This one took me some time to read. I was a little hard to get through till maybe 60%. The overly descriptive scenes and world building wasn’t for me. I would gloss over a little and have to dial it back in. Some people enjoy the super descriptive world building, it’s just not for me. BUT! Every single time Audra would say “let me tell you a story”, goosebumps every single time. The whole concept of this story was something new to me. I haven’t read a book like this & I really did enjoy it, even if it was hard to focus at times. It was a really good story. Jaik? Where do I get myself someone like him, swoon! The epilogue had me on the edge of my seat, I honestly didn’t know what to expect. I feel content with how it all unfolded on a somewhat HEA. If you love a good story about magic this one’s for you.

A Story Spun in Scarlet by R. Dugan

Thank you NetGalley and R. Dugan for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC copy.

𝐿𝑒𝓉 𝓂𝑒 𝓉𝑒𝓁𝓁 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒶 𝓈𝓉𝑜𝓇𝓎..

The author brings you along with Audra on an adventure unlike one I’ve ever read. She is fighting to find a place where she belongs and doesn’t know why she feels so alone and afraid. But through that quest she realizes, if she can help repair the world’s ending to their stories. She might be able to find out more about herself.

This book had the potential to be a 4 stars read for me. I enjoyed the story and kept dying to know more. The dialogue between the MMC and FMC was witty and sarcastic and I flew through their pages so quickly. I was going on this ride with them. The nickname the MMC had for the FMC was perfectly written and incorporated. I was completely smitten with their story. I found myself wanting to sit down during all my down time and read this book.

Troupes I enjoyed:
-Quest
-Only One bed
-Slow burn
-Nickname
-Tension

I want to recommend this book to everyone because I really did enjoy it so much but I have to explain my disclaimer to the readers.

There was at least four chapters of world building without a single piece of dialogue. I felt like I was being drowned by too many words and details right from the beginning. I couldn’t wrap my mind around it all and I considered not pushing through because this is a lengthy book. I believe this book could have been at least 100 pages shorter and would make it easier for people to pick up and enjoy because THE STORY IS THERE.

But I am SO glad I kept reading, and if you can make it 10 chapters in, you’ll be hooked from there forward.

The book is set to be published on March 8, 2024, and I think I’ll be in line for a physical copy. ♥️

I hope everyone enjoys, and thanks again tiger 😉

The universe of A Story Spun in Scarlet is one made of stories. The book features a compelling main character, an engaging romantic dynamic, and an intriguing premise. The settings are more appealing since they offer an aura reminiscent of Ketterdam. Though it begins slowly, the tale picks up in the middle. But superfluous characters, locales, and narratives cause the ending to drag on. The reader was nevertheless kept interested by the endearing characters, which included the love interest and the main character. All things considered, if you appreciate a distinct magic system and flawed but interesting characters, this is a good book that is worth reading.

I loved this, in a certain way. I think that the ending won me over. I will admit that this was a bit of a chore to get through as it is quite wordy. There are a lot of descriptions and long paragraphs which sometimes work, and sometimes didn't for me. Although I struggled a bit with reading, I think the author has a nice style. Audra was a good character and the tame romance we got was actually just perfect for me in this.

The uniqueness of the story with the magic system and the storytellers is why I would recommend it for reading and there are some truly heartbreaking moments in it.

🕮 ARC review 🕮

✰⋆☾ ⋆ A Story spun in Scarlet⭑☽ ✧˖°. Renee Dugan ✰

🕮 Romantasy
🕮 Slow burn
🕮 LOVE the cover
🕮 Only one bed trope
🕮 strangers to lovers
🕮 He does her hair
🕮 Unique magic system
🕮 -/🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶

"Let me tell you a story." ❤

“What a terribly beautiful thing it was, to be cared for… knowing so many things could change that forever.”


Such an unique Fantasy book and magic system. This is the first book I've read by Renee Dugan and it won't be the last one. Love the writing style and I couldn't put the book down. 😍

This concise text tells the captivating story of Audra Jashowin, a Storycrafter from the capital city of Mithra-Sha. In her world, Storycrafters have lost the ability to find endings for their magical stories, causing chaos and suffering. Audra, ostracized and forgotten, searches for a new life and finds work at a tavern in Krylan. Despite her inability to finish a story, she agrees to entertain patrons and locks eyes with a farmhand named Jaik Grissom. Their connection allows Audra to complete a story, setting off a whirlwind of magic and mayhem. The novel explores complex characters, a detailed world, and magnificent magic. Though the length may seem daunting, once the story captures your attention, it becomes impossible to put down. The emotional epilogue leaves questions and anticipation for a sequel.

Thank you R. Dugan and NetGalley for giving me an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

While I found that the writing style wasn't suited for me, I did enjoy the book. I wasn't a fan of the stories that Audra told and I found myself skimming them and not taking anything in, by the end I stopped reading them entirely because everything important mentioned in the story was mentioned again so I felt it unnecessary. I also found that the book dragged quite a lot and I feel that it could have been a lot shorter without losing any substance.

