Overall, a very sweet and enchanting story. This is for the girls who always thought Merida from Brave was an under-appreciated Disney princess. The main romance is very childhood rivals to begrudging allies to lovers, which is always fun, but the secondary characters, Torin and Sidra, really outshone the MCs. I felt they had a lot more depth to their history and their commitment to one another. Sidra is definitely my favorite character, and her arc is wonderful. Her relationship with the spirits and their dynamic with the world is fascinating, and I would love to see more of that.

This one is only shy of 5-stars because it lacked a certain tension to the plot? Everyone gets along for the most part, aside from the East/West conflict. And even that conflict is woefully binary and under-developed. I suspect the second novel in the series will further explore why the West is so violent, but even the twist ending didn't really explain the actions of some of the characters' from the West. But still an overall great read! ( )

“Sometimes he imagined, becoming a traveling bard, who drank lore and spun it into song. He imagined gathering stories and reawakening places that were half dead and forgotten. And he wondered if remaining at the university, held within stone and glass and structure, was more akin to being a bird, held captive in an iron cage. But these were dangerous thoughts” (49).

This is a bewitching story full of lyrical, pretty prose and told in four elemental parts. It’s vividly enchanting, and as someone who’s drawn more to character development than to plot, I was certainly carried away by the captivating events that unfold—beginning with a fearful ferryman and a prodigal bard crossing the capricious sea at night “when the spirits of the water are easily appeased” (8). This has all the elements of an epic adventure, a true hero’s (and heroine’s) journey: magical artifacts and whimsical gods (or folk as they’re called) and historical feuds and well-kept secrets and complicated romance.

Jack, a bard who’s been studying on the mainland for a decade, returns to the isle of his childhood after an ambiguous summons from his Laird. As an only child to a single mother never knowing his father, Jack always felt like an outsider growing up on the Isle of Cadence, never feeling like he belonged. When he returns, though, and learns about the strange disappearance of young girls, he becomes the center of the island’s hope for their return and learns that maybe he’s belonged to these people and this place a little more than he once thought. Along the way and through their perspectives, Jack and Adaira (the Laird’s only heiress and Jack’s childhood nemesis), Torin (the captain of the guard and Adaira’s protective cousin) and Sidra (a natural healer and Torin’s second wife) all deal with the cycle of hate and violence that’s brought about these kidnappings, including coming to terms with the sins of their mothers and fathers, atoning for their part in the cycle of hate and violence, and hanging on to faith when it seems that all hope is lost.

This is a four-star read for me. I really didn’t know this was a duology, and I hate duologies. I want my full story in a single book. I can do a series if each book focuses on a different character. But cliffhangers? No thanks! If you’re good with a story continuation, and you like magical realism and adventure and lyrical prose, this might be the perfect January read for you. ( )

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This was a great audiobook. I was not a big fan of the writing, which veered toward the purple. But the audiobook narrator was perfect because she really sold the "atmospheric" passages with her dramatic performance. I might accept any prose read aloud in a husky Scottish accent.

The romance elements in the book were not fully genre tropes. There were two couples featured pretty equally. They were both sort of "opposites attract" and "marriage of convenience" but the point of the story is not Happily Ever After. Romance is a big part of the story, but not the main focus.

This is more of a mystery about kidnapping and a war plot that's very Hatfields & McCoys only it's East vs. West. Because the war in Gaza is all over the news now, I found it weirdly relevant to be reading this fantasy story about centuries-long conflict. There aren't super deep insights to be found in this story, except maybe the character of Torin who is a warrior and fears peace. Maybe my favorite part of the book was when Torin lost his voice and it led to him exploring his motivations and his shame.

I don't think I will continue this series, but I might look for more books narrated by Ruth Urquhart. ( )

I adored this book!!! I really think this is a great starter adult fantsay series! I think this writing style and also all the elements were a really great read. It was s quick read. I also liked all the side elements but especially all the eleemental magic focus. I also really liked all the POV characters and felt that it really expanded the world. This is the firsst book in series but one that i am dying to compelete soon!! Def a new favoeite of mine!! ( )