A Vow in Vengeance

2.5 stars. I read the sample and was hooked- the plot seemed compelling and the MC interesting enough. However, quickly after that it all seemed to fall apart. The world building lacked much depth- it started out somewhat Harry Potter-esque and would have been cool if it was better explained/described. Greatest qualm- it needed more time was spent with world building and development of characters. A lot was told rather than shown and I found myself not caring too much about any of what happened. The romance was nothing special and seemed rushed. *SPOILERS AHEAD* The forced assimilation was handled poorly- MC overall seems just fine with it all, except she misses her hair. No other mention of culture, customs, language, sadness, grief ect. besides a brief I miss my old hair. Also, supposedly girl has been through some trauma- but you’d hardly know it because besides it being said, the character doesn’t seem to feel any of it? Show us, don’t just tell us. The romance also lacked depth and seemed oh so convenient (the two being so special and roommates). There was no burn, it just kinda seemed like yep now we’re “fated” and we’re gonna pretend to people but it’s not really pretend because we both obviously want each other. Add in some love scenes and “I have to find my family” every two seconds and that about sums it up. Had promise but unfortunately did not flesh out.

This book has great twists and I loved the relationship building between the main characters. Please give us the next one fast!

Okay I loved this book. I really loved both main characters - great personalities and such great chemistry and banter. Really blew through this book, I couldn’t get enough of them, and the premise was fresh and well paced. I don’t agree with other reviews that state a bunch happened at the end - I felt it was the right time in the book when the adventure picked up, and it had a lot of time to move through the story without being rushed. I do agree with other reviews that the author should have expanded on the side characters more - we love friends that turn into family! But they were so surface level, you barely remembered who was who and what they looked like. Rune and her friends barely interacted and you never hear their background. Even ember her best friend is basically absent the whole book. You don’t get Draven’s friends until very late in the book. It’s a missed opportunity to build depth in the book, I hope that’s remedied if there’s a book 2! Hope there’s another one, I can’t wait!