I really enjoyed getting to read this book, it had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed in this type of book. It was everything that I was looking for and enjoyed the overall mythology that I was looking for and enjoyed the overall way it was told. The characters were so well written and enjoyed the feel of the journey with them. I'm excited for more with these characters hopefully and from Noelia Acuña Perdomo.

Tale of Lilies was a fun and adventurous read. It had magic, romance, mystery, and a little bit of action. I am not sure if there is a planned sequel, but the ending definitely leaves room for one.

Delaira is naive throughout the story. Her naivete leads to some interesting moral questions towards the end of the book. The whole book is told from Delaira's first perspective, and we are limited to the facts she knows and learns about Agolea. She is portrayed as a hard worker, smart (but not genius level), and very relatable.

The "boy with caramel eyes" is the other main character. He is enigmatic, but sweet to her at the same time. I won't say too much to spoil the story.

It is a good book for someone looking for adventure with a PG dose of romance. I will look forward to a sequel if the author is planning one!

*** Many thanks to Netgalley and publishers for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ***

I absolutely loved this book! So much so that I finished in one day. The author did an amazing job keeping the plot going without it getting boring which is something I really look for in books. The characters were unique and I became very invested in their journey. I will be recommending this book to all of my friends and family.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC!

Found family. Secret powers. Kingdom wide rebellion. Also don't forget a little bit of romance. This book was so good. I loved the characters and the world. I can't wait to get the next book because I need more please!!!

I have been aching to write this review since 10% in. This book ensnared me from page 1. It has everything, mystery and intrigue, yearning and tension, it is sweet and tender, and heartwrenching and heartpounding. Everything I could possibly want and need. But more than that the writing is captivating. The author's descriptions are so precise and detailed, that it’s like watching a movie with every turn of the page. The world building was inventive and imaginative, nothing I have read before. According to Goodreads, I have read approx. 30+ books this year, and I can honestly say, this is in my top 10. If this does not go to the top of your TBR, you are missing out on some fantastic writing, the flirtiest MMC and a strong willed FMC, and the yearning and tension between these two is palpable. The world created is beautiful, mysterious and intriguing, with lore and magic that enhances the story throughout. Thank you @NetGalley and @authornoelia for creating such a beautifully written book, and @troubedorpublishing for allowing me the opportunity to read Tale of Lillies. I am so thrilled to own a copy of this book.

DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER IF YOU DO NOT WANT SPOILERS:
This story doesn’t hesitate to grab you. The FMC, Delaira, feels stifled in her small town, and is selected from a lottery to become a maid at the castle in the city. Along the way, she meets our MMC, Acheron - he is mysterious and intriguing from the start, but then again, so is she. This is the start of their relationship and a fine duo they make. He is flirtatious and a bit cocky, but when he speaks it makes you want to melt. But our FMC’s strong will and determination to find something more, something better for herself, does not easily succumb to his flirtatious ways. While at the castle, she becomes privy to an underlying turmoil, not just in the castle, but in the city, she senses tension and discord, while all the while, our MMC makes appearances as though he is silently watching her, but the author is so good at hiding his true intentions, it seems he is around for his own nefarious reasons. The plot takes shape and we are made aware that there is an underground rebellion, quite literally, to overthrow the Crown. And if the story wasn’t good already, this is where the story gets really good. There is lore intertwined in the story of their gods and magic, and all of it inventive, new and beautiful. I can’t wait to read more and hope this becomes a series.

The way I immediately scoured the author's social media profiles hoping to find an announcement for a second book after I finished. I absolutely loved every single minute I spent reading Tale of Lilies.

The setting was whimsical and gorgeous, the pacing was spot-on, and the romance felt authentic and well-paced.

The writing itself is beautiful and evocative. Every detail felt purposeful and transported me into the world alongside the characters without saying too much and dragging on.

I also really appreciated the minimal world-building upfront. There's no info-dumping, just pieces of information, lore, and even poetry woven throughout the story. Since Delaira is adjusting to life beyond her quiet village, we're discovering Astelena and her kingdom's secrets right along with her. It all felt so organic and added this wonderful layer of mystery that kept me hooked. However, if you do enjoy large amounts of world-building in the beginning of a story, the structure of this book may not be your jam.

Even though Delaira is experiencing life outside her hometown for the first time, she's far from being a weak or naive FMC. She's feminine but strong and street smart, which felt so refreshing. She consistently made smart decisions and could hold her own. Her character development throughout the book felt genuine and earned. As for side characters, I'm hoping we get to see more of that found family that emerged in the second half.

