I loved the cover on this book, and was intrigued to see what the book was about. Not sure what it is, but it was hard to buy the romance, I think the characters need a bit more fleshing out.

As a huge fan of parallel worlds and fantasy, I knew I had to read Luminferos. The premise of the book sounded very interesting. Unfortunately, I decided to drop this book for now at about 40% and rate it 2.5 stars.

I usually enjoy reading YA books, but this one feels more fitting to lower end of YA, even maybe a children's book. From what I read I find it would be more interesting and a fun read for someone new to fantasy and/or young.

The world is uninspired to me, writing to simple and often repetitive. Main character not fitting to her age. Behaves much younger.

I am a bit curious about some elements of the plot, so I may give it another try in the future, but for now, it's not my cup of tea. I always feel bad to DNF books, because I believe work put into them should at least get a proper chance, but unfortunately there are too many books.

I will keep this book on my radar, especially since I see it's a series. Maybe at another time, I will like it more.

I'd like to thank the author and NetGalley for providing me this ARC. I really enjoy being an advanced reader.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Both the synopsis and the cover intrigued me--I couldn't wait to read this book. Parallel worlds are such a fun sandbox to explore in. Unfortunately, I DNF'd this one about 20% of the way through.

I tried so hard to like this story, but every time I picked it up, nothing grabbed me. The writing style was my biggest issue. Up to the point I read, almost everything that happens on the page is through dialogue. We're told Big Important Things are starting to take place, yet there is little evidence of this shown through character actions or descriptions. This is also a personal pet peeve of mine; I find it so difficult to read when there's an overuse of ellipses. There's at least one use of it on every single page--it slows the pacing down and ruins the experience of the book for me.

I've seen a few other reviewers mention this story reads like a middle-grade novel, and I have to agree. If I had discovered this as a young teen, I probably would have loved it!

Overall, the premise is promising, but the execution fell flat.

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.

Luminiferos is a beautifully, well written book. @yanametro.com has a way with words that makes you think about life while entertaining you with an engaging story.

I absolutely loved all of the characters. I especially loved main character Lilly and her journey to find herself. Through courage and perseverance she struggles to overcome self-doubt and sometimes self-pity. With the help of her found family, Lilly begins to know herself and even begins an epic quest. Did I mention there might be romance as well?

Thank you @netgalley and Yana Metro for allowing me to read this amazing book! Everyone please go read!

I was initially drawn to this book by its incredibly stunning cover art and intriguing description. I had high hopes for it, and while it wasn’t bad for a debut, it wasn’t what I had expected from the description of the book.

It had a fairly good start, but the pace slowed down quite significantly and I found it very hard to continue reading. In fact I put it down for a while between reading to see if it was more of a me thing.

Unfortunately I think it was that fact that I was struggling to connect with the characters, pacing, and writing style. I feel like there was a lot of info-dump and didn't really pick up again until about 70% in. I did start to enjoy it more once the pace had picked back up again, but it’s definitely something I could have easily put down half way through and never picked up again.

Wildly inventive with lush and interesting worldbuilding. Luminiferos kept me up reading all night. I will be seeking out more from the author for sure.

This is definitely one of those "Don't judge a book by its cover" situations. I was drawn in by how beautiful the cover was, but ultimately, the story ended up being extremely lackluster. To sum it up, it felt as if the author took all of the popular YA tropes (found family, the chosen one, tall dark-haired love interest with a tortured soul, etc.) and stirred them in a pot. The result is... Not that great. There's so much info dumping that it doesn't read like a novel sometimes. It's also very Eurocentric.

Like others have said, the pacing is really strange. The beginning hooked me in, but when Lilly, the MC, goes to Faivendei and pretty much goes along with what she's told to do (without even questioning or second-guessing anything), two months have passed and we're led to believe that she's been training with the warriors the entire time. I was hoping for a The Cruel Prince style scenario where we see her train and build up resilience, but it never happens.

The sudden time jump glosses over the fact that in this time frame, Lilly has fallen in love with Will, the aforementioned tall, dark-haired tortured soul immortal (with wings!), when their first meeting was him being a huge jerk to her. Granted, I do love this trope, but in this instance, there was no buildup to their relationship. Two months pass and suddenly she says that she's in love with him. Huh?

Oh, and the love interest, Will, is as dry as cardboard. But I guess the fact that he's immortal and attractive and loving him is forbidden makes it a-okay. Also he's much, much older than her.

