#cavernous

One of the first things I want to emphasize about this book is the main cast. Having a female trio of such different characters, who experience the world and react so intensely and naturally, is extremely refreshing. I am used to seeing male characters having various temperaments, accidental adventures, comical mishaps, and sexual drive. I truly enjoyed the strength and uniqueness of the main characters (especially Irina, the queen of my heart, and my darling Oliver).

On the other hand, some supporting characters were less fleshed out personality-wise. It seemed to me that some of the love interests were too perfect to be true. However, this is romantasy, so maybe that's the standard? I am giving them the benefit of the doubt, since this is only the first book, so maybe there will be some more character development in the future.

The book is very easy to read. The plot is not too overwhelming (I say this as someone who's been struggling with the Wheel of Time for 20 years), but interesting and complex enough to keep my attention. I don't know how to explain this, but there is a certain 90s movie adventure feeling to it with the explorations of the unknown culture, miscommunication, and the clashing of the modern and traditional civilizations. But there is always hope floating around, so even more serious situations never seem too desperate or grim.

Following my previous statement, this is something that I also dislike about the book. I prefer darker and more complex plots, with a lot more worldbuilding. But this is my personal preference; I'm someone who enjoys long epic fantasy series, Berserk, and horror movies/books, so I'm definitely NOT the most suitable reviewer lol. I do feel there was room for at least a bit more worldbuilding, lore, and history of the mysterious place our protagonists fell into. I can only hope that, since this is a series, I will get more of that in the next books.

When it comes to spice levels, I WANTED MORE LOL! Again, I've never read romantasy books and only indulged in short smut fics, so I'm not a good judge here either. But the scenes were definitely spicy, fun, emotional, and diverse. This book is queer, and it isn't afraid to show it!

There were also some super interesting plot twists that got me giggling. Dialogues were also excellent and witty. I became quite fond of the characters. There is so much more adventure waiting for them, and so many more character arcs to develop, and so many more romances to bloom. I'm curious what will happen next.