A Song of Wraiths and Ruin
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- Create Date：2021-05-09 11:57:20
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Roseanne A. Brown
- ISBN：0062891499
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Summary
For Malik， the Solstasia festival is a chance to escape his war-stricken home and start a new life with his sisters in the prosperous desert city of Ziran。 But when a vengeful spirit abducts Malik’s younger sister， Nadia， as payment into the city， Malik strikes a fatal deal—kill Karina， Crown Princess of Ziran， for Nadia’s freedom。
But Karina has deadly aspirations of her own。 Her mother， the Sultana， has been assassinated; her court threatens mutiny; and Solstasia looms like a knife over her neck。 Grief-stricken， Karina decides to resurrect her mother through ancient magic 。 。 。 requiring the beating heart of a king。 And she knows just how to obtain one: by offering her hand in marriage to the victor of the Solstasia competition。
When Malik rigs his way into the contest， they are set on a course to destroy each other。 But as attraction flares between them and ancient evils stir， will they be able to see their tasks to the death？
The first in an fantasy duology inspired by West African folklore in which a grieving crown princess and a desperate refugee find themselves on a collision course to murder each other despite their growing attraction。
But Karina has deadly aspirations of her own。 Her mother， the Sultana， has been assassinated; her court threatens mutiny; and Solstasia looms like a knife over her neck。 Grief-stricken， Karina decides to resurrect her mother through ancient magic 。 。 。 requiring the beating heart of a king。 And she knows just how to obtain one: by offering her hand in marriage to the victor of the Solstasia competition。
When Malik rigs his way into the contest， they are set on a course to destroy each other。 But as attraction flares between them and ancient evils stir， will they be able to see their tasks to the death？
The first in an fantasy duology inspired by West African folklore in which a grieving crown princess and a desperate refugee find themselves on a collision course to murder each other despite their growing attraction。
Reviews
Shamama
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 The action， the suspense， the fantastical elements， the romantic tension - I am reeling from all of it。 Roseanne Brown has weaved a world where the magical intertwines with the political。 A Song of Wraiths and Ruin will leave you wanting to learn more about the world she crafted。 I truly enjoyed how she endears the audience to two opposing characters， who are fundamentally opposed to each other。 It leaves you wondering who you should root for in the end。 I also was intrigued by the world she bui The action， the suspense， the fantastical elements， the romantic tension - I am reeling from all of it。 Roseanne Brown has weaved a world where the magical intertwines with the political。 A Song of Wraiths and Ruin will leave you wanting to learn more about the world she crafted。 I truly enjoyed how she endears the audience to two opposing characters， who are fundamentally opposed to each other。 It leaves you wondering who you should root for in the end。 I also was intrigued by the world she built in this story， and I just have so many questions that need answers。 I cannot wait to read the next instalment。 。。。more
As
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DnF @40% Really tried to get into this but I am bored。 The ideas are good but I don't like the execution。。。 and I'm smelling the instalove coming。。。 DnF @40% Really tried to get into this but I am bored。 The ideas are good but I don't like the execution。。。 and I'm smelling the instalove coming。。。 。。。more
Marte
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Undoubtedly， one of the strongest YA fantasies I’ve read in quite some time。 “The past devours those naïve enough to forget it。” I liked a lot of things: the vivid setting， the distinct voices of the main characters， the pacing and so on。 But what made this a true standout was the representation of mental health and grief。 Karina's and - especially - Malik’s battle with mental illness was prominent throughout the entire book。 And it was not only crucial to their character developmen Undoubtedly， one of the strongest YA fantasies I’ve read in quite some time。 “The past devours those naïve enough to forget it。” I liked a lot of things: the vivid setting， the distinct voices of the main characters， the pacing and so on。 But what made this a true standout was the representation of mental health and grief。 Karina's and - especially - Malik’s battle with mental illness was prominent throughout the entire book。 And it was not only crucial to their character development， but also to the very climax of the plot。 I can’t remember ever reading a fantasy where the magic was so flawlessly intertwined with a character’s mental state; where fighting a mental illness gives a character the strength they need。 It was incredibly impressive。 And while I wish it wasn’t a romance - I guess we can’t have it all – the insta love was not enough for me to lower my rating much。 。。。more
