Book: Heart of Time (Ruined Hearts #1)
Author: Skye MacKinnon
Page Count: 231
My Rating: 4 TURTLES: A great read, I definitely recommend
In a world where magic is outlawed, Eona has been hiding her true nature all her life, only using it to make her circus performances even more spectacular. She's always known that her ability to manipulate time could make her a target, but she couldn't have prepared for being kidnapped, manipulated and imprisoned.
After weeks in prison, the Royal sorcerer Lassadar offers her a way out by training her. But can she trust the King's right hand man?
In order to figure out what he wants from her, she needs to explore her own magic, the bond she feels with a mythical creature, and the feelings she has for a beautiful elven woman.
This book is the first in the Ruined Heart series, a reverse harem fantasy trilogy. There is no cliffhanger, and it can be read as a stand-alone.
Review:
First of all, I’d like to thank the author for giving me
this book in exchange for an honest review.
I was immediately intrigued by the premise of this book –
anything that combines medieval fantasy and LGBTQ+ representation catches my
eye. And after finishing this book, I think Skye MacKinnon is kicking off a
very entertaining and compelling series. My biggest concerns with this book are
that it started off a little slow for me and I’m worried this series may be an
abandoned project.
The beginning, for me, was a bit slow. The prologue that
introduces us to the main character and the first few years of her life are
written like a fairy tale, and it felt very disjointed compared with the style
of the rest of the book. Even after the main narration takes over, I didn’t
feel that the pace really picked up until around half way through.
After that point, though, I was hooked. The world-building
is very imaginative and well planned. I liked the little excerpts from
historical documents of that world that were placed throughout the novel to
continue building the world beyond what the characters might see. I also really
appreciated how the story ended with a good closing point, but left me wanting
more.
The characters were also very well-drawn and distinct. Each
new person added to the story brought with them a new dimension to the book. I
especially loved the peryton! This half dragon half deer creature is both
adorable and mysterious and I want to know more about it!
After I finished this book I went looking for the sequel to
add it to my to-read list on Goodreads and saw something concerning. According
to Goodreads, the sequel should have already come out, but I can’t find the
sequel available for sale anywhere. Hopefully it is still coming but was
delayed for some reason, but I’m a little bit worried this is an abandoned
project. I hope not, because I’d love to read the sequel, but it’s something to
be aware of before you fully invest in this story as part of a series.
Disclosure: this post contains links to an
affiliate program (Amazon), for which I receive a few cents if you make purchases.
