This book was interesting, but it feels like a novella that should complete a series more than anything.

I feel like it wanted to keep an air of mystery, so many details are missing. We follow Bow, a man who is in a very bad place at the beginning of the story, and his way to rediscovering life meaning while being on a scary and weird sort of adventure where he'll find secrets most people didn't dream of.

It's not bad, but it felt like a short story and incomplete for me. I would read more about his adventures, both before and after this book, and I think there are many opportunities left open by this book. However, reading this first felt kinda wrong for me.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy in exchange for my honest review

Novella fantasy introducing us to Bow and a possible companion. This is a story that’s starts in the gutter of despair of the loss of a daughter. Dom, once a hero with his daughter now forgets his past in alcohol. But with a challenge, and secrets to be uncovered, maybe he can start to put his past behind him. In that though is the problem of actually him surviving the next few days. I hope Bow’s story will continue in future stories. Thank you to World Castle Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

Enjoyed it fully! The plot was pretty solid, and the characters – especially the main duo, were well-written and super fun to read (would’ve loved to spend some more time with them for sure). There’s some good ‘ol humor present, along with some underlying emotions. The mystery/thrill element is what added more to it in my opinion, and the alchemy component was just an icing on top of the cake. The horror element was there, but not quite what I was hoping for. Nonetheless, this was a really fun read, and overall, a pretty good novella! I would certainly recommend that you check it out.

Rating = 8/10 (Pretty Good!).

“A really fun and intriguing read with a nice plot, and some equally well-written characters, making it a pretty good novella!”

Check out the full review (published on 23/02/2024) on my blog - indycritic.com.

I would like to thank the author, NetGalley, and the publisher (World Castle Publishing) for providing me with the review copy.

The cover is what drew me in and I’m so glad I was able to read this as it had a strong story and worked with the genre. The characters felt like they were real people and worked in this world. Bow was a great main character and I enjoyed getting to know him and his sad story. It was written perfectly and I thought the Maiden’s Sleep was a scary concept. It worked well and I’m glad I got to read this.

This was a horror novella, and I thought it sounded interesting.

My first impression was that I didn't really like the main character, and sometimes when that happens, I struggle to connect with the story, especially when that main character is the narrator. So because I never really felt a connection with the main character, I didn't really get the chance to connect properly with what was going on in the story.

I did feel that the author made good use of intense imagery. It was quite gruesome imagery, I felt, but it still resonated with me, and I think I may have appreciated it more, if I had felt more invested in the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.

Thank you NetGalley and World Castle Publishing for this arc.

I adored how heartfelt and thoughtful this novela was. I absolutely love alchemy, and all aspects of it and adored it in this. I loved how complex of a character the MMC is, and how many emotions he made me feel, I’m always down for a redemption arc, if it is correctly and this one was very much done correctly and written fantastically. This is a good fast paced novella, and I would highly recommend it to people who love dark fantasy. This would be perfect in between reading high fantasy series for a break of long books. It’s very captivating, it pulls you in and doesn't let go in the best way. Both the world and characters are interesting and well written, and it's just overall a good read.

I received this eARC courtesy of Netgalley and World Castle Publishing.

This novella is technically well-written, has good pacing, and a main character that I probably would have felt more compassionate about had this been a full-fledged novel. Since this is so short, (not many pages over a hundred), I didn't really have the opportunity to care. Or anyone, really.

In all fairness, part of the blame for this can be laid at the feet of Bow himself. He resorted to heavy drinking after his daughter's death, and he could be a jerk. (Another tale with the trope of a drunkard guardsman/swordsman/soldier/former hero of the realm.) I did like that his daughter was his heroic partner when she was alive. Now that I'd like to read! Their adventures would make a good novel. In addition to Bow the secondary character, the alchemist, was fair. He just happened to have the right potions on him that were needed to get out of a scrape, and that was a bit too convenient

This would work better for readers preferring emphasis on the plot and action rather than the characters themselves. There were some neat ideas in this novella, but it just didn't quite work out all that well for me.

3.5 stars because there was nothing wrong with the writing; I've rounded the rating down to 3.

3.5 ⭐️

Fast paced and intriguing. Great storytelling and characterization. The main character is interesting and complex. The character development was on point: The revelation behind his daughter’s death, the emotional struggle to keep going, and the combination between alchemy and nefarious villains result in a well structured story to get lost in.

This is a short story, and as such, everything happens quite fast and without too much context. But we get just enough context to follow the motivations and the struggles of the main character.

Over all, a short but very interesting read.

Thank you very much World Castle Publishing and NetGallery for providing me this ARC.

An interesting read. The Maiden's Sleep is a fast-paced, thoughtful novella that kept me interested from cover to cover. The Maiden's Sleep is a must-read for any novella/short story fans and fantasy fans who enjoy a sprinkle of alchemy with their magic.

Thank you, NetGalley and World Castle Publishing for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This novella was an enjoyable and fast paced read. It was a good pallet cleanser between some lengthy, high fantasy reads for me. I would read other works by the author.

Thanks Netgalley and Michael Stiehl for the opportunity to review the book.

Very intense, emotional, and deeply thoughtful book in regards to characters that evolve through the story.

An amazing book that shapes fantasy differently.

Interesting read. I typically like to go into a story blind if at all possible, I find it helps me keep an objective opinion and an open mind. While this story genre wasn’t one of my typical favorites, I will say that it captured me in a way that kept me engaged and interested in knowing more about the Maiden’s Sleep that had taken so many women away from the town that Bow lived in. Honestly, a Knife and Bow Novella or Novel would also be very interring.

I do think if you’re interested in things like alchemy and an eclectic mix of that into a thriller fantasy, or if you’re just a huge fan of short stories and novellas, this is worth picking up.

I would like to thank the author and NetGalley for sending me this ARC for my voluntary and honest review.