I was interested in this book as it had an intriguing premise but unfortunately I found that the writing let it down and ended up DNFing after only 13%. While the story itself featured some darker aspects the writing style itself felt very young, especially considering that the book is marketed as a New Adult novel. I’m sure that had I continued the story itself would have still been enjoyable but unfortunately the actual writing made me unable to continue.

I chose to read this book because of its attractive cover and intriguing synopsis. Reading fantasy was enjoyable. Certain sections felt a little more YA, while other sections felt a little more adult. That coincided with the fact that I occasionally felt the dialogue to be a little awkward and inconsistent. Although I finished the book because I found it to be enjoyable, I don't think I would suggest it to anyone I know. This book clearly has an audience, but I don't think it's me.

I really wanted to like this book. I thought it sounded really fun, and the artwork on the cover was stunning. The first 40% or so of the book did keep me entertained - I liked the characters, I was intrigued by Erin’s skill, and there were some really strong commentary on political climates, societal expectations, and the upholding and subversion of expectations all at once. Unfortunately, that enjoyment didn’t remain. Around about that 40% mark, something switched within the book for me, and I really struggled to like it.
~
I can’t remember if it was like this throughout the whole book and that I was too intrigued to notice, but a third of the way in, the writing just seemed really childish? On Netgalley, the book is classed as ‘New Adult’ (18-29 age range) but it does NOT feel like that at all. It deals with some harsh topics (brutal deaths and SA) but it’s written like the audience are children? To me, it was far too simplistic with the style of ‘tell, not show’. I couldn’t immerse myself into the book, as it felt like I was reading “and then this happened, and then I said this, and then she said that, and then this happened”, which was very off-putting.
~
All of the speech and description included pointed out the obvious, whilst feeling incredibly clunky. I couldn’t submerge myself in the book, or picture anything myself. With the writing style, everything moved so quickly and it felt like I was getting a bit of whiplash. There wasn’t a second for the characters to breathe, or for the readers to be able to feel anything for the characters or about the plot.
~
For me, this was so close to a DNF, as I struggled unbelievably with the simplistic writing style and the fast pace. I’m really sad about that, because it felt like such a strong premise, and I WAS excited about the beginning. Unfortunately, as the book went on, I was getting more and more annoyed by the characters and writing style.
~
I do think with a bit of editing, pacing work, and the additions of description, this book could be A LOT stronger. Unfortunately, though, I think I’m going to have to give this book ⭐️.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
I DNF this book at 41%
The description and cover of the book was really interesting but the execution of it was very lackluster. I really wanted to like this book and finish reading it but I had issues connecting with the characters because of the pacing and writing style.
In the beginning of the story we have a very forced dialogue with Erin the main character and her maid/friend Liana where it explained Erin relationship with her fiancé and family and a paragraph later her fiancé is killed and her family kidnapped and I have not emotional reaction or attachment to them. We don't know who these people are and as far as I read they are unknown to me. Then almost immediately the story jump to a different scene and location where something important happens for the plot and the story jumps again before the reader has a chance to understand what happened. This cycle seems to continue throughout the rest of the book.
We have more detailed descriptions of the characters' clothing than world building o characters development.
My enjoyment declined the more I continue reading and every time a stop I have to force myself to pick it up again.

i got about 30% into this but it just wasn't for me so unfortunately i had to dnf - i would be interested in reading other work from this author though! this just wasn't capturing my attention.

thank you so much to netgalley, the publisher and the author for the arc 🫶🏻

Thanks so much to K.A. Connolly and Netgalley for providing me this arc!

This is a dnf at 41% unfortunately.

I want to start this with the things i liked about this book. Let´s start with the cover - absolutely gorgeous. And that´s about it.

The rest of the book sadly could not convince me.

I could not get into it. The writing style and the weird modern takes written into this book really lost me. The fact that Erin is supposed to be a Lady but has absolutely no manners, and simultaneously being raised as a warrior but there is no substances to the so called "action" scenes. They lack detail as the lack tension.

Character development? What is that? The characters are two dimensional and boring. Why should i care that some character i know for 10 pages betrays Erin and her family? The characters are simply not complex enough for that, plus we get no time to get to know these characters and their relationships. None of them matter.

And the one character that seems interesting in the beginning - Jax - is basically reduced to being a dog on a leash.

