Thank you for the Publisher and Netgalley for giving me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book turned out a lot different than I expected it to.
I was fond of the mythological elements and all the history and worldbuilding the writer created. This added a lush and complex background for the characters and the story. Both main characters Ahn and Altan harbor their fair share of secrets making the communication between them and others extremely guarded, Altan however has a great squad that he can rely on and "occasionally" banter with.
The chemistry between the main characters Ahn and Altan felt a bit confusing and strained at times, also sometimes annoying. The side characters made up for that though. I fell in love with each and every one of them.
Also enjoyed the representation in this book.
The story itself was really interesting and sucked me in from the start, but some parts, especially the middle of the book felt way too slow and back and forth to me.I quite enjoyed all the unexpected turns, and there were a couple in this book.

My biggest issue was with the writing style, to be more specific the tone of the characters. It was very hard to tell what the target audiance was. The story itself leaned towards the more mature young adult audience, however the way Ahn talked and the things she sometimes said, felt almost elementary school level to me.

All in all I enjoyed this book immensely and I am definitely in for the second book. That ending though.....

This is a solid YA fantasy novel, and as a fan of Chinese wuxia and xianxia shows, I enjoyed it, however I didn't find the story that original or fresh.

The start of the novel was really engaging, and I loved the little details in the world-building. But I found that as the plot developed, the story became more predictable and I wasn't really surprised by any of the twists. This meant that some of the decisions made by the protagonists, particularly by Ahn were just totally frustrating to read. It also didn't help that I found some of the side characters, like Leiye, more interesting to follow than the main characters.

As a former history student, I enjoyed the focus on the themes of history being rewritten to serve the purposes of those in power, particularly related to colonisation of other countries. But I felt that this theme wasn't really present throughout the book, and that it could have been weaved into the novel a little more clearly and cohesively.

However I did enjoy the end of the novel, and would recommend it for anyone else who enjoys Chinese dramas, or Avatar the Last Airbender (Altan gave off such Zuko vibes with his focus on revenge and his scowl, scars and dual swords lol).

I don’t really even know where to start with this review. It was another book that I absolutely adored this year and honestly, if you’re a fan of East Asian inspired fantasies and this is, somehow, not already on your radar then please make sure it is!

I’ve seen the main romance compared to Zutara (Zuko and Katara from Avatar) and I get that, plus there’s elemental magic throughout and kind of the “chosen one” trope going on as well so if you liked Avatar, you will love Jade Fire Gold. But, Jade Fire Gold has got so much more to it.

We have our two main characters, Ahn and Altan. Both ended up lost in the desert without their parents as children but Ahn is actually an important noble family’s daughter and Altan is a lost prince. They have one of those ‘your fates are tied together’ moments and then it’s a while until they meet again. At first they’re playful and fairly flirty, then they end up being super sassy towards each other and eventually it develops into a sweet mutual caring for each other. It kind of reminded me of Eden and Maia’s relationship development in Spin the Dawn and honestly, I’m so here for it.

Side characters though, I completely understand why everyone wants Tang Wei as a wife. She is such an adorable little assassin and her relationship with Linxi is beautiful (I wouldn’t mind her for a wife either). She might as well be Altan’s adoptive sister with how they are together and their teasing of each other was just really cute. Ahn can’t help but fall for her a little too, describing her as ‘a violent, glorious roar of wind and water that turns everything upside down and leaves you standing in awe of its raw beauty.’ As far as is shown, Ahn sees her solely in a friend way so this description of another female is just so lovely to have in a book, a real breath of fresh air! This set of pals will basically appeal to every fan of found family.

For an overall quick breakdown of the characters we have:

Ahn: one of our main perspectives, she is a lovable little stubborn creature who believes the best in people for the most part. Tendency to be a little jealous. Loved blue clothes as a kid! Secretly a super magical person.
Altan: our other perspective, his heart’s in the right place but he needs a shouting at. A lost prince in a land that has gone a little bit awry thanks to bad cases of colonialism and regicide.
Tang Wei: an adorable little assassin who loves her girlfriend (Linxi) very much, Altan’s closest friend (kind of like a sister to him) and would kill anyone in a heartbeat to protect someone she loves. Sassy as hell too.
Linxi: the mum. Adorable again and does her absolute best to look out for everyone! Her and Tang Wei’s love is clear to see for everyone.
Leiye: very mysterious, is he good or bad? He’s a very powerful magic user though.
Tai Shun: needs a cuddle, everyone should protect him. Little cute musician.
The magic system is elemental and it really is similar in some ways to Avatar. People have affinities towards certain elements but some can master multiple elements. Ahn is kind of a supernatural creature herself, being the Life Stealer. Essentially she can take the life force out of something and Altan, for this reason, kind of wants to see her dead. (But he also still kind of likes her so there’s mega confusion for him there.)

