This book had some things I liked, magic, a bit of adventure, and a touch of romance. It also had some things I didn't like. There was too much dialogue and not enough action for my taste. I also would have loved the storyline to be more surprising. It was easy to guess where this book was heading and how it would end. Overall, I liked it but didn't love it.

**I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review**

I did not like this one bit, and it was a struggle to finish it.

• The writing was as if a 12-year-old decided to write fantasy with some romantic elements in it. The wordsmithing was just weird.

• There were too much dialogue and less action. I wouldn’t have a problem with that if the actual dialogue part was good. It wasn’t. It was awkward and hard to follow.

• The lack of description and action resulted in me not understanding what was going on most of the time.

• The characters were bland and stereotypical, as bland and stereotypical they could get, and due to poor writing, it was hard to grow an attachment with any of them.

• The plot had some potential but, for the reasons I mentioned above, failed to deliver.

The plot to this book was so interesting that I really wanted to enjoy it. Unfortunately, I was left feeling a bit disappointed.
The book immediately throws you into the action, which is pleasantly surprising. It created a sense of urgency that reflected the events taking place and built up the tension. However, as Kyr and Ciel begin their voyage, I felt this anticipation slowly seep away. The main reason for this was the rushed descriptions, combined with what I felt was too much dialogue. At times, the dialogue was also awkwardly worded or hard to read. With the lack of scene-setting at key moments, I found it hard to get into the story.
At one point, I wasn’t sure whether I would be able to finish the story as I was struggling to connect with the characters and the plot line. However, I stuck with it and I’m somewhat glad I did as I felt the last quarter of the book had enough well-written moments and tension to almost redeem the anti-climactic middle. The descriptions during the conflict was more imaginative and clearer than at any other point in the book, and I felt as though the writing level improved as the drama intensified.
Romance plays a heavy part in this story, more so that I was anticipating. If you enjoy reading romance scattered with elements of fantasy and battles, you may enjoy this book. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t the book for me.

Thanks to the author for allowing me to read this pre-publication through Net-galley. All views expressed are entirely personal to me, and are absolutely no relfection of the author.
A full review of the novel, including a break-down of ratings, will be released on the blog linked shortly.