2.5 stars rounded up to 3.

I really wanted this to be different than what I expected from a story about faeries and a love triangle. But in the end, it really wasn't.

Once again, I'm reading a book that delivers the same trope execution and twists as other books (ACOTAR, for example), but with a slightly different setting and slightly different elements.

I can see a lot of people enjoying this story, I did like the FMC and the setting, but once I knew where this was going, I was disinterested. I deflated like a balloon.

It ended up being just another run-of-the-mill YA fantasy trying to do what other books have done instead of doing its own thing. There's nothing offensive about it and it's not poorly written, I just can't force myself to give this a better rating.

Things would've turned around for me if this had surprised me, but it didn't. And honestly, I've said this before about other books in the genre, but it bears repeating: I'm tired of reading the same story.

Maybe I should just stop giving YA fantasy attention for a while.

Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins UK for the eARC.
Lore of the Wilds is a fun, Fae romantasy debut and, overall, I enjoyed it. Lore is a great main character and I enjoyed seeing her develop and discover magic throughout the book.
At first I had a slight issue with it being pushed as a love triangle as I didn't even get who the other love interest was meant to be until 60% in. But, once we'd met him, I got a lot more invested in him, the romance and the story so things really picked up in the second half of the book.
I did find things to be quite familiar in terms of some aspects of the plot but I think that's now quite normal when reading a Fae, love triangle, cottagecore romantasy - it's hard to have something completely unique. But I did enjoy the way Lore has access to magic and will look forward to exploring that more in the next book.
Overall, I enjoyed Lore of the Wilds and am looking forward to the next book!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for granting me an arc.

I loved Lore of the Wilds. I first fell in love with the book because, hello, you are gorgeous, and then fell in love with the book itself.

Lore is a human girl tasked with looking for magical books and the like in a cursed library that is lethal to the fae. Stolen from her village under the presumption that her village will be left alone, Lore begins her daunting task. It's not long before she catches the eye of Asher, a fae who is tasked to watch what she does and ensure she does the work required of her.

Shit happens and the two end up going on the run with a stolen magical book that is empty during the day but comes alive with magic during the night and seems to have bonded itself to Lore. They join forces with Isla and Finndryl, who want to help her in her quest to bring magic to the humans. Amidst all of this, Asher and Lore grow close, but it seems as if she has feelings for Finndryl too. Gotta love a good love triangle.

P.S. I knew something was going on with Asher, but that plot twist at the end really surprised me!

2 Stars

After a great start, I found this to be very underwhelming. The interesting characters and storyline became mediocre, the magic was pretty average, as was the worldbuilding.
I liked the magical book and library but those were the highlights for me. It was just all too obvious and the pace was SO slow.
It took me nearly 2 weeks to read it because I just didn't feel the want to pick it up. And I am super sad about this as I loved the sound of this book.
Overall, not one I will be recommending unfortunately as there are similar books pit there that are much better.

I quite enjoyed this book even thought it went in a different way than what I was expecting! I was sold a story about an enchanted library, yet a minimal amount of time was spent in the actual enchanted library.

I think this book was gloriously twisty and I enjoyed it. I did figure out some of the twists which did not lessen my enjoyment of the novel. In fact, it heightened it as I did not like a certain character and then was vindicated for my dislike at the end.

There is one correct love interest and that’s Finn. There was way more chemistry there than what Lore had with Asher. Lore and Finn made sense, they had good chemistry and they worked together and had time to build up a relationship. With Asher there was hardly any chemistry and it seemingly came out of no where (I mean, we see why, but like if you wanted me to believe in them and root for them then this wasn’t the way to do it, I couldn’t wait for him to leave).

I like the setting and the world building! I liked that we got to see more of the geography and how this opened up the world, but I also feel like the book skipped around too much to too many places too quickly. Don’t ask me to look at a map.

I think Lore was an interesting protagonist and I’m intrigued to see where her story goes, I’ll be tuned in to the sequel and hoping for the authors every success!

DNF at 62%

This book desperately needs another round of editing, which I hope is completed before the final version is published. As it is, I am reviewing the ARC version and unfortunately I really didn't like this.

The book is too chaotic for me, with terrible flow. A chapter ends, and the next one begins with something completely different - it makes it difficult to tell how much time has passed, or guess why there is suddenly a jump to an entirely different scene. E.g. they were suddenly at an Inn, without any sort of lead up to it - when did this happen? How did they arrive there?

