Why did I enjoy this so much? Fae, humans, a library with magical books, a girl who wants magic to help her people, a possible love triangle. This book has everything to keep you captivated. The way Analeigh weaved this story makes you want to continue this adventure. I can’t wait.

3.5 (rounded to 4 stars)

This a great romantasy that is leaning towards adult, but there are definitely feels like YA at play. Overall, I found the premise very interesting and the book relatively did keep my interest! I would say for the first 50% of the book, I was pretty intrigued.

As mentioned by other reviewers, the pacing was not my favorite. It felt like the plot was not going anywhere for a bit, then would pick up, and then slow down a bit. We get the beginnings of a found family, and we spend a lot of time getting to know some of the side characters at the expense of the plot. Regarding the romance, I was really enjoying that part. If anything, the ending redeemed itself to me! Based on that, I feel like I have to get to the next book and hopefully the plot keeps moving forward and providing those twists!

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I love fae romance and this was so good! An enemies to lovers, romantasy, with magic and bingeable characters. I normally don't like love triangles but thought this was done so well. I can't wait to read the next book!

I went into Lore of the Wilds with high hopes. A magical library wrapped in enchantments, dangerous fae bargains, and a heroine who dares to chase power sounded like the start of something intense and compelling. Unfortunately, what could have been a gripping, high-stakes fantasy fell flat for me in almost every regard.

The pacing was one of the biggest issues. Scenes that should have carried emotional or narrative weight felt rushed, while other moments dragged without adding to the story. There never seemed to be enough time to let tension build or allow characters to truly develop, which made the overall arc feel disjointed and uneven.

The library, which is introduced as a deadly and mysterious location, felt underused and underwhelming. It’s there, but it never becomes the immersive or pivotal setting it promises to be. Instead, it serves more as a plot device than a central force of the story, which was a major letdown for me. Also, we were only in the library for such a short period of time that I'm not sure why it was included in the summary as such a bit plot point. It basically became a moot point after 20% of the novel.

The magic system also lacked clarity. It isn't clear how Lore's magic works or how the library creates or handles magic. It was all really vague since she's human and shouldn't have access. I wanted more of an exploration with the book she finds since she went from barely being able to do anything to mastering a lot of it really quickly. Even with the "tutoring," it felt like such a short period of time that it was unbelievable.

The romance leans into a love triangle, but it lacked emotional impact. I didn’t feel much chemistry between Lore and either of the fae men, and the relationships developed too quickly to be convincing. That kind of dynamic only works if you care about each connection, and I never did.

My biggest frustration was how easily everything resolved for Lore. She risks very little and loses even less. Her journey toward power should have demanded sacrifice, but instead she glides through the story with barely a scratch. The narrative often told me things were dangerous or difficult, but Lore rarely faced meaningful consequences. She definitely had plot armour and it took away from the meaningful aspects of having to make choices and living with consequences.

In the end, Lore of the Wilds felt like a story that needed more time to grow into itself. The ideas were there, but the execution was too rushed and too convenient. I wanted complexity, but what I got was a surface-level story that wrapped up far too neatly.

I may read the conclusion to this duology since it's only two books, but I'm not going in with high expectations.

I was really excited about this one and the book is visually stunning. I enjoyed the authors writing style and lyrical language overall, but I think it could have benefitted from an additional edit. I am intrigued by the characters and overall premise so I plan to read book 2!

I was gifted this book in exchange for an honest review.


To start I will say that overall I enjoyed this book. I liked the main character and several of the side characters.


I did have some issues though. For starters, pacing. This book goes through so many different paces. I feel like the start of this book was so slow but then as soon as she leaves the palace, it's just fast. like crazy fast. She meets someone needs, drinks with her and then instantly is like, let me tell you everything about me. All my secrets. Then her time with Finn was nice but again not overly deep. It just felt like there were way too many areas the author wanted to write about but didn't ha e enough time to flesh it out.

Then the overall feel of the book was a bit confusing. The author clearly wanted to write an adult book but instead it felt like it was YA. I think this was mostly due to the fast speed that most things took place at.


All of that being said, I enjoyed the characters and their interactions, I liked the setting and I enjoyed the magic.

Had to wait for the audio for this one as I got lost at times (still new to the fantasy genre) but it was such an interesting read and did enjoy it!

ARC gifted by NetGalley for review

I genuinely don’t understand this book having such a low rating. It was very entertaining, I loved the characters, and I was very interested in the plot. I feel like the people that complain nothing happens haven’t read far enough into the book. This is the first book in a series setting up an entire world. There was a lot of important groundwork that had to be laid out. I thought the casual representation in this book was so well done. I enjoyed getting to see things that I as a white person have never even considered when thinking of a fantasy such as haircare!! We need more representation like this and we need it in a casual way. It wasn’t a perfect book but I think it really successfully set up the series

Lore of the Wilds is a fantasy romance following Lore, a human who must save her village by entering Fae territory and work in their enchanted library. I enjoyed many parts of this story, but overall I just found it a bit underwhelming. I was interested in this book because of the magical library aspect, and once we moved on from this area I found myself losing interest in the novel. I did get pulled back in by the end but I do not think that I will continue on with this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy to review. All opinions are my own.