Morgan | Mashleas Reads
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I've seen this book get absolutely amazing reviews so I'm disappointed I didn't enjoy this more。 While intriguing， I found the characters to be super whiney and the plot a bit jumpy。 I've seen this book get absolutely amazing reviews so I'm disappointed I didn't enjoy this more。 While intriguing， I found the characters to be super whiney and the plot a bit jumpy。 。。。more
Nana
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Good beginning， very catching， but I found the middle of it boring， and then the end gets more intense。 The romance meh， I didn't care much about it， but the plot is good， I hope the second book improves。 Good beginning， very catching， but I found the middle of it boring， and then the end gets more intense。 The romance meh， I didn't care much about it， but the plot is good， I hope the second book improves。 。。。more
Lisette
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Happily surprised by this book。 Did not expect to like as much as I did。 Really looking forward to the next book！
Hazmatzo
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Fun world-building， good pacing， just a super easy read
kelsey✨
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the ending was pretty predictable， but overall， very good！！
Chelsea
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Liked it， but expected a bit more actionAfter a spirit adducts his sister， Malik must win a contest， emerge as King， and kill the Crown princess for his sister's freedom。 Meanwhile， struggling with the death of her mother， Princess Karina seeks the heart of a king to resurrect her。 Yet， against all odds， the two fall in love with each other。Pros+Malik personality。 You don't see much soft bois in YA。 Malik was so soft and adorable and empathic。 It nice change from these brooding bad boys about we Liked it， but expected a bit more actionAfter a spirit adducts his sister， Malik must win a contest， emerge as King， and kill the Crown princess for his sister's freedom。 Meanwhile， struggling with the death of her mother， Princess Karina seeks the heart of a king to resurrect her。 Yet， against all odds， the two fall in love with each other。Pros+Malik personality。 You don't see much soft bois in YA。 Malik was so soft and adorable and empathic。 It nice change from these brooding bad boys about we always see。+anxiety rep。 The anxiety rep is so good especially when Malik had a panic attack。 I am so glad to finally see some good mental health rep。 I especially since love or anything else didn't cure his anxiety by the end。+competition。 I like the idea of the Champion competition and the different Aligned champions+the twists and turns at the end redeemed the book for me and made me look forward to reading the sequel。+history。 Learning some of the history and how it all came into play at the end was interesting。Cons-slowpaced。 I feel like the focus is so heavy on emotions and not enough on the characters task。 I feel like that got nothing done until late in the book。-Karina。 Karina was so immature and infuriating to read about。 She was constantly making rash decisions in her hot headness。 She was also pushed everyone away and damaged her image。 I mean， I know she's a teenager dealing with a lot of unprocessed grief， but that did make it any less frustrating to read。 She gets better by the end but it doesn't erase the first half of the book。-infodumps。 Sometimes I felt like I was reading a history textbook。 Characters would record history of the city and while it was interesting， I was left wondering what the importance of it was。-development。 Character development didn't come until exactly 65% percent of the book。 -lack of chemistry。 The protagonists spend so time apart for more than first half of the book。 Their chemistry felt rushed and sudden。This book was different than I thought it would be。 It was more tame。 I thought it would have more action and less dialogue。 。。。more
Dhea Anecito
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Awesome novel。 I love it。 You can join in NovelStar writing contest with a theme "WEREWOLVES" Prices are amazing！https://author。starlight。ink/essay/in。。。 （PC）http://app。novelstar。top/index/index/。。。 or email any of the following editors;hardy@novelstar。topjoye@novelstar。toplena@novelstar。topapp。novelstar。top Awesome novel。 I love it。 You can join in NovelStar writing contest with a theme "WEREWOLVES" Prices are amazing！https://author。starlight。ink/essay/in。。。 （PC）http://app。novelstar。top/index/index/。。。 or email any of the following editors;hardy@novelstar。topjoye@novelstar。toplena@novelstar。topapp。novelstar。top 。。。more
