Author: Margherita Scialla
Started reading: June 15th 2022
Finished the book: June 17th 2022
Pages: 306
Genres: Fantasy, LGBTQIA+
Published: May 3rd 2022
Source: Digital copy from the author
Goodreads score: 4.08
My score:
[new adult fantasy novel with polyamory themes.]
All Nadzia Kaminski wanted was to finish writing her novel.
When she finally finished the manuscript for Crimson Mayhem, she did what any writer would: gave it to her best friend to read. Her friend’s reaction, however, wasn’t what she had expected and, upset by her criticism, Nadzia left her at the café where they had met.
Waking up the next morning, Nadzia was no longer in her bedroom, finding herself in a world of her creation, surrounded by dangerous magic and vaguely familiar settings. With a country at war and no clear way home, time is running out and Nadzia has to find a way to gain the trust of the very people she created and figure out her confusing feelings for two of her own characters.
She soon realizes stories aren’t perfect when there is no one left to write them.
All Nadzia Kaminski wanted was to finish writing her novel.
When she finally finished the manuscript for Crimson Mayhem, she did what any writer would: gave it to her best friend to read. Her friend’s reaction, however, wasn’t what she had expected and, upset by her criticism, Nadzia left her at the café where they had met.
Waking up the next morning, Nadzia was no longer in her bedroom, finding herself in a world of her creation, surrounded by dangerous magic and vaguely familiar settings. With a country at war and no clear way home, time is running out and Nadzia has to find a way to gain the trust of the very people she created and figure out her confusing feelings for two of her own characters.
She soon realizes stories aren’t perfect when there is no one left to write them.
My thoughts
Instagram can make you digitally meet so many fascinating, sweet, creative and kindhearted people. When I got a request to join in on a review group for this book I was excited right away! I know I have a lot to learn about, for example, pronouns and also about the LGBTQIA+ community. I felt like Pride Month would be a great time to read this book, but I would love to keep reading LGBTQIA+ books all year long! I do have to say that this book had to grow on me, but when it did, I loved it.
Pros
- Original: This story felt SO original! What if an author ends up in their own book?! I kept wondering about previous books I've read and how I (or the author) would probably feel when they would end up in their own book. The plot was so creative and the whole idea was so fun to read about!
- Illustrations: This adds such an extra layer for me in this book. The illustrations give you an even better idea of what the characters look like. I'm not the biggest fan of the drawing style, but I loved that the author, Margherita, gives us a peek in their head, so to say. I loved seeing the characters from their point of view. I also looked up her Instagram, because the pictures are in color there; definitely worth doing if you're going to read this book!
- Relationship: The relationships in this book felt crafted with the utmost care. The relationships are so respectful and the boys are so sweet. I wanted to know so much more about the polyamorous relationship in this book and I needed many, many, many more scenes with the 3 of them!
- Ending: The ending was so shocking to me, but also sad in a beautiful way. I love how this book has depth and layers. There is loss, grief, healing and hurt. I also felt like pain or other emotions that are very hard to feel get a bit smaller if you have someone to lean on or someone to love. Beautiful!
Cons
- Fast: Loads of readers don't like a book that starts a bit slower, but I'm a sucker for loads of details. Time passes so fast in this book, while I felt like everything took place in 4 days. Maybe it's also a bit because we keep switching places much/fast in this book.
- Background: I would've loved a bit more background on Nadzia. Who does she want to go home for? Does she have parents, a brother, sister, friends? Hobbies, sports, work, school? I learned some information on 50%, but would've loved to know more about her life.
Overall
So happy to get to know this author, because I also felt like I was learning and being educated while reading a book that I was enjoying! I noticed that this is a duology and I'm very curious to see where the second book will take us. Hopefully I will get my time with the throuple, because that was the part I enjoyed the most!
Memorable quotes from this book
"Most importantly she wanted to stop being fragile, but she had no idea how. Giving in to her sad feelings was so much easier and something she was used to doing."
Thanks for reading!
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~ Esther