to Naomi

Magic, adventure, and something dark are all things one might expect to follow reading such a quotation. Sure enough, Candace J. Thomas does not disappoint, and readers are left scurrying after Naomi Bucklingdown, the protagonist of Vivatera, as kicks it off with her running for her life.

However, we are not only following Naomi’s story, Vivatera recounts the harrowing adventures of Reynolds Fairborne, Zander, and several other characters - all experiencing their own struggles in different parts of Parbraven, the magical world Thomas has created. Chapters are written from a third person point of view and at times several chapters can follow one character’s travels before switching over to a different character elsewhere. This type of gradual change is very beneficial – especially in a book that is setting up for readers to read future books in the series.

This fact, that Vivatera is the first in the series, is important to keep in mind because many of the critiques about this book stem from the time spent setting up the world, characters, and other background information.

Several times I found myself wondering who a referenced character was and/or if I was supposed to know that individual or if it would be revealed later on. This was because Thomas repeatedly introduces historical figures, other characters or mythical creatures in the world of Parbraven without any follow-up. Sometimes this technique of waiting to reveal more works out, but this was happening so often, it distracted from the main story.

Typically, I am engrossed by the main character of a book simply because that is who the author reveals the most about, making it easy to form either a love or hate relationship with and for that character. Unfortunately, Naomi did not stand out in either a positive or a negative manner for me, neither did Reynolds – though, I will admit his anguished background gave him more depth.

Speaking of Naomi and Reynolds, one has to wonder about their relationship. It is hinted at the back of the book, it is hinted from the first chapter and it is something that lurks over the entirety of the story. Now, I love a good mystery, but while reading Vivatera this relationship began to feel forced – especially because it is just THERE in your face right from the get-go. Of course, by the end of the book, it is established that there is a proper reason for their connection. Nevertheless, when first reading the book I almost felt like this was making a farce of the cliché, “love at first sight”. I believe Thomas could have spent more time exploring Naomi and Reynolds relationship and connection without making it feel forced or simply as a means to keep the plot moving.

Despite these critiques, Vivatera is a book I would recommend to anyone interested in Science Fiction, Fantasy and Young Adult books.

Why?

Firstly, look at the title Vivatera, which can be broken down to Viva and Tera. Viva is used typically as an utterance of spontaneous feeling in the Romance languages, such as Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian expressing one’s desire for someone, or something else to live. Tera is similar to Terra which is Latin for country, region or even earth. Now I cannot tell for certain what Candance J. Thomas meant, but I interpreted the title Vivatera as a shout out for the world Thomas is creating to live and flourish.

And quite simply put, Candance J. Thomas did an amazing job with the world building in Vivatera. Readers will be transported into a magical world where nothing can be expected because everything is fresh and unique. In many ways, it feels like watching the beginning of the universe itself, which I suppose is true in this case since it’s the first book in the series.

Thomas also does a superb job on exploring how magic can exist in her universe and how it can be utilized by creatures and humans alike, this left me wanting to see what will come next in the series simply to see how things will progress further.

I mentioned character depth and development as a critique earlier, but I must also mention it as a positive in regards to the side characters.

Candance J. Thomas deserves credit for making me fall in love with several of the side characters, such as Zander and Ferra. Ferra's wild and quirky nature really made her likable, while other characters were relatable and more realistic, providing a depth to their backgrounds and personalities that made me want to learn more about them or follow them.

"Mischief was printed all over Ferra’s face. ‘Remember, not all is what it seems.'" - Ferra to Naomi

Maybe that should be the summary of Vivatera because more of often than not readers will find themselves discovering twists that are not always predictable and this, dear readers, is the real power behind the intricacy with which Candance J. Thomas weaves her story.

Overall, I give Vivatera 3 / 5 STARS.

I did not end Vivatera with a million and one unanswered questions – something I am eternally grateful for - nor did I end the book with a burning need to immediately go out and buy the next book in the series. However, Thomas’s ending provides closure to the majority of the questions that popped into my head during my reading and it does so in a way that feels like a natural conclusion to this current chapter in the lives of the characters we met. I genuinely want to pick up the next book just to know what will happen to Naomi, Reynolds, and the rest of the gang in the future – it makes me want to read until the last star, the brightest of all, finishes its journey across Parbraven!

I was really looking forward to reading this book. The plot sounded exciting and different to anything I'd read before, however it just didn't live up to the expectations I had. 

I felt like the I'd been thrown into the middle of the book as soon as I started. The characters were all vague with no real backstory. There was no world building, no depth. I didn't particularly enjoy the writing style either. It was as if there were a million ideas and all noted down in the order events were due to take place, but no time taken to blend them together, absolutely nothing for your imagination to thrive off, as well as far too many brief, boring introductions to characters.. I found myself lose interest in this book from 10% in and it was honestly a struggle to continue.

