Graceless Heart

by Isabel Ibañez

Review

I really wanted to love this one—the physical copy is absolutely gorgeous—but the combination of this author, this narrator, and me just didn’t work. I can fully admit that the writing itself is beautifully done, and I can clearly see why people I know would enjoy this book. Unfortunately, for me, it moved at a glacial pace. Painfully slow. I tried to sink into it, especially because the ties to history, historical figures, and real events felt like they should have been my way in… but they never quite grabbed me. The characters didn’t help either. I never felt invested, and the story never reached a point where I felt emotionally pulled in.

The only reason I finished instead of DNF’ing was curiosity—hoping something would finally click. I’ve had plenty of books redeem themselves at the last minute, but this wasn’t one of them. I also think the audiobook narration played a big role in my experience. A different narrator might have bridged the gap, but this one didn’t. Her voice is very raspy, whispery, and extremely even-toned—honestly perfect for a meditation or sleep app—but not for a story that’s meant to have fantasy, intrigue, and romance woven together. There was very little emotion or vocal variation, which made it even harder to connect. In the end, I’m just sad. I wanted to like it. I know many people will. I’m just not one of them.