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Severed Realms #1
A Word so Fitly Spoken
One stunning bride.
One wedding.
One night with the king.
One execution come morning.
Rinse and repeat.
When the fae king of Naenden returns home to his palace only to find that his human queen has committed treason by conspiring to assassinate him, he has the queen executed and decrees that once every mooncycle, he’ll marry a human woman from the kingdom, only to execute her the following morning.
Unless…
Unless one woman offers herself as a sacrificial bride for the rest.
Asha isn’t worried about being chosen, of course. The decree was quite clear about beauty being among the top criteria for being selected as one of the king’s unfortunate brides. And Asha is no beauty, all thanks to the illegal magic that inhabits her body, leaving her scarred and missing an eye. The same magic that occasionally possesses her voice so it can amuse itself by telling a never-ending story with a string of horrible cliffhangers.
The problem is, Asha might not be a beauty, but her sister Dinah is. When Asha realizes Dinah is in danger of being selected as the king’s sacrificial bride, Asha decides she can’t live with that risk. So she offers herself instead.
Except on the night of their wedding, the king grants Asha a final request.
Naturally, she asks to tell her sister one last bedtime story.
Naturally, the king eavesdrops.
The question is…
Will the story save her life…or ruin it?
A tale of love and betrayal, vengeance and sacrifice, magic and romance, this imaginative retelling of 1,001 Nights will keep you guessing with each turn of the page.
One wedding.
One night with the king.
One execution come morning.
Rinse and repeat.
When the fae king of Naenden returns home to his palace only to find that his human queen has committed treason by conspiring to assassinate him, he has the queen executed and decrees that once every mooncycle, he’ll marry a human woman from the kingdom, only to execute her the following morning.
Unless…
Unless one woman offers herself as a sacrificial bride for the rest.
Asha isn’t worried about being chosen, of course. The decree was quite clear about beauty being among the top criteria for being selected as one of the king’s unfortunate brides. And Asha is no beauty, all thanks to the illegal magic that inhabits her body, leaving her scarred and missing an eye. The same magic that occasionally possesses her voice so it can amuse itself by telling a never-ending story with a string of horrible cliffhangers.
The problem is, Asha might not be a beauty, but her sister Dinah is. When Asha realizes Dinah is in danger of being selected as the king’s sacrificial bride, Asha decides she can’t live with that risk. So she offers herself instead.
Except on the night of their wedding, the king grants Asha a final request.
Naturally, she asks to tell her sister one last bedtime story.
Naturally, the king eavesdrops.
The question is…
Will the story save her life…or ruin it?
A tale of love and betrayal, vengeance and sacrifice, magic and romance, this imaginative retelling of 1,001 Nights will keep you guessing with each turn of the page.
596 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 3, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 827 reviews
October 13, 2022
Let me just start off by saying…. This is my own fault for believing these stupid book recommendations from TikTok! SMH I’m tired of the deceit! And it just so happens that all these awful books are available on kindle unlimited, coincidence? It’s NOT.
This story…fell so flat. I’ve read better writing on Wattpad. This was like those wolf pack stories that you see pop up on your Facebook feed that just babbles and doesn’t actually have a plot.
The outline of the story sounds intriguing right? Has a lot of the same tropes as other Fae involved plots. But the execution and the writing just did not deliver. I get it. HUMANS LIE! Just like SJM writes “Like calls to like” this author was a fan of “All humans lie” literally every other paragraph. It was soooo annoying!!! Don’t waste your time…. Or do!
This story…fell so flat. I’ve read better writing on Wattpad. This was like those wolf pack stories that you see pop up on your Facebook feed that just babbles and doesn’t actually have a plot.
The outline of the story sounds intriguing right? Has a lot of the same tropes as other Fae involved plots. But the execution and the writing just did not deliver. I get it. HUMANS LIE! Just like SJM writes “Like calls to like” this author was a fan of “All humans lie” literally every other paragraph. It was soooo annoying!!! Don’t waste your time…. Or do!
December 18, 2022
3 Old Magic Stars ⭐️
This is going to contain a few spoilers so read at your own risk
The first 65% of this book is bad, like boring and bad!!! At that point I’d read 380pages of blandness, that has nothing really that original in the characters as they all feel flat. It was so many words but said nothing and by this point I was not sure what age group its target is. It’s feels like a New Adult but the characters sometimes act like teenagers. It’s not really an enemies to lovers book as the main “love interests” hardly ever TALK TO EACH OTHER and its not really a “Beauty and the Beast” retelling even though it tries so hard to be.
Then we get the next 35% and “well that happened” is how I can describe it because it was just a mess. It was a unique mess, I’d give it that, because I didn’t see the story going in that direction at all. The plot threw me for a curveball, but it jumped around so much with my emotions, and left me in the position of having to figure out so much, and decipher what was actually going on. I felt like I was being pulled in so many directions that it was just exhausting, trying to figure out who was right, who was wrong, who was telling the truth, who wasn’t and I ended up being just annoyed. I felt myself saying “please can this just get wrapped up now because I’m tired of you just trying to shock me for “shock-factor” sake.” It’s like the Author had so many ideas, and instead of rooting out which ideas would be the best she just threw them all at the wall and hoped one of them would stick. However that plan just introduced plotholes, confusion and boarders on absurdity.
