Daughter of No Worlds

3.25⭐️ The prolog was long, boring, & left me feeling confused. Max, the MMC read like a grumpy old man, not a reclusive love interest. I couldn't get that image out of my head, and therefore saw him as a father figure, which made the eventual romantic entanglement a big ick. The last 1/3 of the book was a struggle. I expected more from this book, & it did not deliver. The writing was fine. The plot was interesting enough. The slow burn was so slow to be practically non-existent; another reason why the eventual romance felt off & out of place. Overall, the characters simply lacked emotion. They all read as flat & monochromatic. Audiobook: Esther Wane does a great job for the FMC. However, the voice she used for Max only solidified him as an old man/father figure, & not a love interest. Dan Calley, who narrates from Max's POV, is easy to understand, but his reading is way too rushed. He sounds perpetually out of breath & gasping for air even during slow parts of the story.

Perfection. Romantic and dark. Good. Ness. This book was an unexpected 5 stars for me. Carissa Broadbent mentions in her bio that she writes grim stories and she does not miss with this one. So many feels. I listened to the audiobook AND read along, which typically means that I get through them quicker. Not this one; I took my time, but I couldn't put it down. The world-building was wonderful, the pacing was great, the characters were phenomenal, the romance was perfect. Read this!!!