Thank you NetGalley, Publishers, and Yano Metro for gifting me a copy of Luminiferos: The Omen of LIght in return for my honest opinion.

2/5 stars
A fusion of fantasy, romance, and philosophy, this is a story of a girl who goes to a parallel world in search of meaning.

At just eighteen, Lilly White has lived multiple lives. There was the cold, hard reality of growing up in an English orphanage, isolated and unwanted. But paradoxically, visions and dreams of lush forests and mystical creatures, and most troubling of all – a warm, loving family. Lilly doesn’t know if these are the delusions of a lonely mind, or something more.

When a man with a raven reveals a portal to a lost world, she finally gets proof she is not insane. But for all the ethereal beauty of this impossible place, a toxic darkness creeps closer, consuming everything in its path. Caught between the desire to find her family and fight against an evil that threatens all of existence, Lilly must hone gifts within herself she never could have imagined, and embark on a journey of self-discovery, transcendence, and love.

This cover is stunning! If I'm being honest, that is why I requested this book and not because I enjoyed the synopsis. I'm working on it! I know I have a problem! I really wanted to like this book but it didn't work for me. There was so much going on and for my ADHD brain, it was just way too much! Between it being too predictable, to there being little to no plot it was just a really tough read.
While I did enjoy the romance and the cliffhanger at the end it wasn't enough to get me to read the second book in the series.

I wanted to like this one but it was not for me and I did not end up finishing the book past 30%. The premise seemed intriguing and I was hoping to enjoy it, especially since it has quite a few good reviews from other readers! However, the writing felt juvenile to me, the dialogue was underdeveloped, and the world-building was info-dumped on the reader. I hope others enjoy it!

This novel had lots of world building, and amazing an amazing magic system. It seemed slow at points, and lacked the romance I was expecting. It felt as though this is the first in a series? If so I would be interested in reading the follow ups.

I want to thank Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for an eARC of this book

⭐⭐

So, I just finished reading Luminiferos: The Omen of Light by Yana Metro. Gotta say, the cover is absolutely stunning! Unfortunately, that’s pretty much the only positive thing I can say about this one. It had so much potential, but man, did it miss the mark.

First off, the writing was kinda clunky. It just didn’t flow smoothly and left me feeling a bit disconnected from the story. And the pace? Slooooow. I mean, seriously, it dragged on and on without much happening to hold my interest.But here’s where things really fell apart for me - the plot (or lack thereof). I was left scratching my head wondering what exactly was going on. It felt like there wasn’t much of a cohesive storyline driving the whole thing.

And as for the characters? Meh. They were flat and one-dimensional. I couldn’t really connect with any of them or get invested in their journeys.All in all, Luminiferos: The Omen of Light ended up being a real miss for me. Such a shame considering how captivating that cover was. But hey, not every book can be a winner.

**ARC Via NetGalley**

Suspenseful, Enjoyable, great pacing, exciting settings kept me hooked. Great novel that will be the perfect to lose yourself in. Thank you Net Galley ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

Wasn’t quite my kind of book. Nothing particular, just didn’t hold my interest in the way I had hoped for. The writing style is good, and I think it just depends on the reader.

It wasn’t the worst book I’ve ever read…. It was okay. Just okay. It didn’t really feel special. I had no trouble getting through it, but I didn’t enjoy it either.

This book was alright, I didn’t love it but I didn’t hate it. The characters were alright didn’t feel like much depth or growth, the storyline was interesting and seemed to move at fast enough pace which I liked. Overall not horrible but could’ve been better.

This was okay. It didn't quite hit as much as I would have hoped but I still found it to be an enjoyable read overall. Loved the characters but it was very much so 'all vibes and no plot' for me

This imaginative blend of fantasy, romance, and philosophy introduces a captivating parallel world. The story flows smoothly, making it a quick and engaging read. While the unique concept stands out, the first book feels more like an introduction, with limited progress in plot and character development. Although enjoyable, it's difficult to determine if I would recommend it without reading further into the series.

I loved this different take on fantasy and romance. Metro's writing style is so unique and the world building is so fantastic. I hope to see more stories in this incredible universe she's created. Lilly is a great heroine!

