Crossroads of Canopy (Titan's Forest, #1)

1.5 out of 5 stars – see this review and others at The Speculative Shelf.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I maintain that if a book has tree-centric cover art, designed by Marc Simonetti (see Age of Myth), I will drop everything to read it. Unfortunately, I was much less enamored by the pages beneath the beautiful cover.

Conceptually, the novel intrigued me — there is a societal hierarchy that is based on where you live within the trees that make up the world. It feels like a fairytale, following the exploits of a girl who lives amongst the trees and the gods that rule them. Execution-wise, it just did not work for me. I found the protagonist, Unar, to be frustrating, unlikable, and whiny for most of the book. My issues with the main character created a feeling of detachment from the overall proceedings and I had a hard time caring about what was happening.

The setting made me think that there would be some sense of whimsy or joy present in such a fantastical world, but instead there is a gloomy energy that I never quite connected with. What should have been a 336-page jaunt feels like a 750-page slog.

Thirteen kingdoms form the vast city of Canopy. They are each ruled by a god or goddess, depending on whether the reincarnation was male or female. Canopy is also high in the treetops of a giant forest. After overhearing her parents say they were selling her as a slave, Una decides she is destined for greater things and runs away. She just knows she will serve the next Audblayin. So, her journey begins. I was very excited to read this book, but it wasn't all that I was hoping for. I liked the world building, but was not a fan of the characters. I had a hard time finishing it. I received a copy of this book from Net Galley.

I did not enjoy this nearly as much as I wanted to. It wasn't that the main character has her head up her ass-she does, she's thinks she's special. I don't have to have a main character who is best friend material. It was that I never fully felt committed to the world. I didn't quite get the magic(s) or the layout or what one niche's relationship to the others was. I don't think I got what the class system was and I sure as hell do not understand the demons. How in the hell is anyone alive on Floor? So many unanswered questions and here's the thing: there needs to be a story strong enough for me to CARE enough to keep reading more books in the series. I'm not sure that happened here. We'll see when the second one comes out. Right now, I'm just glad I got through this one. For such a short book I had to fight to DNF it multiple times. I didn't dislike it enough to put it down, I guess.