Once I started reading this I wanted to keep going! The main character Rayna struggles with keeping a side of herself that she never knew hidden, while still trying to stay true to her own values. The story is gripping and keeps you wanting to read more and more. I can't wait to read what comes next!
( )

⭐⭐⭐⭐ / 5⭐
🌶️.5 / 5🌶️ (not very explicit)

This was definitely a solid university romantasy and the ending set things up to get juicier in the next book(s). There were just a few things with the magic system, characters, and interactions that I couldn't get past and caused me to leave off a star.

Good things first! The setting was built out well and the author did a nice job of creating that mystical, magical university atmosphere. It felt very Harry Potter-esque without being a carbon copy. I got pretty absorbed into the whole world on campus the author created and her writing makes you feel like you're there. It's also a really easy book to fly through. I liked Rayna's friend group for the most part, and the way they develop and use their powers in various situations was pretty engaging and entertaining. The plot was a little predictable but had enough originality that it stayed pretty exciting the whole way through, and it was well paced. The book was also well-written from a technical standpoint, with few proofreading mistakes. You can tell the author put a lot of time and love into this. I thought the ending set things up really nicely for a sequel and I'm most likely going to be reading that one too!

What I didn't love: The main romance definitely felt like a less mature one - the MMC becomes super interested and protective before much interaction has even happened. I didn't love this because I like to see relationships actually coming together. I thought some of the dialogue and altercations were overdramatic, and a lot of the book consisted of the students overreacting and fighting over the most petty things and/or following a very predictable character structure and arc. I also felt the Mind Manipulators were insanely overpowered compared to all other types of magic. Like, a university student is strong enough to manipulate an entire campus' minds at once without even breaking a sweat? It just played too convenient of a role in the story. I also didn't feel as attached to the main couple because the book did a substantial amount of skipping and telling (e.g., "They spent multiple weeks like this" and then skipping ahead).

Overall though I 100% think this book is worth reading and was enjoyable! ( )

I received this book via LibraryThing.com’s Early Reviewer program.

This was a great read. Quick read and good writing style making it very easy to comprehend everything.

I thought the plot was very unique. This story took a lot of common fantasy themes but put its own spin of all of it. Magic university but unlike one you’ve ever seen. Students were sorted into categories (or houses) like Harry Potter but there were 5 categories of magic and everyone’s magic was slightly different. They also have to complete quarterly tests for 5 years in order to survive making for a very exciting read.

This story had a great plot twist towards the end as well as a few sprinkled throughout as the main character, Rayna, pieces everything together.

I will say one part of this book that really threw me off and the reason for 4 stars is the fact that I couldn’t tell what audience the author had in mind. The conflict between main characters and the ‘bullies’ felt very juvenile and immature. But I got Y/A or maybe ‘adult’ vibes with certain violent or sexual scenes. Overall vibe of the book felt very “tween”. There is nothing horribly gruesome or explicit in this book it just didn’t seem to match in my opinion.

This is just my opinion and I do think it is a good read:) ( )

By the Orchid and the Owl is a pretty by the numbers YA/NA romance-focused fantasy, but it did some interesting things with the world building and magic and kept me engaged.

Character-wise I like Rayna, the main character, she feels well developed and has a good arc throughout the book, but most of the secondary cast feels a little underdeveloped. I'm hoping they get some more development in future books. The antagonist feel pretty flat and at times comically evil (Especially what appears to be the overarching antagonist group that doesn't get as much focus this book).

The world building has some interesting things going on, but some of it feels underbaked. I do think some of this is a result of the truth being covered up in-universe though and I expect things to get more developed in future books as it seems the scope of the story will be expanding. I'm definitely intrigued to know what happens next and look forward to the next book. If this is a genre you generally enjoy, I'd recommend it. ( )

I really enjoyed this book! It is incredibly fast-paced, easy-to-read and engaging. I read this book in one day. The first chapter had me hooked!

This book reminded me of other fantasy series I have read, such as Fourth Wing, Harry Potter, and Divergent. There was sorting from a hat, and some of the classes reminded me a lot of Harry Potter. The romance, some aspects of the plot and the darker elements of the novel reminded me of Fourth Wing.

I loved the world-building, and there is a lot more lore to be explored here, which really intrigues me. I want to know what is past the perimeter of the Institute where the pirates live and more about Rayna's background and the extent of her forbidden power.

The aspect of awakening as someone who could wield elements, summon objects, shapeshift, interact with nature or manipulate minds was really interesting. I also loved learning about the different ways to befriend and interact with the talking animals along with the main character as she made her way through her first year.

The characters were solid. I liked Rayna as the main character and how she developed good friendships with the misfits of that year, who were also incredibly likeable. The romance between her and Coen was cute, although I think the world-building was what I enjoyed the most.

While certain aspects of the plot were a bit predictable, I enjoyed the book overall and would definitely read subsequent books in the series.

TW: death, animal death/abuse, fatphobia, violence ( )