The way Erin deals with the loss of her fiance ( which she has apparently known since childhood ) seems so shallow, when she is crying first and two paragraphs later she is laughing about some stupid shit. ( And yes she is allowed to laugh and be happy even though her fiance is dead, her parents captured and kidnapped, but TWO paragraphs later???? ) Also she never even really talks about the loss of her parents?

World-building doesn´t exist? We know nothing about Norcliff other than it being "remote". And you could counteract this with interesting political intrigue - but guess what - we also don´t get that. Because Erin comes and goes to talk to the king in the span of TWO DAYS!!

I could go on but ... i really wanted so much more of this. Really dissapoinited.

I’ve to admit the overall plot was pretty decent but it falls short in the off-key pacing and execution. The start of a female empowering role by Erin was fascinating but as you move forward you begin to see that unfortunately the book fails to deliver what was promised. No offence but I was all for a strong female character who learns from her mistakes after being in the real world for the first time and slowly becomes stronger through hardships yet still securing that feminine wiles about her. But this one just didn’t feel right, I failed to connect with the main character and how her mind worked throughout the whole book. She was imperfect which was totally fine but her continuous foolish decision just irritated me. Most of all her thought process was so hard to follow through and the pacing in the book didn’t help it all. Also the male lead just wasn’t carved out so well in my opinion. I’m just greatly disappointed cause this book certainly had to potential to be a great read but the writing just isn’t it which was saddening cause I would have loved to see Erin and Lianne ending up together as compared to the way the book started I was actually surprised to see there was a male lead (it’s just my personal opinion and in no way affected the story)

Sorry to say but this read was mediocre at best. I loved the main character Erin, a true badass warrior, but she was the only reason I kept reading to the end. If you’re expecting a good fantasy romance you will be disappointed by the lack of fantasy and a woeful romance.
No recommendations from me.

This book was okay but the writing could use some work. I didn't feel connected to the characters or interested in story. With some work it could be good.

The cover is gorgeous and the overall synopsis was interesting and that’s why I picked this book up. It was a fun fantasy read. Some parts seemed a bit more YA and other parts felt a bit more adult. That matched with the fact that I found some of the dialogue a bit awkward, made it feel a bit inconsistent at times. I liked the book enough to finish it but it’s not something I feel like I would be able to recommend to people I know personally. I definitely feel like this book has an audience, but I don’t think it’s me.

DNF 13%

I picked this up so many times and just put it back down. I wanted to like this book, but I couldn't get past the writing style. It felt like it didn't mesh with the setting. Maybe a good editor could help polish the book to something that I would be able to read. The book starts off with action, and yet I didn't feel invested. It just wasn't for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and K. A. Connolly for the ARC.

Sadly, I felt like this book was very rushed and didn’t give the appropriate time to really get invested in it. So many characters were introduced and then vanished off the face of the earth. There were some publishing errors such as editing mistakes and double spaces between words, as well as the prince being called majesty. This is not correct, only a king can be called this, maybe a lack of research prior to writing the book? Wasn’t the best book I’ve ever read nor the worse.

This book was a good intro to a fantasy type book although there was not a magic system the clan setup was something that I recognized and is common in fantasy books. It was a simple and easy read that I finished in almost one sitting.

"a kiss for a kiss"

5/⭐
0/🌶️

The story:
A young woman's world collapses as her fiancé is murdered on her wedding day
And her parents are captured.
We follow Erin Hart as she tries to protect her people from the upcoming war.
.
What i loved:
The small prologue:
It was not really needed for the story but it showed the amazing heart of the Hart family

The love story is absolutely cute
It doesn't feel rushed and is so beautifully done !

The main character:
Erin is so beautifully written, she is relatable, kind but also very feminist
The way she stands up for herself and for others. The way she is equal or even more important in the story than any man

The cover:
This cover art 🥰😍 is stunning and totally fits the story this is Erin how i imagine her.

What i didn't like:

For starters, this book isn't in my home library yet 😉 and next to that ... I would love to see the backstory of Madame
But that means i just need a second book 😉

A beautiful book, with the right amount of tension, love and is easy to read i couldn't put it down ❤️

First I want to thank the author of this amazing novel, K.A. Connolly, for letting me read an eARC of Norcliff!

““You're a woman, Lady Erin. Your interests don't matter to society at large.””

I gave this book a total 4 out of 5 stars.