Overall I enjoyed Lore of the Wilds, but I would not classify it as a romantasy but as fantasy with a side of romance. Lore makes a deal with a fae lord when her family and village life are threatened by a devastating earthquake. While she does not trust the fae as they have kept the humans oppressed, she will do anything to protect her family. A fae lord wants an enchanted book from the library, but no fae is able to enter the library an survive, and Lore is a human who is able to read the fae language. As she searches the library, she finds a book that allows her to access its magic - with this book she discovers the fae lord did not follow through on his promise and her village and family are in danger. Along with her fae guard, Asher, she escapes to rescue her family. I liked the world and I adore Lore, however pacing was a bit off, and there is zero development in the relationship between Asher and Lore. Then a second man, Finn is introduced and Lore finds herself attracted to him, but completely forgets about Finn when Asher returns, again the whole situation didn't have much development on page. The twist threw me and I was there for it - but a cliffhanger - NOOOOOO! I will be picking up book 2 and look forward to spending more time with Lore.

3.5 rounded to 4

I can't speak highly enough about Lore of the Wilds. In fact this is probably my favorite fantasy book of 2024!

The story is about a human girl named Lore who is trapped in forested prison by a Fae Lord. When her village is destroyed by an earthquake and then threatened she strikes a deal to leave her home and catalog an enchanted library that hasn't been touched in over 1,000 years.

Little does the Fae Lord know, she has her eyes set on attaining magic of her very own.

As Lore's story unfolds she ends up getting the help of two amazing, extremely attractive, and dangerous Fae males. I honestly can't tell you which one I'm rooting for because they are both so well written.

Every single page of Lore of the Wilds kept me captivated and left me with my jaw on the floor at the very end. To say the least I can't wait for book 2 to come out. Do yourself a favor and read book 1, so you're ready when the next comes out. You won't regret it!

I really loved the world building and atmosphere of this book. The character changes and discoveries kept me gripped on every page. I can't wait to embark on the next part of the adventure in the books to come!!

3.5 rounded up. I was really enjoying this until the last chapter and then that kind of ruined everything for me. It felt like a cheap plot twist that just didn’t have the foundation to back it up. The love triangle stuff wasn’t well developed and annoyed me especially with how late in the game the second love interest is introduced. I’m really just laying here seething over the ending because it just felt like shock to be shock rather than something that actually makes sense within the rest of the context of the book.

I'm so disappointed to say that this didn't hit the way I needed. It felt a little young for being an adult book and I think part of that was how chaotic everything was with plot and pacing and character
Building and intentions. It just didn't pull together great but it had all the right components I'd say.

Lore lives in a land that is ruled by the ruthless Fae. Her people live under their thumb and are constantly struggling to make ends meet.

Fae guards come looking for Lore’s aunt and need to bring her back to the palace and Lore takes her place.

Theres a library with a deadly enchantment and the Fae Lord wants something hidden within. Lore must risk herself and enter the library and find what the Fae Lord wants, little does she know, what she does find, will change her life forever.

R E V I E W:
For the most part, I really liked this book. The characters were lovable, the story was interesting and the ending was just crazy.

The pacing was bit off for me. I also thought some things that happened in the book could have been flushed out a bit better and it slightly bothered me.

I’m hoping book two is put together a little bit better but that ending had me. How dare they do that to us.

Overall, it’s a solid read and I will be reading book two when it comes out.
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I had heard that this book struggled with what it wanted to be and I can see that. It felt like it wanted to be cozy fantasy but it dealt with some much darker material than I would expect from cozy fantasy in general. I didn't mind it because I typically read darker material but it did leave the book feeling...confused. I also felt that the voices of the MC's were a lot more juvenile and modern day than what fit the story. And that threw me off a bit.

Honestly this book is nothing like the fantasies I've read before. The characters and magic system are super unique and the characters were easily lovable. The only critique I have is that the romance wasn't developed enough. I felt like it was 0-100 and I wanted much more pining and slow burn. Especially knowing this is part of a series the romance could really develop over multiple books but they kissed at like 50% which is just too fast for me. Overall I'll definitely read the next one and I'm excited to see how the story develops from here!

Lore of the Wilds initially hooked me with a magical library and two dangerous Fae. But, just so you know, we don't spend that much time in the library and instead are thrown headfirst into action. What I was intrigued by next was the relationship between the Fae and the humans. The Fae have this derision for the humans and Lore makes this bargain just to survive. Quickly without allies, how will Lore figure out who she can trust? Lore of the Wilds then becomes a story about alliances, betrayal, and trust.

Actual rating 2.5

I really REALLY wanted to like this book, but in the end it was underwhelming with forgettable characters and writing that needs more development on a craft level.

This one was disappointing, especially with THAT cover and synopsis? I was really rooting for this one!

This did not grab my attention. It is very amateur and is obviously jumping on the band wagon. Also, No more love triangles. I am so tired of love triangles.