BOOK REVIEW : WHERE THERE BE HUMANS BY REBEKAH L. PURDY

TITLE : Where There Be Humans

AUTHOR : Rebekah L. Purdy

GENRE : YA, Fantasy

RELEASE DATE : June 1st 2020

FR RATING : ⭐⭐ 2.5 Stars

FR REVIEW

DISCLAIMER : Thank you Netgalley and Entangled Teen for providing me with an ARC of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Where There Be Humans is an interesting story about a half-goblin who struggles with her identity. In a world where being half-goblin is looked down upon she has to fight her way to be respected and accepted. While she is struggling with her identity and lack of closure about who she is she finds herself in trouble with her King. She is banned from going on a quest that she has prepared her whole life for. The Prince of the Kingdom gets kidnapped and The Kingdom decides to send one of their best-trained warriors on the mission to retrieve the prince. The story follows Ivy and her journey through the different worlds that are set up in the book.

This is a typical romantic fantasy that mainly focuses on Ivy’s journey, her relationships, and her quests than world-building. The world was fascinating with different fantastical species and creatures. There were these co-existing realms that were mentioned and we get to see them at a glance and I wish the author had taken the time to expand on them because they were wonderful. The magic system was minimal and was used minimally. We don’t get the boundaries that define it and it was to serve the purpose of blending in with the other species that exist in the story. There was lore that sounded intriguing but was not expanded upon in the story. The idea of the higher being and the story attached to it sounded fascinating and the chosen one trope is executed in the book. I just wish for the author to expand on them as well. While I was engrossed by the story I found myself wanting to get more details about the way the world worked.

The characters were fun, entertaining, and enjoyable. There were times some of the interactions and the settings were similar to Harry Potter. These were minor similarities, but overall it was unique and interesting. Some interactions made me uncomfortable, because of how Ivy perceived them and how it was happening in the story. The way it was being referred to was different and some events were made to look different from what could really happen. This made it difficult for me to enjoy those parts because I was struck by how odd it was for the story to take the direction it took. I think the author’s motive was to create conflict, and in my opinion, it could be achieved without adding the beforementioned elements to the story.

The book is easy to get through and fast-paced. I still think if you like romantic fantasies and love to try out the genre, then definitely check it out. This is a straight-up romantic fantasy with adventure and a mission/quest that takes the heroine into the different worlds within the book. If you like any of these elements in the story, then definitely check it out. The book is for the younger YA audience than the older ones. I gave the book 2.5 stars, and while it was enjoyable, I didn’t love it.

SYNOPSIS

Sixteen-year-old Ivy Archer is arguably the best warrior-in-training Gob Hollow has ever seen. Yet everyone—except her best friend she suddenly has other feelings for—looks down on her because she’s only half goblin, with no idea what the other half is. She’s always suspected it might be human.

But humans, she’s been told, aren’t real. They’re only creatures of myth.

When the prince of their kingdom is taken for ransom, it’s Ivy’s big chance to prove her worth. And when she learns his captors are human, the rescue mission becomes personal. The stories were clearly wrong, and now she has a chance to find the truth about her lineage, as well. If she survives…

With a small band of warriors at her command, including her best friend turned crush that’s getting harder to hide, Ivy sets out to find the prince and her human family. But the answers lie within secrets and conspiracies that run far deeper than she ever imagined.