Last but not least, the romance was beautifully done. It had genuine tension, undeniable chemistry, and development that felt completely organic. Acoran is honestly the definition of a man written by a woman. He was tender, sweet, and oh so flirty.

Overall, if you're interested in a story that feels like escaping into a fairy tale with a beautiful romance, pick this book up! However, if you're looking for a heart-stopping, thrilling fantasy with intense battle scenes or plot twists every few chapters, this might not be your cup of tea.

Thank you to NetGalley and Troubador Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I was absolutely invested by chapter 2.
The plot twists with the characters, the growth, and generally the FMC were amazing. I am super grateful I got to read this ARC cause I will (and have) purchased the book. Acoran is one of my favorite men now and I cannot wait for book 2!!
Thank you for allowing me to review this! All the love

I loved this book!!!! I’m not sure if it was the translation or not but at times I struggled to follow but once I understood what was happening oh my gosh I was hooked!! Loved every second of this book. Currently on holiday so haven’t had much time for reading but I have in fact finished this at my day at a waterpark (had an hour in the pool that’s it) I loved it.

🩷 Book Review 🩷
📚 Tale of Lilies

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Thank you Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Tale of Lilies is a fun read that easily draws you in with its magic, adventure and romance.

The pacing was spot on and I did not feel like there was a dull moment with the plot. I did feel like it finished up a little too soon but maybe a second book is on its way.

Delaira's and Archeon's love started the classic, flirty way and then grew into something more. It dose not overpower the determined nature on of our FMC, as she shines in her feisty nature.

I would recommend this book to those that likes The Selection series!

I enjoyed this book but found it slow in parts, however the relations built was enjoyable. I’ve only given it a 4 because I feel the story didn’t have the finish I wanted it to have! Hopefully in book 2 things will develop more and if that’s the case this is a great book 1 for setting the stage

For me this was not a difficult read, but a boring one. I saw the positive reviews, and I am giving it 3 stars and not less, because I think it just may not be for me. I think the author writes beautifully, but the story was bland, and I struggled to be compelled by it.

It would say this is a fantasy atmospheric read, but to me there's a lot of dialogue missing, which I didn't enjoy. I couldn't connect with the main characters, and I couldn't care for their romance when it started unfolding. There was an attempt for the characters to be more three-dimensional, perhaps only the FMC and MMC and nobody else. I kept turning the pages and hoped the plot would come through and thrill me, but it didn't. There was plot, but paired with the little world-building, It felt more like day-to-day of the main character and less about the issues meant to compel us. I wanted to know more but I was left with too many questions. I felt that some action, sometimes even general scenes, weren't described well enough, which put me off. I couldn't picture well the fantastic elements such as Delik.

I am highly-critical of the ending. I didn't like the 'revelation' and what we learn about the FMC. The story ends with a cliffhanger , but I will not be picking up the next parts. I wish this new author luck and hopefully with good advertising, she'll find her audience!

Thank you to NetGalley and Troubador Publishing for this ARC!

I had a mixed response to this book.

I enjoyed the story with the FMC Delaira, the romance, and found family were big parts of what I enjoyed. There is a lot of intrigue and unexpected plot points which were fun, but somehow my attention was not always grabbed by this book and therefore this story took a little while to finish.

The chemistry between the characters was great and I enjoyed the plot overall but I think I wanted more magic and perhaps I wanted another book!! Lol! I think I'm really into series and learning more and more about the characters. I don't read a lot of standalone tales!! Hopefully there will be a second book out in the future and I will definitely pick that up and see if the standalone thing was the issue.

Thank you all for reading!

This was a good book! I loved the world building in this book and I also loved the story line which was very well thought out.

Tale of Lilies had moments that kept me interested.. The atmosphere often feels magical, with a fairytale like quality that pulled me in at times. The setting is beautifully described, and there’s a clear sense of mystery in the story.

That said, I struggled to stay fully interested in what I was reading. While the prose was a nice idea, the world building sometimes felt thin, leaving me wanting more context and depth. I also found some of the characters and their motivations almost nonexistent, which made it harder to connect with them on an emotional level. Certain plot points felt rushed or unclear, which occasionally pulled me out of the story too.

Overall, Tale of Lilies has potential and a unique premise, but it didn’t completely deliver for me.

This book follows a maid journeying from her small town to a grand castle where she unknowingly finds herself in the middle of a battle between the crown and its rebels.