I dont even know where to begin.
Going into this novel I was scared that the main character would end up in a bad relationship or that actual murderers would be made out to be “the good guys”. Luckily, neither of these things happened! Instead this story follows our main character, Erin, as she navigates her new-found responsibility after a great loss, never giving up on herself and her people.

What I liked:

The main character
Even with the rise of fantasy novels staring strong fmcs, I often feel like they give up that role as soon as they meet their partner. Erin, on the other hand, is just incredibly strong in everything she does. She is an incredible, feminist warrior, who leads her people without letting mens assholery get her down. I can think of multiple times where she corrects peoples sexist comments, defying the patriarchy one person at a time.

The love interest
My personal experience was that the reader gets to fall in love with them at the same rate that the main character does. At first, I did not know what to make of him, but as the story progressed I found myself liking him more and more. This makes the love story feel a lot more realistic.

The Plot Line(s)
I obviously loved the main storyline in itself, but what I wanted to mention was that the love story is only a subplot, which I think is great. The main stroyline was so complex, which is why I think a stronger focus on the love story would have distracted from what this novel really is: a story about politics and fighting for what you believe in.

A Fresh Breath of Air
Yes, when I tarted this I thought I might stumble upon a dark romance, which, as I already mentioned, was luckily not the case. This book felt like a breath of fresh air, after spending so much time reading mostly “Booktok” books. It was feminist, smart and so complex that I actually had to focus while reading this.

What I did not like:

The Writing
Okay, that is not true. I loved the writing! Butttt it was a little exhausting over the course of an entire book. It was written in a way, that made you feel like you were thrown back in time by a few hundred years. But for me, as a non-native english speaker with summer-holiday brain, it was hard to focus on sometimes.

Liana
I just think she should have gotten a more important role. Thats it.

This review will be available on NetGalley, Goodreads and Storygraph!

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a fantasy with romance. It felt a bit rushed with some gaping plot points that would've created a more immersive story. Nice for a quick read!

An interesting fantasy is a good way to describe Norcliff. It was quite enjoyable and I really liked the characters and the story overall. It did feel a bit rushed in some parts, but otherwise it was a good book. Erin was a very relatable character and it was fascinating to see how she chose to work towards saving her family and how she overcame the challenges along the way, including the grief in the beginning. It was an easy read and I like the author's writing style.

2 stars, DNF.
Norcliff is set in a fantasy medieval world where we meet protagonist Erin who on her wedding day she arrives to find her parents kidnapped and her fiancé dead.
I got half way through the book before I gave up on this, the main plot points sounded promising and the book was cohesive but I felt that there was not enough fleshing out of the book.
I feel that the book could have done with a few changes before it is published;
1. The language at times is very modern for a book set in a fantasy medieval world.
2. The relationship between the characters is very informal for a book where a class system is introduced.
3. The MC is supposed to be a Lady and yet she appears not to know any etiquette or social decorum usually associated with these roles.
4. In two very short chapters we go from coming to the capital to have an audience with the King and then leave the capital, the book contains politics and yet it's glossed over very quickly.
That's not to say that this was terrible, in my opinion it's a short quick story for those who was a taste of fantasy and historical but without it being an epic. It just wasn't for me!
Thanks to K.A Connolly and Netgalley for the chance to read this.

This book features a strong heroine whose life is thrown into turmoil very early on in the story, she rises above, taking charge and assuming a confident, powerful disposition. The story progresses around her quickly, leaving little time to wonder. I appreciated the pacing but felt that it seemed stilted at times, the dialogue fitting the time period but making the interactions between characters seem awkward. I also found that I didn’t feel a connection to any of the characters as a result, combined with very minimal backstory. This book overall is enjoyable, I just struggled to connect with it and sadly don’t feel it left an impression on me.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

A beautifully written book about the tragedies of love and loss and overcoming against all odds. Our heroine, Lady Erin, finds herself on a journey to freeing her the parent's that have been kidnapped and finding the answers she seeks about the fiance she's lost. This romance adventure did not disappoint. The read was fun and easy and I loved the strong characters and the relationships Connolly is able to establish throughout the book. The spice level is YA, but the action reads adult and is well constructed and thoughtful. Overall, Norcliff is a well-written engaging novel that will appeal to fans of epic battles, historical based fantasies and atmospheric storytelling.