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LORE OF THE WILDS
Author: Analeigh Sbrana
Series: Lore of the Wilds Duology #1
Source: eARC via publisher
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Publication Date: February 27, 2024
Summary:
A Library with a deadly enchantment.
A fae lord who wants in.
A human woman willing to risk it all for a taste of power.
In a land ruled by ruthless Fae, twenty-one-year-old Lore Alemeyu's village is trapped in a forested prison. Lore knows that any escape attempt is futile–her scars are a testament to her past failures. But when her village is threatened, Lore makes a desperate deal with a fae lord.
She convinces him that she will risk her life for wealth, but really she’s after the one thing the Fae covet above all: magic of her own.
As Lore navigates the hostile world outside, she’s forced to rely on two fae males to survive. When undeniable chemistry ignites, she’s not just in danger of losing her life, but her heart to the very creatures she can never trust.
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Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this the book from publisher and chose to review it. This in no way impacts my opinion. Thank you to Harper Voyager for the opportunity to review!
Content Warning: imprisonment, violence, death, blood, torture (brief mention), captivity, threat of sexual violence (non-explicit), emotional manipulation, power imbalances, mention of past trauma, natural disaster, coercion, alcohol consumption
I went into Lore of the Wilds with high hopes. A magical library wrapped in enchantments, dangerous fae bargains, and a heroine who dares to chase power sounded like the start of something intense and compelling. Unfortunately, what could have been a gripping, high-stakes fantasy fell flat for me in almost every regard.
The pacing was one of the biggest issues. Scenes that should have carried emotional or narrative weight felt rushed, while other moments dragged without adding to the story. There never seemed to be enough time to let tension build or allow characters to truly develop, which made the overall arc feel disjointed and uneven.
The library, which is introduced as a deadly and mysterious location, felt underused and underwhelming. It’s there, but it never becomes the immersive or pivotal setting it promises to be. Instead, it serves more as a plot device than a central force of the story, which was a major letdown for me. Also, we were only in the library for such a short period of time that I'm not sure why it was included in the summary as such a bit plot point. It basically became a moot point after 20% of the novel.
The magic system also lacked clarity. It isn't clear how Lore's magic works or how the library creates or handles magic. It was all really vague since she's human and shouldn't have access. I wanted more of an exploration with the book she finds since she went from barely being able to do anything to mastering a lot of it really quickly. Even with the "tutoring," it felt like such a short period of time that it was unbelievable.
The romance leans into a love triangle, but it lacked emotional impact. I didn’t feel much chemistry between Lore and either of the fae men, and the relationships developed too quickly to be convincing. That kind of dynamic only works if you care about each connection, and I never did.
My biggest frustration was how easily everything resolved for Lore. She risks very little and loses even less. Her journey toward power should have demanded sacrifice, but instead she glides through the story with barely a scratch. The narrative often told me things were dangerous or difficult, but Lore rarely faced meaningful consequences. She definitely had plot armour and it took away from the meaningful aspects of having to make choices and living with consequences.
In the end, Lore of the Wilds felt like a story that needed more time to grow into itself. The ideas were there, but the execution was too rushed and too convenient. I wanted complexity, but what I got was a surface-level story that wrapped up far too neatly.
I may read the conclusion to this duology since it's only two books, but I'm not going in with high expectations.
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