Review: The Hopes of a Crystalline Heart
Author: Kari Jeong
Series: As Light to Its Shadow #1
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
First Thoughts
This was a really good book! I have had some bad luck with ARCs lately and this one was a breath of fresh air. It is not without its issues, but overall I enjoyed it. The romance was sweet. The story was well thought out. It was a bit longer than it needed to be. A bit wordy. But it was enjoyable and that is worth four stars in my opinion. Thanks so much to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for this ARC.
- Enemies to lovers
- Forced proximity
- Slow burn
- Spice
Minor Spoilers
I will be referencing some of the plot points in this review but I will do my best to not give anything away that will interfere with a reader’s experience. We get a lot of information at the very beginning of the book, anyway, especially with the explanation of the different types and histories of elves and other beings the author gives us before the pronunciation guide. That being said, if you want to go into this more blind, stop here and get reading!
Third Person POV
Our main female character is Aelrie, a Light Elf charged with the protection of the high priestess. When the high priestess is murdered suddenly by an assassin, Aelrie pursues the assailant in hopes of avenging her. When she catches up to the Dark Elf assassin, however, she realizes it might be a bit more complicated than she hoped. For some reason, she can’t bring herself to kill the Dark Elf. She also needs to find out who hired him. Who is really responsible for the high priestess’ death?
A Journey
Our FMC and MMC must work together to escape the Evergloom, home of the Dark Elves and all sorts of evil. Here’s where my issues with this story begin. It struggles with pacing after the first several chapters. It feels as if not just the reader, but the author as well, didn’t quite know where the story was going. The only way I can think to explain this is that SO much happened, while simultaneously nothing happened. It was as if so many obstacles and outlandish situations were put in front of them that it lacked meaning. Eventually I was just ready to skip ahead to the end so there would be some change to the story.
Characters
These characters were a bit too contradictory for my taste. Aelrie is supposed to be this badass warrior and personal guard to the high priestess, but we really don’t see much of that side of her. She was also impulsive and naive, and allowed her emotions to overwhelm reason at times. It just made it a bit too unbelievable since she should be this really tough person and I just couldn’t see it. Our MMC had a similar issue. He is this dark assassin, killing for whoever pays him, but his attitude just doesn’t scream “I kill people without remorse”. He’s instantly flirty and sweet with Aelrie.
“He didn’t respond to her but watched her erupt with a sly smile. “Confront me, you bastard!” she snapped. “You’re beautiful when you’re angry.”
The Romance
This, of course, made for some nice romantic content, even if it didn’t exactly make a lot of sense. The romance was sweet. They learn to trust one another, protect each other, and eventually become something more. It’s a slow burn since Aelrie, understandably, hates him in the beginning for killing her charge. There is not a ton of spice, but it’s there toward the end. There is one last thing I will say about the romance, though. The author really missed an oppertunuty to make this a fated mates romance. Not to say all romantasy needs to be fated mates. Not at all. But that at least would have explained the instant feelings the main characters had toward each other, including their inability to kill one another before they even knew each other. I thought for sure that was where the story was headed, but unfortunately no such luck.
“There is no need for you to fight against the darkness. Give it to me.” His eyes met hers. “I will take your pain and leave nothing but pleasure in its place.”
HEA?
Cliffhanger, guys. The author leaves us hanging waiting for book two. I’ll leave it at that.
