Both boys felt a little one dimensional for me, and their love for Eliyana was too many words and not enough actions. There’s a love triangle – not between prince and guard, but guard and guard, which was kind of cool.

I found it difficult to find my feet with this story because every time I thought I grasped something, there’d be a new thing to learn. The queen was having an affair, the king has an evil brother, Eliyana might be related to one of her love interests, she’s claimed for good, she’s claimed for evil…it was all very classic if you’re used to fairy tale worlds, but it was a lot to take on board, nevertheless. The world building is intense and so is the backstory. I don’t feel like I can explain the plot more than that because from 20% into the story, you’re constantly introduced to new characters and concepts, all with the own names like the Kiss of Accord and Callings and…well, there are too many to list. This world is like a fairy tale, with queens, kings, magic and villains that are out to get Eliyana because of the large birthmark on her face. With her mother’s death looming over her, suddenly everyone in her life has a different role in another world on the other side of the Reflection. I’d heard Sara talk about ‘Unblemished’ on her YouTube channel (where she’s done an excellent series about getting it published!) and so had some idea of what to expect.Ī girl called Eliyana wakes up one day to find that the world isn’t what it seemed. I knew before going into Sara Ella’s series that it was going to give me ‘Once Upon a Time’ vibes.

*Note: We received these books from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Unblemished by Sara Ella