Okay, I've held off on giving any thoughts on this book because I honestly couldn't pin down how I was feeling. One minute I'm bored out of my mind as Gwynne drones on and on in quite a monotonous way about what each character is wearing in EVERY scene, how they're walking, and where they're going. The next minute, I feel like I'm really jiving with the characters and it feels like Gwynne has found his groove and I'm fully immersed in the story.

Overall, so far, I think I'm just lost; and honestly I think Gwynne is too sometimes. There are inconsistencies in his writing that really bug me. One minute a character has lost their axe and they're going to have to find a new one, but what's this? All of a sudden they have their axe and they're using it to slice open someone's skull! Then, sometimes we get really beautiful prose describing the mountains and waterfalls, and other times I feel like I have to re-read what's being described because it's so dry and matter of fact with little to no prose. The writing can be very, "character name walked this way next to character name, and other character name appeared below them while other character name walked forward." It's just very dry.

I'm also having trouble connecting with any of the characters aside from Orka. Both Elvar and Varg feel like plain mashed potatoes compared to Orka's character and motivations. I don't see how any of these characters are going to be connected beyond what I suspect each of them are (which I won't get into in fear of potential spoilers), and it just feels like this story has no direction. Where are we going Gwynne? What's the point?

I have a suspicion of where the story is headed, and I don't think I'm interested enough to see it through. Often times there's action for the sake of action, there's entirely too many mentions of troll balls for my liking, and I just don't care about anyone at this point except for Orka (you go girl. Kill em all! As a treat).

I have heard the first book is weaker than the others in the series, so I'll try to see it through; but man, I am disappointed so far.

Having made a shelf specifically for books I think my cat would like, I'm now curious about everybody else's pets on here! Based on his tv viewing behaviors, I think my cat would love horror, true crime, and thrillers.

Also, obligatory pic for y'all (his name is Goose!):

hey friends 🤍

soooo I recently broke my ankle and tested positive for COVID (love that for me), and while I’ve been trying to rest and recover, I’ve run into an unexpected problem… I cannot seem to focus on reading anymore.

which has lowkey been the worst part 😭 books are usually my go-to comfort/escape, and not having that has been really frustrating.

TV/movies have been okay in the meantime, but even those can be hard to focus on when the pain/discomfort really kicks in.

I remember my mom saying after my dad passed that she struggled to focus on reading for a long time, and I think that’s been sitting in the back of my mind a bit. I’m hoping this is just temporary, but it’s definitely been discouraging 🥲

has anyone dealt with this before—whether from injury, stress, or just life being a pain in the ass? any tips for easing back into reading or ways to engage with books when your attention span is basically nonexistent?

would love any advice, recs, or even just solidarity 🫶

Helloooo fellow readers ✨

I just saw a post about a book with a badass fmc and it got me thinking that I, as well, like much better when the fmc is strong, badass rather than in distress, poor little girl in need of a big guy.

So do you have any recommandations of books with badasses FMC ?

Note : bonus points if it’s romantasy / fantasy

Thanks 🫶