Not so sure about this book, not enough to recommend it others to read. The main character is isolated, as I've seen in a few other books where the character is expected to become strong and an amazing leader. This book doesn't have the same feel as those, though.

The "romance" subplot honestly sucks, as the main character can't make up her mind if she likes him or hates him. This is not the same as a triangle. And the other "suitors" that she might consider are written more as friends and not romantic ideals. I'm not sure if this was supposed to be YA or New Adult, but the main character is written like she's a petulant child or preteen who just needs a good spanking.

While most of the characters are rather poorly designed, the story line and mystery attached to it kept me reading. Except then I reached the last few chapters. The last few chapters had a definite laziness to the writing as the reveals to the main character all came in the form of journal entries instead of being written into the action throughout the book. It killed the mystery that was the book, at least to me. And because of the way the reveals were done, the final scene just didn't have the same impact that it could have had.

The book doesn't grab me so I'm not proceeding to the rest of the series. ( )

This book sucks. This sums it up - “Freya.” He said my name as if it were tearing at him and my chest ached. “You don’t understand.”

Yes that's the entire problem - no one understands and more importantly no one ever explains. This whole book is a mess that makes little sense. From the start we're introduced to Freya a character who knows nothing, says little and complains a lot. She has no idea what's going on and she has no real drive to find out. She's an absolute idiot and that makes it extremely hard to like her. She kills a bird, chokes a few people and has no idea what she's doing - even when she is told that those things were her fault she doesn't so much as flinch. She has no reaction, remorse or compassion. She kills the bird and flicks it behind a shelf so no one can see it. There's no horror, no confusion of what the hell have I done, no sadness, nothing. Then she flicks it behind the shelf and is promptly done with the whole thing. It's basically never thought of again. The other characters move around her, manipulating her into whatever the hell they are doing and she just floats. The characters are flat and lifeless and it's a struggle to connect with them.

I finished but I wish I hadn't picked this up. ( )

The perfect indie novel example of "getting it done"! I loved Frey for stepping far beyond my expectations, for fulfilling my wishes for her strong plucky heroine, and for drawing me in deep into a world where elves rule over humans! ( )

This book is absolutely riveting! I couldn’t put it down. I haven’t read a book quite as mysterious as this one. I couldn’t have guessed where this book was going to take me. The book is well written, and doesn’t center the plot around a love triangle. (Which, don’t get me wrong, I love a good love triangle.. but my heart needs a break every now and then.) I got this book for free on Amazon, and would highly recommend it. ( )

This review has been crossposted from my blog at The Cosy Dragon . Please head there for more in-depth reviews by me, which appear on a timely schedule.

Frey is a failure. She's clumsy, she can't do magic, and then when she does work out how to do it she ends up killing animals and plants with a touch. Her new group of friends seems like they will help her, but who is really protecting them?

I wasn't really sure where the tale of Frey was going, but there was a theme of 'the journey' nonetheless. I didn't really feel Frey's character until later in the novel, and then I felt she wasn't all that bright.

The ending was a real revelation, and well worth reading the rest of the novel for. Having now had a sneak peek at the second book (Pieces of Eight - review tomorrow), I can see how it links in nicely.

There weren't very many plot points, and the things that seemed like big things often weren't, and there was more than you would have thought to others. I'd probably say this novel is aimed at teenagers, although there are some hints of romance.

The thing I liked most about this novel was the new world. I felt the journey and I loved the displays of magic that were in the middle of the novel. I would have liked to know more about Frey's hair colour change too!

The romance was a little transparent for me. But then, Frey has lost so much, she doesn't even know where to start looking for everything. How can she be expected to know her own mind? She didn't seem very old, yet, she must be.

I think I may have been slightly prejudiced against this novel, simply because it was in a PDF form, and the print was tiny, really really tiny, on my Kobo eReader. Yes, it was only 97 pages, but those print pages were small! I also got my review copies a little late, and I still haven't finished reading the one for the book actually on tour *gulp*. ( )