Having read the fanfiction it was inspired by, I went in knowing not to judge or compare too harshly. I like how different it is to the fanfiction. It is truly a different story, making it a new experience for anyone who does or does not have previous knowledge.

Although I ended up enjoying this book more than I thought, it still took me weeks to get past chapter 5. Even as a lifelong fantasy reader, the information about the world building, lore, and magic seemed to be dumped on quite quickly and in a sort of ‘rookie’ way. Personally, the story didn’t hook me in until around chapter 11/12, which was when the romance began to spark. Although I was annoyed at how long it took for me to start appreciating it, I do admire the fact that it this book IS a true slow-burn romance that looks to continue in the sequel.

Whilst the imagery descriptions at times were lovely, I felt it was too dialogue heavy at times. I often ended up blanking out half way through the page because all they did was talk and not show. However, being Australian, I did appreciate the dry British humour and I felt it wasn’t too overdone.

Overall, despite the rocky start, I’m glad I persevered and finished! Definitely ended up enjoying it more than I thought and will be reading the sequel. I would also like to say a big thank you to all the cool people on this app for helping me get back into the flow of reading this book! I couldn’t have finished it without your input 🫶🏻💕