Heart of Mist (The Oremere Chronicles #1) by Helen Scheuerer Review!

Author: Helen Scheuerer

Genre: YA High Fantasy

Release Date: August 31st

Publisher: Talem Press
Rating: ★★★★



In a realm where toxic mist sweeps the lands and magic is forbidden, all Bleak wants is a cure for her power.

Still grieving the death of her guardian and dangerously self-medicating with alcohol, Bleak is snatched from her home by the Commander of the King’s Army, and summoned to the capital.

But the king isn’t the only one interested in Bleak’s powers.

The leader of an infamous society of warriors, the Valia Kindred, lays claim to her as well, and Bleak finds herself in the middle of a much bigger battle than she anticipated.

Heart of Mist is the gripping first book in The Oremere Chronicles, a fantasy series of epic proportions.

Review:

     I did not know what to expect when I started this book, but after reading the prologue, I knew I was in for a crazy journey filled with diverse characters and mysteries galore. First of all, the main character, Bleak, was a character that I immediately connected to. In the beginning, we see her at one of the lowest points in her life and my heart broke for her, but she had a resilience about her that I loved as well. She isn't the type of whiny and incapable main character who waits for things to come to her. Bleak goes after what she wants or needs, which is what I like most about her. I love that quality in a character. Then we get a little back story on how Bleak made it to that point in her life and the back story almost had me in tears. We see Bleak as a child, so full of energy and innocence, and compared to the present Bleak, everything is different.  That made me want to read more, not only to find out where she had been, but where she was going. She was intriguing to say the least. She also has the reckless selflessness and self-deprecating nature about her, which I oldy like in characters because they seem more human to me that way.

     We get to know a few characters through multiple POVs, which at first, I didn’t like. Too many POVs can be confusing and make me lose track of what is happening with the main character and what they are feeling. At first, I wanted this book to only be in Bleak's POV so that I got the chance to really get to know her and who she is at her core before adding in other stories to follow. We see glimpses of who Bleak really is in the beginning, but the different POVs took my mind off what Bleak was feeling and experiencing. However, I can see how multiple POVs were necessary in this case to move the story forward and let readers in on important details Bleak wouldn't know. In the end, I was more than okay with it, and I actually wished I had an inside look into a few other character’s minds as well. You all know how much I dislike multiple POVs so it should tell you how much I liked this book by me wanting MORE POVs.

     As I mentioned before, I had no idea what to expect out of Heart of Mist, and I was shocked at how compelling and captivating this book was. Scheuerer’s power to make her book world come alive amazed me. The descriptions she used and the attention to the littlest details really made my journey into the book so smooth and believable. She described scenery and emotions so beautifully that it was hard NOT to feel as if I was in Bleak's world right alongside her. The high fantasy world Scheuerer has created made me tune out everything around me and live in the story. I felt as if I was in the otherworldly creation, walking through forests and meeting mysterious magical people. One minute after the other something exciting, invigorating, interesting or action packed was happening and it made reading so much fun because I never knew what was going to happen with Bleak next. I loved the anticipation and mystery that hung in the air throughout the book. I was hooked. There were moments where a twist or revelation was discovered, and each time, I never saw it coming. This book had me on my toes the whole time. Literally everything in this book is connected or means something and every time a mystery was uncovered I felt my heart skip a beat. The way Scheuerer wove this story together floored me. I LOVED every second of it. I especially loved the ending although I hated it too. That cliffhanger is going to kill me, and if the second book doesn't start out EXACTLY where it left off, I will be angry. That being said, I NEED THE SECOND BOOK ASAP.

     I think it is safe to say that this book is a four star book for me!

    If you want to know more about this book and the author, Helen Scheuerer, check out the Q&A we did together last month! You will learn all kinds of interesting things about Heart of Mist and the author.

     I hope you all are enjoying your current read and you pick up Heart of Mist when it releases on August 31st!

Cheers.