The Ancient's Game was intriguing and had a lot of twists and turns. The magic system was unique and I felt this alice in wonderland-esque novel was different to many I've read. The dystopian, steam punk genre made this for an interesting read. I felt the characters were all created with a flare and it really made the storyline come together.

This is a very interesting african dystopian story set up in a 1920’s era! And to make it even more compelling, we mix magic and alchemy together with it all. Was it a little overwhelming? A tiny bit. However, the writing is smooth, with witty characters and a tiny hint of legend woven inside. I am not familiar with the African mythology but this book picked my interest in it.

I went in to this one with absolutely no expectations and found this book to be really engaging and packed with twists and turns- it did take me some time to get in to this book but the author does a great job of building an intricate world where unknown dangers lurk and you never know what's around the corner- I am not 100% sure that I understood it all but I had a good time.
The main character was very well developed and complex and I enjoyed their journey and never-ending determination to fight for what she wanted and to ensure the safety and wellbeing of those she loved. I would love to have experienced more and had more of a feel of the actual trials I felt that this wasn't explored enough and they were over too quickly.
I gave this one 3.75 stars rounded up to 4

Steam punk, runic magic, dystopian society, and Alice in Wonderland collide in this captivating tale.

In a world where automatons and magical creations coexist, Kellan enters a competition to become an apprentice and save her mentor. However, beneath the surface, sinister forces lurk, and mysterious and catastrophic events unfold.

From the very beginning, the author’s writing style immerses the reader in Kellan’s mind, with its jumping-around sentences creating a whirlwind of emotions. I felt the terror and chaos as they transpired, a testament to the author’s unique and captivating storytelling.

Took me a while to get into and I think that says it all really. Hard to follow and super confusing, I don't think I'd recommend this tbh

Kellan is forbidden by law from practicing carving magic into metal. However, she has been carving in secret, helping out her adaptive Father, Edgar, to help him and his makeshop. But his condition is worsening and the shop is on the brink of collapse. Kellan strikes a deal with someone, that could save Edgar and the shop, but means she must compete in trials to be classed as a makers apprentice.

I really enjoyed the whole concept of this story, from the very beginning I was intrigued. The whole magic concept was like nothing I've read before.

It was full of unexpected twists, and ancient spirits coming to life, and kept me guessing the whole way through.

I feel like I would have liked this to be a little bit longer, I do still have a few unanswered questions, particularly about the ending, but I'm hoping we may get a book 2 🤞

Kellan was a great main chararacter. She thought the whole way through the story to get where she wanted to be, but also to get answers around the whole blackouts mystery. She was very selfless, it was evident from the very beginning she had Edgar's health and wellbeing in the forefront of her mind.

What particularly stood out yo me with The Ancient's Game is it's unique perspective on power and loyalty that is something you don't see within the genre.

3.5 stars

The Ancient’s Game by Loni Crittenden is an intriguing fantasy novel that explores the darker side of power, loyalty, and survival in a dangerous, high-stakes world. The book features compelling characters navigating a perilous game with ancient forces lurking behind every move.

While the premise is gripping, some aspects of the plot and pacing felt uneven, which may leave readers slightly adrift at times. However, Crittenden’s vivid imagination and world-building keep the narrative engaging.

Perfect for fans of dark fantasy who enjoy intricate plots with morally complex characters, The Ancient’s Game delivers a thrilling, if occasionally uneven, ride.

Loni Crittenden has created an intriguing retro futuristic world with 1920’s art deco inspiration and an interesting magic system. Straight away the reader is immersed into this world as we join Kellan, the main character, mid heist as she tries to earn money to help her mentor. Kellan’s dreams are to become a Makecraft and an opportunity presents itself in the form of a trial.

I really enjoyed this YA fantasy, the trials felt a little glossed over but the world itself was well defined and I loved the main character Kellan.

I’m not really sure how to rate this one, there were a lot of elements I really liked but others that I didn’t that stopped me being really invested in the story.
I felt like the trials didn’t get enough time enough on the page to be a focus point of the plot and sadly the romance didn’t work for me as I just didn’t think the characters had chemistry.

The Ancient's Game was a great read. There were parts that really had me wondering what was going on, which is great because I'm usually able to guess what's going to happen. I found the "magic" system quite intriguing.
I definitely recommend this one and I'd love to return to this world in a future book. It would be interesting to find out what the traitors did to make it so their descendants are denied a surname.

I’m in two minds. Creative and fun but hard to follow.

In Kellan’s world, anything is possible with the right skill and metal carving, as long as you’re a member of the ruling classes (which she is not). When an encounter with her hero, a master maker, gets Kellan noticed she’s entered into a dangerous competition to join the highly secretive and powerful makers guild. She has been warned not to trust her competition but outside forces are also at play and Kellan might be the only one able to stop the rising dark.

