This had a decent storyline but ultimately was not my favorite read. I did finish this satisfied but it unfortunately did not meet my expectations.

Ended up not being able to finish this one, sadly. I was extremely disappointed to realize that there was a scene in which the MC was raped. Not only was there no prior warning, but it read like it was written for shock value. Along with that, this book did not read like a fully-realized book, but more like a rough draft. To add, I was a little apprehensive with how 2014 Wattpad fanfic this book came across. The writing was literally like reading a WP fic from that year, and I found myself cringing on more than two occasions.

I received a free copy for an honest review.

I was really excited since I saw this book. I was expecting a fantasy with a bit of romance but it was the other way around.. The whole story was promising but I didn't live it up my expectations

This book had a great plotline and kept me hooked until the final page. I will definitely be looking up other title's thus author has written

I enjoyed Two Thousand Years. It was a good book.
The beginning really pulled me in and kept me reading well into the night, but when got some chapters in, I had some trouble keeping up with the story and lost interest. When putting two worlds together in a book, ours and an additional fictional world, there is a big chance that there will be comparisons to help you undertsand world 2 better. Seeing the world through the Alex's eyes for the first time helped but at one point it felt like she didn't need any more information so it was stopped given. Because of this it took me a while to understand what was going on and wave away my confusion.

After the halfway point it was much easier to follow along with the plot and it had a real chance of hooking you.
That being said, I wasn't a fan of some of the tropes and situations. Along with the fact that I personally didn't like Alex and didn't particularly care for Treyan I didn't love the book as much as I could have.

I have to call it. I have had this book on my dashboard for almost 5 months. I have picked this up and uncerimoniously put it back down more times than I care to admit and DEFINITELY more times than I usually give a read. I just can't get into it and that's confusing since the synopsis hit all the right notes. I was intrigued. The book's premise is unique... something I relish... BUT the writing is so incredibly bland and stilted that it physically and mentally hurt to go on. Sounds harsh right?!? I 100% don't mean it to be but the dialogue and plot are just put out there...robotic like. This is what happens, now this happens, this person says this, that person replies... no emotion...no breath of life...no je ne sais quoi. The world building is severely lacking making this feel monochromatic, stiff and boring. The characters are underdeveloped as well. The MC is annoying and I feel zero connection with anyone or anything.

I loathe giving up on a read mid way but there just isn't enough hours in the day or days in ones life to spend time on reading something that doesn't make you lose yourself or at the very least rationalize the time spent. It could be because I have been reading some REALLY excellent books lately, straight to Favorites type reads. I think it has set the bar pretty high. Either way, it wasn't for me and I set my limit at hmmm hmmm tries before I call it. So here we are... I HATE to say it but...

:::hanging my head in shame and defeat:::

I'm DNFing this one.

*** I was given a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ***

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

All included quotes have been taken from an ARC and may not match the finished publication.

Content Warning: Assault, Rape, Abduction, Hostage, Premarital Sex, Adult Sexual Content, Death, Violence, Discussion of Abortion

"She wasn't just a salvation of a people. She was a salvation to him."

I've been wanting to read this book for a while, ever since I heard of it back in early 2018. The idea of a Prophesy of Fire and Light definitely intrigued me, but also made me anticipate some sort of romance--what I found was that this was mostly a romance, with a hint of fantasy. I'm fine with that, to a degree. But when romance turns into two brothers battling for the same girl...and it all revolves around to point of getting her in bed, that's where I check out.

Two Thousand Years begins like Black Dawn, Gateway to Fourline, and The Last of the Firedrakes to name a few with similar concepts. I don't mind this set up for a plot. As in, a girl who lives in this world is suddenly spirited off to another world that she had no idea existed and she leaves Earth and everything she knows here behind. Once there, she finds out that she plays some significant roll in the story of the realm...like is actually it's ruler. What I don't like is how the character that makes the transition across worlds almost immediately loses their former-self and seamlessly takes on the more Medieval-like lifestyle that I feel these books mostly land in. I literally can't imagine the majority of people just forgetting about amenities like running water, toilets, a shower, or cell phones. Now, I don't expect these characters to be unable to transition and to remain wallowing in their situations. There just needs to be a period of time allowing for better and more realistic adjustment. Alex actually took a bit longer to make this adjustment in comparison to others. Even so, when she decides to stay in the Empire, there's very little remaining of her former life.

Moving from Boston to the Empire is a massive shift. I've never been to Boston, but I'm familiar with it's setting seeing how its here. The Empire, on the other hand, isn't explained much at all. Going into this foreign world, I really need much more detail across the board. Even the prophesy itself could have used more explanation.

