Ratings110
Average rating4.1
Elspeth needs a monster. The monster might be her.
Elspeth Spindle needs more than luck to stay safe in the eerie, mist-locked kingdom she calls home—she needs a monster. She calls him the Nightmare, an ancient, mercurial spirit trapped in her head. He protects her. He keeps her secrets.
But nothing comes for free, especially magic.
When Elspeth meets a mysterious highwayman on the forest road, her life takes a drastic turn. Thrust into a world of shadow and deception, she joins a dangerous quest to cure the kingdom of the dark magic infecting it. Except the highwayman just so happens to be the King’s own nephew, Captain of the Destriers…and guilty of high treason.
He and Elspeth have until Solstice to gather twelve Providence Cards—the keys to the cure. But as the stakes heighten and their undeniable attraction intensifies, Elspeth is forced to face her darkest secret yet: the Nightmare is slowly, darkly, taking over her mind. And she might not be able to stop him.
For fans of Uprooted and For the Wolf comes a dark, lushly gothic fantasy about a maiden who must unleash the monster within to save her kingdom—but the monster in her head isn’t the only threat lurking.
Featured Series
2 primary booksThe Shepherd King is a 2-book series with 2 primary works first released in 2022 with contributions by Rachel Gillig.
Reviews with the most likes.
4.25 stars.
Un incrocio tra Venom per il concetto e l'atmosfera di Carnival Row.
Il libro è ambientato in quel di Blunder. Purtroppo non sussiste una mappa e non viene nemmeno spiegato cos'è Blunder. Mi sembra di avere capito che sia un regno. Anche se al fine della storia, saperne di più, non avrebbe cambiato molto, mi sarebbe comunque piaciuto avere più informazioni sul setting. Un aspetto a difesa di questa decisione è che contribuisce a gettare un'aura di mistero sull'ambientazione.
E' scritto in prima persona dal punto di vista di Elspeth che, dopo aver contratto un'infezione, convive con un'entità all'interno del suo corpo, con cui dialoga (da qui, il concetto di Venom) ma sa ben poco sul suo conto.
Il sistema magico è basato su delle carte facenti parte di un mazzo (chiamate carte della provvidenza), simile al concetto dei tarocchi. Ogni carta ha un preciso potere magico ma se abusata il potere diventa l'opposto, ad esempio, se la carta fornisce a chi la usa del coraggio, in caso di abuso, fornisce paura. Il sistema magico, descritto nel dettaglio, è il punto forte di questo romanzo.
La trama è di per sé semplice, ma tutto ha un sapore misterioso-gotico, che mi è piaciuto molto, e non manca di suspense. Piccola avvertenza: il libro finisce con un cliffhanger. Nel mio caso, non è stato un grosso problema, in quanto il seguito è già uscito.
Sicuramente consigliato per il periodo di Halloween. Perfetto per una lettura di novembre, hehe :)
Credits for the template below go to Melinda
CHARACTERS
Actual rating; 4,5 stars
This book was actually so good, and I didn't expect it. This magic system is so good and totally different from others.
I can see why people call it their villain origin story.
Also, am I weird for hoping that the nightmare en Elspeth would end up together somehow? Like not him as his original self, but as in death and her? I would have loved to see that
Elspeth has a sinister monster trapped in her head. She is thrust into a mission to save her country from dark magic infecting the people and land while trying to save herself in the process.
I absolutely loved this book! Such a unique and well written story with a great magic system and solid romantic subplot. I also loved all of the core characters in the book. They were well written and added a much needed layer to the story. The relationship between Elspeth and the monster is very symbiotic for the most part and it just works with the story really well.
Cant wait for book 2!
This book was not even enjoyable, it reads and feels like young adult and not in a good way. The dialogue and story is incredibly cringe and the romance was also badly done. I really can't with the prose. Usually I don't read romance, but it can be done very well. This was not that. I didn't like any of the characters and I really didn't give a fuck the entire book. Sorry
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