I loved the relationship between Audra and Jaik, I was rooting for them through the whole book. It was their relationship and the twist near the end that saved this book for me.

Unfortunately, I don't plan on continuing this series but I know that there are people who would love this book.

This was a long one for me but I'm so glad I finished it. I'm not one for a lot of world building usually but I'm glad I took my time on this hook because the author did a wonderful job with the writing.
This story intrigued me with the character being a storyteller while in real like I am also struggling to finish a story that I'm writing.
I was able to fully love all the characters and I really hope to see more from this author soon. The fantasy in this book really came to life for me and it felt so immersive.

A huge thanks to Netgally and Renee Dugan for letting me read this book before it was published in return of an honest opinion.

A Story Spun in Scarlet follows Audra Jashowin, a storyteller who cannot finish her stories. We start by meeting Audra when she is on her journey to Krylan. When she arrives at Krylan she starts working at a Tavern where she meets Jaik Grissom, a supposedly farmer. But what they were not expecting is that Jaik, in a strange way, allows Audra and other storytellers to finish their stories. After they start their journey to discover the reason why stories have no endings.

This is a very light of the beggining of the book and now I will go into my review.

A Story Spun in Scarlet was actually an okay book. I thought that i would be DNFing it in the beggining but I did end up going with it and actually finishing it. I wanna start by talking about the writting style if the author. It was not for me, too many descriptions, that could get a bit too much, and not many dialogues. Actually it was the writting style that made me give this rating to the book and not a higher one.

But besides the writting style. I did enjoy the story it was quite nice and I liked the premisse of it. I just feel like it did not come to the point where I would like it to go. The characters were nice, I felt like they had nice chemistry but other than that I felt like they did not have much depht or a lot to them.

I really liked the magic system envolving storytelling, I felt it was almost a breath of fresh air and somewhat different from the books I normally go for.

What I did not like, besides the writting, was the end we basically ended up in the same way that the book started, with the characters not knowing each other, or at least Audra not knowing Jaik and their friends. I don't like when book are a full circle, I prefer when books leave something open, specially when they are going to keep going (don't know if it is a stylistic choice from the author though).

The second thing I did not like was the many tropes I found in it, meaning forced proximity, single bed (this one happens a lot actually) and chosen one. I felt like they were a bit too many to be in one single book!

The third thing that I noticed was the fact that the book was kinda devided. What I mean with this is that in the first like 60% of the book we mainly follow the characters trying to understand why the stories have no endings, but from there I fell like it almost focuses on the relationship of Audra and Jaik and, to me, it was not very appealing.

The fourth and last thing that I wanna say is that in one chapter where Audra was unconcious she still was able to tell everything that was happening and this was one things that I really did not like in the book. Because if she was unconscious how was she able to tell us what was happening?

But besides all this I think that the book and the idea are really promising.

I am not sure yet if I would want to keep going with the series! It depends on the path that the book takes! And although this book was not for me in a certain way it might be for you!

I really enjoyed the world but found it was almost too descriptive and dragged out a bit. Still a good read!

A story about the magic of storytelling. Audra is a storycrafter who is on the move. For a reason no one knows, storycrafters have lost the ability to finish a story. Until one night meets Jaik and finishes her first story. The story follows them along their way to finding answers to questions they each have.

This is a high fantasy book so be warned. I feel like it won’t be for everyone. This is for people who love world building and lyrical writing. It is a longer book and for people who don’t like those things it will drag.

It’s a beautiful story though. I loved the uniqueness. The magic system revolving around storytelling is so poetic and I really love it. I also loved ‘Luck’ being a whole thing in this book. The writing was good. Long winded but good. You feel everything. You feel like you’re there in the world and you feel all the emotions.
There’s lots of twists and turns that take the book in a different direction. There’s no spice but the love story is still amazing. I loved Audra and Jaik. They make you want to root for them despite their flaws. As the story goes, you learn they have lost memories and how intertwined everything is.
(Also for just a little side note, I really loved the way Jaik helped Audra ground herself. Asking her to list 5 things you see, 4 things you feel, 3 things you hear, 2 things you smell, 1 things you taste. So good!)
And the ending was beautiful. I thought it was perfect.
Overall this is good fit for high fantasy fans who are looking for a unique story.

🖤
Close your eyes. Let me tell you a story.
🖤
Thank you NetGalley and Renee Dugan for the ARC. I’m leaving this review voluntarily.

I really wanted to enjoy and like this book but I simply didnt find myself invested in the characters or the world so I DNF’d around 20%. I am giving this book 3 stars because the author is an excellent writer this book just simply wasnt for me.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
✧｡ 4 enchanting stars
╰─▸ ❝ Thanks to NetGalley for providing the ARC in exchange for my honest review ❝

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
➶ I've honestly never read a book written by Renee Dugan but I'm glad that I finally have.
➶ Her writing style is amazing, its enchanting, lyrical, poetic and full of emotion
➶ The plot was plotting
➶ The length of the book seems intimidating but time flies when I read this
➶ The epilogue left me stunned, can't wait for the sequel
➶ I found the characters really enjoyable and interesting
➶ No spice, just kissing moments
➶ The atmospheric world building >

- I genuinely recommend this book

(Posted on Goodreads), once again, thank you for the opportunity

Audra Jashowan is what this novel calls a storycrafter. However, like many other storycrafters, she’s unable to finish her tales.

