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A review by howlinglibraries
A Feather So Black by Lyra Selene
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
DNF @ pg 300
A Feather So Black was one of my most anticipated releases of 2024, and I'm so sad to say that it was quite the disappointment. This book had so many ingredients I love: dark fantasy vibes, political intrigue, fae folklore, romance, a brooding Shadow Daddy... and yet, none of those things were capable of overcoming the fact that this book is far too long, packed with filler material and repetitive internal monologue, and the chemistry between any of these characters is non-existent.
I made it through 300 pages of this book and it was an absolute chore to get that far. Once I accepted the fact that nothing happening in the final 200 pages was going to make up for how bored I was, I decided to throw in the towel. This story would have worked much better as a shorter novel (maybe 300-350 pages), and minus the singular slightly explicit scene I read by the point I left off, it should have been marketed as a YA fantasy novel. The characters read very young and aside from that one brief scene, the "spice" I keep seeing mentioned in this book's marketing and reviews was mostly absent.
I would definitely try a future release from this author, but I don't have any interest in picking this book back up or continuing the series at this time.
Buddy read with Misty!
Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy! All thoughts are honest and my own.
Standard DNF rating/review disclaimer: I only mark DNFed titles as "read" and/or give them star ratings if I read enough of the book to feel justified in doing so.
A Feather So Black was one of my most anticipated releases of 2024, and I'm so sad to say that it was quite the disappointment. This book had so many ingredients I love: dark fantasy vibes, political intrigue, fae folklore, romance, a brooding Shadow Daddy... and yet, none of those things were capable of overcoming the fact that this book is far too long, packed with filler material and repetitive internal monologue, and the chemistry between any of these characters is non-existent.
I made it through 300 pages of this book and it was an absolute chore to get that far. Once I accepted the fact that nothing happening in the final 200 pages was going to make up for how bored I was, I decided to throw in the towel. This story would have worked much better as a shorter novel (maybe 300-350 pages), and minus the singular slightly explicit scene I read by the point I left off, it should have been marketed as a YA fantasy novel. The characters read very young and aside from that one brief scene, the "spice" I keep seeing mentioned in this book's marketing and reviews was mostly absent.
I would definitely try a future release from this author, but I don't have any interest in picking this book back up or continuing the series at this time.
Buddy read with Misty!
Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy! All thoughts are honest and my own.
Standard DNF rating/review disclaimer: I only mark DNFed titles as "read" and/or give them star ratings if I read enough of the book to feel justified in doing so.