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A review by abby_ace_of_books
Nightstrider by Sophia Slade
5.0
I came because the official art was pretty, but I stayed because of angsty lover boys and angry rebel women.
I added Nightstrider to my TBR because I saw art of it on Instagram, and the easiest way to get me to read a book is to show me pretty pictures. The concept also sounded unique and intriguing, so I requested it on Netgalley when I got the chance, and I will now be anxiously awaiting the sequel. (Also, it just happened that while I was reading this, I played a round of Betrayal at the House on the Hill that was so close to the plot of this book that I got way too excited).
The story follows 4 main POVs (multiple POV fantasies are the best!): Wren, a Nightmare employed by the evil dictator, Para Warwick; Alaric, a Nightmare rebel and former employee of Warwick; Ila, a young queen and weaver who can move from the waking realm to the Reverie; and Caine, a prince who has ties to the Reverie that he never knew existed. The story is very fast-paced, and I really enjoyed trying to guess the plot twists (some of which I did predict, but I was super happy that I was right). The stakes were high, the tension between characters was palpable, and the ending left me anxiously waiting for more.
But, like with almost all books that may or may not devolve into found family...the characters were the best part. Wren was so incredibly cool, and while her POV itself proved to be my least favorite of the 4, I thought she was neat, and I'm excited to see her continue her character arc. Alaric is a simp, and just like with Wren, his POVs didn't excite me as much as the others, but I really liked seeing the parallels between him and Wren. Ila reminded me a lot of Helene from An Ember in the Ashes, and she was probably my favorite character, tied with Caine, of course. She's so strong, and yet she cares so deeply and passionately. Caine reminded me of Dorian from Throne of Glass, and, like I said, he was one of my favorites. He's similar to Alaric in that they're both simps, but he embraced the darkness inside him to save Ila, and I'm really excited to learn more about him in the sequel.
Nightstrider is a multiple-POV fantasy novel with the beginnings of what I hope is a found family, and I will be buying the sequel as soon as it releases.
Thanks to Netgalley for the free e-ARC!
4.5/5
I added Nightstrider to my TBR because I saw art of it on Instagram, and the easiest way to get me to read a book is to show me pretty pictures. The concept also sounded unique and intriguing, so I requested it on Netgalley when I got the chance, and I will now be anxiously awaiting the sequel. (Also, it just happened that while I was reading this, I played a round of Betrayal at the House on the Hill that was so close to the plot of this book that I got way too excited).
The story follows 4 main POVs (multiple POV fantasies are the best!): Wren, a Nightmare employed by the evil dictator, Para Warwick; Alaric, a Nightmare rebel and former employee of Warwick; Ila, a young queen and weaver who can move from the waking realm to the Reverie; and Caine, a prince who has ties to the Reverie that he never knew existed. The story is very fast-paced, and I really enjoyed trying to guess the plot twists (some of which I did predict, but I was super happy that I was right). The stakes were high, the tension between characters was palpable, and the ending left me anxiously waiting for more.
But, like with almost all books that may or may not devolve into found family...the characters were the best part. Wren was so incredibly cool, and while her POV itself proved to be my least favorite of the 4, I thought she was neat, and I'm excited to see her continue her character arc. Alaric is a simp, and just like with Wren, his POVs didn't excite me as much as the others, but I really liked seeing the parallels between him and Wren. Ila reminded me a lot of Helene from An Ember in the Ashes, and she was probably my favorite character, tied with Caine, of course. She's so strong, and yet she cares so deeply and passionately. Caine reminded me of Dorian from Throne of Glass, and, like I said, he was one of my favorites. He's similar to Alaric in that they're both simps, but he embraced the darkness inside him to save Ila, and I'm really excited to learn more about him in the sequel.
Nightstrider is a multiple-POV fantasy novel with the beginnings of what I hope is a found family, and I will be buying the sequel as soon as it releases.
Thanks to Netgalley for the free e-ARC!
4.5/5