This was a surprisingly quick read for me. I honestly assumed that given how unique this world was, it would take me longer to get the hang of it. Still, I breezed through this book. The style of the writing is not complicated, and the plot develops smoothly enough to keep easy track of.

Having said that I’m reserving too much judgement on this for now, as this is only the beginning of a rather long series. This will without a doubt stick out in my mind as a more singular concept. But by the end I still felt as though in the grand scheme of things not too much was accomplished outside basic outlining and character intros. I enjoyed it well enough to continue but at this point am honestly unsure if I would recommend it to anyone.

A great teen book of supernatural beings & ethics or good versus bad energy. Surrounding the mystery of a disturbed young woman that went into an orphanage
At 5yrs old with no real memories except from dreams of another world totally magical & unlike modern day England. Finally emancipated she had worked at libraries before venturing to France where she rented a room from an eccentric elderly lady that had tones of old tomes on Faeries. She had forgotten her rent one time too many & was thrown out & decided to stay in nearby woods where she had a nightmarish experience that gave her a unique pet & sent her to another world. Thus the start of a life & death quest.

I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher.
The story was ok. Everything felt more like info-dumping instead of showing or gradually telling important information. The characters were not that interesting overall.

This book had my attention the moment I spot the gorgeous cover. I felt eager to learn more and my feelings got confirmed when I started reading. The beginning of the book felt a bit disorienting, as the story was starting through establishing the setting and the introduction of the main characters, but I wanted to continue readingn onetheless. I can't wait to read the other books of the series!

Thank you BooksGoSocial for allowing me to read this novel in exchange for a review of my honest opinions and thoughts.

The cover of this debut novel by Yana Metro took me by surprise at first. Second, came the illusive storytelling narrative that the author uses throughout the novel. The writing style was so clean-cut but also so dramatic and pretty. The quotes you could find in this book are unlike other books I've read.

The pacing of the story was the third thing I noticed and it definitely watered down the novel for me. It was very fast in the beginning for me, but soon when the climax of the novel was delving, it slowed down to a complete stop. Unfortunately, I feel this way about a lot of YA books and I don't know why I keep going back to the genre, I say this in nearly every review I write about YA.

The writing style alone makes me want to rethink my star rating, but this was a pretty solid three-star. It was good enough, but not the best it could have been without the third-act drama and one-dimensional world. It didn't have a solid magic system and it felt like everyone had different abilities that spawned out of nowhere and with no background information.

3-3.5*

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

Despite what they say, it was the stunning cover that drew me to this book. I should have been wary, however, as I didn't find the interior quite matched up. Despite an initial good start, I found the pacing to be off and the romance to be pushed through too swiftly.

What I loved was the vivid world that Metro created, alongside the magical system. I found these to be really interesting without being overcomplicated.

Overall, this was an enjoyable enough debut, it just needs a few tweaks before it cracks into the 4/5* ratings.

DNF at 35%

First of all, what an absolutely STUNNING cover - I can only imagine what this book looks like in person. The premise of a portal fantasy mixed with philosophy and psychological themes had me intrigued.

However, the writing fell very flat and overall read quite convoluted to me. The book seemingly tried very hard to put on an air of mystery, as if we jumped right into the middle of a fairy tale but by 35% I came to the conclusion that so much was happening while nothing was going on. Every scene felt like an underdeveloped exposition of fact and the pacing was overall very stilted.

Unfortunately the phrase "don't judge a book by its cover" applied too well in this case.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for providing me an eARC in exchange for an hones review.

This book unfortunately didn't work for me, but I can see how others would absolutely love this. The writing felt weird to me, and I guess it's because when I'm reading a fantasy, I don't expect it to open in the modern day just outside of Paris. This isn't to say that I didn't see the appeal, but the weird wording of some of the book, as well as some weird word choice left me questioning what I was reading and if I was understanding what the author was trying to say.

Pros:
-premise
-cover
-cool title
-gargoyle

Cons:
-the writing style
-the plot, or lack thereof
-flat characters
-lack of development
-boring dialogue

Overall, this reads like a first draft of a book that never saw an editor. The writing reminds me of lightlark.