Ashta the Lion Tamer

This book was a little confusing to start but I caught on as I got used to the many characters and complicated storyline. The main character is fierce and full of fight and determination, and it's easy to root her on. There's plenty of suspense, though you must pay attention as it can be tricky to follow at times. Still a good read!

Lot of action. Flashbacks fill in Ashta's prior life. Quite liked the story but even though it ended on a cliff hanger not sure if I want to read sequels.

Thank you NetGalley for a chance to read Ashta the Lion Tamer.

I struggled with this book a little in the beginning but ended up really enjoying reading this. I liked the characters and the plot. I am looking forward to seeing where the story goes with the next book.

A queer fantasy by a Canadian author WITH a cover that gives me all the Spartacus vibes? (from the overly dramatic Starz series, of course) - I was sold from the start.

I will admit, the start was quite clunky, with chapters being more like camera switches then the actual end of a scene, but the pace eventually smoothed out. (though I think the author relied a tad too frequently on falling asleep and then waking up to end and start chapters respectively).

Still, the casual sapphic vibes made me happy and if anything is casually sapphic in fantasy, I’m going to read it. Even if I did find our MC Ashta to be just the slightest bit too closed off for even the reader to make a connection with her.

Overall the premise and story were solid, but the execution left plenty of room for growth. I’m excited to see what new stories Stamm tackles next.

*I received an eARC from Backlit PR & NetGalley in exchange for my honest review*