Or "She was wondering again if Asher had abandoned her" - again? When did she wonder it the first time? Because I don't remember reading that.

Let's talk plot and pacing - I'm sorry to say that this was incredibly boring. Not much happened until 50% in, which is fine, if the focus shifts to character development or world building instead. But this book severely lacked both.

It was also very repetitive, with many instances of being told something twice, like this:

"Calling out to that moonlit power and hoping it would flow through her and out toward Asher, protecting him. But nothing happened. Where she hoped to feel that power fill her up and explode from within her, she felt nothing" - Yes, we are aware she felt nothing, you already said that. It was just so unnecessary.

The romance was also disappointing. I hated the first kiss, it was so sudden and unexpected, and just didn't fit the characters at all.

And considering this is supposed to be a love triangle, the second love interest shows up quite late in the story.

I really wanted to love this, and I truly thought it would be right up my street - a magical library, fae, romantasy, diverse characters - sounds perfect, right? Not so much. If I had bought this book myself, I'd have given up much earlier.

"I want to help my people stop surviving and start living.”

What a beautifully-written and captivating debut novel! Lore of the Wilds tells the story of Lore, a human girl who would do anything to protect those she loves and to find a way for her community to thrive (as opposed to their present life of struggles). Humans are held in a town called Duskmere, from which they can't escape, trapped by dark Faes and a terrifying enchanted forest. When Lore is offered the opportunity to work in a cursed library in exchange for help for her people, she jumps at the chance - also because she's always wanted to learn more about Faes and magic! Things don't go quite the way she planned, however, and she ends up adventuring in the unlikely company of multiple faes and feeling attraction for "the enemy". She never forgets her mission to help her people, though.

The book started already very strong, with excellent writing drawing me straight into the story and making empathise with the humans' situation. Lore is a lovable yet badass main character, who takes to her new situation rather quickly and faces challenges and enemies head-on. Her chemistry with the male characters is undeniable and can be felt through the pages straight away! Besides, her relationships with other important side characters is also so heart-warming, ranging from her childhood best friend (ace rep!) to new friends and friendly Fae-younglings.

Some parts in the middle of the book felt a bit slower, but the pace picks up again and culminates in a very unexpected finale. I don't want to say much more to avoid spoilers, but... I loved the details about the Fae species and the magic of this world (although it took a while to grasp some parts of it, I have to say)! And Isla and Finn are so very precious. You'll love them.

Summing it up, Lore of the Wilds is a compelling read and I totally recommend it to fans of fantasy, romance and magical intrigue! Be warned though: the book ends on a massive cliffhanger and you'll be dying for a sequel! (Hello, can I have that right now, please?? How am I supposed to wait?!)

This was so meh for me. I had such such light hopes for this, and it was one of my most anticipated books of the year. But it just felt a bit rushed and underdeveloped.

The end 100 pages were where I really started to get into it, but I really dislike a story that ends with “to be continued”. I feel underwhelmed and wish that there was a true ending here.

I liked the plot twist at the end, although I did guess it. And I liked the world building and vibes. This definitely could’ve been better executed.

Amazing plot twist I couldn’t believe what I was reading, I’m really excited for the sequel!!
This was a fun, well written book, and a debut at that!

4 Stars

I really enjoyed this book. As a huge fan of fantasy and books with fae this was a refreshing take.
The world building was amazing and I loved the descriptions of all the different types of fae.
The pacing felt a little off in several parts of the book with some parts feeling forced. I think at points there was just too much going on. I did enjoy the plot and where it went. There are plenty of twists and turns throughout this book and some you don’t see coming!
The romance I felt just kind of jumped right in and I felt there needed to be a little more build up to it. I enjoyed that it was turning into a love triangle and can’t wait to see where it ends up.
Our main character Lore who is a fierce and protective person. She will do anything to protect what’s left of her family even at risk to herself. You can definitely see her growth throughout the book.
The characters well were written but I did find that I’d like some more depth to a few of them and more interactions with other characters.

I did not see that ending coming!! I’m eagerly awaiting the next book to find out what was happening.

This book is classed as NA but I feel it’s more of a Ya Fantasy!

Thank you to Netgalley, the Author and the Publisher for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book as to be one of the better fantasy stories I have read in a long time!

We find Lore at the beginning of the story, living with her aunt and uncle in the town of Duskmere where humans are banished to live by the Fae sentries who patrol the borders - Lore believes that the answer to all of the questions lie just outside the border and she is just itching to learn more.. you should always be careful what you wish for!

