3 stars
I wanted to like this book but struggled to pay attention. Part of this was because I got this ARC as an audiobook, and the narrator was not my favorite. I struggled with some of her pronunciation. The other part was because the author writes a lot but only says a little. The book is way too long for the majority of it to consist of traveling. There is very little magic in the plot. The main character clearly has some magic, but it’s barely touched upon. This is a fantasy book; give me the magic.
The premise is a solid dystopian storyline. The world is divided into two classes. The Pure are strong and resilient, while the Branded are weaker and more prone to disease. In the largest “safe” settlement, Pure women are raised for marriage and children, and Pure men lead the society and protect everyone. The Branded live in a protected village, serving the Pure in exchange for protection from hostile clans that would raid and pillage. Nara and her twin Osha were originally solitary girls living with their grandmother before their house was attacked, and they were forced to take refuge in Isfalk.
Nara has two love interests, but one is really there to add some plot tension. There is an enemies-to-lovers romance between Nara and the Wrangler. I don’t remember the Wrangler’s actual name because it’s barely used, which I found highly annoying. The Wrangler and Nara just called each other by nicknames the entire time. The Wrangler also continually betrayed Nara, giving her no reason to keep trusting him. The ending betrayal was not at all surprising.
Nara is a difficult character to like. I think this book would’ve benefited from additional POVs. Mostly, I was bored a lot, and I wanted to know what would happen next. Still, there clearly needed to be additional editing to pair down some unnecessary long chapters and scenes. The book is really just a setup for the next book, which made it feel like a giant prequel. I may not be continuing with this duology.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bolinda Audio for the ARC.
Spellbound Reviewer 