Mercurial had me hooked from the beginning with its Avatar-esque cover and magic system, interesting plot with oaths and revenge, and the enemies to lovers trope. I was hooked most of the way through, and I truly enjoy Naomi Hughes's writing. However, this book didn't live up to my expectations. First, there wasn't enough room in this book to do the world/politics/magic justice. Second, the enemies to lovers trope rapidly turned into instalove. Third, everything at the end resolved rather quickly and easily. Fourth, I was missing some key character development from the main characters. This book was 412 pages, yet I felt like I needed soooo much more from almost every aspect of the book: characters (main and side), plot, romance, magic, and world building. Because of this, I'd be very interested in seeing more books written in this world. I really did enjoy reading this for the most part.
Writing Aesthetic/Style: 4
Plot/Movement: 3
Character Development: 3
Overall: 3
Plot/Movement: 3
Character Development: 3
Overall: 3
Thank you, NetGalley and Naomi Hughes, for the review copy!
For more ratings and reviews and to see what I'm currently reading, visit my Goodreads page here!