"The birth of the Queen Empress within the Otherrealm triggers the birth of the Twin Princes within the Empire. Once the Dream of the Empress is revealed, the Crown Prince travels to the Otherrealm to retrieve the Queen Empress. Upon coronation, it is the Crown Prince's sworn duty to ensure the continuance of the Empire's royal line, and upon the birth of the next generation, the Prophesy is reborn."

But, why? Seeing how this entire story is built around this prophesy, there needs to be more of a backstory.

The characters themselves were somewhat developed, Reylor being the least and Alex the most. Reylor is angry, spiteful, and cruel, and seems to be wildly incapable of anything else. Oh, and he is very lustful. Insta-love takes place between Alex and Treyan, which is to be expected due to the prophesy itself. Even so, everyone could use more dimension and building between their relationships--okay, interactions, because anything with Reylor isn't a relationship, its a conquering.

Despite all of that, there were aspects that elicited my curiosity. In particular, Reylor's character is quite a mystery---but a repulsive one at that. What exactly is his motive? If it is only to overthrow the prophesy, then that would be disappointing. I thought that the idea of the Annals--a large, ancient, and magical book which tells of the Empire and prophesy's history--was an interesting inclusion into the plot. It's predictions of the future definitely set the tone for the sequel. I will be reading Reylor's Lament and Treyan's Promise to see if more of their stories are divulged.

Vulgarity: Minimal.
Sexual content: A lot, including graphic sex scenes, assault, and rape.
Violence: Moderate, including murder.

My Rating: ★★

DNF at 40%.
This book had an interesting premise, more original than I've come to expect in most novels. It's hard to come up with something different these days and I appreciated the randomness of a Boston girl being stolen off the street to fulfill a prophesy from another world.
However, the writing failed to deliver. The main character is pretty under-developed and shallow. Her reactions and emotions are disjointed and not consistent. The other characters are the same. They're introduced with very little explanation or description and the dialogue is extremely bare-bones, with no characterization. They're just speaking the plot.
There is a lack of description which makes the actual world seem bland and boring. I guess it's just your typical medieval fantasy world, since the author doesn't give us anything beyond the most basic, bare-bones descriptions of things.
I was also bothered by how the story seems to be a romance that's barely disguised as fantasy. The main character, who has just found out she's an Empress in a mysterious other world, can only moon over the hot Crown Prince and wish she could be with him. It's ridiculous
In summary, the world and characters are underdeveloped, the main character acts like a 13-year-old, and the romance angle is annoying. I didn't hate it, I just got tired of waiting for it get better.

I loved this concept! Engaging and thoughtful while still being relatively realistic in delivery! The writing style gave new breath to the fantasy world.

An intricate collation of world-building, and characterisation, M. Dalto has provided a novel which intrigues, and challenges. Pushing boundaries, and yet, settling neatly within them. With a writing-style that borders on addictive, this series has carefully constructed something lasting, within the novel world.

It was surprising, the intrigue this novel developed, with room to develop and grow into itself further than it already is. While it follows your basic tropes, it also diverts in the most delightful ways, spurring itself into something different - in the best way.

Two Thousand Years has a good premise. Unfortunately, I don't think the story is for me. I just didn't care for it overall. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Not being in my teens nor a huge fantasy fan nor a female, I still liked this book. Although I'm sure younger folks will like it more than I did. It has interesting characters, well crafted world, and good twists. Keep up the good work.

I really don't like to dnf books, especially when I read them for a review, but when it's not right, it's not right.

This book had such an interesting premise but unfortunately it didn't work for me. Sadly, I was bored throughout the whole story and was thinking to dnf it.
So what went wrong? It was very underdeveloped in my opinion, the characters, the world, the story line itself.
Main character Alex is 22 years old, yet she behaves worse than a 16 year old. She gets taken to this world where she is the Empress (for some reason) She is taken against her will, knocked unconscious several times (with magic, not physical force, but still, not good) and yet she's not even trying to run away, safe herself, she forgets about her other life and friends and family. Her only focus is her kidnapper who is of course so handsome and mysterious and in just one day they're in love. I don't know if it's just me but this is the worst trope in literature. No, just no, you don't fall in love with your captor because he's hot! I know there is this prophecy and they are destined for each other. But there was no development in their relationship it just happened. Plus Treyan (the kidnapper) never tells her anything, also he was stalking her for over a year before taking her to this other world (Which other world I don't know, 40% in to the story and I still have no clue). How is that ok? Why is this behavior glorified in books? He then admits to watching her at work and following her around and she thinks that's cute?
I'm writing this review as I'm reaidng this book and after this scene I don't want to read it anymore. It just makes me angry to see this kind of "relationships".

I loved the premise of this book and even though there were a few familiar tropes, it didn’t get in the way of the plot. Plus, I love tropes if executed properly. Not only that but it’s New Adult which I don’t read enough of and need to. Dalto does an excellent job of world building although I needed more from the characters themselves. I can’t wait to see what else she has in store for the future.

