Wow, this book was addictive. Like, actually addictive.

I’ve heard so much about this book so when I got approved to read it I actually screamed in excitement. The moment I opened it up, I knew. This was worthy of my excitement. In fact, it was worthy of even more, and when it releases I guarantee I’ll be buying myself a hard copy just to keep on my shelf.

Lore of the Wilds is about a society of humans who were yanked from their lives generations ago and had to set up civilisation in a foreign fantasy world. In Lore’s time this is ancient history but her people have not given up on the hope of returning home (and good for them!). Lore herself is a healer and book lover who finds herself taken to the fae kingdom when her services are required. This is, truly, a book about books. You can almost feel the love of books seeping out of the pages as you read.

In fact, this book is full of love. The prose is beautiful, but still easy to understand and not overlong, problems that often afflict writers using flowery prose. The description is to the point, avoiding distraction from the events going on while still painting a vivid image of the world. Dialogue feels natural and the characters suck you in. It is impossible to read this and not fall in love with Lore - her passion and boldness in the face of danger at every turn are so endearing, and she feels like a real person you get to know.

The plot twist in this book was also absolutely insane. I never saw it coming, but when it did, it hit like a truck and certain details from earlier in the story begun to make sense in a different light, exactly how a good plot twist should.

I had some minor issues with small things. There is a weird overuse of the word ‘moan’ in both sexual and non sexual contexts, and some plot points feel a little rushed. But these issues did not interfere with my enjoyment of the story, and I absorbed it at such high speed I feel I now have a book hangover.

To summarise, this book is among the best of what the new ‘romantasy’ genre has to offer. I would definitely recommend it.

A Tiktok review is now available and can be found at the included link.

"Lore of the Wilds" is the first chapter of a fantasy romance duology written by Analeigh Sbrana, here at her debut.

Dark forests. Cursed libraries. Magical books. Grumpy fae. How could I resist the lure of these elements? Simple, I couldn't, in fact I jumped on this book with enthusiasm. And what an enjoyable read it turned out to be! "Lore of the Wilds" is a compelling, dynamic and brisk novel, featuring a magical setting, enchanting writing and a tormented and well-drawn protagonist. It entertained, amused and absorbed me a lot, although it did not win me over completely. In my opinion, in fact, it is not a perfect book, I perceived several flaws that left me somewhat puzzled, but in the end I still enjoyed it a lot!

The story takes place in the continent of Raelysh, which is dominated by powerful fae and other magical creatures. The fae are divided into dark fae, who live in the realm of Alytheria, in the northern part of the continent, and light fae, who dwell in the realm of Rywandall, in the southernmost part of the continent, both with their respective rulers and in seemingly peaceful relations. The former are characterized by animal traits, which determine their division into clans of varying importance and consideration, while the latter lack these elements in favor of longer ears and a longer lifespan. And then there are humans, completely devoid of magic, who make up the minority of Raelysh's population. Humans, who come from another world and, depending on the story told, found themselves in Raelysh on a whim, revenge or carelessness of a god. Humans who live confined to the town of Duskmere, in the realm of Alytheria, surrounded by a dark and menacing forest that serves as a prison, guarded by cruel fae sentries who take pleasure in brutally raging on them. This is because humans are considered inferior, vile and insignificant, useful only to serve and shell out money. In my opinion this is a fascinating world building full of potential, but poorly developed so far. I sensed some general confusion, several nebulous aspects, which left me with a lot of unanswered questions. The magic system itself, based on the combination of magic and nature, seemed both intriguing and unclear to me. On the contrary, I loved the vivid and evocative descriptions of the various environments! Whether dark forests, huge libraries or cozy cottages, they completely won me over!

