Stoneslayer: Book One Scandal

The premise of this book is definitely intriguing, and it grabbed my attention right away. I also appreciate that I didn't need special approval to read the ARC. However, once I started reading, it just didn't deliver on its potential. The writing style felt disjointed—there was no consistency between the use of archaic/medieval and modern language. One moment, the characters are speaking like they're from the Renaissance, and the next, it's all very contemporary. It made the narrative hard to follow.

The world-building was also lacking. While I appreciated the glossary to help make sense of things, I wish more of that information had been naturally woven into the story. Instead, it felt like everything in the series was jam-packed into this first book, which made it overwhelming.

The characters, unfortunately, didn't resonate with me, and the uneven flow made it difficult to immerse myself in the world. While the magic system had potential, it just didn't come together as well as I'd hoped.

Overall, the book was a challenge to connect with, and despite its interesting concept, it struggled to live up to expectations.

I got this ARC from NetGalley.