A promising novel that in the end was quite underwhelming.

I didn't like Phænor, nor any other characters in the book. Her cousins, her mother and grandmother were annoying and there's no real relationship between any of them. Things just happen to our main character and it doesn't make any sense that she's even involved in the plot in the first time. She doesn't have any powers or important information that others don't have.
She's conveniently overhearing the exact information she needed for the next plot step.
There's lots of talking, explaining and dialogue that isn't necessary and doesn't add anything to the story. She reads really young, but then she gives speeches to others on how they should behave (wolf canis situation).
The motivations are not clear enough for my liking. I can see that the author had some great ideas, but the execution wasn't one that I enjoyed.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book was action packed and the world building was amazing without being overwhelming. I couldn't put it down.

This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review. I will.not be reviewing this book as it was archived before I could begin reading it.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, especially as I tend to like fantasy books with a lot of action. I loved the world that was created in this book and you could easily imagine it. Additionally, fantasy books can sometimes take a while to introduce the world that the story is set, but this book didn’t and action occurred pretty quickly. I also thought that the names of the characters in this book were lovely and original.

Phæ’enor’s character development was also beautiful as she became her own person and was determined to help those she cared about. Phæ’enor is also a cleverly written protagonist who is very likeable and witty, with a very strong moral compass. I can’t wait to read the next book of this series.

20% through and I just couldn't do it anymore. The writing needs work and proper grammar, the protagonist is narcissistic but supposed to be likeable, Andi just did not care in the slightest.

It was too difficult to get into. I kept trying to read it but DNF. The main character was too unlikeable. Usually, that sort of thing doesn't bother me, but I couldn't get past it this time. It might also be easier to read with a physical copy. Sometimes with complicated story lines, j prefer physical over digital.

I hate to say it, but I DNF’d this book at 25%. The story was interesting enough, but the writing was hard to follow a lot of the time and I couldn’t keep myself interested.

Not a bad story, below average writing, but definitely shows a lot of promise!

This is a story set in an obviously large world with a number of politics, ongoings, empires and cultures. There is an air of mystery to the world and certainly some of the characters as you progress through the story.
That said, I think I hate the main character. Phae'nor is meant to be seventeen and has all the behaviour and demeanour of a twelve year old. Rasia is far more interesting and we get only glimpses of his world, through Phae'nor's eyes. I'd put Prince Taigor in the same category as Rasia as someone more interesting and want to more about over the main character. By the end I'd also put her cousins into this list. They got very interesting towards the middle/end of the book.

The writing is a little...unnecessary in some places, for lack of a better term. The crash, bang, 'Argh' in the dialogues didn't add to the scenes. Also did Mrs Kuang's dialogue need to include her accent when no others from outside the main city included theirs?

As a whole, the story, world, characters and other elements tied together in a way that I finished the book. I might not necessarily go out of my way to follow up with the second one though. If you're looking for a new fantasy world with some mysterious conflicts and street gangs, you might well enjoy this more than I did.

Everything is not as it seems in Benaghar. The story is full of intrigue and twists. Phae’enor is a strong female protagonists with a sharp mind. She is thrust into a world full of lies and hidden identities. She is racing against others to get to the answer of an ages long curse.

I am excited to read the next book! This was a mostly clean read with the only exception being a few curse words. The characters are numerous and interesting. The Kingdom of Benaghar is multi-layered and complex.

If you love intrigue, coming of age, strong female characters, and fantasy, you should give this book a try.

I got to page 81 (chapter 4) and I gave up. I am not interested in underdeveloped, narcissistic protagonists. There was something sort of experimental trying to happen with the first chapter but it didn't work for me, it seemed out of place and unnecessarily confusing. The introductions to most characters is so weird and abrupt. The protagonist doesn't seem to do anything except fall and not in a quirky, clumsy way but more in a "I don't know what else to make this character do because she has no personality" way. I see where the plot is supposed to be going but I'm not getting anything at all from the story itself. I don't know what age the target audience for this is supposed to be, but if it's anything older than middle-grade, it doesn't make sense to me and I don't see it being much enjoyed.
I really wanted to like this story. Perfect for fans of "Dark fairy tales and strong female characters"? I like those! A lot! I would love to read a book with them, but unfortunately that means I have to put this one down and continue my search elsewhere. Maybe the book gets better later, but with the writing style it has, I still wouldn't want to read it. It's dispassionate and disconnected. I thought I would be the perfect audience for this because, again, the description is right up my alley. I'm disappointed. Hopefully this book will find some sort of audience, but it won't be me.

This book is well-written and entertaining.
F.K. Maddison does an excellent job at building a world that is understandable and a fantasy that is believable.
At times the main character felt as if she was behaving much younger than her age, but as a young daughter of a well-respected and high-ranking officer, that can be understandable. It did make it hard at times for me to get behind her and feel empathy.
The pacing is good, the descriptions are imaginative and detailed.
I would recommend for anyone that is a fan of young adult books, and interested in fantasy works read this. It's not truly a young adult novel but it shares enough elements that I believe young adult fans would love it and it would be a great introduction to fantasy for them.