June covers colonialism in this world too, and one thing that will stick in the minds of everyone is one specific line: ‘History is never written by its victims.‘ This is really important throughout the story as no one really seems to know the truth about their country’s past, instead they’ve been taught idealistic things in education. It’s something that will make you think, and I think that’s important for any book but especially so in a young adult book.

Family is a super important element to Jade Fire Gold too. There are reunited families and truths discovered… My absolute favourite part of it though? The emphasis on found family. And, forgiving people because you love them.

‘Mother often said I was the sun to her moon. But if she were the moon, I was the tide that ebbed and flowed with her pull.’

Linked to this, there’s a lot of light and dark/yin and yang references throughout the story. Ahn and Altan are very good examples of this and there’s also mention of a white sword and a black sword. Ultimately, though, one of the reasons why I loved Jade Fire Gold is that it goes deeper than that – pretty much every character has light and dark elements to them (though Linxi is pure light, really): Tang Wei is an assassin so, y’know, dark… but she loves fiercely and protects those around her. Morally grey characters like her and even the main two characters make Jade Fire Gold that little bit more realistic.

For me, this didn’t read like a debut novel at all. It was very fast paced in some places but I feel like that was more because I absolutely HAD to keep reading! It’s pretty rare of me to finish a book in just over a day but I genuinely had to with this story. I had to know how things panned out and I wanted to know that the main and side characters would be okay. Even still, I could vividly picture the story in each part.

I’m just so glad we have this story, but my only bad thing is that I really need a follow up. The epilogue lends itself well to another story and please please please, I need it. Give me all the stories set in this world. June has become an auto-buy author for me and I feel very good about the fact I’ll have *a few* copies of this book because I love it.

If you fell in love with Six Crimson Cranes earlier this year then I promise you’ll experience the same adoration for Jade Fire Gold. There’s so much to this wonderful world and I’ll probably be talking about it for a very long time. Also, I’ve kind of gone on a fair bit here about the book but there is so much to this story that I’m leaving out, because it’s so worth reading for yourself and experiencing the feels.

I’ve tried my hardest to put into words how much I loved this book, but it’s hard to write about the fact that I’m just so excited for people to discover it for themselves? I’m not generally someone who rereads books either, but I can definitely see myself picking up one of the finished copies to read again straight after the release!

I was very excited for Jade Fire Gold by June C.L. Tan – I’ve been looking forward to this since it was first supposed to be released in 2019, but sadly, the ARC failed to live up to the potential in my head. This is the story of Ahn, a girl raised as a peasant, who finds out that she carries ancient magic, and Altan, a boy who was supposed to become Emperor but has lost his position. It is a xianxia novel, so set within existing traditions of Chinese storytelling, which is pretty cool. My favourite aspect of Jade Fire Gold was probably the world building, which was rich and epic, and carried through some of the other weaknesses – I did read through the whole story fairly quickly despite being disappointed with it as a whole. Apart from the setting, it read like a fairly typical YA fantasy novel, which is great if that’s what you’re looking for, but these days I feel like we’ve been spoiled with so many outstanding books that that isn’t enough for me to really enjoy a story. The pacing was quite inconsistent, with large stretches feeling like nothing much is happening and then a big chunk of the story being packed into the last twenty percent or so. Ahn and Altan are both very passive characters, and it feels like the story is happening to them, rather than that they are propelling their own fortunes forward. I also struggled to see the chemistry happening between them, which made their eventual relationship feel more like box ticking than a natural development. It is still a decent and entertaining read, but not one that I will go out of my way to reread.