I also didn't like the writing style. The author overuses analogies like there's no tomorrow. And some of them are strange comparisons: "like oil floating on the surface of milk." It feels like an attempt to transform the prose and storyline from YA to adult, but it doesn't really work for me. Speaking of that, while Lilly is 18, she acts like she's much younger.

Another reviewer mentioned that the storyline feels preachy (light vs. dark, good vs. evil) and I have to agree. Lilly feels like a stand-in for a Messianic figure. I'm not sure if this was intentional, but it feels like it.

A review on NetGalley mentioned that every woman who's one of the good guys is slim and slender and pretty, while the one antagonistic woman Lilly has to deal with is called "the Bull" and is described as "a broad-shouldered woman with hyena's eyes, big disproportional face and thin lips." So there's that for representation, I guess.

Needless to say, this was such a disappointing read.

Thank you to BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for this arc.

I requested this book based on the stunning cover and blurb. Unfortunately, I DNF'd after the first three chapters. The writing wasn't for me and I did return and reread the blurb in case I'd been mistaken in my expectations. The main character felt more like a preteen than an eighteen year old and the writing was all telling. Perhaps it might have worked better in third person, I don't know. I usually enjoy a first person POV but this book felt flat and it became very repetitive. I didn't get a sense of the main character, Lilly, or feel any emotional connection to her. The writing was choppy and I definitely felt I was reading a story aimed at a much younger audience.

eARC from Netgalley - All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and Yana Metro for the opportunity to read and review this beautiful book!

I requested this ARC from netgalley as the cover caught my eye, and it looked so beautiful. However, the writing, the plot, and the characters made me fall absolutely in love.

I have always found the thought of parallel universes so interesting, and seeing it brought to life through the eyes of Lilly White was amazing, and the story gripped me from the first page.

The world building was just enough for you to be able to picture the world and not too much where it becomes a drag.

This book had such an amazing plot line with a few twists that you wouldn't have seen coming. With a dash, a romance added (as who doesn't love a bit of a love story).

A great, strong female protagonist realises she doesn't have to go through life alone. With a found family trope.

A well thought out Villian - Noxohit and his army of Noxes.

I can't wait to see what future books hold for Lilly, Will, and the rest of the guardians looking for the Emanations in order to get the Luminiferos.

Definitely recommend this book to any fantasy lovers

An excellent start to what I assume will be a great series. The world building was delightful and the characters interesting (although I do think there is much scope to add to their character backgrounds still to be added.) Looking forward to more.

I want to start by thanking NetGalley for sending me this ARC, and while I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to read this, I had to DNF about 20% in because I genuinely could not get into the story. The premise of this sounded so amazing and the author does do a pretty good job with descriptions but to the point where it was too much and I simply could not get into it.

🙏🏼Thank you to the author and the publisher for the chance to read this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I definitely requested this book based on the beautiful cover, but also the tag line that included fantasy, romance, and philosophy!

📚The things I enjoyed: 

 • The biggest thing I loved was the philosophical/ spiritual undertones. The whole time, I was taking little notes and just thinking about the things that tied to my personal spirituality. I thought a lot about Eckhart Tolle's teachings with some of what was portrayed in this book. 
• I really loved the psychological/philosophical blend of wisdom weaved through out. Powerful lessons about awareness, emotional regulation, mindfulness, ego, life and death, etc. There was some very thought provoking moments since these are things I'm already familiar with and are core parts of my beliefs and interests.
•The first few pages had me hooked in this story and I love when books can do that! 
• There are relatable elements in some characters. 
• The world building wasn't too overpowering. It seemed to dance well with the characters and storyline. 

📚Some things I didn't enjoy: 

• The romance in this book was timed too weird. I think the intention was an enemies to lovers trope but the pacing of the story and then the romance left out so much of that emotional journey that it didn't feel like an organic progression of a relationship. And I say this about the romantic relationship and the found family relationship. 
• The pacing of the book was very odd at times. It felt rushed in several ways.
• The dialogue was also written confusing in some parts and left me having to reread passages a couple times to figure out who was saying what. 

Overall I enjoyed it as much as I did because of the spiritual/philosophical elements. The romance and pacing was a bit uncomfy but I would still read the second book. ❤️

The story was great, a magical adventure full of weird and wonderful creatures, beautiful scene setting and interesting characters. I love the idea that it plays on how humans treat the earth and is definitely an encouraging story telling us to do our best for the planet (and not in a lecturing way)
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I did have a few down points for the book but it didn’t overall impact the story too much I just couldn’t give it the full 5 stars and I did find parts a little frustrating, the character relationships all felt rushed (we miss 2 months of the story in which I feel we just have to assume the relationships progress and the characters adapt and grow)
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It feels like there were too many ideas rushed. The book is almost like two different stories (before and after the two months) and all of the changes in that time are matter of fact.
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Overall a brilliant story but it just didn’t hit the 5 stars for me I will definitely be reading more when she releases the next one!

