Unapologetic Reviews

I debated if I should give it 5 stars, but in the end it was more like a 4. I did really enjoy the book, it just wasn't perfect. The world itself is interesting. You get the sense right from the beginning that all is not right with the picture portrayed by the dominant people, and that only becomes more obvious as things progress. What I found really interesting about the world was the description of fanatism and religious brainwashing, which are in interest of mine. The world itself is pretty small. We learn about two cities and the path between them, and not really a lot about anything else. It does keep thing streamlined and leave space for further exploration. There are two POV characters, Kyla and Marlowe. They're very different people, and not just because one is a guy and the other one is a woman. Their narrative voice is different too, so that was well done. I found Kyla's story a bit more interesting in this book, but things were just amping up for Marlowe at the e...

This is the first book I managed to get to the end of in a while. I’ve been in quite the funk. This novel is not perfect, but it kept me reading, so that’s a gold star. This book is about two young women caught up in the intrigues and mysteries of a fantasy version of 16th century Italy. The magic I really liked. Basically, there are people who as kids have these “mage marks” in their eyes, which is like central heterochromia. That is when around the pupil you have a ring of different colour. I actually have this. Why I hate surveys with eye colour. So I guess I’d be a mage in this world. Mages can have active powers like being able to command elements, or make plants grow, and then there are kind of scientists that can mix magic with machines, and people who make potions. So according to the author the basis of the story is this magic system, since obviously these powers manifest in little kids, and what do you do with them? Raverra – Venice – decided to bind their magic and make them...