Review: Clouded by Envy

Clouded by Envy by Candace Robinson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’ve happily jumped into every Candace Robinson book to date, but I don’t think I was ever as excited for any of the prior books as I was for Clouded by Envy. From the moment I heard about this one, I wanted it. It promised so many of the things I love, it had an intriguing blurb, and I fell in love with the cover. Thus, I was more than willing to dive in.

As there was quite a bit of time between finding out about this one and getting my hands on it, I created quite a few expectations in my mind. In fact, I had countless ideas of the kind of story I would be receiving. Therefore, I went in with all kinds of expectations. All of which turned out to be completely off the mark. Clouded by Envy was nothing at all like I’d imagined it would be, making it a wonderful surprise.

There are so many elements to Clouded by Envy, nods to so many different things. I want to list them all – all the references, all the comparisons you will make, all the odes – and yet to do so would be to ruin the surprise. There is plenty in store throughout this story, and the tiniest of detail could spoil it for you. Just know, this is one of those books that will appeal to numerous people for various reasons. What one person will love will not be the same thing that causes another person to love the book, and I love a book that can appeal to so many different people on so many levels. It really makes for a special read, something that will hook many and create so many views about the story.

Without a doubt, it was a unique quick read. Once I was sucked in I found myself unable to put the book down, happily completing it in a single sitting. I confess there was a bit of uncertainty at first – I felt as though I didn’t quite understand things as well as I could have – but once I was part way through, I was obsessed in numerous ways. Not to mention, the way certain things played out really surprised me, ensuring I was speeding through the story.

I’m also super eager for the companion novel. There are two things I want to see, and I feel as though the companion novel is liable to go with the latter (especially with how it’s labelled a spin-off). The first, and what I consider to be the less likely, is a prequel story. I want to better understand the fantasy world, I want to understand the fantasy creatures and the history better. The second, and what I believe to be more likely, is a continuation. I want to know what happened next, I want to see how a certain story played out. No matter which it is – or if it is something completely different – I will happily give it a read.

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