Krystal Galvis
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“Do not underestimate the strength it takes to be kind in a world as cruel as ours。”。“The pain you have endured does not justify the pain you inflict on others。” 。CW: mild self-harm ideation， fantasy violence， emotional and physical abuse， anxiety and panic attacks， parent death， and animal death （taken from the author’s note。）。A SONG OF WRAITHS AND RUIN written by Roseanne A。 Brown begins with Malik and his sisters， Lelia and Nadia， entering the city of Ziran under false identities as Eshran re “Do not underestimate the strength it takes to be kind in a world as cruel as ours。”。“The pain you have endured does not justify the pain you inflict on others。” 。CW: mild self-harm ideation， fantasy violence， emotional and physical abuse， anxiety and panic attacks， parent death， and animal death （taken from the author’s note。）。A SONG OF WRAITHS AND RUIN written by Roseanne A。 Brown begins with Malik and his sisters， Lelia and Nadia， entering the city of Ziran under false identities as Eshran refugees。 After a series of events where their false papers are stolen and Nadia has been kidnapped by a vengeful spirit， Malik strikes a dangerous bargain: kill Princess Karina of Ziran and Nadia goes free。 And the closest way to get to the princess is to go undercover as a competitor for the Solstasia competition。。Meanwhile Karina wishes for an escape from her life as a princess。 She wants nothing to do with ruling a kingdom or running the Solstasia festival。 It was meant for her older sister， but the dead can’t rule a living kingdom。 Yet， after the death of her mother， Karina decides to resurrect her mother through ancient magic， requiring the beating heart of a king。 And she knows how to obtain one: by offering her hand in marriage to the victor of the Solstasia competition。 。I enjoyed reading Malik and Karina’s perspectives and understanding who they are。 Karina is brash， reckless， impulsive， and a bit arrogant。 But she is also insecure and hurting from all the losses in her life。 Malik suffers with self doubt and panic attacks brought about by his anxiety。 But he has the biggest heart and it shows throughout the book as his love for his family becomes his biggest strength and weakness。 ASOWAR was inspired by West African folklore and it added depth to this story。 I really liked the plot twists as some I could see coming but others just had me gaping。 I can’t wait to see what happens in Book 2！！ 。。。more
C。M。 McCann
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I enjoyed this book and will definitely read the next one， there were just a few things that kept this from being a full 5。This had great representation of mental health， but Karina was an irritating MC and Malik seemed younger than he was supposed to be （maybe 15 at best）。 I loved the mythology， but *SMALL SPOILER* everyone seemed overpowered with magic they had repressed and never learned how to use。 *END SPOILER*The pacing was slow to start and rushed at the end。 The shear amount of reveals a I enjoyed this book and will definitely read the next one， there were just a few things that kept this from being a full 5。This had great representation of mental health， but Karina was an irritating MC and Malik seemed younger than he was supposed to be （maybe 15 at best）。 I loved the mythology， but *SMALL SPOILER* everyone seemed overpowered with magic they had repressed and never learned how to use。 *END SPOILER*The pacing was slow to start and rushed at the end。 The shear amount of reveals and "twists" at the end kept everything at a sprint， never really giving the reader the chance to breathe and enjoy what was happening。All in all an intriguing debut， it just had a few aspects that left me wanting。 。。。more
Sol ~ TheBookishKing
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I really enjoyed this！ It took me about 。。。 a whole month to read so when I came back to finish it today， it felt like I was reading a whole new book lol。This is a solid debut and I'm very interested to see where this series progresses！ I really enjoyed this！ It took me about 。。。 a whole month to read so when I came back to finish it today， it felt like I was reading a whole new book lol。This is a solid debut and I'm very interested to see where this series progresses！ 。。。more
Abigail
