Zaftig Geek (thezaftigeekreads)

This book was not at all what I expected but it was very much a happy surprise. As a fantasy girlie at heart, this was the first real fantasy book that I’ve read in a good long while! Our story begins with Ardis, a mercenary, tasked with retrieving Wendel, a necromancer also known as the Prince of the Undying, and bringing him to the Arch Mages in Vienna. She finds him dying on the battlefield and ends up saving his life. Our story takes place in the early 1900s, which given the history in the book, appears to be during the time leading up to WWI. I love the mix of history and magic with the steampunk setting. I loved the MMC, but I had very mixed feelings about the FMC. I enjoyed the interactions between Ardis and Wendel. Their chemistry and instant attraction were palpable and made their banter and spicy scenes much better. While I enjoyed Wendel and Ardis together, Ardis as an individual character felt flat, and just left me needing more. She was so closed off but as the reader we were only given a very small glimpse of what could have been the reason why. Whereas we got much more of Wendel’s story, I felt the opportunity to allow us to know more about Ardis was missed. Like Ardis, I just needed more, and perhaps we will get the missing pieces in the second book. The story was fast-paced, which I enjoyed and appreciated. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and I’m looking forward to the second book and how the story continues to unfold!