Life stealer - Curse or cherish?
I must preface that when I started this book I had no prior knowledge. It sounded interesting but recently I’ve noticed it’s blown up as an eagerly awaited novel. Always fantastic news.
I honestly struggled to get into this book. The eastern setting felt unfamiliar to me so it took me longer to fully appreciate all the characters & the worlds nuances. I only truly got sucked into the story once Ahn was captured & Leiye was first introduced. He quickly became my favourite character and I loved any scenes involving him & his scheming.
I did not warm towards Ahn as a main protagonist, As someone hailed as a world saver or breaker she felt pedestrian and dull. I did however really grow to enjoy Altans Character & felt drawn to know more his past struggles & future intentions.
The world felt rich and colourful, I enjoyed the myths woven amongst the story and the different signs of class throughout. Tang Wei & the lotus clan were especially interesting and I really hope there is more background to them in the next book.
I was disappointed that the ending of the story felt rushed and cliche regarding Ahns fate but I’ did enjoy the set up for the next novel in the epilogue. Overall I didn’t fall in love with this book but I can see why others might. I do however feel invested enough to read the sequel when it’s published

Jade Fire Gold was a case of an exciting premise and beginning with an execution which left a lot to be desired and a central romance which felt underdeveloped. I'll start with what I did enjoy about this book: the premise itself was so interesting - the idea of Altan and Ahn being on opposing sides, having to begrudgingly work together and are the keys to each others fate. I also liked the relationships between the characters, minus the romantic elements and found the platonic relationships far more compelling. I also liked the worldbuilding and cultural elements which were entwined seamlessly.

Speaking of the romance, it was so lacking in so many ways and it didn't feel well developed at all. I didn't root for Altan and Ahn and felt quite indifferent about their romance and subsequent story arcs. I also feel like the book was a lot of set up for a possible sequel rather than a compelling stand alone in itself.

Overall, I wish I had enjoyed this book more, but I know that other readers will appreciate this story more so I would still encourage you to give this a try

Thank you netgalley for providing a digital arc in exhange for an honest review.

I’ll admit I would have loved this more if I hadn’t spent a good 90% of the book convinced that the two main characters who were in a romantic will-they-won’t-they relationship were actually long lost siblings. Awkward! The confusion stemmed from the Altan hiding in the desert with his family as a child and being found by nomads and Ahn wandering out of the desert and being adopted by a kindly woman in a village. Maybe it was just me but I feel like there could have been more clarity somewhere that they definitely were not brother and sister and I probably would have felt far more comfortable and invested in their relationship!

I can put that aside because there is so much to love; the setting, characters, magic and the quest, it was great! If you love epic fantasies, chinese mythology and xianxia novels then this book is for you! Ahn and Altan individually are striking characters with flaws and a knack for making the wrong decisions but a strong drive pushing them in the same direction; towards the sword. The worldbuilding and how magic held a complicated place within the society was really interesting and I loved the unravelling a false history built depending on who was in charge of the narrative.

I completely get the comparisons to Girls of Paper and Fire and it reminded me or Rebel in the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton too. I have read a lot of YA fantasies so I think a lot of the plot and character development felt familiar but I think this series has a lot of potential too. I hope that the sequel pushes the story further. I’m looking forward to spending even more time with the minor characters who were fun and refreshing amongst the darker tones; exploring the vast world and the rules of magic; an in going beyond the romance arc. I have a feeling that the series might really find it’s stride in the sequel! I did enjoy this book and will definitely read more by this author.

This book drew me in straight away and I loved the main characters Ahn and Altan. Often with multiple perspective books I enjoy one perspective more than the other but with this one I was always eager to read what was happening with each of our characters. The world and magic system is so complicated but I didn't find it too overwhelming. I can't wait for another book, after that ending its going to be a long wait!!!

I went into Jade Fire Gold with high expectations because well, it sounds literally perfect?? But sadly it wasn't.

This book follows Ahn, a peasant girl who lives with her grandmother and possesses magical powers and Altan, the lost heir to the throne of a country on the brink of war. When they both meet, their fates intertwine and they are doomed to pay a deadly price.

-The first one-third or so of the book was amazing. The plot was the focus and the pacing was fast paced. But then everything kind of fell apart.
-The focus switched from the worldbuilding which had so much potential, to the romance, which was well very cliché and honestly uncomfortable.
-There was no dynamic between Ahn and Altan, like they were just sitting around and as far as I know, that isn't what a slow-burn romance is.
-On the topic of the characters, I literally could not connect to either of them one bit.
-The last 20% or so felt so rushed and the info-dumps were very frustrating because I did want to know where the story goes but not this way??
-I did like June C.L Tan's writing though, the prose was gorgeous!