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The hype is well-deserved！ Two main characters with equally compelling storylines， expert pacing and excellent interweaving， plus new kinds of magic and a fascinating history。 I was enthralled and involved from the beginning！ In the recent tradition of YA fantasy， everything is intense。 The characters are miserable and get beaten down further， and their decisions have continental and sort-of cosmic implications。 They each need to kill the other for very good reasons （but can they do it？！）。 Every The hype is well-deserved！ Two main characters with equally compelling storylines， expert pacing and excellent interweaving， plus new kinds of magic and a fascinating history。 I was enthralled and involved from the beginning！ In the recent tradition of YA fantasy， everything is intense。 The characters are miserable and get beaten down further， and their decisions have continental and sort-of cosmic implications。 They each need to kill the other for very good reasons （but can they do it？！）。 Everything is dialed up to The Most。 （Well， except for the romance， which is sweet and friendly， as I like it。） But I'm definitely on board for the next book！ 。。。more
Kylie Kilmartin
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I really wanted to like this so much more than I did！Full review here https://mrskreadsbooks。wordpress。com/。。。 I really wanted to like this so much more than I did！Full review here https://mrskreadsbooks。wordpress。com/。。。 。。。more
kerr mckeesick
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•4。5•this was a fantastic debut with everything i love in fantasy and more！i was so much more invested in these characters， their stories and pasts than i thought i would be。 malik & karina are both amazing protagonists with flaws and insecurities and issues and they’re so great to read about。 （karina could punch me and I’D say sorry）。 i’m so rooting for them， as a couple but also individually because they’ve both been through so much and they deserve the world， truly。roseanne a。 brown’s writing •4。5•this was a fantastic debut with everything i love in fantasy and more！i was so much more invested in these characters， their stories and pasts than i thought i would be。 malik & karina are both amazing protagonists with flaws and insecurities and issues and they’re so great to read about。 （karina could punch me and I’D say sorry）。 i’m so rooting for them， as a couple but also individually because they’ve both been through so much and they deserve the world， truly。roseanne a。 brown’s writing is BEAUTIFUL。 it’s seriously shocking that this is a debut because the way she writes， even down to the way she forms a sentence is so nice and easy to read。 this book could be complicated as hell sometimes， but the way she told the story with her stunning writing style made it all so easy to understand。this book was so political and history-based。 the world building could sometimes be a bit intense but i didn’t care a bit because the history and depth of this world was INSANE！ it has so many layers and depths and intricacies that blew my mind。 down to the magic systems and the whole thing with the patron deities and the war with the kennouans。。。 AMAZING。 there was so much stuff happening and then some， it’s just what i want for a fantasy。the plot was set up very well and the way certain things turned out was very satisfying and admirable to see， the way the author threw in so many curveballs。 the “i have to kill you but i love you” plot line was done so well and it got so frustrating but in a great way。SO MANY TWISTS。 that’s all i’ll say。 there were at least 3 twists toward the end that had my jaw ON。 THE。 FLOOR。 i didn’t see any coming and i have no clue how the author was so smart enough to come up with them。 everything added up and everything was answered and it all made perfect sense aaaaaaa so good。i was not ready to be so invested in this book and i don’t know how i plan on waiting until november to see how this series ends :’（the intricate plot， with the flawed grieving characters， with the detailed world and magic system set this book up to be a great fantasy read！ 。。。more
Kelley Wood
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Rounding up from a solid 3。5。 It took me 3 different attempts。 I enjoyed the characters and the world that Brown built， but it was slow in many parts。 It did keep my interest enough to see how this plays out。
Manon van Hastenberg
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This book was so gooood。 It started a little slow， but the ending was just asdfghkl and the sequel is not here yet so I have to be patient （not my strength）。
Sadie！
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3。5 rounded up
Rochel
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Dnf。 There was nothing wrong with this story but I found it too cliche and the characters to be very immature。 I’ve got too much to read right now to be wasting time slogging through a book that is only ok just so I can say I read it the whole thing。
