Enjoyable but flawed

While I did enjoy listening, I'm on the fence about my opinion. I enjoyed it. I laughed. I punched the air a few times. That said, the book felt as though it could've been cut in half and the outcome would've been the same. None of the characters felt all that developed, to the point where I couldn't bring myself to care if someone died—good or bad. Most of the personality seems to have been brought by the narrator.
Certain things in this book also felt like tokenism. Like when one party in a certain relationship disappears, the other is also conveniently written out of the story, as though they were only there as representation. I think it's important to note that these two characters were never fleshed out, and all I really knew about them was their relationship.
On top of this, the few characters that did hold my attention were annihilated, leaving mostly unlikable ones.
The main character was okay. A lot of the time, I liked him, but he didn't seem like main character material. He didn't exactly accomplish much himself, without help that felt like cheating.
A lot of conflict felt like it could've been avoided by a simple conversation.
I did find myself occasionally swooning about the romance.
The plot twist wasn't twisting, and by the time it was revealed, I couldn't really muster more than a "damn, that's wild."
For a book that takes twenty hours to listen to, A LOT seems to have been crammed into the final 3-4 chapters, making the ending seem too abrupt.
All that said, I do think it was a good book to listen to. I listened to the whole thing over the course of three days, and in that time I did have moments where I was super invested. I am hesitant to listen to the second book however, as I just don't know if a rehash of this book from a different perspective will be captivating.

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Brilliant!

5* Didn't want it to end, cant wait for the next one in the series.

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1 person found this helpful

An absolute masterclass

This book is a delight of storytelling at its best. The characters, battles and emotions all come together to form one of the best things I’ve ever heard!!
Can’t rate it highly enough

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1 person found this helpful

I love sufferation

I'm glad I picked up this book. It's filled with so much angst and dread, at every turn the hardships pile on, even when you think "oh! it can’t POSSIBLY get any worse for them", it just DOES. In a completely rational way it just continuously throws you for a loop, it gives you clues that become blatant when you actually get to the plot twists... it just does everything right. The characters are fully fleshed, the plot is engrossing and plausible and the scenes and sets are well placed and described. It's just marvellous. But of course, I’d expect nothing less from Jenna. She’s been a great help with writing for my friends and I. Even her on-the-spot examples from her videos sound wonderful. If you haven't already, READ THIS BOOK!!!!!

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4 people found this helpful

a good read

the story was appealing and interesting, though the surprise twist at the end was so obvious that by the time I was first introduced to Leila I had suspicions, and then the scene with the clay happens and I knew what was going on. There is a lot of melodramatic fluff, only getting worse as the story, and Tobias' feelings, progress. It was close to being unbearable and I caught myself rolling my eyes as I listened to Tobias moan and whine about his feelings.

I did finish the book and did enjoy the story, though. It is well-written enough to warrant a listen while walking a dog (like I did) or during mundane tasks like cleaning etc. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy the genre and don't mind some rather obvious plot twists. Not because the story is bad, but because it is rather obvious and the reader might figure out what's going on immediately.

The fight scenes were all done well enough, even if I wasn't gripping the edge of my proverbial seat to see what happens next. I'm in no way a professional, but I do know I've read better fight scenes. Maybe/probably in her next books this gets better.

All in all, this is a good enough read for a friend of the genre, but might still come across as boring and too melodramatic.

As a side note, while the actor reading the story did a good job, I didn't exactly find that his voice fit the character of Tobias. For this, your mileage may vary tremendously, so I will only mention it here as a subjective point, recognising that this may have affected my enjoyment of the whole novel in some way.

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The most mesmerize story ever.

I'm amaze at how violent, vile and disturbing it is within the first chapters. The book really shows that corruption can be found a beautiful place, and that danger is everywhere. I love the build up between the two characters.
I never have supported a couple in my life and I never have related to a main character from a fiction story.
It's different with this book.

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1 person found this helpful

Really great listen

Couldn’t put it down! Would highly recommend it. The story was fast and gripping. Buy it!

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Fantastic!!!

5 stars in every category! The story itself is great and the telling by nick Denton was an absolute blast! Nick does a great job at making you believe there are many different characters before you and keeps the story telling interesting and never boring! Fantastic! Not once was I bored by the writing or by the audio! Highly recommend for people who love adult fantasy!

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2 people found this helpful

Masterfull storytelling!

So, I haven't read for a while, and have been dreading to do so for the longest time since I have a hard time finding the focus needed to accomplish such a task. But when I heard about this book I had to give it a try! And OMG I WAS NOT DISSAPOINTED! The story is just masterfully written, with compelling characters and a great plot. I was moved to tears, screaming in rage and jumping up and down for the romance! Truly an amazing book!
Loved listening to every word narrated by brilliant Nick, and perfect for me who has trouble with sitting still and reading!
Jenna has written a true masterpiece and I can't wait to read the continuation of the story of Leila and Tobias!
Many thanks from Sweden!

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1 person found this helpful

Great story, good voice actor

Really good story, with lots of action. my biggest problem with the story is I figured out the plot twist, aka ending at the start of the story, but still enjoyed listening to it. love the voice actor, he is great.

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