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3 stars! This review will be spoiler free!
Synopsis:
There are multiple Londons, Red, White, Grey, and oh so long ago, Black. Kel is one of the last Antari, highly coveted powerful magicians that can travel between said Londons. On the low, Kel has been known to smuggle objects between, and when one of these items gets him into more trouble than he's asking for, Kel has to make an escape. In doing so he meets Lila Bard, who not only steals from him, but lands herself in his mess. From there, adventure begins!
Initial thoughts:
I liked this one. Twas a good start. I'm not blown away like I thought I'd be, but there I go again delving into a book with too high of expectations. I found myself feeling pretty average about this book they entire time I was reading it UNTIL probably the last 20%-ish. I love Kel and Lila though, oh and Rhy! They are the reasons I'm continuing. The world and the magic are also very unique. However, I felt like there was so much to be explained in this foundational novel it could be info-dumpy at times. Still, a solid start to a series. I hope it gets better from here.
Plot:
So by this point it's no secret I felt like this book was just "okay." This is likely because, for me, this book suffers from what I'm now going to call book-one-syndrome where there's so much world to build and so many characters to meet and a whole complicated plot to get started, and me (the reader) gets lost and kind of bored muddling through all that.
For the meeting of characters, at first, I was very confused. There were so many people to meet and they were all from different Londons and they had different types of magic. After I got them straight, and got them organized into their proper Londons, I was set. Of course, I love the people of the Red London the most. Especially Rhy. I'm just so happy to see yet another non-hetero princeling! Love it.
The world building (though I know it's only getting started) was great! I was truly impressed by the intricacies of the magic system, the language and history that goes into being Antari, and the history of the Black London. Other things I liked about this plot was that it wasn't predictable. Many times I found myself surprised at the events unfolding.
The best part: Can we just talk about that ending for a second and how cute these very abrupt romantic scenes are and how crazy and magical the battles can be and how much I appreciate familial relationships in any sort of book. ALL of those things throughout the book kept me going, BUT they were especially amazing coming together in the last 20% of the book. I loved the ending soooooo MUCH. This book nearly feels like a standalone, but I must continue on. There are still open ends that need exploring and this book has sparked by intrigue.
Characters:
LILA is a badass. I love how she has no hesitation when it comes to the hard decisions. She's clever, she's a bit cynical, and she's adventurous. My favorite quote in this book came from her lips, "I'd rather die on an adventure, than live standing still."
KEL has a heart, but he's not entirely a wuss THANK GODS. I love a good hearted hero, but he can also be ruthless when he needs to be. A good combination. He's almost emotionless too, so when he starts to open up his feelings for Lila, my heart was just like... "AWWWW."
RHY I love for his dialogue, he's got the greatest liners in the story.
THE TWINS, are despicable. As expected of good villains.
HOLLAND was creepy... And I felt sorry for him. Extremely.
Overall:
Only 3 stars because it was just okay. The first 80% was like a 2 star, but the last 20% was like 4.25 stars. I was on the edge of my seat. Ready for book two! Maybe in a month or so...