The story is a lose retelling of 1001 Nights and follows Asha, a human girl in a world ruled by the Fae. Asha however has a secret, one that left half her face disfigured and missing an eye. She possesses an Old Magic, a magic that takes over her voice when she tells a story. At the same time the King, Kiran has made an decree that he will murder a young virgin every month, the day after he marries her unless 1 woman willingly gives herself over to be executed the day after their marriage. Because Asha’s sister Dinah is so beautiful, Asha sacrifices herself and marries the King. The night before her execution, Kiran grants her one last request, and her request is to tell her sister one more story. Unbeknownst to Asha the king eavesdrops on the story and next morning, expecting her execution, Kiran pardons her for one more day, hoping to hear the end of the story.
There were two things in this book that I did like. The first was the magic system and the world building. It is extremely unique and has so much potential to be great if it was only utilised correctly. The second is the way the story that Asha tells through her magic is interwoven into the plot and becomes plot. I found myself wanting the book to switch back to that story as I was more invested to read about Mother and Farin’s story, than whatever the hell was going on between Asha and Kiran.
Asha annoyed me so much! She spends the first half of the book being angry by how the King treats his subjects and how he doesn’t help them, and he has all the power. But when she is in this position of power to help then she does absolutely nothing and just sits in the library, all day, moping and reading books.
Besides, having one or two chapters from Kiran’s point of view, we as the reader don’t really know who he is who in his book. His entire character and motivations are built on the fact that his father was this wicked cruel man who shaped him to be the same. You are very often told he is wicked and cruel but besides “one vision” see nothing of it. He hardly speaks and you are never shown how he is a monster. We hardly really ever see his character to form the opinion you are expecting to believe. I honestly felt more attachment for his sister, Lydia and Fin (his twin brother) than I do for him. Asha and Fin would’ve made such a better couple because they were actually friends and devlop into caring for one another. Kiran one day wanted to kill her, because all woman lie, and the next he was full on “you touch her you die”. There wasn’t really any development in between those moments especially for Asha who up until basically the last 5 pages still hated him -_-
Can I just say if you’re going to have characters flirt with each other please make sure that they are legal. Fin is 24, Dinah is 16. These two characters flirt with each other and it’s hinted that there may be a relationship between the two forming. This is not okay! Making an excuse in the text and chucking it up to “Oh well humans always marry their woman to a man twice their age” is not an acceptable excuse to have an adult flirting with a child. Nothing could’ve stopped the author from making the characters slightly older and making Dinah 18.
Another frustrating thing is that Asha is too educated. Let me explain…She very clearly states that she has only had three years of education and barely knows how to write. This inability to write is a big thing in the plot. But the way that she speaks, her knowledge about the world and only ever having read one book, (even with the magic of the stories) doesn’t explain how she is as educated as she she seems. I’m not saying, make her stupid but the contradiction of the characters background and behaviour didn’t seem to work.
I can see why some people like this book. But it’s not for me. I might be tempted to pick up the next book when it comes out since it was not utterly awful and the world is good. The writing was good, it just was EXTREMELY LONG and didn’t have anything really engaging to make this stand out. It’s actually pretty forgettable in my opinion. With a little bit of “cleaning” and a few more rounds of editing, this could have been great.
This is going to contain a few spoilers so read at your own risk
The first 65% of this book is bad, like boring and bad!!! At that point I’d read 380pages of blandness, that has nothing really that original in the characters as they all feel flat. It was so many words but said nothing and by this point I was not sure what age group its target is. It’s feels like a New Adult but the characters sometimes act like teenagers. It’s not really an enemies to lovers book as the main “love interests” hardly ever TALK TO EACH OTHER and its not really a “Beauty and the Beast” retelling even though it tries so hard to be.
Then we get the next 35% and “well that happened” is how I can describe it because it was just a mess. It was a unique mess, I’d give it that, because I didn’t see the story going in that direction at all. The plot threw me for a curveball, but it jumped around so much with my emotions, and left me in the position of having to figure out so much, and decipher what was actually going on. I felt like I was being pulled in so many directions that it was just exhausting, trying to figure out who was right, who was wrong, who was telling the truth, who wasn’t and I ended up being just annoyed. I felt myself saying “please can this just get wrapped up now because I’m tired of you just trying to shock me for “shock-factor” sake.” It’s like the Author had so many ideas, and instead of rooting out which ideas would be the best she just threw them all at the wall and hoped one of them would stick. However that plan just introduced plotholes, confusion and boarders on absurdity.
The story is a lose retelling of 1001 Nights and follows Asha, a human girl in a world ruled by the Fae. Asha however has a secret, one that left half her face disfigured and missing an eye. She possesses an Old Magic, a magic that takes over her voice when she tells a story. At the same time the King, Kiran has made an decree that he will murder a young virgin every month, the day after he marries her unless 1 woman willingly gives herself over to be executed the day after their marriage. Because Asha’s sister Dinah is so beautiful, Asha sacrifices herself and marries the King. The night before her execution, Kiran grants her one last request, and her request is to tell her sister one more story. Unbeknownst to Asha the king eavesdrops on the story and next morning, expecting her execution, Kiran pardons her for one more day, hoping to hear the end of the story.
