Helpful Score: 1
So apparently I'm somewaht of a minority in not loving this book. It was recommended by a friend, who raved about it using words liking "enchanting" and "erotic". Reviews I've read had praise along the same lines. I feel like I read a totally different book from everyone else because, while I didn't hate this book, it's not going on my five star books list.
Plot: The setting is your typical fantasy kingdom, ruled by an all powerful magic fearing emperor. Sophie Fyne is a witch, and she and her sisters are under a curse. Any man they truely love is doomed to die young. Thus, they've made the decision never to love and instead live alone in a cabin on a mountain. Sophie is the youngest and she's a bit more promiscuous minded, because she decides to follow in her mother's footsteps and seek out anonymous lovers to give her children. The first such lover is Kane, a rebel soldier. She dreams of him, seeks him out, heals him, makes love to him, and leaves him. She has a baby girl, as was the plan, and expects never to hear from Kane again. But of course, he discovers her and wants to marry her...then the baby disapears under mysterious circumstances and she needs his help to get her back. The plot is slow, especially in the beginning. I was cautioned that it takes about 100 pages to get going, I argue that it took more like 180 for me to get truely invested.
Characters: Sophie actively irritated me most of the time. What good are magic powers if all you can do is cry and whine and make flowers grow: that's how Sophie spends most of the book. I sympathized with her problem, but wished she had more of a backbone. And rather than slowly developing her strength and power, it comes all at once at the climax of the story, a very shoddily explained phenomenon. Kane was similarly underdeveloped. He has serious problems that ought to take time and struggle to get through. But nope, it happens all at once. Plus there are inconsistencies in his character that had my head spinning--like one minute, he'd make the decision to keep Sophie forever, and the next be determined to take his baby and leave without her. As a couple they were just barely believable. Sizzling in the bedroom perhaps, but otherwise flat and phoney.
I was probably more intrigued my the story of Lane the concubine and Sebastian the emperor. Their characters aren't precisely likeable, but they are more entertaining. It's never a good sign when I look forward more to the secondary plot then the core one, but that was how I felt about this book.
Overall: I just don't think it really achieved what it set out to do. The world building was vague. The romance was barely believable--hot, but unemotional. I'll probably at least try to read the second one, because I was told that the series improves. But I would say, try this one at your own risk.
Plot: The setting is your typical fantasy kingdom, ruled by an all powerful magic fearing emperor. Sophie Fyne is a witch, and she and her sisters are under a curse. Any man they truely love is doomed to die young. Thus, they've made the decision never to love and instead live alone in a cabin on a mountain. Sophie is the youngest and she's a bit more promiscuous minded, because she decides to follow in her mother's footsteps and seek out anonymous lovers to give her children. The first such lover is Kane, a rebel soldier. She dreams of him, seeks him out, heals him, makes love to him, and leaves him. She has a baby girl, as was the plan, and expects never to hear from Kane again. But of course, he discovers her and wants to marry her...then the baby disapears under mysterious circumstances and she needs his help to get her back. The plot is slow, especially in the beginning. I was cautioned that it takes about 100 pages to get going, I argue that it took more like 180 for me to get truely invested.
Characters: Sophie actively irritated me most of the time. What good are magic powers if all you can do is cry and whine and make flowers grow: that's how Sophie spends most of the book. I sympathized with her problem, but wished she had more of a backbone. And rather than slowly developing her strength and power, it comes all at once at the climax of the story, a very shoddily explained phenomenon. Kane was similarly underdeveloped. He has serious problems that ought to take time and struggle to get through. But nope, it happens all at once. Plus there are inconsistencies in his character that had my head spinning--like one minute, he'd make the decision to keep Sophie forever, and the next be determined to take his baby and leave without her. As a couple they were just barely believable. Sizzling in the bedroom perhaps, but otherwise flat and phoney.
I was probably more intrigued my the story of Lane the concubine and Sebastian the emperor. Their characters aren't precisely likeable, but they are more entertaining. It's never a good sign when I look forward more to the secondary plot then the core one, but that was how I felt about this book.
Overall: I just don't think it really achieved what it set out to do. The world building was vague. The romance was barely believable--hot, but unemotional. I'll probably at least try to read the second one, because I was told that the series improves. But I would say, try this one at your own risk.
Back to all reviews by this member
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details