The story seemed to me too fast and approximate, as if it did not quite know where to aim. The novel jumps from one scene to another abruptly and chaotically, without deepening and explaining anything, with continuous time jumps that disconcerted me on several occasions. For example, without going into detail, at one point there is a chapter that begins in the midst of sudden action, in a certain place, when the chapter before had ended somewhere else and in a relatively quiet manner. I swear I had to reread the passage over and over again to make sure I hadn't skipped some lines! The story then has numerous plot holes and several convenient situations which made me roll my eyes repeatedly. Moreover, I admit that I spotted the various plot twists well in advance, but that is my problem because it is now difficult to catch me by surprise. Despite the various aspects that did not convince me, the book still captured me and kept me glued to the pages, without any moments of boredom or heaviness. I followed the events with interest and look forward to reading the sequel!

I really liked Lore, the protagonist with her only third person pov! Lore is a twenty-one-year-old girl born and raised in the town of Duskmere, deeply marked by the cruelty of the fae. Kind, selfless, compassionate and determined, she is always ready to help those in need and put the needs of others before her own. Passionate about books and stories, she has an extremely curious mind oriented toward knowledge. I appreciated her being a fearful person, inclined to trust and sometimes naive, because she seemed consistent with the situation in which she lives. I found her to be an excellent protagonist, portrayed in a fantastic way and with a development that, while rushed in some respects, satisfied me.

The secondary characters unfortunately seemed superficial and poorly analyzed to me. Even the two potential love interests did not impress me, although they had all the makings of capturing me. Because yes, in "Lore of the Wilds" there is a love triangle, at least in theory. Exactly, in theory, because at present I did not perceive it as such, partly because of the lack of depth of the two fae, and partly because of the general rush of the novel. Which might even be a good thing, considering that I am not a big fan of the love triangle! However I don't know, the romance seemed to me to appear out of nowhere in both cases, without any construction in the various relationships. And I'm sorry about that because I repeat, the two male characters inspire me, the romance intrigues me, but I feel the lack of something more solid. I really hope for future improvement, because the potential to win me over and make me swoon is all there!

All in all, "Lore of the Wilds," although it did not fully convince me, is a good start to a series!

Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Got my hands on this book and I was so excited to read it! The cover looked amazing and the plot sounded so interesting. But, sadly, it didn't live up to my expectations.

The blurb hinted at a great story with a magical library, but it was just too bland and dull for a cursed library that was supposed to be abandoned for a millennium. Moreover, only the first part of the story actually took place in the library, which was left behind and 'forgotten' shortly thereafter.

The plot felt a bit disjointed, and the characters were way too lucky: everything they needed just fell into their laps.
The world-building could have been more detailed as we didn’t get much information about the world apart from the basics.

Although I did really appreciate the diverse cast of characters, I wish they were more fleshed out. Apart from Lore, the MC and sole narrating voice, we didn't know much about the other characters' personalities, dreams, and motives. Understanding them a little bit more would have made the story (and the plot twist at the end) more enjoyable.

The romance between Lore and Asher wasn't believable either. There wasn't any chemistry or connection between them, and they fell for each other for no apparent reason.

Overall, as a debut novel, it had potential. But, I wish the story flowed better and had more depth.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of 'Lore of the Wilds' by Analeigh Sbrana.

'Lore of the Wilds' has such a beautiful cover, I had to read it. And thank goodness I did. Analeigh Sbrana's writing style was the type of style I enjoy and I had to make sure I paced myself because I was hooked to this story. Lore is one of the most interesting protagonists I've seen in a long time and she just made this story even better.
I do have to mention that the cliffhanger ending was a tad underwhelming but it didn't take away from my rating and I would still read the next book.

Lore is a human girl who dreams of leaving the guarded Duskmere and solving the great mystery of how her people came to be trapped in another world filled with fae.
Her wish is granted, albeit unwanted, when a powerful fae summons her to work in a library that no fae creature can enter. Her task is to find books of magical importance and deliver it to the fae, but Lore also hopes to find her own answers.

Lore Alemeyu collected stories like the raven that lived above the apothecary hoarded shiny pebbles.

