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sarahmariaq's review
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
3.75
mjk1221's review against another edition
5.0
Nostalgia: 5/5
Story: 4.5/5
Someone needs to create a tandem read of this and Poison Study immediately! It’d be such a great tandem read.
The only thing I had a problem with and it’s not necessarily anything wrong, but one reason why I say a tandem read would be good is there are some things that are clearly “not written” because it’s in Poison Study. So you get a kind of “truncated”, quick end to some overlapping scenes. So this book definitely cannot and should not be read on its own or before Poison Study.
I really enjoyed learning what Valek was doing when he wasn’t with Yalena, though. I liked seeing his time with the Commander, him sneaking around, and so many plot points that fit so well with Yalena’s that flushed out things like how Valek showed up for the Fire Festival, her being the fugitive, and even going to MD-5. I liked learning when or why he fell in love with her too. I think what I liked most is Valek is known by most for being loyal to the Commander and an assassin, but he does have a strong sense of “right” and “wrong.” I like how he maneuvered around the Commander’s very stringent and no leeway codes. He may not show it easily, but Valek definitely has a heart.
Valek has always been one of my favorite MMC and this book cemented it. I need more Valek!
Story: 4.5/5
Someone needs to create a tandem read of this and Poison Study immediately! It’d be such a great tandem read.
The only thing I had a problem with and it’s not necessarily anything wrong, but one reason why I say a tandem read would be good is there are some things that are clearly “not written” because it’s in Poison Study. So you get a kind of “truncated”, quick end to some overlapping scenes. So this book definitely cannot and should not be read on its own or before Poison Study.
I really enjoyed learning what Valek was doing when he wasn’t with Yalena, though. I liked seeing his time with the Commander, him sneaking around, and so many plot points that fit so well with Yalena’s that flushed out things like how Valek showed up for the Fire Festival, her being the fugitive, and even going to MD-5. I liked learning when or why he fell in love with her too. I think what I liked most is Valek is known by most for being loyal to the Commander and an assassin, but he does have a strong sense of “right” and “wrong.” I like how he maneuvered around the Commander’s very stringent and no leeway codes. He may not show it easily, but Valek definitely has a heart.
Valek has always been one of my favorite MMC and this book cemented it. I need more Valek!
chel_reads's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
booksonensus's review
2.0
This was okay, but had more noticeable writing errors than the Poison Study audio book. Hate the fact that she's 19 and he's 33 - and the age difference is brought up several times in Valek's POV
abrielleemory's review
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I’d give this 4.5 stars!
I’m glad I read it after Poison Study, I think seeing Valek fall in love after getting to know Yelena was better.
The story was redundant, like I knew it would be, but I was hoping for a little more insight into Valek than what was written.
I’m glad I read it after Poison Study, I think seeing Valek fall in love after getting to know Yelena was better.
The story was redundant, like I knew it would be, but I was hoping for a little more insight into Valek than what was written.
sullivc5's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
books_tea_and_fantasy's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 ⭐️
Characters: 6
Atmosphere: 6
Writing: 7
Plot: 5
Intrigue: 6
Logic: 7
Enjoyment: 6
Characters: 6
Atmosphere: 6
Writing: 7
Plot: 5
Intrigue: 6
Logic: 7
Enjoyment: 6
raidingbookshelves's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5