Book Shelf: Betrothed (Betrothed #1) by Wanda Wiltshire

Amy Smith has always known she was different. Severe allergies, fragile health and taunts at school have made life an endurance test for the adopted seventeen year old.

When Amy starts having strange dreams, everything changes. Night after night, she becomes trapped in a shroud of black - a void of silence but for a male voice calling for a girl named ‘Marla’.

One night, the darkness clears, Leif is revealed and Amy discovers that she is the girl he has been searching for.
Immediately the two are swept up in a passionate yet forbidden love. Leif isn’t like the other boys Amy knows. Breathtakingly gorgeous, he speaks with her telepathically … not to mention, he can fly …

Desperate to find a way to be with her, Leif tells Amy of the terrifying threat to his Fae homeland, the danger to the people, and of an unforgivable betrayal to his King. He urges her to seek her true identity…. But Amy is confused... isn't it all just a dream?

More info on Goodreads......


Review:

Betrothed is Wanda Wiltshire’s debut novel and introduces readers to a lush and imaginative world of Fae where the bonds of love are stronger than anything else.

Betrothed is told through the eyes of seventeen year old Amy Smith, a teenage girl who is quite literally allergic to the whole world. As someone who has to watch what kind of foods she eats, fragrances she inhales and chemicals she is exposed to, Amy has always known she was different. In Betrothed, Amy finds herself dreaming of an alluring young man who seems too perfect to be real, and is shocked when she discovers that Leif not only is real, but has been searching for her for a long time. Amy is really Marla, a member of the Fae who has grown up in the human world with her adopted family. As Amy and Leif fall for one another, they begin looking into Marla’s family and must soon face the truth that their journey together will never be an easy one….

I want to be really honest here; Betrothed is a really hard novel for me to review. In a lot of ways it wasn’t a bad book, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit I struggled an awful lot whilst reading Betrothed. I’m going to try very hard not to be negative but I’m still going to be brutally honest.

Wanda Wiltshire has written a very enticing world in Faera and the concepts throughout the story were quite unique. Her writing was beautifully descriptive and paints a lush world heroine Marla discovers. However I truly struggled to connect with the characters in this story and the romance completely fell flat for me. As a hopeless romantic, who enjoys chemistry and growth, the instant-love between Marla and Leif felt me feeling dissatisfied. I didn’t feel these two at all.

The idea of two betrothed was really fantastic; the idea that upon birth, a piece of the soul of a male baby is sent out and joins with his betrothed—a kind of soul mate—at her conception and then when these two find each other in adulthood they connect like no other and normally have a long life together. As two betrothed, Marla and Leif were always destined to be together, but their "romance" was too tedious.

They were instantly "in love" with each other, and Marla’s obsession with Leif too much to read about at times. Personally I didn’t think him too great and after a while her constantly yearning, desire and obsession with him grated. It was too much, too in-your-face and I felt the author tried too hard to emphasize their connection and due to this the subtly was lacking. There was no spark between them, and even though he had a supposedly old worldly charm, I couldn’t connect with him as a love interest.

I struggled too much to connect with Marla in the story too as an individual. Obsession with Leif aside, she didn’t have much going for her. I wanted to like her, I did, and though I felt bad, I just couldn’t make myself like her. Sometimes a simple heroine who is a part of an epic romance can really shine for her simplicity when she makes tough choices, but with her romance with Leif lacking for me, all Marla was left with was to be someone who seemed too caught up in "her man".

The plotline of Betrothed had real potential but I feel like it fell flat; lost amongst the tiresome romance and lackluster characters. I think if the characters had have been more likable and personable, the storyline could have really shone but unfortunately this wasn’t the case for me personally.

Overall Betrothed had plenty of potential but lost me when the unbelievable romance between Marla and her betrothed Leif became such a focal point and the instant-love shared between them failed to win a fan in me.

Rating:
Source: Sent for review by Pantera Press (Thank you guys!)
Format: Paperback
Buy it: Bookworld | The Nile | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
My Recommendation: Fae fans may enjoy this one.
Cover: Simple but pretty.
Will I read sequel/continue with series: No. Unfortunately, it just wasn't for me....