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angstifies's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
one thing i don’t like about this series in general is how abusers get forgiven? this is the third time that happens, it really fucking bothers me.
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Cursing, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Animal death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Vomit, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, War, and Injury/Injury detail
starredbyalice's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
second, corien is annoying and whiny.
Third, if u want a book where both MCs are just Constantly angry and experience absolutely No other emotion, then this book is for u!
fourth. Plot twists. plenty of them, but did i care? not a single bit. there was 1 where i was actually shocked, but the rest, meh. every time one happened, i either 1 didn't care about the characters enough to be all that upset about it, 2 there was absolutely ZERO build-up to it which just made it disappointing, or 3 i saw it coming.
fifth there are absolutely 0 consequences for the actions of any of the characters and there are 0 stakes involved.
sixth the romance. Corien calls rielle CHILD.
and eliana & simon just felt bland.
audric and rielle were okay? except for all of the lying (which made me feel bad for audric most of the time, except for ch41.)
also the lines in which rielle and lu are supposed to be written as best friends, sisters, and potential romantic love interests are Very blurry and confusing. which reminds me, why are rielle and audric talking about a threesome with lu when lu and audric are cousins
anyways as a final conclusion, my thoughts can be summed up as that little girl is a child, i don't wanna see you sniffing around her anymore this afternoon. do u understand me? boy have u lost ur mind cus i'll help u find it
Graphic: Incest, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, and Murder
laurenfro22's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
"I hope you'll remember that in the days to come-that many here love you, and would give up their silly, simple lives for you. You do not exist alone in this world. You are part of something immense and fragile and infinite. I hope you can respect that, even as mighty as you are."
The second installment of the Empirium series plops the reader right back down into the action. In Kingsbane, Legrand continues the arc of the mysterious and diametrically opposed Queens said to rise to save humanity. A thousand years apart, we see Rielle's unravelling and Eliana's burgeoning skills. Kingsbane felt a little bit like a bridge book - building the world, characters, and context with a pause on the plot to prepare for book three. This definitely impacted my rating, as I felt that there are so many unanswered questions and plot points just piling up and swirling around in this world- very effective at creating tension, but occasionally made it difficult to stay connected to the characters and larger story. There were a lot of great points where we see excellent character development; secrets finally shared, major betrayals, painful losses, and a whole host of battles both blood and lust filled. It was a solid read, and I'm hoping the set up lets Legrand really spike Lightbringer. I have high hopes for book three and am still a little nervous to start!
I enjoyed the ongoing development of the reader's understanding of the political climates, and the religious-mythos-magic systems that reflect each other in interesting ways between the two timeframes to which we're privy. It is a grand world that Legrand is building and she is skillful in her prose, especially describing the Empirium and the characters' interactions with the world just a layer below 'our' own. I'll be interested to see how some of those hanging threads are tied up in Lightbringer.
A number of reviews commented on the sex scenes in Kingsbane eclipsing those of Furyborn. There were certainly many more, and while I can see the point raised (they're just thrown in there), my take is that Rielle is in a complicated situation and using the tools she had available to her to maintain her status and keep the other parties around her distracted. The only scene that came off unfortunate was roughly two-thirds in and felt very much out of line with Audric's characterization. But I suppose there is truly no escape from the patriarchy and toxic masculinity. Folks with a history of SA should tread carefully or avoid altogether. What I did appreciate though, was that sex is not treated as some 'fade-to-black' taboo. The characters feel and love and lust and act human; the queerness in some of the relationships and side characters was lovely to run into as well.
As I've pondered the book, the thought I keep returning to is the question of villainy. The premise of the book turns on the idea of two Queens rising - one that will be the death of humanity, the other the salvation. We spend a lot of time in Rielle's head in her tug-of-war between the 'freedom' Corien hangs over her head and the stability that appears to exist in Audric, Ludvine. I'm waiting to see the other shoe drop, as I'm not completely convinced that she'll end up as the 'evil' side of the coin. What makes her the villain? The inborn aspects that tilt villainy in her favor, or weight of the expectations fate and its constant reminders place on her head? Between Rielle and Eliana, I know I'm going to be surprised. Legrand does a great job crafting characters that are complex, and often it's often painful to see them tripping down a path that you want to reach in and drag them out of.
Overall, I was far more impressed with the plot of book 1, but appreciated Kingsbane for what it is. The prose and flow are equally enjoyable, so I still flew through the book in a couple of days. I'll have to see how I feel about the series after I finish book 3.
