Reviews

The Fractured Empire by Robin D. Mahle

proudtobeabookaholic's review

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5.0

Fantasy with a touch of steampunk = I like!

I will admit that Adelaide got on my nerves in the beginning. She acted antsy and quite selfish, and I wanted to shake her a bit. However, after peeling off a couple of layers it became easier to understand and sympathise with her.

I love Adelaide's and Clark's interactions and bantering! They make an odd "couple", but the attraction between them is evident.

I also enjoy Clark's relationship with his brothers, Xavier and Gunther. They're all adopted, so there's no bloodline, but they argue and protect each other like "real" siblings usually do.

We get both Adelaide's and Clark's point of view, which I appriciate since I feel closer to the characters. It also makes it easy to keep on reading when you've finished a chapter. The fact that a lot of things happen makes it even harder to quit reading, since I want to know what will happen next! Now I need more!

madhur's review

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4.0

This story draws in the reader from the first page itself. The adventure that Adelaide goes through is super dangerous but thrilling. I loved the chemistry that starts building between Clark and Adelaide. Their relationship sometimes seems like the relationship between cat and mouse. There exists a lot of intensity in that relationship.

The multiple twists and turns drew me into this world. The world building was amazing.

However, I felt that this story was more of an adventure than romance. And the romance element was not that satisfactory for me. I love a good enemies to lovers story but this story just had a hint of the same.

All in all, the story is super engaging and the adventure is epic.

jesskd's review

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4.0

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book. Addie is not our typical female lead, she's hard to like but man did I like her! The world building is slightly confusing in this book but I have a feeling it was written this way to keep certain points of the story a mystery until it is necessary for the reader to have that knowledge. The story had lots of twists and action and the cliffhanger definitely has me moving quickly to read the next in this series.

There is a small amount of romance, small friendship roles (which I have high hopes for growing in the next book) and the perfect amount of suspense. The storyline kept me reading at a much quicker pace than I anticipated. I will be recommending to as many people as possible. This book needs more hype!

⭐⭐ The world that Mahle is showing us is so unique to what I am used to reading. Kind of gives me Atlantis vibes which I love.

⭐⭐⭐ Our MC is a breath of fresh air. Not a timid, kind or innocent character that we see most times.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ I will be pushing hard for this book to be read by others!

maddiementions's review

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3.0

*Thank you to BookSirens and Amazon for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

3.5 out of 5 stars
So! I am not used to reading steampunk books. I wasn't sure how I felt about it in the beginning, but I ended up enjoying the vibe and atmosphere of this story! The plot felt very original and it was overall very intriguing. I loved the characters. I loved the constant bickering and banter between the boys/brothers and Addie.

As soon as I saw the words "enemies-to-lovers" in the blurb and reviews for this book, I knew I needed to read this. I am a sucker for this trope and was super excited to see Addie and Clark's relationship unfold. And while I did enjoy the romance at times, it mainly felt pretty shallow. What I mean by shallow is that the attraction felt solely physical. Addie was always checking Clark out and ogling over his body/physical features and vice versa. And while this is fine, I wanted a deeper connection between the two of them. Perhaps this will happen in future books in the series.

Speaking of romance, let me just say that I would have much rather wanted Addie with Gunther. I mean, guys. He's just so sweet and kind. He deserves the world in my opinion. However, I guess that relationship wouldn't have done well, with Addie's fiery personality and all. If it were me, I would have chosen Gunther lol.

Overall, this book was good. I never felt bored, the plot moved along nicely and doesn't have any holes that I can think of. I enjoyed the characters and each of their personalities. I felt that we got a good amount of backstory and character development for each character. It was good and I am sure that I will read the next book!