I loved Lore’s compassion and thirst for more: for knowledge, improvement, kindness. She tries to see past her prejudices, even if that does make her way too trusting. To the point where it felt slightly unbelievable in a world where we are told constantly how cruel and monstrous the fae are supposed to be.

The romance was very sudden and more physical than emotional, which felt jarring and slightly undeserving. However, I liked that there seemed to be a mystery under the surface of Asher that you wanted to Lore to tease out.
Also, is there a love triangle???!

Despite this, for the most part, reading like a YA, sometimes the tone would shift, incorporating swear words, or graphic violence, or sexual sensations that felt out of place.

For this reason, I don’t think this should be marketed as a YA. The writing was definitely YA for the most part but there were certain scenes that made me uncomfortable to read know it was directed at a younger audience.

The plot was quite predictable, and the plot twists were very foreseeable.
Also, the fox companion hinted at? It literally only came into play in the last 5% and then barely.

I’m extremely disappointed as there was so much hype for this release.

Thank you to Harper Collins for providing an arch in exchange for a review.

Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. Although the premise was interesting this one was really not my cup of tea. It is marketed as adult however the writing style and depth (in terms of characters, plot and worldbuilding) was very much YA in my opinion. There was a lot of repetitive language/descriptions. There is also often very unrealistic character development and plot resolution, mostly because the plot moved so fast that there was no time to develop anything. As a consequence, everything fell flat. There are some steamy scenes (hence the adult marketing) but I really think these could have removed (as they are short and do not add to the story) so it could be marketed as YA. Having said all of this I would recommend this to readers of YA fantasy, just not to readers of adult fantasy.

𝗟𝗢𝗥𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗜𝗟𝗗𝗦
—𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝘀𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗮 | 𝟯.𝟱🌟

“𝘕𝘰, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢 𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭, 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘬, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘺—𝘢 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦. 𝘈𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘵, 𝘔𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦?”

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲:
✨Diverse fantasy
✨Love triangle
✨Enchanted library
✨Cruel fae

𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗦𝘆𝗻𝗼𝗽𝘀𝗶𝘀:
Lore’s village houses the only humans in Alytheria and as hierarchies go, humans really are the bottom of the barrel. Desperate to change her fate and the fate of her village, Lore strikes a deal with a royal fae: organise his enchanted library and he will support rebuilding her village. However, one power grab leads to another and suddenly Lore is a fugitive trying to survive in a land of fae.

𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀:
This book has 𝙨𝙤 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙚 and 𝙥𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙖𝙡.

I found the 𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁 and I found the 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 itself really 𝗶𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲. Lore was a 𝗳𝘂𝗻 main character who was given 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 with the book ending in a way to give her potential to develop even further.

I loved the 𝗕𝗜𝗣𝗢𝗖 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 and would definitely include this in any list showcasing 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘀𝘆. However, there are a few elements that did disappoint me with this book.

Firstly, the characterisation strikes me as more 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗱𝘂𝗹𝘁, Lore is so incredibly 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝘂𝗹𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 and 𝗿𝗮𝘀𝗵 that she feels like a 𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿 in the story, being reined in by two broody males all the time. There are a couple of 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘆 𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀, and whilst written well, I found pretty 𝗷𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 to the overall effect of this book. Perhaps this is just a case of 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘴 meeting 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘢𝘮𝘦.

Additionally, I’m not the biggest fan of 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲𝘀, and to be honest this book reminds me why. I really 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝗱 the romance between Lore and Asher, it completely 𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 or 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲, I can forgive lacking one but not the other, and the 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗴 𝘁𝘄𝗶𝘀𝘁 at the end 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀 any 𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘁 anyway.

My main flaw is that I absolutely need more 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁, 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗵 and 𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 to happen to this book. I did read an eARC so perhaps that is going to happen, but as it stands I felt like a few plot points 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗻𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲 whatsoever. For example, readers find out “𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦” for a fae to lay with a human, however, this world building tidbit is 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 to how the plot actually develops. Additionally, I couldn’t understand why Lore agreed to go to the South rather than back home to her village, the obvious course of action would be for the fae to retaliate against her kind and she finally had some power to change that so… 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗲?