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, Violence, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Sexual violence
k_menard1129's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Sexual content and Violence
Minor: Sexual assault and Suicide
junebugreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Mental illness, Torture, Violence, Murder, and War
Moderate: Eating disorder, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting
Minor: Suicide attempt
leeang's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I still am invested in the characters, and the writing remains beautiful. Rielle's decent into madness is so well done and took me on a journey. The way that Rielle and Eliana mirror each other in the writing is exquisitely done.
And the last 50 or so pages felt like the action packed first book, with at least one twist I did not expect!
But all of it felt simultaneously like too much and too little.
I found the sex scenes gratuitous and awkward. The Audric one in the hall ... yikes. And the LGBTQ+ representation to be SO NICE TO SEE, but also felt ... lack luster.
It just felt like I was on the upward ramp of the rollercoaster where all you can do is look around at the scenery because nothing else is really happening yet. You feel the good part coming, but all this really served was to make me increasingly nervous.
I look forward to see how this story concludes. That will honestly depend on if I recommend this series or not to others.
Graphic: Infidelity, Sexual content, and Death of parent
Moderate: Mental illness, Violence, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, and War
ka_ke's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and War
Moderate: Genocide, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Abandonment
valpyre's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
[some spoilers ahead]
i don't even know what to say, because this book was 22 hours long, and the first two thirds-ish, were a slog.
although i understand that the happenings in this book were to show how rielle was mistaken as the prophesized sun queen and might actually be the blood queen instead, i found most of her chapters so hard to listen to. she is so arrogant and hot headed and always seems to get in her own way, and still, for the entire book, her friends are so fucking loyal and defend her till the very end, even though she doesn't treat them all that well. the plot line of travelling around to collect the castings was fairly interesting, and i definitely appreciated that it allowed us to learn more about the world and the different cultures in it. however, most of the political intrigue/going-ons were vaguely written about, yet i was supposed to believe that rielle was some mastermind of the court. instead, she was all tempted by corian, who i find incredibly dull. there is little establishment past insta-lust for their relationship, and i honestly just got increasingly frustrated with rielle as the lies piled up.
eliana's story was, in comparison, way more interesting, as she fought to save her friend (who confessed her love and then vanished off the face of the earth? i dont know how to feel about queer rep in this series :/), and worked at developing and using her magic. also the development of her and simon's relationship was a little sudden, but i did enjoy the feelings. the plot twist at the very end of eliana's chapter did actually get me, and its probably the one thing that's making me want to finish off the series, even though the next audiobook is 24 hours long, woof.
i'm really not sure the length of these books is necessary, frankly, considering how much this dragged. i definitely think there are good parts of the plot, but it took way too long to get there, imo.
Graphic: Gore and Violence
Moderate: Sexual content and Sexual harassment
claudiamacpherson's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
As I had expected, my preference for Rielle's storyline in Furyborn was almost immediately reversed in Kingsbane. From reading others' reviews, I knew a lot of people were annoyed by Rielle...but I didn't realize how quickly I would come to agree with them. She was impulsive, violent, rude, and arrogant, and just generally an obnoxious character to follow. It was so frustrating to watch her push away all of the kindness and assistance those around her tried to give her. Eliana, on the other hand, did a 180 in the other direction and suddenly became a much more understandable character (at least for me). Though I thought the shift was a bit too abrupt to be realistic, I liked seeing her start to open up to people and allow herself to care for people besides Remy. I also enjoyed the occasional POVs of other characters interspersed throughout the book, especially Jessamyn's.
Happy ending meter (no spoilers, just the general vibe of the ending):
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, and Kidnapping
Minor: Gun violence and Pregnancy
stormywolf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Read my full review at The Wolf's Den
Overall, I think Kingsbane was well written, though maybe a little slow in places, and a great character study in how love, and grief and fear can shape people. Both story and characters are detailed and complex, and every chapter knows just how to end to where you want to get back to their story as quick as possible. Of course, you end up feeling that way for both storylines, so you're stuck reading the book as written. If you were intrigued by the first book, you'll definitely want to continue their stories, but I might recommend waiting until the next book is out so you're not left in so much despair for so long...
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Stalking, Suicide attempt, and Murder
Moderate: Infidelity, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Gun violence
A good bit of the murder/death is either fantasy (a character snapping a character into ashes or summoning fire at them) or done during battle/war.