First post of the year! I hope everyone had an amazing Holiday Season <3
I had the amazing opportunity to get an advance copy of Opposite Ends of the Sea (OEotS).
“[…] Opposites can come together and become something really beautiful. Fire and ice do not mix… and yet, together we are stronger.”
–Elayna R. Gallea and Daniela A. Mera
What Is It About?
Two Courts. Two Fae. One Winter, one Summer.
A sea between them.
One forbidden love.
This book is a complete, stand-alone story that is part of a larger series. "Romancing Aranthium" books are the perfect books for fans of fantasy romance who love sweet love stories, powerful ladies, danger, political intrigue, and epic journeys. Setting classic stories in an urban setting with vampires, fae, merpeople, angels, and were-shifters makes them all the more enticing.
My Opinion
⭐ 4/5
I love retellings. I think they are my favorite type of books/trope/genre? I really don't know how you define it, but you get a general idea. Romeo and Juliet are such a classic. A true love story. So I was very excited to read this book.
The book started with intrigue and mystery, which got my attention. I read the first half of the book in a day, hahaha, and probably would have finished it if it hadn't been because life and my responsibilities needed me.
OES is filled with magical creatures. We have Fae, Warlocks, Vampires, Werewolves (called Were), Mer (mermaids), Angels, and Demons. I don't mind having a large variety of magical creatures. I would have liked to see more interaction with all species since we only saw glimpses. The story was focused on Elva, a Fae from the Winter Court (I LOVED the name BTW), and Nathaniel, a Fae from the Summer Court. Two Fae, living in estranged courts, divided by a sea.
Elva is so powerful, and I liked her since page one. I love strong and independent female MC. But I also love that even being tough, she can show emotions. She can cry and not give a damn about what other people say.
And Nathan. Oh, my poor Summer Fae. He is so cute and caring. He may seem weak and vulnerable. But he made sure to teach us that power and strength reside in us. We have to believe in ourselves, and the limit will be impossible to reach.
I'm not a huge fan of Dystopian worlds, but Elayna and Daniela made sure to create a great one, making Aranthium really interesting. Nevertheless, I believe that they could've explained a little more how the world-building and territories worked. It was as if they thought we were already familiar with the political and species system.
The magic system made sense and was easy to follow. I really appreciated it, as sometimes, fantasy authors love to make complex magic systems.
I really liked the characters, but I couldn't connect with them. For me, it's really important, to be able to connect emotionally with the characters. Being able to feel their emotions. Something that I did not get with this book. However, I did like, having multiple POVs. As I believe, improves a lot the development of the plot.
I felt the story lacked a bit of connecting bridges and felt that plot was missing something. But overall was a good and enjoyable book.
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