However, 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘴 is a really 𝗳𝘂𝗻 𝗱𝗲𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘀𝘆 with a 𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 amount of 𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹. I would definitely read the sequel to this book as I know I would enjoy it and of course, I do hope for some answers to my many, many questions!

𝗞𝗮𝘆𝗹𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵 | 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗵 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝗿𝘆

The cover and idea of this book is amazing! I enjoyed reading it and think the writing style itself is great. But I wish there was a bit more to the story. I thought the book would be way more magical (coming to creatures and spells, the books, everything) and the solution to everybodies problem was here in a second.

I saw this book and I immediately wanted to read it. The cover – gorgeous. The title – very nice. The storyline – interesting. Unfortunately, it disappointed me.

The plotline that’s mentioned on the blurb was good. Especially the idea of the library was very promising. But I would’ve expected more magic and action. The library was way too clean and boring for a library that hasn’t been opened for a thousand years. And it was huge, with hidden corners and so many different books! I expected booby traps, hidden spells, magical creatures. But barely anything. It was a bit dusty, and that’s basically it.

In fact, we spend way less time in the actual library than I would’ve expected. The plot evolves into… I don’t even know. Things happen, but I kind of lost track of the actual plot. Is there even one? And the things that did happen were weak. The book had so many opportunities for betrayals, hidden information, and secrets, but it didn’t use them. In fact, it seemed a bit like the author wanted to write certain scenes, so she did and just put them together.
There were also too many conveniences. The characters were so. Lucky. The second they needed something, by pure chance they’d get exactly that. They’d hear the right information at the right time. At some point, Lore asks herself “How is he always prepared?”, concerning Asher. And to be honest, I was wondering exactly the same thing. He was always prepared. And considering that the two of them were literally on the run, without a second’s notice, that is quite the surprise.
Give the characters problems, have them struggle! Everything was way too easy.

As for the characters - Lore could’ve been interesting, but she was just so very passive. One might argue that she was terrified for a big part of the story, but she never did anything at all. Even when she was on her own, she didn’t plot, she didn’t try to do anything. Well, she did plot a little bit, but it was the bare minimum. And later, she simply kept running after Asher, having him protect her and take care of her. The one time she did make her opinion known, it seemed as if the scene had simply been put into the story so she could have a mental breakdown and get consoled by Asher. It wasn’t about her at all. She was so very boring.
As for the other characters, they were very black and white. Asher was nice enough, but from the very beginning, he was just so kind and protective and thoughtful and chivalrous. And Lord Syrelle was exactly the same. While all the other characters were malicious and brutal. They were so very obviously the good guys and I kind of despised them for it.
Finn was the only interesting person and even he didn’t make sense. His thoughts were so obvious to everyone but Lore and I simply don’t understand, why he didn’t talk to her about, well, everything. I hate miscommunication.

On that note – the romance wasn’t believable. There was no chemistry at all. I have no idea why they should’ve fallen for each other. They didn’t know anything about each other. He probably felt sorry for her and felt the need to protect the poor, innocent, weak human. But that’s no base for love. And she also had no reason to fall for him. Well, as I said, there wasn’t exactly a line of decent guys, but I’m not gonna fall for someone, simply because they’re doing the bare minimum. There was no deeper connection between them. The romance might’ve been believable, had it only started once they’d gotten to know each other better. But it didn’t. That was very disappointing.

The writing style wasn’t exactly bad, but it seemed very much like a first draft. There were some very nice and well written scenes, but then we’d get something straight out of a Wattpad novel. There wasn’t enough excitement. This book needs more action, more struggles, more character development, more everything.
The world building could’ve been better. The overall idea was nice, but we barely got any information apart from the basic facts.

The story picked up slightly after the first half, with a couple of very nice and interesting scenes. The ending was also a bit more interesting. At least something less obvious happened. Some decisions were actually quite smart. But in the end, nothing really surprising.