Thank you wholeheartedly to Yana Metro/NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review! Unfortunately, I DNF’d this book around 26% for a few reasons, but I’ll start with the good first.

The cover of this book is STUNNING! Between the stunner of a cover and the premise, I was hooked! The entire concept of the book is incredibly creative and I can tell the author put in a lot work to write this novel. However, the execution was lacking.

Aside from a few pages where I was truly interested in the world-building, I felt like I was slogging through pages of repetitive prose, confusing plot points, and incredibly long passages of dialogue with Q+A style info-dumping. The lore didn’t feel adequately woven into the story and therefore I lost interest — quick. I did not feel invested with the characters or the story, and decided to set the book down. Which is sad because I really wanted to like it! I just couldn’t keep forcing myself to read page after page without feeling some sort of investment to the story — life is way too short for that!

I do see how some folks may like this book from what I read but ultimately, I just don’t think it was for me.

Review in progress and to come.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

Stunning magical novel with elements of fantasy, magic and romance. Suitable for Young adult or adult fiction readers. Romance interweaved with elder wisdom containing some great life lessons. A fantastic fantasy read. Thank you to #netgalley and publisher for opportunity to review.

Actual rating: 4.5

I read this as an ARC, courtesy of NetGalley & the publishers & I cannot wait to purchase a physical copy of it!

I don't typically read fantasy, YA, or adult, but the book's description lured me in & once I started reading, the writing gripped me & I did not want to put it down. The world-building and character-building was great, I particularly liked the mention of typical folklore figures such as fairies, dryads & spriggans, but my favourite character was Harito because who doesn't love a cute gargoyle?

One thing I also really liked that I've not seen other people comment on, so it might have just been something I took from the book, was how the book subtly brought up the issue of climate change & human nature. The book made several references to humans not respecting the natural environment, our greed for material things & the effect of this on the world & our wellbeing, such as the increase in mental health issues. I thought this was cleverly incorporated into the storyline & while it didn't feel to overbearing, it made you reflect!

Essentially, I liked everything about this book: characters, storyline, world & pacing. I was so happy when I realised it was a series (something I didn't realise when I first started reading) because I didn't want the story to end already & I cannot wait for the next book!

*NOTES REGARDING OTHER REVIEWS*

I have included the link of this review on Goodreads.
I will also be posting a shorter version on Instagram shortly before the books release. If you could like details on this then please do not hesitate to contact me at Leah.maystanford@gmail.com.

I requested an arc based on the cover and blurb but 'Luminiferos' wasn't for me. Fantasy is my favourite genre, and the world-building was interesting enough, but the narrator is honestly a bit boring. As mentioned by other reviewers, the writing style is also very tell not show, which creates long sections of explanations without much to engage the reader. I found myself disinterested and not looking forward to continuing the story.

This book was overall an interesting concept that had me intrigued because of it's stunning cover and how it was described, it gave me "Magical, Harry Potter-esque with philosophy" vibes, which were curious for me to say the least.

The premise was relatively interesting and had me going through this book quickly to get to the end, but I will admit the plot was at times confusing and lacked the "oomph" that made me really interested in it. This was a case of wanting to finish the book in hopes towards the end it got better. And I do think by the end it was interesting, but it felt like it took a long time to actually get there. This definitely feels and reads like a YA novel, which explains some aspects of the book, but overall, it felt a little underdeveloped, I'm hoping that the next books in the series progress the plot further and get things really going!

This is the author's debut novel, and I definitely think the rest of the series has potential, I'll definitely be keeping my eyes out for more by this author to see how the plot could potentially progress!

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

LITERALLY every woman who is considered "beautiful" or "good" is described as THIN or SLENDER. The author says it - I am NOT EXAGGERATING - about 50 times, about multiple beautiful or good women - repeatedly declaring them as small, slender, thin. It is absolutely infuriating. Meanwhile, there's a "big" butch, broad woman who is "bad" and hits Lilly (her original personal trainer), Of course she's described as huge, broad, and big. It is repulsive this author repeatedly, repeatedly, REPEATEDLY uses physical beauty and small bodies for women to equate them with "good".