Rallie
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Really I'd give this a 3。5 but that isn't an option。 I recommend it because the magic is interesting， the main characters are flawed， and the story is compelling if not perfectly well written。 Really I'd give this a 3。5 but that isn't an option。 I recommend it because the magic is interesting， the main characters are flawed， and the story is compelling if not perfectly well written。 。。。more
Julie
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I honestly just picked this up because of the cover and the fact that it was a fantasy。 But I LOVED IT SO MUCH。 First of all， I liked seeing how the author added in a note at the front of the book warning some parts could be triggering， which is something we need to normalize seeing in books。 Once I got into the story I loved it mainly because of necromancy but the characters really drove it forward for me。 Karina and Malik are two characters I could really relate with and understand their motiv I honestly just picked this up because of the cover and the fact that it was a fantasy。 But I LOVED IT SO MUCH。 First of all， I liked seeing how the author added in a note at the front of the book warning some parts could be triggering， which is something we need to normalize seeing in books。 Once I got into the story I loved it mainly because of necromancy but the characters really drove it forward for me。 Karina and Malik are two characters I could really relate with and understand their motivations。 Seeing a fantasy book that did delve a bit into mental health issues was amazing。 I love this book and need to read the next one RIGHT NOW。 。。。more
Sari
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I honestly think I need to reread this when I’m in a different mood。 So many friends who I trust to recommend books have said this is good。 I regularly thought of dnf’ing and afterwards， I kind of wish I did。I felt zero empathy for the characters and didn’t like the pacing of how the POVs switched。 Whenever something interesting happens， the POV ends and switches。 By the time I was brought back to the interesting moment， I felt disconnected。 I have a double feeling with how mental illness is han I honestly think I need to reread this when I’m in a different mood。 So many friends who I trust to recommend books have said this is good。 I regularly thought of dnf’ing and afterwards， I kind of wish I did。I felt zero empathy for the characters and didn’t like the pacing of how the POVs switched。 Whenever something interesting happens， the POV ends and switches。 By the time I was brought back to the interesting moment， I felt disconnected。 I have a double feeling with how mental illness is handled and I feel the enemies-to-lovers is marketed incorrectly。 。。。more
Ann Marie
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Well that was a big turn of event I was not prepared for。 Initially， I thought it was an average book but then it picked up and took off。 Now I am left here wanting to know more。 I want more。 But I need to be patient until the next book comes out in NOVEMBER 😏。 I need strength as this goes against my impatient nature 😂
Magpie6493
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So don't get me wrong。 This is an absolutely gourgeous book and I feel in live with the world instantly。 Why I was unable to finish this and why I have rated it what I have is how this book depicts mental health。Again the writing style in this is absolutely amazing and is so well done it almost feels as if the spell of the tale you're hearing is being woven around you。There were certai elects of the plot the felt a bit contrived on events and consciences that only happened because plot but itger So don't get me wrong。 This is an absolutely gourgeous book and I feel in live with the world instantly。 Why I was unable to finish this and why I have rated it what I have is how this book depicts mental health。Again the writing style in this is absolutely amazing and is so well done it almost feels as if the spell of the tale you're hearing is being woven around you。There were certai elects of the plot the felt a bit contrived on events and consciences that only happened because plot but itgerwise tge story flows very well。The charcters also have a very distinctly and human feeljng that makes it easy to visualize the story。 As a debut this is a pretty solid one amd I'll be interested in seeing what tge author is able to do in the future。 Despite the low rating I've given this book and tge rant I'm gojng to go into in a minute I want to make it clear that I wish this author the best of luck。 She's obviously incredibly talented。 ⚠️ This is a trigger warning for the rest of my review as I will be mention mental health and self harm。 