For a debut novel it wasn’t bad. The idea was nice and so were a couple of scenes. But it really needs some work.

Thank you, NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

this is a great debut fantasy novel filled to the brim with adventure!
the story follows Lore as she is thrust in a world of magic and Fae and books, after being ripped from everything she’s known her whole life. seeing how she grows along the way and adapts to all kinds of (some not very pleasant) situations is really beautiful. I admired her strength and determination to succeed and ultimately help the other humans in this world.
as for the romance, it’s not a very big plot device which I didn’t mind because the fantasy part manages to stand on its own. however, I did enjoy getting to know Asher and Finn, and also the other characters we meet along Lore’s journey.
the magic system was interesting and it was engaging that we, as readers, learn about how the magic works alongside Lore and there is no abrupt info dump.
I think I would have liked the pacing to be a bit more consistent, as there were some fast-paced scenes followed by long periods of slow pace.

**I received a copy of an e arc of this book in exchange for a review. That said, the version I read may or may not be the same as the final published version. **

**this review contains spoilers**

Let me start this review by saying that this was a good debut novel! I enjoyed the concept of the main character being whisked away to explore an abandoned library and discover some unknown fae secrets. Totally right up my alley.

The story starts off with our main character, Lore, a human who lives in a village that’s heavily taxed and taken advantage of by the Fae. Lore and all the other humans have no magic, while the fae do which makes them easy targets for the fae to take advantage of. After Lore’s village faces a disaster, she lies to take the place of her aunt with the castle organizing an abandoned library. It’s there that she discovers a special book and decides to run away with it in the hopes of helping to save her people. After fleeing with Asher (a guard), they encounter some friends and foes along their journey. The entire time, the book Lore acquired allows her special magical powers. Ultimately it comes down to Lore and her new friends trying to help free her people from the fae royalty.

What I enjoyed:

-The desire for Lore to protect her people no matter what. I loved that she was determined to ensure they were safe, even if that meant putting herself at risk at times. Everything Lord has ever done during this book was for them.
-I enjoyed Isla, Gryph & Finn. I really wish we got to see more of them in fully fleshed out scenes. Their characters are very well written and I love the dynamic between them.
-The diversity of the characters. I love that all of the characters in this book are so different from each other. Not just because it’s fae and humans. But also within that, you have characters with curly hair, some with straight hair, characters of varying ages, characters of varying races, characters of varying genders. I found that to be so very refreshing in a fantasy novel and it was very enjoyable.


What I didn’t enjoy:
-The pacing of this book. I felt that the pacing of this book was entirely too fast. I felt that this whole book could have been slowed down and some scenes/plots could have really been written out in more detail. For example, when Lore is learning to fight with a dagger. We get that scene only once and she never has any lessons ever again. I would have like to see her receiving more training.
-The dynamic between Lore/Asher/Finn. I don’t usually mind love triangles, however with this one I just couldn’t figure out why Asher and Finn seemed to dislike each other so much. There was never an explanation as to why. Lore had already kissed and started falling for Asher, but the second he’s gone for weeks, she seems to forget entirely about him and is interested only in Finn. I would have liked to understand more of why the two men didn’t get along and I would have liked to see more turmoil within Lore.
-Asher’s character. I didn’t find him to be a very believable character. From the moment he took such an interest in Lore when everyone else despised her, I was wary of him. No matter what, there was nothing Lore could do wrong in his eyes and he just seemed to instantly fall in love. I understand why based on the ending, but I think in order to portray that betrayal more effectively, the dynamic between Lore and Asher needed to be better. I wasn’t shocked by the betrayal like I should have been because everything about their relationship was too easy.

Overall, this is a good debut novel and a good start to this series. I loved the whole having to explore & organize a Fae library storyline—that was so much fun! I also loved the other cottage core themes like working in the inn, cooking, bartending. It gave it some cozy vibes before that action scenes. However, the pacing threw me off quite a bit while reading and I wish that certain plot points were slowed down and fleshed out more and elaborated on.

