In summary: yikes.

The first half is a poorly written “romance,” though I refuse to shelf it as such because from the beginning it teeters purposely on the line of rape (but it’s fine because he’s hot, right?). The second half is an almost good fantasy, but it is so much the afterthought of the aforementioned “romance” that you end up feeling frustrated by the lack of explanation. 0/10 do not recommend, even if you’re like me and will read a n y t h i n g. ( )

I didn't know what to expect from a fantasy romance novel. I loved it. It's problematic in the beginning. It needs CW for child abuse and non-consensual sex (I'm not going to go so far as to call it rape, although the hero does, but he wasn't in a consenting state either). Once you get past the opening salvo of the novel, though, watching the OTP fall in love and come into their own was enjoyable. The world building was good, too, and well-paced enough that I never felt bored or lost. I'm intrigued by the next book. ( )

This was a Goodreads recommendation which I almost didn't buy because of the cover. What a mistake that would have been. One of the best romantic fantasies I've read in a while.
Wynter Atrialan is finally wreaking his revenge on the kingdom of Summerlea after three years of warfare with the help of the magical Ice Heart. The Summer prince stole his bride and killed his heir, so Wynter wants recompense in kind. Khamsin Coruscate is the youngest and despised daughter of the king of Summerlea, so her father offers her to replace the lost bride and hopefully the heir. Kham has the weather magic of all the Summerlea princesses but her's is more uncontrollable and stormy. It makes for a volatile relationship with her new husband.
A lot (most?) books are a retelling of the same tropes or scenarios, so I wasn't surprised to find bits relating to the Iliad, the Song of Roland, the Arthurian legends, or Norse folklore in this book. What was astonishing to me was how seamlessly the author incorporated all these bits into such an interesting world. Kham is a hated foreign princess in her new land and as a result, subject to a lot of political machinations. Wyn is often distracted by the demands of his kingdom and suspicious of his new bride. How they finally come together and overcome their trials makes for such a good fantasy story.
I'm already starting the next book in the series and I'm definitely looking for other books by this author. Despite the horrid cover, this is definitely a book worth readking. ( )

I started this book at 5pm yesterday and was ignoring everyone this morning until I finished it!!!! Holy shit. Where do I even start?! First off, I rated this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ beautiful freaking stars and this is a perfect example of why we should NEVER judge a book by its cover. I absolutely could not put this book down. I dealt with a downright debilitating book hangover/depression last week after finishing the ACOTAR series (yes, I know. I’m a drama queen, shhhh). This book was just what I needed to pull me right out of that reading slump.
It was the perfect enemies to lovers, action packed, fantasy with magical elements, with a great love story to top it off. The romance element in this was beautifully written with a ton of passion and the perfect amount of steamy smut. There were points in this that I wanted to scream and throw my iPad during the action packed scenes because, wow. Anxiety. I have successfully chewed off all my nails from reading this. ( )

How C.L. Wilson managed to pack so much into just 600 pages, I'll never know. This one book read like an entire series, and there wasn't any superfluous material. Everything she included mattered. There were moments my heart was racing so fast that I had to take a break just to calm myself down. This book excited me and hurt me--in a "this book is so good" kind of way--and warmed my heart as thoroughly as Khamsin warmed Wynter's.

The mythology is so intricate and epic; I'm impressed. I can definitely see some Greek and Nordic influences there, and Wilson used them so well. I am definitely looking forward to reading more of her work, which I hope will be at least half as excellent.

Also, can we just applaud her for having a pregnant woman basically save the world? Not her big, strong husband. No. A pregnant woman! Perfect.

Read the review on my blog here. ( )