Laurana Yasinski's Reviews > Of Magic and Rum

** spoiler alert ** Thank you to the Realm Archive and Carly Spade for allowing me to read this ARC!

I really wanted to like this book. The premise and summary were interesting and I was crossing my fingers to get this one. Unfortunately, I was ready to DNF 25% in. This feeling lasted the whole book, but I felt like I owed it a chance for an honest review at the very least.

Let’s talk about a few positives! This was a fun take on a romantasy story! I liked the inclusion of Greek mythology, and the way Anne was able to shift between her human and nymph forms.

Now for the negatives. Buckle in!
The writing felt rushed and choppy. There was so many random expressions that yanked me out of the experience because they didn’t make any sense (my nostril bounced?!), or felt like a fever dream. Nothing takes me out of a historical setting like modern lingo and terms. I don’t get weirded out much when it comes to certain romance tropes, but some scenes made me physically cringe.
The characters had no depth, and there was no arc for any of them throughout the story. And speaking of the story, did anything even happen?! The obstacles they faced were so boring and bland. They didn’t even make it to their original destination until the last page of the epilogue.

Honestly, this whole book feels unedited, and poorly planned; as if the author was just making it all up as she went. Not worth the 8hrs I forced myself to get through.