I do think the arc copy I received was likely not close to the final version since the page count is so different between the arc and what it’s reported to be online (almost a 50 page difference). I will be picking up a final published copy and re-reading for this reason.

I am looking forward to continuing this series and seeing how the storyline progresses because that cliffhanger left me needing answers!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I came across this title on Goodreads as it received good reviews, so I requested it on NetGalley when it became available. And I wasn't disappointed!

Lore of the Wilds offers intriguing characterization, fae of color, and surprising twists and turns in the second half of the book. Overall, it's an interesting romantasy that I recommend to all romantasy fans.

The book follows Lore's perspective, and she is quite a compelling main character! I loved her curiosity as much as I valued her dedication to her people. She always thought of the people at her village, their hardships and their struggles, and I especially liked that she didn't focus on revenge but rather her people's future. She wanted to set them free and guarantee a future when they can thrive, not only survive. So often main characters concentrate on getting revenge, which takes up the entire storyline, and the aftermath, the building part that comes after liberation isn't seen most of the time. I felt that it was a refreshing motivator that stands out in the fantasy shelves.

Asher was also a nice character, but I just never believed in him. I felt like we needed a more believable motivator for Asher's actions to strengthen him as a character and, in turn, the romance. Even though we spent half the book building their relationship, I never believed in him, and I was just waiting for the other male fae and love interest to come along... This was only my experience, though! If you want more spoilery specifics, feel free to DM me!

The rest of the cast was multi-layered and fully fleshed out. Grey turned out to be the funny, delightful, supporting best friend we all need. Finn was an intricate, deeply nuanced character who definitely deserved more "page" time. Isla was a beautiful, surprising delight that the story really needed. While I do realize why we spent so much time on building the relationship with Asher, he is after all one of the two love interests, I do believe that the story structure should be different to allow more time to the other relationships to build. Isla became our new insta-BFF, for example. On the other hand, the slowburrrrrrrn relationship with Finn was the most believable of all. Perhaps, it was to show the difference between these two love interests and romance lines.

I worry that I sound too critical and that I didn't enjoy this book, and that's not true! Do I wish some things were different? Yes.
Did I enjoy the story overall? Heck yes!
Will I read the sequel? Heck yes! My girl Lore deserves to slay more, and my man Finn needs to show off his awesomeness more!

We got:
Beautiful prose!
Fae of color!!!!
Fresh and interesting main character! Lore is awesome! She's curious and practical and daring!
Great BFFs!
A Brooding LI who isn't the most talkative of the bunch and pretends to be more aloof than he is! A beautiful male who loves languages!! I love Finn so much!
A mysterious enchanted library!
SO MANY PLOT TWISTS in the second half of the book that WILL BLOW YOUR MIND and make you GASP!

Lore of the Wilds features a truly beautiful main character that you will root for from the beginning! And the romance will slay hearts in the next book! Definitely recommend this book to all adult fantasy and romantasy fans!

This was a so so debut novel with an interesting premise and a diverse set of characters. That being said this felt extremely tropey, with random tropes being thrown in for no real reason and the pacing threw me off so it was hard to get sucked into the story. You can see potential here I just wish the story flowed better. There was a lot of repetitive phrases aswell so I think it needs edited a bit more before release. And plot holes galore..

I did like the characters in this I just wish Lores character was fleshed out a bit more as the book just felt rushed. 2.75 stars

I could not put this book down! My first read of 2024 and I honestly couldn’t have loved it more!

Genuinely sat here reeling at that ending (I WAS NOT EXPECTING IT!!!)
because now I need the next book 😭and I know that’s not fair but also pretty pretty please 🤣

I can’t recommend it enough and I am off to preorder a physical copy for my shelves!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and of course the author for an arc of this magical book!