Representation: Chinese coded-characters, side sapphic characters, side mlm characters

Content Warnings: Self-harm (gouging/eye horror; non-graphic), child abuse (physical, verbal, emotional manipulation/gaslighting), parent death (implied and off-page), character deaths, mentions and descriptions of fantasy/magical violence (blood, war, political violence), mentions and descriptions of physical symptoms that might be triggering to those with emetophobia, alcohol consumption (CWs via the author)

I received an arc from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This did not impact my thoughts or review in any way

🔥Jade Fire Gold by June CL Tan @junescribbles 🔥

🔥spoiler free review 🔥

Synopsis

Her destiny. His revenge.

In an empire on the brink of war . . .

Ahn is no one, with no past and no family.

Altan is a lost heir, his future stolen away as a child.

When they meet, Altan sees in Ahn a path to reclaiming the throne. Ahn sees a way to finally unlock her past and understand her lethal magical abilities.

But they may have to pay a far deadlier price than either could have imagined.

Girls of Paper and Fire meets A Song of Wraiths and Ruin in June CL Tan's stunning debut, where ferocious action, shadowy intrigue, rich magic, and a captivating slow-burn romance collide.

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Although it took me a little while to get into this book, once the action got going I really enjoyed it. The character development was strong, particular in the two main characters whose POV’s we get, but also the supporting cast who I got really invested in.

The plot really has everything - political intrigue, magic, complicated family dynamics, mystical swords and beasts, and a badass team of female warriors, the Lotus Sect - I need more of them in the next book please!

The romance is a very slow burn and I enjoyed it but I liked how it’s not the main point of the book, it’s almost just a bonus.

The epilogue confirmed something that I’d been expecting all the way through and has set the scene nicely for book two!

Jade Fire Gold is an exciting debut from June CL Tan and is out on the 4th of November 2021.

Thanks to @netgalley and @junescribbles for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5*** rounded up!

This book was a great blend of Chinese mythology, fantasy setting and fantasy politics. Ahn is a fugitive, living with her “grandmother” and just trying to get the money to feed them both on a day-to-day basis, and to stay out of the way of the terrifying Diyeh priests who burn anyone found with magical abilities at the stake. Altan is the missing rightful heir to the Empire, he is believed to be dead and is living with a vengeance. His one plan is to find the ‘Life Stealer’, get the sword, destroy the life stealer, and set previous wrongs to rights, and to claim back the throne.

This is a world where magic is controlled or eliminated by the empire, with punishments for Teinsei (magic weilders) and those harbouring or helping Teinsei brandished as traitors.

When they meet Altan knows he can use Ahn to reclaim back the throne, whereas Ahn wants answers to her abilities and answers to her murky past and history. But in order to achieve their goals, far more twists and deadlier turns must happen, and they must question who to trust. Can they even trust each other?

This had many great things that I really enjoyed: the magic was amazing, fantastic action scenes, an adventure, a plot with a deep historical background, a slow(ish) burn romance, an intriguing empire built on deception, power and lies. I adored Ahn as a character and her trying to discover her own truth, and the twists and turns she gets caught up in of who she can trust/rely upon, as well as discovering the truth and history about the empire and herself. The last hour of this book, with its revelations, confrontations and action, had me speed racing through this book.

This book did have a strong beginning and then I found my attention waned a bit (reflected in the rating), which then increased dramatically in the last hour. I had read some people say “read this for fans of The Poppy War” which I enjoyed immensely, but I shouldn’t have gone into this expecting that this would be similar, as I couldn’t help but compare it.

Overall, a 3.5-4**** rating. Loved the characters (and loved Ahn especially), enjoyed the setting and interesting historical politics. The author wrote an epilogue (and can assume this will be a second book!) and I am highly interested in continuing this series.

Thank you to Netgalley for this E-Arc.

I liked it.
I liked the chemistry between the main characters and some what fleshed side characters. Even though I knew it's a YA book. It just felt way too YA for me. But that's just my experience.

I really enjoyed this book. the characters ans plot development were amazing. There were so many plot twists and i love that i could never figure everything out.

The development of the characters was so well done. I feel like we really go to know the characters so well.

The writing style was so easy to read which made it that much more enjoyable!

The ending....... What!!!! how can you end it like that?

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I've read quite a few Chinese mythology-inspired fantasies recently, and this definitely stood up against them. It had a lot of Spin The Dawn vibes, particularly at the beginning. I liked the characters of Ahn and Altan and felt that both their story arcs were well-developed. I do wish we'd been able to find out a bit more about the main villain's motivation, but maybe that will come in the second book.