This story had an incredible hook, I was sold in the first chapter, captivated by the story. I thought it was incredibly interesting, something I hadn’t really heard of before.
Then it became a lot of that.

Don’t get me wrong, I loved Jaik and Audra. Also Lio was amazing (my favourite for sure, she breathed a lot of life when included.) however, the prose was incredibly heavy. After the shock of the intriguing first chapter, I found that I was kind of suffocated with the descriptions. I would like to add im a much more dialogue heavy reader, and then there was way less of it than I normally see in books here.

Renee Dugan can really paint a beautiful picture, so I’m not trying to poke the witting style. I’m just not sure it was my thing, as sad as I am to say that. For people who are very interested in the settings of their novels, of feeling like you can literally breath in their air and see the magic, this is a great book for you. Even I can see that. This book had a fantastic premise (the story-crafters were so cool. Unlike much I’ve seen in fantasy.)
Unfortunately the writing style is not to my preference, but I hope this book is able to find its audience!

Thank you to NetGalley, author R. Dugan and Wave Walker Press for this eARC.

I love this book so much!
The writing is beautiful, the characterization is great, the story develops beautifully, the magic system is so cool & interesting and the slow burn romance is everything I want it to me!
The only reason it's not a 5 star read is because it takes the book ~20% to actually get started. Before that it's just a lot of descriptions and info dump.
4.75 stars

Let me tell you a story about a fantastic book with stories within the story. Stories that on their own are highly enjoyable, and creative. Stories that add to the story that is already wonderfully written and so fun to read.

I seriously loved this beautifully written book. This book about a storyteller who has lost their ability to finish their stories, along with all other storytellers is a big book. It took a while to read, and maybe was a little too wordy at times, but what follows is the main characters’ quest to find out why everyone lost that ability. Full of adventure, a slow burn romance, action, magic, thrills and the best stories within the story, this book delivers for an amazing fantasy book. Great plot, well developed characters and just so enjoyable, I highly recommend this book for any fantasy lovers out there.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.75 stars.
I received an early e-copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This was a fun book! I really enjoyed the world-building and the concept of Storycraft. It's a very unique magic system. The characters are great. Audra and Jaik are fab, and I loved the whole idea of them forgetting but still finding their way back to each other. Galan is a piece of work though!
I felt like the story dragged a bit in places, and some chapters could have been edited down a bit. The flow seemed a bit interrupted sometimes.
Overall though, this was a really fun book and I enjoyed it :)

In Mithra-Sha stories can create magic. They can grow crops, change weather, and even build homes and roads. Well they used to be able to. A few years ago all stories lost their endings and Mithra-Sha has been suffering since. Audra Jashowin is a storyteller trying to find a place to belong after her family rejected her. She is trying to find a purpose when she ends up in a new city and meets Jaik Grissom. Suddenly her stories have endings. And soon they are on the run. They set out looking for answers and hiding from a bounty on their heads. Their journey will send them all over Mithra-Sha and will uncover secrets that will change the world.

Well this was a hefty book. I didn’t realize how big before I started lol. My biggest criticism of the book was that it was overly descriptive. I found myself skimming through some of the paragraphs. The story hummed along at a slow pace. The magic system through the storytelling was unique and I thought it was funny when Jaik asked why not just say we leave the city. I liked the chemistry between Audra and Jaik. He is very supportive and definitely did his best to hold her accountable. I figured out Audra’s secret pretty early, although not Jaik’s. Overall I struggled keeping focus with the book and thought it would have been better if some of the extra description was cut out, but I did like the book. The last few chapters and the epilogue had my emotions in a chokehold. If there are more in the series I will be getting them.

Rating 4 stars
*I received a review copy from NetGalley for my voluntary and honest review

This just didn't pull me in the way I hoped. I liked the stories Audra tried to tell better than her own journey. It unfortunately wasn't a win for me.

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley and Wave Walker Press. . I will leave an honest review for this book as there are elements I like and elements I did not like.

I must say the idea of a story teller not being able to finish a story in the first few chapters broke my heart. But as the story progressed I found myself struggling to relate to the characters and care for them.

Then the pacing of the book is extremely slow. It takes a long time for anything to happen and for anything substantive to occur you need to make it to chapter 10 at least and that is a long time to read for any plot line to develop.

However, the world building and descriptive nature of Dugan’s writing kept luring me in and I did eventually finish this book. It was a chore but I did it. Am I glad I finished it? Yes. Will I recommend it? That depends on the person. I wouldn’t rule out Dugan’s work and I am intrigued to see how their writing develops in the future.