There were two things in this book that I did like. The first was the magic system and the world building. It is extremely unique and has so much potential to be great if it was only utilised correctly. The second is the way the story that Asha tells through her magic is interwoven into the plot and becomes plot. I found myself wanting the book to switch back to that story as I was more invested to read about Mother and Farin’s story, than whatever the hell was going on between Asha and Kiran.
Asha annoyed me so much! She spends the first half of the book being angry by how the King treats his subjects and how he doesn’t help them, and he has all the power. But when she is in this position of power to help then she does absolutely nothing and just sits in the library, all day, moping and reading books.
Besides, having one or two chapters from Kiran’s point of view, we as the reader don’t really know who he is who in his book. His entire character and motivations are built on the fact that his father was this wicked cruel man who shaped him to be the same. You are very often told he is wicked and cruel but besides “one vision” see nothing of it. He hardly speaks and you are never shown how he is a monster. We hardly really ever see his character to form the opinion you are expecting to believe. I honestly felt more attachment for his sister, Lydia and Fin (his twin brother) than I do for him. Asha and Fin would’ve made such a better couple because they were actually friends and devlop into caring for one another. Kiran one day wanted to kill her, because all woman lie, and the next he was full on “you touch her you die”. There wasn’t really any development in between those moments especially for Asha who up until basically the last 5 pages still hated him -_-
Can I just say if you’re going to have characters flirt with each other please make sure that they are legal. Fin is 24, Dinah is 16. These two characters flirt with each other and it’s hinted that there may be a relationship between the two forming. This is not okay! Making an excuse in the text and chucking it up to “Oh well humans always marry their woman to a man twice their age” is not an acceptable excuse to have an adult flirting with a child. Nothing could’ve stopped the author from making the characters slightly older and making Dinah 18.
Another frustrating thing is that Asha is too educated. Let me explain…She very clearly states that she has only had three years of education and barely knows how to write. This inability to write is a big thing in the plot. But the way that she speaks, her knowledge about the world and only ever having read one book, (even with the magic of the stories) doesn’t explain how she is as educated as she she seems. I’m not saying, make her stupid but the contradiction of the characters background and behaviour didn’t seem to work.
I can see why some people like this book. But it’s not for me. I might be tempted to pick up the next book when it comes out since it was not utterly awful and the world is good. The writing was good, it just was EXTREMELY LONG and didn’t have anything really engaging to make this stand out. It’s actually pretty forgettable in my opinion. With a little bit of “cleaning” and a few more rounds of editing, this could have been great.
October 26, 2022
I am trying to be a bit more critical in my ratings these days, so let me begin by saying I still plan to follow and finish this series!
I liked it but I wanted to love it. I found the magical history plot neat- there are some very cool things happening in this story.
But while I could appreciate that side, Asha and Kiran's relationship was a bit of a miss for me as was the "drama" of this particular court. At least for now. It has nothing to do with the lack of spice, and more to do with a difficulty on my end to become attached as I normally do with MCs. The "humans lie" thing, accusations he throws at her, her martyr complex and love for another man, the big twists and betrayals...all of these things could have worked I think. But for me, the pacing was just too off.
My attachment, surprisingly, was to Mother from Asha's story and to the Old Magic itself. I felt these parts were much better written and I enjoyed them immensely.
This was a strange one for me.
I liked it but I wanted to love it. I found the magical history plot neat- there are some very cool things happening in this story.
But while I could appreciate that side, Asha and Kiran's relationship was a bit of a miss for me as was the "drama" of this particular court. At least for now. It has nothing to do with the lack of spice, and more to do with a difficulty on my end to become attached as I normally do with MCs. The "humans lie" thing, accusations he throws at her, her martyr complex and love for another man, the big twists and betrayals...all of these things could have worked I think. But for me, the pacing was just too off.
My attachment, surprisingly, was to Mother from Asha's story and to the Old Magic itself. I felt these parts were much better written and I enjoyed them immensely.
This was a strange one for me.
March 13, 2023
Minor spoilers below. Overall, I really liked this book and would recommend, but it's not perfect.
I was initially concerned that the premise of this book sounded a bit too much like The Wrath & the Dawn and/or Of Mist and Shadow, but it turned out to be very different. This book was great. I really liked the world-building and the overall plot. It was fairly action-packed, and the plot twists at the end were gasp-worthy.
At first, I was a little annoyed about how it switched back and forth between two stories, but I ended up being super invested in Mother and Farin's story, and it was obvious that their story would play a part in the overall story.
The one part of this book that I did not think was done particularly well was the romance between Kiran and Asha. I'm still a little unclear on why he spared her in the first place. They went from 0 to 100 very quickly. Suddenly they were in love with each other, but we didn't see any romantic tension, flirting, bantering, or getting to know each other etc. I think Kiran and Asha had 3 conversations that Dinah (Asha's sister), Fin, or Lydia (Kiran's siblings) were not also apart of, and those 3 conversations were all about if and when he would kill Asha or their exes, Az and Gwenyth. At the end of the book, I was honestly a little confused when Kiran and Asha said that they were in love because they barely interacted beyond staring at each other, sitting in silence with their siblings, and the nights when Asha's Old Magic told the story of Mother and Farin (which I wouldn't really consider as Kiran and Asha talking). I didn't even care that there was no spice; the story was good on it's own without smut, but the romance and the pacing of the MC's relationship was just underwhelming and random.
