NetGalley Review: Realm of Thieves by Karina Halle
Hey all, Sam here.
Hello and happy book birthday to today’s review. I meant to have this posted earlier today, but by the time I got off work late last night, the last thing I wanted to do was to open my computer and finalize this post. Still, I at least have it up on the day that I meant to post it, which is a win in my book. I’ve actually finished a few books already this month, and need to take some time to finish up some of my other book reviews and prep up even more.
Anyway, I don’t want to waste any more time. Let’s go ahead and talk about a sort of enemies-to-lovers, rival gangs, romantasy with dragons tale that came out today, so you can go out and pick up your own copy if you like the sound of this book.
My Thoughts
Two thieves vie for dominance in the illegal dragon egg trade, putting both their lives and their hearts on the line in this scorching romantasy from New York Times bestselling author Karina Halle.
For Brynla Aihr, crime and survival have always gone hand in hand. Ever since she escaped the fanatical dragon-worshipping cult that controls her homeland, she’s had to carve out a life doing the stealing dragon eggs. Egg theft is illegal and, in most cases, fatal. To breach a dragon’s nest means a harrowing journey through the ancient wards spelled to keep the monstrous beasts confined. Dragons can’t get out and only those with a death wish can get in.
Despite the risks, dragon eggs are highly coveted for their magic. A black market flourishes under competing criminal empires, and Brynla’s loyalty has always been to the highest bidder. Until she finds herself kidnapped and blackmailed by Lord Andor, a formidable lieutenant of House Kolbeck, and thrust into the dangerous political games of rivaling dynasties.
Brynla and Andor clash at every turn, sparking heat in ways Brynla’s never felt before. But in a world that’s prophesized to return to the dragons, and rife with betrayal and secrets at every turn…how close to the flames is she willing to stand?
Rating: 3.75 stars
This was my first Karina Halle book, although I’ve been aware of the author because of social media for a while…and I think I’ve had a few books on my never-ending TBR. Funnily enough, this is also the first time I’ve deviated from rating in either half or whole stars, but I really didn’t want to push this down to 3.5 stars and I didn’t think it quite reached a full 4 stars for me.
It was a good read. I think I read it in just a few hours over the course of two days at work, so it didn’t take long to fly through the pages. But there were parts where I just couldn’t sink into the writing. In the beginning the writing style of Brynla’s chapters didn’t really keep my focus and I actually kept getting distracted by how many commas connecting thoughts and phrases there were in practically every sentence. I don’t know why my brain kept latching onto the commas that way but it became distracting for me.
But after a handful of chapters I didn’t notice it as much, and I was able to sink into the story a bit more. Brynla and Andor were both interesting characters and I found each of their perspectives to be easy to follow. The problem was that this book is touted as a romantasy and I didn’t really connect with the romance aspect of their story. The lust for each other, yes, I definitely caught that. But I didn’t feel like there was much actual relationship building accomplished.
The first half of the book felt a little slow as the world and the characters and the conflicts were all set up and as readers we got to settle into the premise of this story. The second half is where a lot more of the action happened, and is honestly what took this book from 3 stars up to nearly 4 stars for me.
The magic was interesting, based on improved abilities and skills due to ingesting the suen within the dragon eggs, and I’d be curious to learn more about that. There are some characters who I’m curious to learn more about in future installments. And there’s enough going on with the creatures and beings and lands that I’m intrigued. I don’t know if I’ll rush out to check out the next book in this series, but I’ll keep my eye out for it, and depending on which characters are featured and what the synopsis is, I may move it up my giant TBR list a bit.
All right, well that is all from me for today. Thank you so much for stopping by and I’ll be back soon with more geeky content.