Ahn is a village girl with no family and a secret that will break the world. Altan is a lost heir of a dangerous empire. When their paths cross, Ahn finds a key to her past, and Altan sees a way to his future. But when the price of magic is far deadlier than both of them can handle, can they survive when their homeland is on the edge of destruction?

Jade Fire Gold was exhilarating. June C.L. Tan has really hit it out of the ballpark with her debut. I personally went into this book with zero expectations, and I left feeling so satisfied. It has a lot of fun tropes and utilises them in a way that is entertaining and hilarious. But it also keeps to its dark roots and the danger that Ahn and Altan face in their journey.

The narrative is split into two POVs, Ahn and Altan. With Ahn, you follow her journey being a simple village girl, hiding her abilities in a dead-end town, working to afford the medication her grandmother so desperately needs. Suddenly, she is thrust into the life of royalty, her powers gaining the attention of even the Crown Prince. Altan was the heir to the throne until his family were murdered; now, he has spent years trying to get revenge. He never would’ve expected the answer to be found in Ahn, and the closer they get, the harder he finds it to go through with his plans. I had so much fun reading Ahn and Altan’s journey. Tan does a great job differentiating their voices where I couldn’t even decide whose perspective I enjoyed more.

Not only did I love our main protagonists, but even the supporting characters were also unforgettable. Tang Wei is Atlan’s closest confidant and skilled with her weapons. Their banter and not-so seriously rivalry were brilliant. Linxi is a spy planted in the courts and becomes a great source of friendship for Ahn when she desperately needs it. Leiye is Ahn’s mysterious saviour and Altan’s old friend. There is so much detail that Tan incorporates so well into her words. A beautiful world inspired by Chinese mythology, from deserts to mountains, villages to palaces, the expanse from just this novel alone makes me really excited to see how the series will continue

Jade Fire Gold was an absolute gem of a read! Sometimes you just need a good book to enjoy, and this is one of them. The banter, plot and sense of adventure left me unable to put this down—a definite recommendation for anyone interesting in the xianxia genre.

Thank you to publisher and NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for honest review.

4.25 stars

There are two main protagonist here. Two POV, Ahn and Altan. Ahn is the peasant girl who lived with her grandmother. Is the grandmother even her real family? She holds a power that will help her to uncover her past and reveal the people who wanted to use her for their own purpose. While, Altan, the exiled prince who was denied his right as the truthful heir to the Dragon Throne. He is haunted with the past and vengeances for it. He had to fight hard to retrieve what is rightfully belongs to him.

Through this short synopsis, we can see political elements which I like it. It's not too heavy nor complex to follow.

I found a few quotes that relatable to the current political situation.

I can related to this so much that I want to shovel this quote to those crooked politicians!😤

When we looked at romance element, yep I confirm this is a slow burn romance with awkward teenager love. I think I should just close my eyes on it. No big deal for me. I love Ahn's sense of humor anyway. She's so sarcastic which make Altan failed to understand 😩😂.

Not just that, we also got loveable side characters such as Tang Wei, Linxi, Leiye and Tai Shun. They really completed and filled in the holes of main characters. They supported so well. Wanting to see more of them in the future! 🥰.

In this book also, I finally satisfied my craving for Chinese reps. I got characters with Chinese names as I imagined. It should as it because the place settings were in fictional ancient china civilizations. It is not too deep in the culture but at least we see reps. We're also are introduced to LGBTQ+ reps (f/f) and found them adorable and I demanded more scenes of them.

However, the climax has its loopholes. It happened so quick which I find myself lost. Like where? What? I craved for more actions from Ahn. Her abilities should be so powerful but yet surpressed in the end. Maybe it will be better after this.

In the end, I really thought that this is a standalone but nah June has added some spice and make us wondering what more could be possiblities to come in next book.


****Reviewing in Goodreads separately due to technical error****

I was super excited to be able to read this book. The synopsis was intriguing and sounded amazing. I've not read The Tiger at Midnight but there is definitely Girls of Paper and Fire vibes going on in this book, along with magic. I've seen some people comparing or mentioning that it also give Avatar: The Last Airbender vibes which is also very true!!

I find it meaningful that the author has drawn up her own feelings and experiences of Chinese culture within this book, it makes it even more meaningful to read.
There are some content warnings to read before reading and can be found in the authors Goodreads page. I like that thus has been included as there could be quite a few triggering things for different people but I understand why they were included, it makes the book what it is.

The world building was well done and the writing beautifully captured. I will definitely be reading this again when my finished copy arrives!