Everything else in the book was great. I'd still recommend it because the plot and the plot twists at the end were really fantastic. Haven't decided if I will give book 2 a try yet.
I was initially concerned that the premise of this book sounded a bit too much like The Wrath & the Dawn and/or Of Mist and Shadow, but it turned out to be very different. This book was great. I really liked the world-building and the overall plot. It was fairly action-packed, and the plot twists at the end were gasp-worthy.
At first, I was a little annoyed about how it switched back and forth between two stories, but I ended up being super invested in Mother and Farin's story, and it was obvious that their story would play a part in the overall story.
The one part of this book that I did not think was done particularly well was the romance between Kiran and Asha. I'm still a little unclear on why he spared her in the first place. They went from 0 to 100 very quickly. Suddenly they were in love with each other, but we didn't see any romantic tension, flirting, bantering, or getting to know each other etc. I think Kiran and Asha had 3 conversations that Dinah (Asha's sister), Fin, or Lydia (Kiran's siblings) were not also apart of, and those 3 conversations were all about if and when he would kill Asha or their exes, Az and Gwenyth. At the end of the book, I was honestly a little confused when Kiran and Asha said that they were in love because they barely interacted beyond staring at each other, sitting in silence with their siblings, and the nights when Asha's Old Magic told the story of Mother and Farin (which I wouldn't really consider as Kiran and Asha talking). I didn't even care that there was no spice; the story was good on it's own without smut, but the romance and the pacing of the MC's relationship was just underwhelming and random.
Everything else in the book was great. I'd still recommend it because the plot and the plot twists at the end were really fantastic. Haven't decided if I will give book 2 a try yet.
October 4, 2022
HOLY CRAPOLI! Drop what you're doing and go read this book right now. This book had me by the throat!
I don't think I've ever read a book quite like this. Not only was the plot a breath of fresh air, but sentient magic?! Come on! It's so cool!
The beginning has a nice slow build, which helps you really get into the characters, and then it absolutely takes off and those PLOT TWISTS😱. Listen, I'm really good at predicting things in books, but I didn't see ANY of that coming. It was one thing after the other and I could not put it down🙌🏻.
Seriously, if you want to read something unique, with elements you already love (slow burn enemies to lovers😍 but no spice!), with twists and turns you won't see coming, please do yourself a favor and go pick this up.
It's SO good!
I don't think I've ever read a book quite like this. Not only was the plot a breath of fresh air, but sentient magic?! Come on! It's so cool!
The beginning has a nice slow build, which helps you really get into the characters, and then it absolutely takes off and those PLOT TWISTS😱. Listen, I'm really good at predicting things in books, but I didn't see ANY of that coming. It was one thing after the other and I could not put it down🙌🏻.
Seriously, if you want to read something unique, with elements you already love (slow burn enemies to lovers😍 but no spice!), with twists and turns you won't see coming, please do yourself a favor and go pick this up.
It's SO good!
December 6, 2022
Today, I join the ranks of the Booktok haters
1.5 stars
1.5 stars
Read
January 16, 2023DNF @ 38% (but that’s 267 pages on my kindle lol)
The writing in this is very solid, and the fmc is intriguing. But based on a reel i saw, and the blurb itself, i thought this would be more romance and through all 267 pages I’ve read, there isn’t really even any hint of romance lol.
I also don’t care for the story she’s telling to the other characters and I am confused by the world a bit.
If there were a bit more romance within the fantasy, I’d keep up with this but it’s taking too long to get there. The H had a previous wife and we hear multiple times how much he loved her and how humans lie and so he can’t trust the fmc. Idk it was getting on my nerves.
But the writing style is solid, so I would consider trying this author again.
The writing in this is very solid, and the fmc is intriguing. But based on a reel i saw, and the blurb itself, i thought this would be more romance and through all 267 pages I’ve read, there isn’t really even any hint of romance lol.
I also don’t care for the story she’s telling to the other characters and I am confused by the world a bit.
If there were a bit more romance within the fantasy, I’d keep up with this but it’s taking too long to get there. The H had a previous wife and we hear multiple times how much he loved her and how humans lie and so he can’t trust the fmc. Idk it was getting on my nerves.
But the writing style is solid, so I would consider trying this author again.
December 2, 2022
it was 5 stars
Immediately after finishing this book it was a 5 star read for me. Then I realized it’s a stand-alone and it has bothered me ever since. Now that I know Asha and Kiran are done the ending bothers me. It feels rushed, and incomplete. I wanted a little more time of them in a good place in their lives. The ending is what led me to believe there would be more for them. Now I’m sad. I don’t generally like series that are made of interconnected stand alone books so I’m not sure I will be reading the next one.
Immediately after finishing this book it was a 5 star read for me. Then I realized it’s a stand-alone and it has bothered me ever since. Now that I know Asha and Kiran are done the ending bothers me. It feels rushed, and incomplete. I wanted a little more time of them in a good place in their lives. The ending is what led me to believe there would be more for them. Now I’m sad. I don’t generally like series that are made of interconnected stand alone books so I’m not sure I will be reading the next one.
March 12, 2023
A word so fitly spoken-3⭐️ 2🌶️ (clean YA fantasy)
One stunning bride.
