The novel follows Lore Alemeyu a young girl whose village is trapped in a forested prison. Escaping is out of the question as it could result in death. But when the village is nearly destroyed in a earthshake Lore agrees to a deal with a Fae lord to restore things. Organizing an enchanted library the Fae cannot enter in exchange for her village being rebuilt seems like a fair deal. Everything comes with a price and if it sounds too good to be true most likely it is. But Lore is brave and convinces them she’s willing to risk her life for wealth but in reality she’s seeking magic of her own. 

Reading this was such a different experience for me since I’m not big on fantasy yet. But I loved the premise and I’ll go for anything that involves black characters and magic so it was a win for the most part. The beginning was very fast-paced and pulls you into the novel immediately but the further things progress the pacing wanes a bit. 

I did want a bit more from some of the characters and felt the character development wasn’t a strong point. The world building was lit and the authors writing was massively descriptive so it was easy to envision everything. The love triangle . . . . didn’t really catch that vibe. There were instances of attraction but no real chemistry for anything to blossom. But I liked Asher and Finn’s character.

Overall, this was okay if you’re into fantasy, coming-of-age, or books filled with magic then you might enjoy this one. The plot twist ending was golden cause I didn’t expect it but kind of figured something was off in the beginning. We are also left with a cliffhanger so I’m curious to see how book 2 will kick things off.  I can honestly say the beginning and ending of the book is what held things together. Special thanks to the author, @harpervoyager & @hearourvoicestours for my gifted copy‼️

Rating: 3.5/5⭐️