My Rating: ❤️❤️❤️.5
Disclaimer: I received a review copy for free and am leaving this review voluntarily. Thanks, BookSirens.
Summary: Anna is a forest witch living her life when one day she’s taken to the Kingdom of Gora. In Gora, brother and sister, Alina and Hadeon, say they need her help to fight a deadly foe. But she quickly realizes all is not as it seems.
General Thoughts: I 100% read this because of the cover (the red forest version). I won’t even lie about that. Like take another look at the cover. Stunning. I didn’t have a clear sense of what the book would be about after reading the synopsis, so I went into this one knowing very little.
Things I liked:
-It has a very interesting concept. I won’t say much because to do so would give away too much of the plot, but the author had a very interesting story idea and plotwise she executed very well with that idea.
-For the most part, I enjoyed the writing style and pacing. I was engaged for the whole story.
-By the end, I was very curious to know more about the world and characters that she created.
-I enjoyed the romantasy elements.
Things I thought could have been better:
-The book kind of starts middle of the action, like you have no clue who the character is. All you know is a girl is running through the forest for her life. There appeared to be kind of a dual timeline thing going on for awhile, but it confused me. Like you don’t even know the main character’s name for several chapters.
-Because you’re kind of thrown in (and part of that is for a good reason revealed later), I felt like I was left with a lot of questions about the world-building. I found myself confused as to how she became a witch, what made somebody a witch, the connection between Gora and her world, and a lot.
-I didn’t feel like I really knew Haedon or Alina very well. For Haedon being the romance interest, I would have liked to see him fleshed out more (I’m hopeful that happens in the second book). I feel like I got to know Anna through her actions, but I also didn’t have a clear sense of who she was.
-At times, the writing felt a bit choppy to me (enough to pull me out), but overall I liked it.
Given some of the plot turns, some of this makes sense, and I’m hoping it’s improved in the second book because I am curious enough to read the second. I feel I’ll have a lot better sense of what I think of everything after I read book two.
Steam Meter: 💞 This is a clean, sweet YA romance with no steam. Suitable for all ages.
Romantic Tropes
-single first-person POV
-series
-romantasy
-YA
-clean, sweet romance
-vampire witch romance
Goodreads Blurb:
There is something horrifying hiding in the woods . . .
Anna’s position as a new forest witch is a great honor, and a chance to show what she is capable of.
But, when she finds herself in Gora, an ancient, mysterious castle, she is not sure that she is right for the job.
My Last Romance 