My feelings about Spell Borne by Auden Llyr are incredibly conflicted. At times, I found myself deeply engrossed in the plot and the thrilling suspense it offered, while at other times, I felt as if I couldn’t continue reading. First and foremost, the world-building in Spell Borne was absolutely incredible. Auden has a gift for crafting a vivid and enchanting universe with her words, and it truly was a magical experience. I was deeply impressed by the extensive research that Auden had conducted to construct such a well-crafted plot. The incorporation of scientific elements into the storyline was another major highlight for me, and I greatly appreciated her efforts in this regard.

However on a personal level, I found myself questioning the necessity of certain aspects in the story, as I felt that Auden could have explored alternative routes to reach the desired outcome. This is not at all an insult to her writing in any way whatsoever but a thought that crossed my mind many times while I read through. While initially I did appreciate the author taking time to explain all the versions of fairy tales and the dresses and costumes specific to each fairytales, after a certain time, it lost it’s appeal and became burdensome. Even the scientific justifications became dull and felt unnecessary as the story went on as they served no purpose for the story progression.

Another thing I want to address is about the trigger warnings for this book. I believe there should be heavy trigger warnings, especially for rape because as a gang rape survivor who was drugged on a date just like Loren was, the graphically realistic way the author described that specific scene took me right back to that day. I am not sure whether Auden is a sexual assault survivor or whether she took her time to interview a SA survivor and she wanted to bring attention to the brutality that takes place during such a traumatic experience but the details were very real, and the shock and the numbness that comes afterwards they were explained so realistically. So I was extremely torn whether to applaud her or chuck the book out of a window, especially given how it took place was so sudden and unexpected.

Regarding the characters, I found Loren to be an outstanding protagonist, with her unwavering determination and resilience truly captivating me. Similarly, I was quite fond of Connor’s character as well. However, I do feel that there could have been more interactions between Loren and Connor, as his presence seemed to fade away after the first third of the book, making the conclusion feel mechanical and unconvincing. Kella was an exceptional character, and I must admit that I was disappointed with the way Auden handled her absence when Loren needed her the most, without surrounding her with male characters right after her rape. It felt as though she was just a device to satisfy the author’s desire to delve into fashion history.

To conclude my review, like I initially said, I am really torn about this book. I loved it and I hated it. Would I recommend this book to others? Yes, I would. Would I read the next installment? I might not.