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perusewithjess's Reviews > Lore of the Wilds
Lore of the Wilds (Lore of the Wilds #1)
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Believe me, no one is more disappointed that I didn't fall in love with this book than me. It's a diverse fantasy, it's cottagecore, it features an enchanted library - on the surface, it ticked all the boxes and it's the most excited I've been for a fantasy romance in a long time. I had 3 main issues which really impacted my enjoyment of and engagement with the story:
1. Maturity of writing - this was a conflation of several sub-issues, and collectively they significantly impacted my enjoyment of the book. Issues included:
- Over-repeated (and occasionally cliche) descriptions e.g., the MC constantly describing the love interest as "tasting like blackberries and honey" or "smelling like cedarwood"
- Trope for trope's sake e.g., stopping at an inn and immediately being told the room has only one bed, introducing a half-day training sequence (master/apprentice style) with no follow-up
- Unrealistic character development e.g., the MC having no experience wielding weapons, being trained in using a dagger for a few hours, and then being able to hold her own in a fight against trained opponents
- Unrealistic plot development e.g., encountering a very challenging situation and being able to resolve it literally overnight
2. Pacing issues - the pacing was extremely inconsistent throughout the book e.g., very fast-paced at the start, very slow in the middle. I don't mind changes in pace during a book, but the high volume of changes combined with the slow paced sections feeling like they dragged did not make for the best reading experience.
3. Romance - I can't quite put my finger on the exact issue, but the romance between the MC and main male love interest simply didn't feel believable to me - the development of their feelings felt inauthentic, and their chemistry was lacking.
All that being said, I also think I perhaps wasn't the right audience for this book - I was expecting it to share more similarities with books like Legendborn or The Final Strife (both of which I absolutely loved), but I think in reality this is closer to books like These Hollow Vows (which I found a more generic and less engaging read). I think fans of more commercial fantasy romance may enjoy this book, and again, it's wonderful to see more diverse representation in the sub-genre - I hope this paves the way for more traditionally-published BIPOC romantasy in 2024 and beyond.
1. Maturity of writing - this was a conflation of several sub-issues, and collectively they significantly impacted my enjoyment of the book. Issues included:
- Over-repeated (and occasionally cliche) descriptions e.g., the MC constantly describing the love interest as "tasting like blackberries and honey" or "smelling like cedarwood"
- Trope for trope's sake e.g., stopping at an inn and immediately being told the room has only one bed, introducing a half-day training sequence (master/apprentice style) with no follow-up
- Unrealistic character development e.g., the MC having no experience wielding weapons, being trained in using a dagger for a few hours, and then being able to hold her own in a fight against trained opponents
- Unrealistic plot development e.g., encountering a very challenging situation and being able to resolve it literally overnight
2. Pacing issues - the pacing was extremely inconsistent throughout the book e.g., very fast-paced at the start, very slow in the middle. I don't mind changes in pace during a book, but the high volume of changes combined with the slow paced sections feeling like they dragged did not make for the best reading experience.
3. Romance - I can't quite put my finger on the exact issue, but the romance between the MC and main male love interest simply didn't feel believable to me - the development of their feelings felt inauthentic, and their chemistry was lacking.
All that being said, I also think I perhaps wasn't the right audience for this book - I was expecting it to share more similarities with books like Legendborn or The Final Strife (both of which I absolutely loved), but I think in reality this is closer to books like These Hollow Vows (which I found a more generic and less engaging read). I think fans of more commercial fantasy romance may enjoy this book, and again, it's wonderful to see more diverse representation in the sub-genre - I hope this paves the way for more traditionally-published BIPOC romantasy in 2024 and beyond.
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Reading Progress
June 10, 2023
– Shelved
June 10, 2023
– Shelved as:
to-read
December 12, 2023
–
Started Reading
December 12, 2023
–
6.41%
"The vibes are good but why is the opening sequence almost identical to acotar?? am I dreaming? or did I miss that this was also a beauty & the beast retelling?"
page
20
December 13, 2023
–
12.82%
"MC now has to spend time relatively isolated in a magical library. Beauty and the beast comparison continues 👀"
page
40
December 17, 2023
– Shelved as:
2023-goal-1-own-voices
December 17, 2023
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-8 of 8 (8 new)
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lover of forests
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Feb 23, 2024 11:09AM
thank you for this review! the summary sounds like a book for me but the issues you described would definitely be my issues with a book too.
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Maturity of writing for sure. When I finished the book I thought “I wish this was like her third or fourth book and I think it’d be really really good.”
lover of forests wrote: "thank you for this review! the summary sounds like a book for me but the issues you described would definitely be my issues with a book too."
was definitely disappointing after being such an anticipated read! I've seen other positive reviews though so it seems to resonate very differently with different people.
was definitely disappointing after being such an anticipated read! I've seen other positive reviews though so it seems to resonate very differently with different people.
Kate wrote: "Maturity of writing for sure. When I finished the book I thought “I wish this was like her third or fourth book and I think it’d be really really good.”"
It had the bones of a great story and some really lovely cottagecore elements - I'm not planning to continue the series but would potentially be interested in checking out the author's other work a bit later down the track
It had the bones of a great story and some really lovely cottagecore elements - I'm not planning to continue the series but would potentially be interested in checking out the author's other work a bit later down the track
This should've been a middle grade or ya at most, but trying to squeeze adult in it was a bad idea :/
Fernanda wrote: "This should've been a middle grade or ya at most, but trying to squeeze adult in it was a bad idea :/" Totally agree, YA would have been a better fit
Am feeling the same about your review. This book is under Scify at my local library. I thought it would be more Scify.