I'd like to say a big thank you to Dark Room Tours, Hotkey Books, and the authors, Elizabeth Corr and Katharine Corr for sending me a lovely copy of this book series and allowing me take part in the blog tour!
I was so excited to be approved to take part in this blog tour, partly because the cover of this book is just beautiful. I could honestly just stare at it and be happy; the gold foil lettering on the cover is just beautiful. And secondly, because the plot sounds amazing - rules who can turn into different kind of birds - SIGN ME UP.
I was utterly blown away by this book; I picked it up thinking i'd read half of it and I literally couldn't put it down and had to finish it!! It's such an interesting mix of romance, court politics, and drama - there's also some crime and mystery thrown in so it really is a mixture of all genres. That said though, it is really easy to follow. Although there is some political focus amongst the Courts it never gets confusing and it's always quite clear who is who, and what each character is hoping to gain. There are real plot developments throughout this book; although some aspects of what is to happen are clear, you'll never guess other aspects. For example I knew that Siegfred wasn't a good character and was likely to betray Aderyn but I never guessed just where his character was going to go at the end and the fact that Aderyn's father was involved was a real shocker!!
I have to be honest, when I first started reading this I wasn’t sure about it because I wasn’t a big fan of Aderyn. She seemed to be very immature and consistently didn’t listen to those around her BUT then, you see this massive journey that she goes on and she has such amazing character development that it got me re-thinking my initial judgement. This is a 17 year old who has been raised to become the Protector of her lands. She witnessed her mother brutally die, was attacked herself, and as a result was unable to fly. She was virtually kept prisoner by her father in their home - out of what she thinks is love and protection but we later learn potentially embarrassment, of course she’s going to be a bit naive and rebel a little at the chains confining her. She is such an interesting character and I love when we get the moments of her standing up for herself (I cheered when she stood up to the king) and then later taking a stand and choosing her people over herself. What a character 👏👏👏 I apologise for my initial reluctance on you!!! The authors really did a brilliant job of developing her whilst also keeping some of those initial traits present; she is stubborn but she loves her city and her people and she's just beginning to learn the horrors that they've experienced. She's realistic; she doesn't change overnight into this amazing character who has no faults, she still makes mistakes and gets things wrong but isn't afraid to own up to it. This is what I love in a main character.
I also enjoyed the wider characters; I want to protect Odette until my dying day and praying we get more about her in the follow up books! Letya is also a wonderful character but I have to admit I was a bit suspicious of her 😂😂 Aderyn and Letya were clearly very loyal to one another and cared about each other greatly. Lucien!!! I loved him - I loved his snark and sarcasm and completely got where he was coming from; he's witnessed first hand what has been going on but still has empathy with Aderyn and understands that she wants to help. I wasn't 100% sold on their romance but it wasn't a massive focus of the story so I wasn't bothered about it. Aron... I don't trust you. I wanted to like him but there is just something about him that makes me suspicious; he is so quick to essentially blackmail Aderyn into marrying him that I don't quite trust his motivations... we shall see.
The latter half of the book really picks up the pace and so much happens to add such a life into the characters and the story. I was honestly just hooked and cannot think of a fault of this story! It had everything I would want and the writing is just amazing. I honestly didn't guess where this book was going to end up and that is what I love in a fantasy novel; I want to be constantly second guessing the plot and coming up with theories that end up being wrong. Liz and Katharine did an amazing job on this story and weaving together all the different motivations; it also helps that both authors are lovely and interactive over on IG!
I am already eagerly anticipating the sequel and cannot wait to get my hands on it. I highly recommend you read this intriguing and magical story!! Thanks so much again ❤️
I was so excited to be approved to take part in this blog tour, partly because the cover of this book is just beautiful. I could honestly just stare at it and be happy; the gold foil lettering on the cover is just beautiful. And secondly, because the plot sounds amazing - rules who can turn into different kind of birds - SIGN ME UP.
I was utterly blown away by this book; I picked it up thinking i'd read half of it and I literally couldn't put it down and had to finish it!! It's such an interesting mix of romance, court politics, and drama - there's also some crime and mystery thrown in so it really is a mixture of all genres. That said though, it is really easy to follow. Although there is some political focus amongst the Courts it never gets confusing and it's always quite clear who is who, and what each character is hoping to gain. There are real plot developments throughout this book; although some aspects of what is to happen are clear, you'll never guess other aspects. For example I knew that Siegfred wasn't a good character and was likely to betray Aderyn but I never guessed just where his character was going to go at the end and the fact that Aderyn's father was involved was a real shocker!!
I have to be honest, when I first started reading this I wasn’t sure about it because I wasn’t a big fan of Aderyn. She seemed to be very immature and consistently didn’t listen to those around her BUT then, you see this massive journey that she goes on and she has such amazing character development that it got me re-thinking my initial judgement. This is a 17 year old who has been raised to become the Protector of her lands. She witnessed her mother brutally die, was attacked herself, and as a result was unable to fly. She was virtually kept prisoner by her father in their home - out of what she thinks is love and protection but we later learn potentially embarrassment, of course she’s going to be a bit naive and rebel a little at the chains confining her. She is such an interesting character and I love when we get the moments of her standing up for herself (I cheered when she stood up to the king) and then later taking a stand and choosing her people over herself. What a character 👏👏👏 I apologise for my initial reluctance on you!!! The authors really did a brilliant job of developing her whilst also keeping some of those initial traits present; she is stubborn but she loves her city and her people and she's just beginning to learn the horrors that they've experienced. She's realistic; she doesn't change overnight into this amazing character who has no faults, she still makes mistakes and gets things wrong but isn't afraid to own up to it. This is what I love in a main character.
I also enjoyed the wider characters; I want to protect Odette until my dying day and praying we get more about her in the follow up books! Letya is also a wonderful character but I have to admit I was a bit suspicious of her 😂😂 Aderyn and Letya were clearly very loyal to one another and cared about each other greatly. Lucien!!! I loved him - I loved his snark and sarcasm and completely got where he was coming from; he's witnessed first hand what has been going on but still has empathy with Aderyn and understands that she wants to help. I wasn't 100% sold on their romance but it wasn't a massive focus of the story so I wasn't bothered about it. Aron... I don't trust you. I wanted to like him but there is just something about him that makes me suspicious; he is so quick to essentially blackmail Aderyn into marrying him that I don't quite trust his motivations... we shall see.
The latter half of the book really picks up the pace and so much happens to add such a life into the characters and the story. I was honestly just hooked and cannot think of a fault of this story! It had everything I would want and the writing is just amazing. I honestly didn't guess where this book was going to end up and that is what I love in a fantasy novel; I want to be constantly second guessing the plot and coming up with theories that end up being wrong. Liz and Katharine did an amazing job on this story and weaving together all the different motivations; it also helps that both authors are lovely and interactive over on IG!
I am already eagerly anticipating the sequel and cannot wait to get my hands on it. I highly recommend you read this intriguing and magical story!! Thanks so much again ❤️