If that bothers you do not read further and read a different review on this book⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️ This is your final warning⚠️⚠️⚠️😢So to give a but kf background in myself I have always struggled with my mental health essoecially with anxiety and depression。 Though I at first liked how this book depicted characters having panic attacks and trying to cope with their issues。 it quickly became exhausting as at one point in the story both the main characters were having an earth shattering meltdown each chapter。This was personally irritating to me enough but the moment that broke me was the rubber band。 What is the rubber band mkembt you may ask？ Well after Malik falls apart once again one of the other champions helps him tk his him room and after soothing him jn a scene framed in a positive light he puts a rubber band around Maliks wrist and suggests he hurt himself with it "that trick helped me once too。。。"Okay wtf。 This may sound pretty harmless but scenes like this trigger me very badly because I went through a period of time in my life due to my meal health where I self harmed。 Even small self inflicted pain like this should not be encouraged because as I can say from personal experience thjs leads to a dangerous road。 The best solution if you are feeljng these things is seek help from a professional and get slme therapy or at least practice a calming exercise that does not involve inflicting pain。 The fact that this is a ya book marketed towards teens makes this scene even more unsettling。 I think the author had good intentions with this scene but it is absolutely tone deaf to how dangerous this kjnd of suggestion can be。 That was a big rant and I'm going to keep it co fined to there because。。。。 how poorly mental health is depicted in this book even outside of this scene needs to be a serious discussion。 Or at least a discussion needs to be had around this topic。 。。。more
Danni
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This was also good！ The writing is really solid and the story kept me enthralled。 It was hard to know what was coming next but I enjoyed every minute of it。
Renée
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I was so excited to like this book！ 。。。 but I was dissapointed。 The setting was great， the representation for POC （as far as I can tell） and panic attacks was absolutely amazing， and the stories that were told within the story。。。 wow。 But the characters felt underdeveloped。 I did not have the idea that I knew their distinct personality well， but rather that their choices were made for furthering the plot。 I found it difficult to understand their reasoning since it wasn't given to the reader and I was so excited to like this book！ 。。。 but I was dissapointed。 The setting was great， the representation for POC （as far as I can tell） and panic attacks was absolutely amazing， and the stories that were told within the story。。。 wow。 But the characters felt underdeveloped。 I did not have the idea that I knew their distinct personality well， but rather that their choices were made for furthering the plot。 I found it difficult to understand their reasoning since it wasn't given to the reader and I didn't know them well enough to understand it myself。Also， there was a trope that I absolutely hate。 （view spoiler）[（The resurrection trope。。。） （hide spoiler）] This， and the fact that the plot twists were predictable， really pushed it down to two stars for me。However， I am interested in other upcoming books by Roseanne A。 Brown （outside of this series） since I can definitely see myself loving other books and worlds by her。 。。。more
Lua Anne
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Awesome novel。 I love it。 You can join NovelStar writing contest with a theme "WEREWORLVES" Prizes are amazing！https://author。starlight。ink/essay/in。。。 （PC）http://app。novelstar。top/index/index/。。。or email any of the following editors;hardy@novelstar。topjoye@novelstar。toplena@novelstar。top Awesome novel。 I love it。 You can join NovelStar writing contest with a theme "WEREWORLVES" Prizes are amazing！https://author。starlight。ink/essay/in。。。 （PC）http://app。novelstar。top/index/index/。。。or email any of the following editors;hardy@novelstar。topjoye@novelstar。toplena@novelstar。top 。。。more
Lauri MissDysfunktion
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A slightly slow start。 But the world building and character detail is great A girl struggling with the expectations of her。 A boy needing to save his sister。 Worlds collide。 Royalty。 Death。 Magic。 And when thrown together you have a great read。 I really do enjoy the different POV。 The blend of both our characters journeys。 Was a good read。
Diana
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