Reviewed by shannonmiz on
I stayed up reading this book all night. That isn't an exaggeration- I clocked in at 6:30 am. The reason? I absolutely could not put this book down, nor could I sleep without knowing how it would end.
From the start, Vhalla sucked me in. She just was so realistic, relatable, believable. Some of her thought processes reminded me of my own, which I basically never see in fantasy and I found so refreshing. Vhalla didn't feel stereotypical- that is, she was neither the "badass heroine", nor was she the shy, breakable wallflower. She was just... a young woman, who was scared and confused, but also willing to be strong when she needed to be. Her character growth and development throughout the book was also fabulous. She didn't suddenly become one of those stereotypes either. In some ways she grew, and she even grew into new flaws while shedding old ones. She didn't become perfect, she just began to grow.
Also, she loves books. So there's a huge win right of the bat, really. I mean, homegirl works in a library, what more can a booknerd even ask for?
And then there is romance. It's slow, but my goodness, the chemistry! There are a few young men who could be Vhalla's love interest, so I won't tell you which one she has the chemistry with, but WOW. It was super slow burning, but that doesn't mean that the chemistry was lacking, because it was NOT. I think that is what I am most excited about for the next book, really!
The other characters were really great too. Again, realistic- no one was perfect, everyone had their own issues, agendas, secrets, and good qualities. There was just enough doubt in each character that I always wondered if they could be trusted, but plenty of lovely moments between characters to remind us of the good in the world.
The plot was really fun, I loved the idea of Vhalla's magic, and that there were different kinds of magic! Magic is hit or miss with me, so I was a tad apprehensive, but luckily, this worked for me completely. I liked that Vhalla didn't wake up one day been some fabulous magical being. It took time, and she didn't know what was even happening to her half the time, and the other half, she was in denial. Which again, was awesome, because isn't that how you or I would react?
The world is split into territories, and while I would like to know more about the world, I think there will be much more to come, and it did not detract from the story- especially since Vhalla wouldn't have been likely to know a lot about the world around her from her sheltered existence.
And the twists-especially the final one- were just mind blowing! I admit that I never saw it coming, and I am so glad I didn't! I was on the edge of my seat (bed?) holding my breath, because I seriously didn't know how it would play out. And the ending set up the next book perfectly. It ended at a point where I wouldn't have to scream in frustration, but left me wanting more, needing to know what was going to happen next, because things just escalated VERY quickly, and opened up a ton of possibilities for where the story could go!
Bottom Line: Basically, I adored this book, if you couldn't tell. Vhalla is definitely my new favorite heroine, and I cannot wait for the next installment of this series!
OH- and how gorgeous is this cover? I may be drooling.
*Copy provided for review
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 13 September, 2015: Finished reading
- 13 September, 2015: Reviewed