One wedding.
One night with the king.
One execution come morning.
Rinse and repeat.
When the fae king of Naenden returns home to his palace only to find that his human queen has committed treason by conspiring to assassinate him, he has the queen executed and decrees that once every mooncycle, he’ll marry a human woman from the kingdom, only to execute her the following morning.
Unless…
Unless one woman offers herself as a sacrificial bride for the rest.
——————
✨My Opinion✨
This is a dual POV, clean fantasy (with a touch of romance) retelling of 1001 nights, just with Fae and magic.
The magic system is interesting, but not everything has been revealed. So the first portion of magic revealed is about this sentient story weaving magic that bonded to a human. The idea of it being aware and able to hold conversations and be a witness to a being’s life, even the private parts is….. uncomfortable.
As for the characters, Asha was a fine heroine. She was self sacrificing while working through pride, which was very interesting. I enjoyed seeing her work through the different prejudices she had against Kierian.
Seeing the typical Fae issue of not being able to lie worked around and through was fun. Kierian was a tough cookie to figure out. You didn’t know if you could trust him or not. It was fun!
I didn’t love the story within the story, but I understand that it was necessary, and helpful for the context of the plot. But for the longest time it felt like filler, therefore annoyed me more than anything… even after it was revealed to be important to the plot.
Structurally, some of the chapter divisions are put in awkward places and messed with the flow of the story. Annoying, but not a deal breaker.
The book delivered the tropes that I expected, one bed, he falls first, “who did this to you”, enemies to “lovers”, betrayal, slow burn, treason, martyrdom, and a few more.
I started reading for the sister taking her little sister’s place plot.
I kept reading to see if the two main characters ever actually like each other.
One stunning bride.
One wedding.
One night with the king.
One execution come morning.
Rinse and repeat.
When the fae king of Naenden returns home to his palace only to find that his human queen has committed treason by conspiring to assassinate him, he has the queen executed and decrees that once every mooncycle, he’ll marry a human woman from the kingdom, only to execute her the following morning.
Unless…
Unless one woman offers herself as a sacrificial bride for the rest.
——————
✨My Opinion✨
This is a dual POV, clean fantasy (with a touch of romance) retelling of 1001 nights, just with Fae and magic.
The magic system is interesting, but not everything has been revealed. So the first portion of magic revealed is about this sentient story weaving magic that bonded to a human. The idea of it being aware and able to hold conversations and be a witness to a being’s life, even the private parts is….. uncomfortable.
As for the characters, Asha was a fine heroine. She was self sacrificing while working through pride, which was very interesting. I enjoyed seeing her work through the different prejudices she had against Kierian.
Seeing the typical Fae issue of not being able to lie worked around and through was fun. Kierian was a tough cookie to figure out. You didn’t know if you could trust him or not. It was fun!
I didn’t love the story within the story, but I understand that it was necessary, and helpful for the context of the plot. But for the longest time it felt like filler, therefore annoyed me more than anything… even after it was revealed to be important to the plot.
Structurally, some of the chapter divisions are put in awkward places and messed with the flow of the story. Annoying, but not a deal breaker.
The book delivered the tropes that I expected, one bed, he falls first, “who did this to you”, enemies to “lovers”, betrayal, slow burn, treason, martyrdom, and a few more.
I started reading for the sister taking her little sister’s place plot.
I kept reading to see if the two main characters ever actually like each other.
December 7, 2022
This is something I would recommend to people who enjoy these types of stories BUT wasn’t exactly my cup of tea. I liked the story and I definitely didn’t anticipate a lot of plot points. That said I could not picture most characters or places based off the description, a lot of the personalities of characters fell really flat. Partially due to lack of dialogue & partially because our narrator (which I understand). I felt like all the relationship dynamics were really lacking & the conflict/climax just felt slightly lackluster. However I enjoyed the experience overall!
December 19, 2022
To put it plainly, this book is lacking. I was very excited when I picked it up, but was quickly let down as the author slugged through the story at a snail's pace.
The writing style bothers me immensely. It feels juvenile, especially because we are forced to sift through the Asha's every. Last. Thought. And they're the same thoughts over and over again. She loves her sister and is /so/ self sacrificing for saving her. The king is a murderous villain. Az never loved her. Dinah is the bestest, kindest sister. The king burned his wife alive and she hates him. Az would make out with her if she wasn't ugly. Over and over, alongside paragraphs of unnecessary details that add nothing to the story. I felt like I was reading through the eyes of middle- school girl rather than an almost grown adult. I never felt drawn into the story because the writing style was so distracting. I could only read a few minutes at a time before giving up.
The writing was far from the only problem. The characters - Asha especially - were insufferable. I appreciate that she's not conventionally attractive, but I do not like the author's insistence that we as readers must be reminded every other page how good and selfless and wise beyond her years Asha is. All the characters dote on her. Her family, her lady's maid, the vizier, the king's siblings, the kingdom, EVERYONE thinks she's the best, and they don't let you forget it. I could almost be okay with this if it was the truth, but Asha does nothing to back this up. She spends her days in the library, her nights storytelling, and any extra time goes towards those same three thoughts I mentioned earlier. Her character has no depth, no substance beyond being a good girl that bad things have happened to. She never felt like a real person, and if what's his face killed her like his decree mentioned, it wouldn't have bothered me.