Taken by the Fae when working in her families apocathery, to enter a magically guarded library that only a human can enter she finds that magic is so much more than she could have imagined, assisted by the unlikely friend she makes in Asher the Fae tasked with guarding her: will Lore get the answers she so desperately craves regarding magic?

Well the twist in this book is one I certainly didn't see coming, it had me GASPING in shock. The romance in this book was cutesy and sweet which I really liked and that it didn't consume too much of the plot. There were a few points with Lore with her language that did make cringe slightly but that's my only real criticism, it was an easy fantasy read and I'd definitely recommend giving it a read!

A cute romantasy that’s easy to read and cozy. The settings are beautiful and atmospheric, especially the woods and enchanted library. I didn’t realise the FMC was actually 21, this shocked me as I thought the story was YA. Towards the end of the book it became more NA but I think I would have just preferred it to read as YA throughout. The romance was quite sudden and seemed physical over everything else. Thus bringing in the spice making this not that appropriate for a YA audience. The romance didn’t work for me, although, there is another potential interest later that I was more invested in and hopeful for. There’s also a fox animal companion that wasn’t in this enough for me, I need to know more about this. I liked the magic system and the portrayal of the fae. The ending was a cliffhanger and even though slightly on the predictable side I did like the end. Overall a fast and fun read. I would recommend to the romantasy lovers out there.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

Firstly the cover of this book is *chefs kiss*

I was so intrigued with the synopsis and concept of this book - Magical library? Sign me up!
It should have been and I was expecting a high 4.5 but landed on a solid 3.5 rounded down to a 3.

Firstly I struggled with the idea that this is marketed as NA Fantasy, I thought it read more as a YA - I know why it is NA with the one scene between Lore and Asher - but I could have done without that scene, I couldn't feel the chemistry between these two at all unfortunately, it was all too sudden and unbelievable.

Finn though? that I could get behind and thankfully his character really helped me through the last 20% of the book as I wanted to see what happened with his character more than anything and I actually enjoyed the last couple of chapters, the writing style had developed and the pacing was better.

I really enjoyed the cliff hanger, it has me intrigued enough to want to pick up the sequel when it is published and as this is a debut novel I really want to see how Analeigh develops her writing style.
An extra 200 pages of more explanation of the magic system and character development and no doubt this would have been a winner!

Over all, a solid fun debut and I know why so many readers who are new to fantasy worlds will absolutely love this book,

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to love this but I just couldn't find enough to care about. The descriptions of the Fae castle and library were lovely and I liked Lore at times but she also grated on me. I never felt like she was in any real danger which made it hard to believe the Fae were quite that evil and monstrous. The romance was odd and again hard to believe and get behind. The pacing didn't work for me and some scenes felt jarring and a bit pointless. It felt a lot more YA than I was expecting but with random adult language and actions thrown in?
I do hope others find some joy in this debut as the premise and rep are great. Sadly I dnf'd at 60% this just wasn't for me.
Thank you to Harper Collins UK and Netgalley for the arc, all thoughts are left voluntarily.

Like many, I had been very much looking forward to this release, and while I did enjoy it for the most part, it didn't quite deliver on what I wanted from it.

I think my main issues can be summed up with this: I felt like this book tried to be too many things at once. To me, it felt like the author had a lot of different ideas for this novel and she wanted to include all of them, which led to the book feeling disjointed.
The pacing was also off, which only added to this.
The book started with a bang, then we moved onto a section that almost felt like a cozy fantasy, then there's another bang, followed by a period that dragged on, then we have one event that could have been a highlight of the book, but that was resolved almost immediately, and then the ending felt a bit rushed to me.
I felt like not a lot happened in the book, but it still felt like it moved through plot points too quickly.

Same goes for the romance and the love triangle. I generally enjoy love triangles, but I did not like this one. I understand why we got one, but its execution just didn't work. Both men felt pretty similar, and both storylines started with dislike, so I felt like I had read the same romance twice, and neither of them really swept me off my feet.

I really enjoyed the concept of the book and I think overall the plot was good, it was just the pacing that was off.
The ending was great (albeit rushed) and I think I will pick up the sequel because the storyline has a lot of potential.

The writing was decent.
I do agree with what many other reviewers have said about this book feeling more like YA. The first 70% definitely pass for YA, in my opinion; only in the latter 30% do we go into NA/adult territory.