I ended up DNFing this around 40%. I was just not very into the story. This might have just not been for me as the writing wasn't bad but I just wasn't involved in the story.

I may try and pick it back up later on. I did essentially like the plot.

This book had a lot of potential, but sadly the use of rape as plot device is a hard 1 star for me. This is purely reviewer preference. The themes in this book went against empowering young women in my opinion ...I would've liked to see a stronger, more driven, more independent heroine. Despite the attempt to write Alex as a sassy, strong, young woman ...she still read like a damsel in distress. The brooding male MC fell flat. I really liked the concept, but it could have been executed better. Plus grammar mistakes and repetition of sentences made it a bit difficult to power through.

Other than that, I liked that the book niched itself into the NA category — we don't have enough NA fantasy. Characterization was okay but no one jumped off the page. I felt like the villain was quite two-dimensional and the MCs were textbook sass and bad boy. There was nothing different and nothing special about either of them.

I really REALLY wanted to love this book ...but it just was not for me. Perhaps it would have been better with more planning? A good thought, going forward, would be to structure character arcs and tie the overall plot together. After reading the entire book, I am still trying to find the point of it all. It felt like fancy words and mini concepts being thrown together to concoct an epic fantasy. With the series being a quartet, there's a lot of room for some much-needed improvement.

I liked the setting and premise of this book — I like the idea of a seemingly regular girl actually belonging to another world, and the whole idea of fulfilling a prophecy. It's a well-established idea but it has so many possible endings that could go along with it. However, I felt that the relationship between Alex and Treyan developed too quickly; it felt like a case of insta-love, which I disliked. It made me feel disconnected from them as characters. Treyan just sort of felt a bit bland as a character to me because it felt like he was primarily set up as a love interest. I was also disappointed with Reylor's characterisation; he just felt a bit two dimensional, as other readers have pointed out. I didn't feel like I understood his motivations, which would have made him more of a nuanced character. Hopefully that will improve later in the series.

In summary, I think that this book had a lot of good potential, given its promising premise, but unfortunately it was not well executed.

There was an attempt, but I can't say that it was a very successful one. That is particularly sad because I was enjoying it in the beginning, but it got progressively worse and worse.

Everything about this book was enjoyable at first. I never thought that it was going to be anything groundbreaking, but it had a certain charm that kept me reading. While the writing and the plot wasn't that great, I was certainly hooked with how things were moving along.

I feel like one of the reasons this book didn't work for me is because the insta-love factor was too strong in this story. At first I didn't mind it that much, because I've read worse, but it kept getting worse. Not only did they get into a relationship after knowing each other for like 2 days, but half way through the story they got engaged and the main character got pregnant (it wasn't the love interest's child, but anyway). And the love interest was just a typical YA dude. A smirking, slightly cocky hot dude.

The plot was a big flop, in my opinion. I was confused from page one and nothing actually happened, and if something important happened, the pacing was very weird. Also, some of the characters' decisions were very frustrating and ultimately they made me like this book less. Overall, Two Thousand Years was not for me and I really wish I liked it more.

I did um and ah a little before requesting Two Thousand Years on NetGalley. The premise sounded good, but I was on the fence. In the end the good reviews decided me, but sadly I didn't feel the book in the way those readers did. First off, the good points. I really enjoyed the set up of the story, with a normal young woman swept out of her life and taken to another realm to fulfill a prophecy. It had all the makings of a great tale. Unfortunately, I couldn't bring myself to care much about the characters. I didn't hate them, but they didn't thrill me, and I found the progression of the story pretty predictable, so it struggled to hold my attention. Mostly, I disliked Reylor. I wanted to understand him and his motives more. He came across a little two-dimensional. He did some truly awful things, but I didn't feel I ever understood why, except that they made him 'the villain'. I would have liked to have understood the world of the Empire and the Prophecy more than I did. Often when things happened it seemed only to be because it served the plot and what the author wanted to have occur next. There were also a few grammatically niggles, with incorrect tense cropping up here and there.

I am hovered between two and three stars on this one, but in the end I have gone with three, simply because I did like the idea even if the book didn't quite come together overall for me. Plus, there are plenty of positive reviews on this one, so just because it didn't suit me, it doesn't mean other readers won't find something to enjoy here.

Thank you to Xpresso Book Tours, for the arc of this wonderful book!
I loved it!
What a great story, it held me from the get go, a strong female lead, with Alex, with a little love story with Treylan, nice to have the love without the smut!
And of course an evil villain, (there needs to be a bad guy!)
I can’t wait to see where this series goes, hopefully the wait won’t be too long.
Did I mention that I loved this book?❤️🤣