Speaking of what's his face the king, that's how memorable he was. He wasn't a character, he was a plot device to give Asha something to do. His point of view was the same dialog options of "Humans lie" and "My wife betrayed me" and "Why am I doing this?" rinsed and repeated for our enjoyment. I didn't at all believe he and Asha's romance, especially because I felt like it was just a bunch of popular tropes thrown together instead of an actual relationship. I love the "touch her and die" trope, but it felt disingenuous with how little he and Asha interact and how painfully awkward their conversations were leading up to that point. The two have no chemistry, so everything just fell flat.
As for the storytelling within the story - meh. I eventually started skipping those chapters because I found them boring.
Overall, I would recommend reading The Wrath and The Dawn instead of this if you're looking for a 1,001 Night's retelling. Leave A Word So Fitly Spoken on the shelf.
The writing style bothers me immensely. It feels juvenile, especially because we are forced to sift through the Asha's every. Last. Thought. And they're the same thoughts over and over again. She loves her sister and is /so/ self sacrificing for saving her. The king is a murderous villain. Az never loved her. Dinah is the bestest, kindest sister. The king burned his wife alive and she hates him. Az would make out with her if she wasn't ugly. Over and over, alongside paragraphs of unnecessary details that add nothing to the story. I felt like I was reading through the eyes of middle- school girl rather than an almost grown adult. I never felt drawn into the story because the writing style was so distracting. I could only read a few minutes at a time before giving up.
The writing was far from the only problem. The characters - Asha especially - were insufferable. I appreciate that she's not conventionally attractive, but I do not like the author's insistence that we as readers must be reminded every other page how good and selfless and wise beyond her years Asha is. All the characters dote on her. Her family, her lady's maid, the vizier, the king's siblings, the kingdom, EVERYONE thinks she's the best, and they don't let you forget it. I could almost be okay with this if it was the truth, but Asha does nothing to back this up. She spends her days in the library, her nights storytelling, and any extra time goes towards those same three thoughts I mentioned earlier. Her character has no depth, no substance beyond being a good girl that bad things have happened to. She never felt like a real person, and if what's his face killed her like his decree mentioned, it wouldn't have bothered me.
Speaking of what's his face the king, that's how memorable he was. He wasn't a character, he was a plot device to give Asha something to do. His point of view was the same dialog options of "Humans lie" and "My wife betrayed me" and "Why am I doing this?" rinsed and repeated for our enjoyment. I didn't at all believe he and Asha's romance, especially because I felt like it was just a bunch of popular tropes thrown together instead of an actual relationship. I love the "touch her and die" trope, but it felt disingenuous with how little he and Asha interact and how painfully awkward their conversations were leading up to that point. The two have no chemistry, so everything just fell flat.
As for the storytelling within the story - meh. I eventually started skipping those chapters because I found them boring.
Overall, I would recommend reading The Wrath and The Dawn instead of this if you're looking for a 1,001 Night's retelling. Leave A Word So Fitly Spoken on the shelf.
November 30, 2022
A beautiful story
NO SPICE (adding this for those, like me, always looking for spice in their reading)
The beginning of this series was beautifully written and I loved every second being immersed in this world.
I finished it in 2 days, which would have been shorter if I didn’t have to go work.
*No spoilers, just references to what is already in the description of the book*
Asha is such an honest, courageous woman. I loved how she was honest with herself and even others with her reasonings for making her sacrifice. She knew if the situation had been different, she wouldn’t have stepped up.
I just enjoy that she wasn’t put on some outrageous moral high ground and was just being a devoted sister.
I’m very excited for the continuation of her story and learning more about the magic of their world.
NO SPICE (adding this for those, like me, always looking for spice in their reading)
The beginning of this series was beautifully written and I loved every second being immersed in this world.
I finished it in 2 days, which would have been shorter if I didn’t have to go work.
*No spoilers, just references to what is already in the description of the book*
Asha is such an honest, courageous woman. I loved how she was honest with herself and even others with her reasonings for making her sacrifice. She knew if the situation had been different, she wouldn’t have stepped up.
I just enjoy that she wasn’t put on some outrageous moral high ground and was just being a devoted sister.
I’m very excited for the continuation of her story and learning more about the magic of their world.
August 12, 2024
Wow!!! This book is just....WOW!
This book gripped me from the very first chapter. The prose is exceptional 🤌 and was my favorite part about this book.
But not far behind is the world-building and strong characterization. I immediately rooted for Asha and all she had to endure.
The Romantic tension is THROUGH THE ROOF.
If you're into...
🖤 Sweeping Fantasy Plots
🖤Unique Premise with Aladdin/One Night with the King vibes
🖤Sweet/Clean Romance
🖤Beautiful Prose and world-building
🖤Layered Plots and even deeper characters
Then you'll love A Word so Fitly Spoken! It's a beast of a book, so settle in and be prepared to be swept away!
This book gripped me from the very first chapter. The prose is exceptional 🤌 and was my favorite part about this book.
But not far behind is the world-building and strong characterization. I immediately rooted for Asha and all she had to endure.
The Romantic tension is THROUGH THE ROOF.
If you're into...
