When Fantasy Feels Necessary
Featuring
The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy
by Brigitte Knightley
Fantasy? YES.
Romantasy? EVEN BETTER.
I was pounding my head against the wall, trying to figure out what book to talk about first here. The fantasy genre has been a huge influence growing up and is one of the genres I'm most familiar with, the one I feel most at home in. Between 23 Lines isn't about determining whether a book is objectively good or bad. It's about understanding what reading felt like. So, why this book?
Fantasy books mean a lot to me. As a kid, they were adventures on pages, as a teenager, I considered them an escape, and as an adult, they are a part of me I adore, but also taught me that joy can be found even in the darkest place. That is what I love about this genre: no matter what you are going through, it reminds you that the world is still capable of magic even when yours doesn't feel like it. The “real world” is what you make of it, and it really comes down to giving all that magic back into the world.
I'm going to be honest, the cover design? The title?? I've been a victim of this marketing strategy. Visually, the book is nothing but beautiful, and as someone who enjoys an enemies-to-lovers trope, I couldn't say “NO” to buying this book at Target the minute I laid my eyes on it.
What surprised me most wasn't the romance, but how two people with completely different views of the world could make me question my own ideas about love. On one side, you have Fairhrim, a female character portrayed as an incredibly brilliant Haelan, best known in the real world as doctors. She carries herself as a morally right person driven by her goodwill to save people. On the other side, you have Mordaunt, the male character who brings questionable actions to the plot. He is unapologetically himself-as ruthless as he believes he needs to be. bringing a great contrast between characters for the reader to enjoy. I didn't believe I would fall for these characters as I did, but as my reading progressed, and the more you learn about them, you can't avoid the feeling of excitement you get when reading tropes like this, which I think influenced my experience with this story. What I love about these characters, and I think you would too, is how true to themselves they are. Let me explain, Fairhrim is the kind of woman who fights for what she believes in, the kind of person who puts dedication and work into getting what she wants. Besides being so smart, she is the kind of woman I would admire not only because of her skills but also because of her qualities as a person. Mordaunt knows he is neither good nor bad; he does not pretend to be something else for anyone, he accepts what he has done in the past and carries himself confidently despite it or because of it. He is the kind of person who owns all of himself, bad and good, and I love to see that.
When I'm reading books, I take into consideration the context in which I am reading them. I read this book when I was scrolling down on social media, and lots of bad events were happening at the moment. I was very stressed about what I was consuming on social media while I was reading this book. It's the kind of book that absorbs you into a completely different world. Every time I felt overwhelmed by what was happening on the other side of the world, I picked this book to quiet those thoughts and focus. The first half of the book felt slower than the other half, so it was kind of hard at first to feel involved in this new world and magic system. Fairhrim and Mordaunt met unconventionally. He tried to kidnap/blackmail her to get her to find a cure for his incurable disease, and she was very determined not to get drawn into anyone's business because she had better things to do, like saving the world with medicine. I was convinced that at least Fairhrim wouldn't fall for Mordaunt. She is a woman who knows who she is and what she stands for, while Mordaunt is a money-driven man. On the inside, he is a “decent person.” he gets paid to kill people, ANYONE no questions- but he rescued dogs, and they lived with him in his big mansion. And that is why I keep questioning love. Tropes like this always make me wonder if love is something we choose or something that grows like a virus without you realizing, and then all of a sudden your own belief system and sense of self are put into question.
Fairhrim, as the woman she is, doesn't fall for just the good sides he showed; she sees him for what he truly is. Isn't it fascinating how love works sometimes? Can love go beyond your own beliefs and morals? Even though these characters are so different, love finds a crack to sneak in and grow between these two. Love can be found even in the things you hate, and these characters taught me where to look for love. You know what they say: “What bothers you defines you”
I chose this book to set the tone for what kind of books I tend to read. I started as a fantasy reader. This is not a limitation but a fact for you to get to know me as a reader and as a person. This is an easy book to read, considering that it is fantasy- you know, maps, new worlds, and names you can't properly pronounce- it is a pleasant experience, especially in the context I was reading it in, and maybe you found yourself in. The author’s debut does not fall short of what I usually read in this genre, and I'm very excited for the next book in the duology, which was released this July 7th!! If you got excited about this story, let me know if you want me to review the second part!
I give this book 3.5 stars. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed it, but the book didn't keep my attention for the first half. I kind of struggled to keep the pace when I was reading. I don't usually give out 5 stars, only my favorite books have that place, and not because they are not objectively good, but because, as I mentioned, the context is important to me. I think a few books come into your life to change it. “THE IRRESISTIBLE URGE TO FALL FOR YOUR ENEMY” is not a book that will change the world, but it might change someone’s world. As I think all books are for someone special.
In a year full of awful headlines
Fantasy reminds us that hope is not naïve.
Sometimes,
it's necessary.
Now that you are here, I’ll briefly introduce you to a new section on the website. This is about me, my thoughts, and beliefs. I hope you can find comfort in them, and I promise to deliver to you my most honest self. If you like this section and would like me to add it to the next reviews, let me know!
Between My Lines
This book will always have a sweet spot in my heart since it's the first book I'm talking about on the internet! I will not make this long; I just wanted you to get a taste of what this section of the website is going to be about. As a kid, I loved The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer. I remember back in high school, one of my teachers told me to start reading “real books.” I looked down at my fantasy book of the moment on my desk, feeling confused. I kept reading fantasy books after that. If anything, it sparked something in me that made me defend this genre so much! I was so passionate about it, and I want you to know that part of who I am today is because I felt so close to those kinds of books. Sometimes you can see the magic in things people find useless, and I think that's beautiful, because it was meant for YOU. The only one who can see your path is YOU. What I want to say is, trust your gut.