It sounds like a contradiction but the writing was both wonderful whilst also being really hard to follow. It felt like book two in a series, you’re dumped into the story without any context. I don’t mind this as long as I get enough context at some point (which I didn’t). The world was well built as were the rules which govern it, but the transitions were awkward, characters appear and disappear at key moments. In some parts the writing is laser focused and at others (especially in major action) it is incredibly confusing.

I’m not totally sure I understand what happened in this book but I did actually enjoy it. I think the author has something special in the story, I just wish it had been less frenetic. I would definitely give this author another go. As always this is only #IMO

Really appreciative to #netgalley and #harpercollinsuk for my #arc

I love a tournament story, and that's why The Ancient’s Game caught my attention. But sadly the book turned out to not be what I had been expecting. While it’s full of interesting world-building and nice writing, there didn’t seem to be that much attention to the trials. It seemed like they were gonna be the focus point of the story, but in reality they just felt like they were rushed through in order to reach the next milestone of the story. Something that made it hard for me to fully become engaged in the story.

unfortunately, this was a very disappointing read. I think I started this book 3 times before finally being able to read through it and finish it.

it had great potential and the blurb really intrigued me, but nothing about the writing worked for me. the first chapter is a lot of info-dumping that made no sense for someone who is first introduced to the book’s world and setting. everything was confusing - the magic system, the trials, the characters. there’s also a romance subplot that fell flat because the characters barely had any interactions on page. it just wasn’t believable.

I’m sure this book might work for others, but it didn’t for me, sadly.

Thansk to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I like the general vibe of this book, and the magical world-building was fairly strong. Kellan is an interesting character and I felt the relationshop between her and the love interest was done in a way that avoided too many of the usual cliches. I did feel like some of the backstory around the Dus and what actually happened in the past was missing, but maybe that will be covered in later books.

2.5 stars

Thank you to Harper, Magpie and NetGalley for my digital review copy.

This book had great potential. Unfortunately, the execution was a little disappointing.

I loved the idea of the retrofuturism and art deco vibes and the jazz age and this book could have done so much more.

I know I love books that have good worldbuilding and this book was halfway there. This book has a very interesting magic system (to do with carving runes onto different materials, usually metal, to create things) and it's mentioned that there's different guilds that do different things with this magic to achieve their goals, but I'm not sure how may guilds they are or what they do. We're introduced to the magic system through Kellan (who is described multiple times as "brilliant" in her ability) and whilst her feats with the magic are brilliant, I found that I struggled at times to understand why/how her feats were so spectacular from my limited knowledge of the magic system.

I just felt like there was so much more that could have been achieved by the magic system than what I got.

I also felt like the plot was slightly rushed at times, especially when it came to the trials. I wanted more from them, which I felt like I didn't get.

There was also a romance subplot that I felt had zero chemistry or relationship to it and only existed because there should be a romance element to the plot.

I really wished this hit what I was anticipating from the blurb.

Let me just start by saying, the world building in this book is absolutely breathtaking. I cannot wrap my mind around how utterly flawless it is. That for me is a 5 star alone. I love a book with descriptive writing.

I fell in love with this book, it really wasn’t that hard to be fair. The writing, characters, descriptions and world building made it breathtakingly good. There were points of being able to predict what was coming, but that didn’t falter the story in anyway, and I was still kept entertained regardless of the predictability.

Kellan was the MC, and what a delightful character she was to follow. I couldn’t fault her at all. She drew me in and kept me in a chokehold along with the world building. Honestly, so worth the read. Regardless of the predictability and (to some) the daunting details to try and remember. There was a lot of detail and it you need to keep hold of bits of information to piece together at a later date, but that kept me all the more interested.

I highly recommend this to any fantasy lover.

I really enjoyed this story! Kellan is a wonderful heroine, feisty and loyal. The world building was wonderful and I really enjoyed the magic system. Loved!

A lot of potential here. I really enjoyed the world building but the trials portion of the story fell slightly flat for me.

Rating: 3.5

A decent read, with great descriptions and story potential but a weak execution.

The world building in this book is immense, with vivid descriptions into not only the City of Riz, but into the 'magic' system - carving into metal. Our protagonist is a teenager that shouldn't have the opportunities that she has, but through lots of luck and talent, Mesny offers her a chance at something more.

I loved the mentor/mentee interactions that the two had, it felt a lot more natural, with Mesny really showing that she cares about Kellan, compared to what I felt between Axel/Kellan. The romantic relationship that was slotted in the midst of the plot didn't feel necessary. Perhaps if we had more of a character development into Axel, then I would root for them more.

The weakest, by far, were the trials. Despite being such a big plot point of whether Kellan will/won't get the spot, they aren't the main focus at all. They felt rushed and sidelined by other action/plot lines to progress into the big build up that the author wanted, when I wanted more description, more stress, more information about them.

In the end, the ending didn't feel great either, finishing with a lot of unanswered questions. Perhaps there will be a sequel to unravel the remain mysteries, but ultimately this book didn't feel complete without them.