🖤 Sweeping Fantasy Plots
🖤Unique Premise with Aladdin/One Night with the King vibes
🖤Sweet/Clean Romance
🖤Beautiful Prose and world-building
🖤Layered Plots and even deeper characters
Then you'll love A Word so Fitly Spoken! It's a beast of a book, so settle in and be prepared to be swept away!
December 13, 2023
On reread, I’m dropping this down to 3-3.5⭐️ it was still engaging, but seemed to be way too drawn out
4-4.5⭐️
This book was great. It was also long AF. It lagged in parts, but I was so damn sucked in, that I really just didn’t care. This is the first book in a long time that I haven’t seen plot twists coming, and man, I did not see any of that, especially the epilogue. I will say that the fmc, Asha, did get on my nerves a few times, especially with her inability to see Kiran as anything but a monster. Oh, and I wish this would have had some spice - really any of it would do.
I’ve already preordered the next book in the series, and I’m interested in seeing where it goes.
4-4.5⭐️
This book was great. It was also long AF. It lagged in parts, but I was so damn sucked in, that I really just didn’t care. This is the first book in a long time that I haven’t seen plot twists coming, and man, I did not see any of that, especially the epilogue. I will say that the fmc, Asha, did get on my nerves a few times, especially with her inability to see Kiran as anything but a monster. Oh, and I wish this would have had some spice - really any of it would do.
I’ve already preordered the next book in the series, and I’m interested in seeing where it goes.
October 11, 2022
I LOVED IT
December 4, 2024
It’s always “wyd” and never ---
“𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐈 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞, 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧?”
“A Word so Fitly Spoken” ima jedan od onih naslova koji je uveliko meme material za BookTok i samo zbog toga sam bila skeptična da li da se upuštam i umalo da odustanem nakon prvog poglavlja, ali kakva je ovo vožnja za mene bila! Premisa me privukla pre svega zbog motiva koje sam i sama nekada davno želela da obradim i napišem.
Ovde se ukrštaju 1001 noć, duh iz lampe, Beauty and the Beast i vrlo verovatno svašta još nešto. Što je meni bilo najvažnije, nije jeftina romantasy.
Likovi su bili prijemčivi, njihovi odnosi se postepeno razvijali, magijski sistem zanimljiv i čitav svet dobro izgrađen. Veoma mi je bilo emotivno i mogla sam da prođem kroz najrazličitije emocije.
Ovo čitalačko iskustvo bih uporedila sa čitanjem „Lunarskih hronika“, a možda čak i „Šest vrana“ u pogledu emocija i povezanosti sa likovima.
“𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐈 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞, 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧?”
“A Word so Fitly Spoken” ima jedan od onih naslova koji je uveliko meme material za BookTok i samo zbog toga sam bila skeptična da li da se upuštam i umalo da odustanem nakon prvog poglavlja, ali kakva je ovo vožnja za mene bila! Premisa me privukla pre svega zbog motiva koje sam i sama nekada davno želela da obradim i napišem.
Ovde se ukrštaju 1001 noć, duh iz lampe, Beauty and the Beast i vrlo verovatno svašta još nešto. Što je meni bilo najvažnije, nije jeftina romantasy.
Likovi su bili prijemčivi, njihovi odnosi se postepeno razvijali, magijski sistem zanimljiv i čitav svet dobro izgrađen. Veoma mi je bilo emotivno i mogla sam da prođem kroz najrazličitije emocije.
Ovo čitalačko iskustvo bih uporedila sa čitanjem „Lunarskih hronika“, a možda čak i „Šest vrana“ u pogledu emocija i povezanosti sa likovima.
February 22, 2024
holy world build!!
Good lord. At first I had a hard time getting into this book but the more that everything flowed the more that I fell in love with Ashas story. And good lord don’t get me started on Kieran. If you are looking for a fantasy Novel that has amazing world building, some enemies to lovers, thrilling mystery/suspense look no further. A word so fitly spoken will be the start to an amazing journey, one that after your immersed you surely wont want to put down.
Honestly if this is a world I could fall into I gladly would. The characters have such great building and the story is one unlike any I could imagine myself. In a world where fae rule with a hard fist and humans are subjected to their guidance one girl will do anything within her power to save what is hers. But when the finality of her word becomes the one thing that keeps her alive, will she be able to guide herself and those she loves back to redemption or will she fall to the throws of the Old Magic… only by reading this spell binding novel will you be able to truly understand and enjoy the story.
Good lord. At first I had a hard time getting into this book but the more that everything flowed the more that I fell in love with Ashas story. And good lord don’t get me started on Kieran. If you are looking for a fantasy Novel that has amazing world building, some enemies to lovers, thrilling mystery/suspense look no further. A word so fitly spoken will be the start to an amazing journey, one that after your immersed you surely wont want to put down.
Honestly if this is a world I could fall into I gladly would. The characters have such great building and the story is one unlike any I could imagine myself. In a world where fae rule with a hard fist and humans are subjected to their guidance one girl will do anything within her power to save what is hers. But when the finality of her word becomes the one thing that keeps her alive, will she be able to guide herself and those she loves back to redemption or will she fall to the throws of the Old Magic… only by reading this spell binding novel will you be able to truly understand and enjoy the story.