Overall, this was a decent debut, and I do recommend it; I just think the marketing isn't quite aligned with what the book actually is. It does have some issues, but it still was an enjoyable read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book.

I FLEW through the first half of this book then it suddenly slowed down for me and I was SLUGGING through the last half. Not entirely sure why this was to be honest, whether it was just me being tired or the book as I did really enjoy it. Thought it was a fantastic read and I'm definitely looking forwards to a second book at some point! I was hesitant at first going in as I was hearing good things but I'm glad that this did not disappoint me.

3.5 stars

This was cottagecore fantasy with magical libraries and with a beautifully done diverse cast yet... I didn't love it and I'm sad about it.
I feel like part of why I didn't love it was due to the amount of violence in this, and I was expecting some since they talked about how cruel the Fae are, but dear lord! Some scenes were very hard to read.
I liked Lore (eventho she went Mary Sue sometimes), but i wished she was less innocent in some ways.
The romance felt a bit forced, especially because I didn't feel chemistry between Asher and Lore.
The pacing was off, which also threw me off. It began fast-paced, but somewhere in the middle, the paced slowed down so much I lost interest.
The plot twists, some I saw coming, some really surprised me, but overall, this was a fun read. Now, I can't wait to read more of this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ok wow I was so pleasantly surprised with how good this book was I kept reading it non stop. The story idea was great, the execution was perfect and the characters were likeable...and that plot twist made me GASP!!! I just wish the character’s interaction with each other was a bit more fleshed out and detailed and I also think this would’ve been great as YA rather than Adult Fantasy but that’s just my personal preference. Overall amazing read tho.. *4 stars

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for a copy of this in return for an honest review.

I gave this book 3 stars, not because I didn't enjoy it, but because there was just so much going on that I honestly would struggled to condense it all into this review. This is a fun, interesting, brilliantly diverse read set in a world that has been thoroughly fleshed out. Both the magic system and the representation of the fae are new, and unlike anything I have read before.

Sbrana clearly spent a lot of time developing this world, and that is absolutely clear. The universe she creates has it's own rules, and it tends to play by them. I will say she has a habit of deus ex machina-ing her way out of situations. Whilst this is fiction, and I want the MC to succeed, it did start to get a little repetitive that Lore would discover a new power just as she needed to, which I think made suspense harder to establish later in the narrative.

I liked most of the characters. Lore was fiery, Asher was lovable, Finn and Isla both interesting and kind. Some of the characters I struggled to understand the role of. Grey specifically I thought was odd, not that Lore couldn't have a friend from home, just that his reappearance felt like a side-quest. The whole rescue of Grey I also found a little odd, perhaps some chapters were scrapped for brevity, but we miss out on all of the planning and intrigue, and just kind of see the tail-end of a rescue. It also seemed unlikely that Lore, by herself, would be able to carry this out. It reminded me of the kind of fantasy novels I read as a teenager in the 2010s, a little bit Mary-Sue meets the chosen one; Lore seemed to have mad skills at everything despite an ostensible lack of experience with anything.

On that note I struggled with the writing style / content dichotomy. I felt that this was written in a very YA style, and if asked I would have probably shelved it under YA, even with some of the dry-rutting and violence. Then maybe 7/8ths of the way through we get a sex scene. There was build up, it didn't come out of nowhere, but I found it pretty at odds with the tone of the novel up until that point.

The twist was great, I didn't not see it coming (you could definitely see Sbrana building in clues) but it was still very well done. I'd be interested to see how everything will play out here, I don't know if it will be a duology or more, but I look forward to the next.

This reminds me a lot of Assistant to the Villain, which I read this year, in terms of structure, MC characterisation, and general mayhem; both novels are absolutely packed to bursting with plot-lines and details. There are a lot of differences between them, but I think if you really disliked Maeher's novel, you might struggle with Sbrana's. That being said Lore of the Wilds is 10x more diverse, and much more lushly described.

Overall a solid start to a new fantasy series. I don't know if totally drew me in, but I did stay up late to finish it - so make of that what you will.

I immensely enjoyed this delicious tale of a human girl surviving in the far world. I adore these characters (oh Finn, be still my beating heart), and the blend of cosy fantasy with action and spice is fantastic. Really something for everyone - one chapter, you’re in an enchanted library with magical books, the next you’re running away from evil guards who are trying to kill you. A wild ride, and that cliffhanger?! I need the next book like NOW.