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leahrdswan's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
4.0
As the other reviewers say, this book is very dense with characters which can be really confusing. You eventually get used to them all but I definitely recommend looking at the characters in the front of the book. I read it digitally so I screenshotted them so I wouldn't have to leave where I was in the book.
I hope more people read this especially so I can have someone to talk about it with. This book is definitely not for everyone though because of the content warnings and how hard it can to first get into it.
I bought the whole series for $10 out of impulse without looking at any reviews or what it was about because instagram kept spamming me with ads from it. This isn't normally something I would pick up but I'm still glad I read it because I really want to read a variety of books this year.
This was my first high fantasy novel. A lot of people compared this to A Game of Thrones but I haven't read or seen that so this was very new for me.
I read along with audiobook in the beginning to help with my comprehension but switched solely to reading it because it was faster. (I read on 3x speed but my app only had 2x)
I really like all of the twists and turns. Especially the last few chapters where things that were foreshadowed were revealed. This book is wonderfully crafted and you can tell there has been a lot of thought put into it.
I really liked a lot of the characters such as Emberly, Ravenna, and Lisbit. If I'm spelling those wrong I apologize.
I loved Asherly and her husband's relationship. They are the only Lord and Lady relationship that actually found love. I was honestly really sad when Byrne died without Asherly knowing. :(
I also loved learning about Drystan and his dad. That reveal was build up really well.
Also can we talk about the king's breastfeeding kink. Mans really has mommy issues which makes sense because his mom died in childbirth.
Also woah, Cap was the twin king all along. I honestly did not expect that.
I will continue the series at some point. I am just already so backed up on books. I definitely need to know more and get to know our characters better.
I hope more people read this especially so I can have someone to talk about it with. This book is definitely not for everyone though because of the content warnings and how hard it can to first get into it.
I bought the whole series for $10 out of impulse without looking at any reviews or what it was about because instagram kept spamming me with ads from it. This isn't normally something I would pick up but I'm still glad I read it because I really want to read a variety of books this year.
This was my first high fantasy novel. A lot of people compared this to A Game of Thrones but I haven't read or seen that so this was very new for me.
I read along with audiobook in the beginning to help with my comprehension but switched solely to reading it because it was faster. (I read on 3x speed but my app only had 2x)
I really like all of the twists and turns. Especially the last few chapters where things that were foreshadowed were revealed. This book is wonderfully crafted and you can tell there has been a lot of thought put into it.
I really liked a lot of the characters such as Emberly, Ravenna, and Lisbit. If I'm spelling those wrong I apologize.
I loved Asherly and her husband's relationship. They are the only Lord and Lady relationship that actually found love. I was honestly really sad when Byrne died without Asherly knowing. :(
I also loved learning about Drystan and his dad. That reveal was build up really well.
Also can we talk about the king's breastfeeding kink. Mans really has mommy issues which makes sense because his mom died in childbirth.
Also woah, Cap was the twin king all along. I honestly did not expect that.
I will continue the series at some point. I am just already so backed up on books. I definitely need to know more and get to know our characters better.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism, Emotional abuse, Incest, Miscarriage, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Child abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, and War
stacyroth's review
challenging
dark
slow-paced
2.5
Twenty years ago, King Eoghan’s father forced marriages between the Kingdom’s four reaches to forge alliances and secure his place at the head of the kingdom. Now, the cruel King Eoghan has his own brutal request: each of the four couples at the head of the reaches must give their eldest daughters to him. None want to, but not to do so would be treason. However, before they are to be presented, all four daughters disappear. This throws the already fraught land into even more chaos, as the children cross the kingdom on their own quests while those left behind must determine how to play their hand.
The premise of the book was intriguing, and I was really looking forward to it. However, the story itself seemed to drag on. There are so many characters and perspectives that it was difficult to follow along and keep them separate. There was only one narrator for the audiobook, and I feel that having a cast of narrators, one per perspective, would have helped keep that separate. Apparently if you have the print version of the book, there is a guide at the beginning to tell you who’s who in the story, but the audiobook doesn’t have that available. I think the plot would have been better served to cut out a few storylines.
I see a lot of people comparing this book to Game of Thrones. I haven’t read that series yet, and after having read this book, I’m thinking maybe I shouldn’t.
Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Incest, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Child death, and Domestic abuse
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