February 15, 2023
This is a great enemies to lovers (no spice) with magic, fae vs humans and super grumpy MC. If you all have seen my reviews, you know I love this! It is a slow burn and as it builds the world you begin to create in your head and fall into the world of magic. There are plot twists, some that I didn't expect... that's where I started to really get into the book. It took me a little bit but not enough to stop... The anticipation of what was going to happen day to day kept me going.
May 24, 2023
I am at a loss for words. This was an absolutely stunning collection of words that took me to so many places in my imagination that I am just in awe. It was astounding. I wasn't able to figure out the story at all. I was in shock every time something was revealed. I can't wait for the next one!
December 3, 2022
This was a 5 star read until the ending.
February 11, 2023
(Rating 4.25)
What a beautifully written world.... just absolutely loved it and devoured the book within 3 days. This book was recommended to me by a friend who had seen it a lot in BookTok and thought I would give it a chance and it was definitely worth it! I had no idea it was a retelling of 1001 Nights prior to starting the book but saw the connections throughout it. That aside, I tried to focus on it being its own story.
So to the nitty gritty, there were moments where I felt the writing was very 'breaking the 3rd wall' at times, I got used it though. I feel that at times the jumping from place in time or location got a little confusing. I had to check the map frequently to see exactly where they were. There are other small issues but too minor worth telling.
I can't wait to pick up the next one in the series!
What a beautifully written world.... just absolutely loved it and devoured the book within 3 days. This book was recommended to me by a friend who had seen it a lot in BookTok and thought I would give it a chance and it was definitely worth it! I had no idea it was a retelling of 1001 Nights prior to starting the book but saw the connections throughout it. That aside, I tried to focus on it being its own story.
So to the nitty gritty, there were moments where I felt the writing was very 'breaking the 3rd wall' at times, I got used it though. I feel that at times the jumping from place in time or location got a little confusing. I had to check the map frequently to see exactly where they were. There are other small issues but too minor worth telling.
I can't wait to pick up the next one in the series!
January 21, 2024
I just couldn't get Into this book. I was bored until 65% of it.
April 24, 2024
600 pages of redundancy with a vomit obsession to rival Sarah J Maas’s. what actually happened that was meaningful
January 6, 2023
2.5 stars
So so soooo much internal dialogue - ended up skipping almost full chapters. Interesting world building and whimsical magic but very slow. Stories within stories.
YA
So so soooo much internal dialogue - ended up skipping almost full chapters. Interesting world building and whimsical magic but very slow. Stories within stories.
YA
December 30, 2022
I skimmed the middle and read the end, this was just boring and made boring choices.
October 4, 2023
3.75 stars - mixed feelings about this book. Great world building and plot twists! I did have some issues with the FMC towards the end of the book.
October 23, 2023
The book contains a lot of fantasy, but is somewhat enhanced by the romance, which made it entertaining to read even for me - a fantasy hater.
At times, however, it was unnecessarily drawn out and some of the drama seemed very forced.
At times, however, it was unnecessarily drawn out and some of the drama seemed very forced.
March 23, 2023
Where do I even start?
It is a slow build and I personally like the overall story line between asha and Kiran, and of course asha magic story mother and Farin.
Like many of the previous reviews there is no smut. You have moments that really build up and then they fizzle out. I honestly don’t really know how to feel about this book.
I gave it 3/5 stars because I just felt the direction of the book wasn’t very consistent? Like it started off with the king and asha then developed into so much more drama. And of course there really wasn’t a big reunion for Asha and kiran at the end like I was hoping for. I was hoping for more show of emotions on Asha’s part when finally back with kiran after the big council meeting and especially after everything that happen. Don’t get me wrong it ends happy-ish? Idk I just wish I could have seen a more happier reunion take place and maybe even a bit of smut/passion but yeah I digress.
Plot 5/5
Smut 1/5 (very PG rated)
Originally 5/5
Character development 4/5
Confused about 35% of the time while reading.
It is a slow build and I personally like the overall story line between asha and Kiran, and of course asha magic story mother and Farin.
Like many of the previous reviews there is no smut. You have moments that really build up and then they fizzle out. I honestly don’t really know how to feel about this book.
I gave it 3/5 stars because I just felt the direction of the book wasn’t very consistent? Like it started off with the king and asha then developed into so much more drama. And of course there really wasn’t a big reunion for Asha and kiran at the end like I was hoping for. I was hoping for more show of emotions on Asha’s part when finally back with kiran after the big council meeting and especially after everything that happen. Don’t get me wrong it ends happy-ish? Idk I just wish I could have seen a more happier reunion take place and maybe even a bit of smut/passion but yeah I digress.
Plot 5/5
Smut 1/5 (very PG rated)
Originally 5/5
Character development 4/5
Confused about 35% of the time while reading.
September 30, 2022
I absolutely devoured this book. The whole time I was confused (in a good way) and then page after page I had to keep saying “what?! No way! There’s no way!!” I have to say hands down my favorite chapter was chapter 13 from Kirans pov. It was just *chefs kiss* I had to re-read it out loud at least 3 times. You get so deep into his mind in this one chapter that it paves the way for the rest of the book. A positive way? A negative way?? Well, if you read the book you’ll find out :)
February 17, 2023
Meh, the guy fell way too quickly, was too unrealistic
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