Vivatera is a really interesting concept. It was an enjoyable read, but the story felt kind of disjointed in places, and I was left wanting more information about the world of Vivatera and its rules that just wasn’t there. It almost felt like the reader was expected to have some background knowledge, like a second or third book in a series rather than the first. One aspect in particular that I think would’ve benefitted from more explanation is the presence of magic in that world - I’m still not sure of how it works or what it’s rules are. It’s entirely possible that this will be addressed in further books, and maybe the “mysteriousness” is part of the overall plot - it just didn’t work for me personally. I’m also not sure I connected enough with Naomi or the other characters to continue the series. However, again I really liked the concept of Vivatera, and I think readers who enjoy high fantasy should give this series a chance.

I requested Vivatera based on the intriguing plot of a fallen king and his daughters protecting elements as well as the cover looking a LOT like Caraval/Legendary covers so I thought it was a missing Novella from that series 🤦 PS. It's obviously not. 

The beginning of Vivatera is almost too fast paced. Suddenly everything changes and we aren't given background. We're thrown into action with very minimal explanation or illucidation. 

I did like the gradual introduction of different viewpoints throughout the book but it does jump around a lot between characters and this sometimes makes things feel disjointed.

The plot is VERY slow building and  juxtaposed with fast paced action it's an interesting combo. The action keeps you reading but you don't really know what is happening or why a lot of the time. 😩

It feels like lots of little bits are missing and the plot isn't fully fleshed out and it's being rushed or forced into a word count and this is my main issue with the book. 😢 Need to show not tell. Lots of potentially emotional moments but they all missed the mark because we were told by characters dialogue and assumed we'd just accept it but never by showing us with actions and reactions and building emotions and connections 🤷 

My other issue is that the main "couple" if you'd call it that,  is pretty much insta-love except there isn't even any interaction. She gets kidnapped, then abandoned, and suddenly she's in love with someone she's never met, hardly interacted with and has no reason to give a shit about to be honest but suddenly she's risking her life for him... 🙄 

Overall, it was a huge let down. I was really excited for this and there is still so much potential in the plot and thats why I kept reading in case a twist put everything together but ultimately it fell flat 😭

I really appreciated the world building and secondary character arcs; however, I found that some aspects of the plot felt disjointed or rushed. Obviously some plot points are obscurred for a future reveal,, but it sometimes felt too vague or not well planned. Additionally, I was waiting for more character growth. There is a lot of potential in this series— I hope to read more!

The Vivatera is the story of a girl named Naomi discovering the mystery that is herself in a mythical world full of people and creatures which may or may not be trying to help her. She is a mystery to herself and most others with an unfortunate past, a shaky present and a very unknown future.  The story truly was amazing, it could have benefited from a little extra editing but it was so multidimensional that I have really high hopes for the story and especially the character development in the book(s) to come.

I really enjoyed this book, an intriguing story.
I was held from the get go, very well written, and a very good take on magic.
I will be looking for the second in this series ASAP.

Vivatera had an intriguing synopsis. The actual story, however, fell flat. The story is the death of the king and his daughters have magic that could save the kingdom. The character Naomi meets this guy for ten minutes then takes off with him and falls for him and etc. Yes, I completely trust any man I've spoken to for at least ten minutes. Seriously? Just not believable enough for me. The story could have been great if it were more put together. Unfortunately, I had no connection with this story. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

The blurb and start of the book leads me to think that the story would be enjoyable for someone who reads the entire book; however, I did not finish this as I couldn't get into the writing style, which tended towards short sentences and felt stilted. I don't know if this was deliberate but it felt as if the story was targeted towards a much younger audience because of that.

I'm not a huge fantasy fan (and I'm way beyond YA age), but this was a fun quest story thoughtfully told. Good writing and plenty of action with solid character building. I recommend this imaginative book to people that like a story.

This book’s synopsis says something about the King dying with each of his daughters possessing a magical element to keep the world’s balance…but I just didn’t get that. From the start, readers are put into the shoes of Naomi, who has a matching birthmark with one of the princesses. On her way to the royal, she gets kidnapped by a mysterious stranger, and they journey together because apparently he knows the truth about her and a danger she would bring if her identity was discovered by anyone else.

I felt like Vivatera had so much potential to me, but it just fell short of my expectations. I would’ve wanted more of an introductory scene with the king and the other princesses before diving into Naomi being kidnapped and immediately trusting a stranger after knowing him for five minutes and then falling for him without much development. I felt little-to-no attachment to the characters, and I had to stop reading the book at around 25% because I just felt so bored. The writing wasn’t bad though, it just felt very rushed.

Going into this book, I really wanted to like it, but it just didn't happen. I felt like things were very rushed in the beginning and it still bothers me how Naomi completely turns to trust a man whom she's only met for 5 minutes. It's not just that, but I couldn't find a way to actually like and connect with the characters. This story definitely had potential,  but sadly it didn't work of me.

I found this book easy to get into, the writing style made it simple to lose yourself in the world.
I wan't too fond of the characters, we just didn't gel, I struggled to feel for them, which did take away from the books overall rating.
Well written and an engaging, original idea.