A huge thank you to Netgalley, the published and the author for an eARC of this book.

I actually really enjoyed this read, the characters and the plot development were so good. Sometimes the pacing was a little off but it didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the story.

I enjoyed the plot twists and the fact that I could never figure out what some of the characters end games were.

Ahn’s character development was one of the highlights of the book. Going from oblivious peasant girl to powerful plot maker was something that spoke to me as a person. I felt so proud of her advances as she was making them and I just loved her completely. She was a relatable character, with her attractions and her questionable decisions, just like every normal girl of her age (albeit none of us were making those sort of hard decisions!)

I also really loved the entangled plot lines of Tang Wei, Linxi, Leiye, Tai Shun and our two main characters. I felt like it fully tied up and fulfilled everything I wanted.

The writing style itself was very easy to read and to follow, I didn’t get wrapped up in over complicated language or confusing plot development, which is something that I feel could have happened with the complexity of the characters story arc, so props to the author for this!

I also cannot forgive you for that ending... I need more now please!

Jade Fire Gold is one of the most oddly-paced books I have ever read. The start was quite slow—it takes quite a few chapters for the story to get to the events described in the synopsis. After that the pace picks up and slows down again in an uncomfortable manner—it almost feels like sitting on a train that has just reached its proper speed before jerking to an abrupt halt because it is approaching the next stop, and that process repeated over and over again until the end station is reached. The book jumps from one important event to the next at an uneven pace. This uneven pacing is what ultimately caused my disinterest in this book.

In between fast-paced sections, time is sometimes taken for character establishment and introspection, but it did not quite feel like there was enough of this for me to truly get a sense of Ahn or Altan, let alone any of the side characters. A “slow-burn romance” is mentioned in the official summary of Jade Fire Gold, but a romance where the characters only properly meet about halfway through the book is not in any way, shape, or form slow-burn. I’m also not quite sure I agree with the comparison to the Zuko/Katara ship from Avatar: The Last Airbender. It did not have the sort of enemies-to-lovers dynamic I would expect from a pairing that the author mentioned was inspired by Zuko/Katara.

To end on a slightly more positive note, I liked how the scenes surrounding the characters’ magic were described. It was easy to grasp yet had a certain dynamic feel to it that made me enjoy the action scenes in Jade Fire Gold. I was also quite interested in Tai Shun and Leiye as side characters; it felt like they had interesting hidden depths that I would have liked to see more of (as well as their potential side romance? I’m just really a fan of the kind of pining that seemed to be present there).

Overall, this book did not end up working for me. Uneven pacing really made my reading experience with this book an unpleasant one, and that saddens me because this book sounded like it would be perfect for me. I would be interested in checking out future work from the author because her writing did work for me, but if Jade Fire Gold ever ends up getting a sequel, I will not be picking it up.

I got roped in by the hype once again and was disappointed. I expected to be gripped by the story and moved by the characters. I still had a good time reading this book, but it wasn’t the page turner I thought it would be.

I loved the mythology, the history of the different places we visit and of the dynasty. The story started strong and it took me a long time to understand why it didn’t work for me.

I didn’t get attached to the characters because there are moments when the narration doesn’t develop their thought processed enough; we know how they feel and from their history, we understand why, but the way they get to their varied realizations are not detailed enough. We also don’t always have access to their sensations and thoughts during important scenes, resulting in the feeling that some things happen too fast or that some battle moves or events were not as important as we are told there are. Anytime this happened, I was drawn back to reality.
I felt that the story deserved to be extended so that the twists and turns wouldn’t feel so rushed and too easy.

However, I really liked the way the love story between the main characters was developed slowly; the way their feelings for each other grew was one of the strength of the romance part of the plot. Nevertheless, I was surprised when they started to realize they were in love with each other because the lack of access to their thoughts sometimes made it seem they were nowhere near that and I didn't buy into it.

For the majority of the book, Ahn lets herself be guided by basically anyone and I was disappointed she wasn’t more active than that. It also stems from the fact that we almost don’t see any of her magical training. The time ellipsis were really problematic because they prevented the story and the characters from taking the necessary space to grow organically.

My favorite parts were without a doubt the Soul Beasts scenes, especially the second one. These were some of the best written parts of the book, I was drawn into the story and could visualize everything. And I’m always a fan of mythological beasts.

I really liked the epilogue as well and was glad to see that my suspicions were right. I would definitely read this character’s story.