Words Once Spoken by Carly Drake

Evelyn has stood out her whole life. She has an obsession with the outdoors, refuses to eat cooked food (raw greens for her!) and sleep on a pallet made of grass and plants. To her mother's dismay, none of her quirks are worthy of a lady and now that she's about to turn eighteen, she must be presented to court. Evie dreaded this reunion, but she had no idea it would be a life changing experience.

I was enchanted by the cover when I first saw it on Netgalley. I am a big high fantasy fan, and who doesn't like a powerful heroine mastering the bow? I had not realize though that this novel is only 134 pages long when I requested it, and despite having a lot of potential, I think being so short is the main reason this novel didn't meet my expectations.

As far as I know, Carly Drake is a debut author, and I liked her writing, but I think her plotting skills needs some polishing. My main issue is that we dive head first in this world, with no back story or explanations whatsoever until half the novel. I understand the author's desire for mystery, but many of the characters' actions made no sense because of this vagueness. The plots structure also lacked meat around the bones. Because her manuscript is so short, the author went very straight to the point all the time, neglecting those elements important to an enjoyable read.

The characterization had potential, but again, the heroes lacked the liveliness necessary to make them likeable. Evie was exciting and determined, but her interactions with Lord Devon and Prince Liam were simply unbelievable. The love triangle seemed present just to fill this 'love triangle in YA books trend' and was just out of the blue, with no true feelings or passion. She meets both boys on the night of her arrival at the ball, and all of a sudden, they are all over her and she can't keep her minds off of them. I understand the 'love at first sight' often portrayed in novels, but the lack of romance just didn't cut it.

My favorite aspect of the novel was the lore (when it was FINALLY introduced!). [spoiler] The Lore is about Faery royalty and how a past Queen cursed her son and knights for hurting humans. They were respectively turned into vampire and werewolves (thus creating those two races) and were forbidden to enter Tir Na Nog unless invited by a noble Fey. [/spoiler] I thought it was extremely original and I wish it was hinted to sooner (if not outright revealed) and developed a bit more.

The conclusion was action packed and somewhat shocking. I'm under the impression that this novel is the first of a series (even though it's not listed as such on Goodreads) and I'm afraid I won't continue reading it. I am opened to giving Carly another chance though, if she releases a full blown novel that will hopefully help contain the flaws hindering my reading experience this time around.

Posted by Tynga at 00:16

 Carly Drake, Fey/Faeries, Harlequin, High Fantasy, Magic, Netgalley, Review, young adult  6 People left their mark

Tynga is a 32 years old mom of two, from Montreal, working as a lab technician in an hospital specialized in heart disease. In her free time, she enjoys reading all things Paranormal and photography.

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