The Song of the Marked

"3.5 star<br/><br/>Started out pretty strong. A very easily distinguishable set of outlaw characters. The comraderie reminded me of the Six of Crows. Very cheeky and fun. I liked the relationships the small building of trust. But halfway thru the pacing changed. Friends would conveniently disappear when Casia needed alone time with the captian. Also, with all that the kingdom has done, I found it very confusing at how the group wanted to join Casia and that she agreed to it so eagerly.<br/><br/>Small spoiler alert ahead: We all knew how that would go. This leads me to say that the twists were very predictable. All but for Casias consequences of her newly found actions. And even though I liked her character, she began to irritate me. Casia knew things were being kept from her and she didn't try to uncover any of it.<br/> <br/>The world building was good up to a point but not well flushed out, and neither were the characters. Also the God's and magic seemed haphazardly thrown in. I wanted more depth and rich history. Like these characters weren't just discovered but more like they have been here this whole time. The anxiety was good to see as weird as that sounds. You rarely see strong characters with real-life problems. I also loved Casia's truths coming out so early. Usually I read about people trying to take them to their grave, so it was refreshing to see.<br/><br/>The romance was a little cliché but I didn't mind it that much. They were interesting and sweet together. In the end, the book just fell short and wasn't strong enough to be set apart from others. Just needed more development. Don't think I'll continue on sadly.<br/><br/>"The closer I get to the end, the more I find myself wanting to go back to the beginning."<br/><br/>"Perhaps this was simply how the world was, no matter what? An endless trading of places between the oppressors and the oppressed? The same song on repeat, with continuously rewritten lyrics.""

"The world building was good and the characters were great, but the pace throughout the read wasn’t giving enough… Fortunately , the last portion of the book was left on a cliffhanger that got me excited to continue with the series. I believe that it went at the pace it did for a reason and I’m hoping the second one’s pace will satisfy me better, especially after that ending! "

"Fantasy with unexpected ****…leaves off on a cliff-hanger. "

"I really enjoyed the main character in this book and the world building was intriguing. Its the first book in the series recently released."

"This book was good, but I think the pacing was off. I also found myself annoyed with the amount of info withheld from the FMC and thus the reader. The plot and world building is super interesting though!"

"Great world building, battles aplenty, romance, twists...was a really fun read; can't wait to read the next in the series!"

"This is one of the best fantasy books I have ever read! I was hooked after the first chapter."