Rating: ★★★☆
Genre: NA Fantasy
Length: 330 pages
Author: Allyson S. Barkley
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
Release Date: January 1st, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads
BOOK SUMMARY:
An exceptionally-skilled thief, Ari lives deep in the forest with no one but her bobcat Jagger for company. She is determined to keep to herself as civil war drags on around her, but when a mysterious stranger appears with an unexpected job offer, she has no choice but to leave her quiet life behind.
Unwillingly paired with chatty, optimistic magician Ely, Ari finds her patience, wits, and skill tested when the journey quickly proves to be far from what either of them bargained for. Ari must face one of the greatest tests of her thieving career – and come to terms with the many secrets she has been hiding.
With an exciting heroine and a diverse cast of characters, A Memory of Light is the first title in the fantasy series Until the Stars Are Dead, which follows Ari and Ely’s adventures navigating the dangers of their complicated, quickly-changing world.
Thank you to the author for sending along a copy.
I SEE THE POTENTIAL.
This kind of got off to a rough start, there was an extreme lack of dialogue which (for me) is hard to get drawn in by. I like the connection the characters and needed more of that.
Once Ari FINALLY started feeling like talking a bit to Ely and others things got better. I liked the dynamic between them and see maaaybe a potential love interest? If not, totally cool, I like the bond they have going. The closeness between them is starting to show and I think that’s why I can see potential. Now that they have a bit of a bond I hope to see it more in book two.
One of my least favorite fantasy tropes is the adventure/traveling plotline. This dragged out for me too. The entire book is one quest without any home base for me to get a feeling of anything else then some woods and running for your lives.
In the end, I did truly enjoy the base of the writing. I wasn’t turned from wanting to continue and I look forward to seeing how book two further expounds on the world building and the character development.
Overall audience notes:
- NA Fantasy
- Language: none
- Romance: none
- Violence: mild
- Trigger/Content Warnings: small scale skirmish scenes, physical and weaponry altercations, recounting of losing loved ones
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