The strengths of this author lie in the first third of the story. Delaira’s quaint, human, and fairytale-like beginnings offer a subtle look into this new character we’re getting to know. It allows the reader to connect with her more timid and normal side, avoiding some stereotypes like the orphan trope, childhood lovers, MC chosen by some magical leader—instead, we get the opportunity to see her lack of power in the world and how she chooses to wield it for her own purpose.
The author also shines when she brings us along this transient tale of Dela on the road, its obstacles, to finally reaching the capital. This form of storytelling gives the reader the chance to feel excitement and thrill as we have no idea what’s to come with each step. Additionally, we get to better feel for our MC whilst watching her struggle or grow when faced with tough decisions. (The bandit scene was very gripping)

However, after about 40% or so in, the writing begins to falter. The author could have done better with sticking with a loose, free-will type theme we were going for in the first part. Dela gets cornered into an awkward spot, then suddenly loses all the sense of adventure she showcased chapters before. It becomes stagnant, almost like the plot is trapped. Furthermore, the author should have leaned more into the worldbuilding, lore, and character depth we had glimpses of in the beginning and early middle of the book. Where and when did the resistance start? How has magic been kept secret—basically thought as nonexistent up until this point, but there is an entire underground city’s worth of practitioners? Beyond the myth of the goddesses, what history lies centuries behind them? Ancient ruins, old cities, the origins of the crown, magical wars that came and went. A fully realized history of wars and societal mechanics of magic creates ripples through time that trickle down to our characters, no matter how small they are. This creates depth. We simply did not get enough info to paint the world as real and therefore became less immersive. I think she would also have benefited from delving more in-depth with the side characters since their relationships with Dela warrant a lot of weight in her story. Aster becomes her best friend immediately after making no distinct connection? Suddenly, she knows her well enough to cradle her in her arms and treat her so intimately—it doesn’t make sense. As I read, there were just more and more discrepancies with the characters and their interactions with each other, feeling very flat and unrealized.
Overall, the author would benefit from taking time to describe and revel in the small moments, snapshots of detail that not only evoke feelings but exhibit MANY elements at once (setting, themes, worldbuilding, foreshadowing, subplots).
The storm that had Acorán and Dela find shelter and then defend their makeshift home against bandits was incredible, shaped our characters, showed us the dangers and expectations of the world they live in, added mystery, action and thrill, the plot came alive. Another good example is Acorán and Dela in the little treehouse. Beautiful and fairytale-like setting. Well-described visuals, could have leaned in even more. Showed authentic and tender moments between characters, gave a chance for the relationship to blossom realistically. Evoked sweet and vulnerable feelings. This is truly the only time I actually got a personality trait from Acorán, he likes stories, which is charming. Give us more.
Additionally, foreshadowing is an extremely useful tool, not only necessary for plot twists. Dela's big battle with denial when she finds out she's blessed could have been executed well if we had seen this denial impeding on her decisions, her view of the world, and her interactions with other characters from page one. Instead, it felt odd for her to be such a rational and sound-minded individual while not being able to figure out that she was gifted? Just cut the denial out of the story if it doesn't fit, at that point. Have her figure it out on her own pretty early, maybe she keeps it a secret because she doesn't trust either side of the war yet...etc.

3.5, but rounded up to 4 stars because it doesn't deserve 3.

I'm struggling to put into words how I feel about this book. I enjoyed it, I really did, but I also felt like it was lacking in some way's that I can't fully put into words. This book has all the building blocks to be something incredible, it's got secrets, and magic, and friendship and mystery. It has everything that I could possibly want, and yet, it feels very much like the balance isn't quite right. It's very slow, which I don't overly mind, but It feels like nothing is happening, even when major things are happening, it happens and then suddenly nothing.

The character development is beautiful, and we get to spend a lot of time with the characters, but again, I just wanted more from that. the MMC and the FMC have the potential to be beautiful, and they are really good together, but I wanted more.

I honestly enjoyed the book, the world that's been created is great, and there are a lot of questions I desperately want answering, and i will without a doubt reach for the second, but I desperately want that balance a little more.

I really loved this book. I was so fun to see the Spanish last names in the story, and people having two last names instead of one. I really enjoyed the story line and how scary things develops.

I liked Tale of Lilies. I do wish it had a bit less focus on the romantic leads, though. I know there was world building, but there was so much security in the romance between them and I kinda wanted more tension, especially since the princess had interest. Like it was confusing how they even made it seem she was interested in the ML, yet when she catches the romantic leads together at the end of the book, she never once comments on finding them together. Worth a read, just not a higher rating.