Just fine. An enjoyable read but it didn't grip me. The romance was alright, not sure I believed they were truly enemies to lovers but I much prefer a strong build up and a slow burn in cases like this. The world was interesting but I would like to have had more time to get to grips with how it all worked!

I was super excited for this book, as I loved the premise but unfortunately, as I just could not seem to form a connection with the characters, the rest of the book just fell flat. It took me a really long time to read this book and if it hadn't of been an ARC, I probably wouldn't have finished it.

This was a great debut and I will definitely be keeping an eye out for more from this author. I’m not a huge fan of insta love, but the story was well written and I enjoyed the world so I can overlook that.

I absolutely loved this book! I had read something similar and it fell flat but this exceeded my expectations! It was very Mark Lawrence where it seems medieval but then you realize it's the future/apocalypse! It was really well done.

A captivating LGBTQ debut novel that will delight fantasy readers interested in dragons, romance, and some drama. Highly recommended.

A good, heartwarming story yet tense and dark. Even though, this is not a high-stake sci-fi fantasy, but the narration about the world-building is quite well-described. The main characters are likable in someway I think myself could sympathize for them personally, but the instant romance trope had never worked for me. Sometimes, I get bored because of the pace. But the writing is nice that has me impressed.

Thank you NetGalley and Tiny Fox Press for providing the ARC copy of this book and thank you to Fiona Fenn for writing this book!

Trahison, magie et romance interdite...une lecture qui happe le lecteur et fait des étincelles !
J'ai vraiment apprécié ma lecture de The Crack at the Heart of Everything, je ne dirai pas que ce fut un énorme coup de cour, mais malgré tout une lecture très plaisante qui tient en haleine !

I thought I was going to be really into this book. That didn't end up happening and I ended up not really getting into it or enjoying the story

I really enjoyed the writing style and the overall tone of the book—it felt atmospheric and immersive from the start. The pacing worked well for me, and I appreciated how the story developed over time. While not everything landed perfectly, I found it to be a thoughtful and engaging read. I'd recommend it to readers who enjoy character-driven fantasy with a reflective edge.

3.5 stars rounded up. This was a fun book overall. I liked the main characters and the way their relationship developed. I skimmed some parts of the book, but it was more entertaining than not, even though I didn't really connect with the plot. It was the kind of book that mostly left me curious about what the author will write next.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

DNF

Let me start this by saying that I have heard great things about the book, but it's not in my cards currently. I would like to give this another shot someday, however!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Tiny Fox Press For providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Surprisingly, this book didn’t work for me. I felt like there was a serious lack of world building that removed me from the story. In addition, i had issues with the pacing and found myself just not caring about what happened next.

This was a really sweet read! It had a cute romance and a good redemption arc for the "villain" mc which I thought was fun.

Orpheus is the mage of the kingdom. He never leaves his room, and when he does, terror awaits anyone who offends him or steps in the wrong path. He lives without worry of anything outside of his room thanks to the Warrior Empress -- Lore. One day, the shadow that lurks behind him has caused enough death that Lore sends him on a mission everyone is certain will lead to his death. To his surprise, Fenrir, his long time enemy accompanies him on this march to death.

The Crack at the Heart of Everything had a slow build up, but I loved learning about the world. I liked how we're put in the same position as Orpheus. He's sheltered and never socialized with anyone other than lore. As a result, he's unfamiliar with the current state of the world. Everything he knew came from literature from hundreds of years ago and beyond, so we have the same baseline and learn with him. It's was fun to see him piece everything together from little hints.

All the characters really should've died at some point for their recklessness (especially fenrir) but plot armor is strong. I'm still not so sure why Ohm was so attached to Lore.. he doesn't be loyal to her if he's stronger than her, right? For all we know, he can only talk in grunts - if he talks at all.

One thing I wish we saw/learned was how Fenrir fell for Orpheus? Did he think he was cute & fun to tease and fell hard? From Orpheus' comments, it didn't seem like they had many interactions but he's an unreliable narrator so it's hard to say. I loved their interactions while they were on the road though! I love any and all pining - especially if it's murual like Orpheus and Fenrir.

The characters and their development is amazing, the world imaginative and the worldbuiling just at the right pace. It's dystopian, but the depressing situation gets offset by people "just" powering through as long as they have hope, and healing broken hearts and minds with every show of kindness and/or dead Hellbiest. I didn't know who much I needed this story in my life.

2.5 rounded up

My feelings on this book can be summarised by 'meh'.

It had the makings of something good - found family, LGBT protagonist, magic/curse, snark, etc - but it just didn't work for me. I found myself bored, waiting for it to be over. There were flashes of connection and characters I liked but not enough, it felt like I was being teased by what I could've had. There were world and plot inconsistencies that felt like it was being made up as we go along and not looking back. I didn't care about anyone or anything. It's not bad necessarily, just not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

This is a very unique concept! Even though it actually me slight The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson vibes

The world-building is great and there is plenty of action and adventure. The romance is a bit of a slow-burn rivals to lovers that you feel invested in. Overall this was an impressive debut

I’m a sucker for post apocalyptic stories but add in a villain redemption arc and you’ve gone the extra mile. The romance was amazing. The slow-born just perfection.

I really enjoyed this post-apocalyptic fantasy romance. I'm a sucker for villain redemption arcs at the best of times, and our anti-hero here was a prickly, anxious, sweet mess of a man. The emotional core was satisfying, and the worldbuilding and magic system hung together nicely. It had a tenderness and a through-line of hope even in the darkest of times, even after having made mistakes and hurt others, which made this almost a comfort read even contending with brain eating worms and a barren, dying world.

The Crack at the Heart of Everything is a fun romance that follows Orpheus as he's thrust out of the only safe place he's known with his arch-nemesis Fenrir as his only company. Watching their relationship develop as Orpheus comes out of his shell and discovers himself is a delight. accompanied by fun banter throughout The world is an interesting mix of science and fantasy we get to see as they search for a cure for Orpheus's curse. This is a debut and I'm excited to see what the author comes out with in the future.