Scan barcode
chaoticbookgoblin'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
4.25
I loved the main characters and anguished when they anguished, rejoiced when they rejoiced. The ending was exactly what I expected and I loved every second of it. I felt so much reading this book. It is worth every page of the 900 pages.
Moderate: Rape, Violence, and Xenophobia
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
savvypotions's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Sexual content and War
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Slavery, Violence, and War
Minor: Xenophobia and Antisemitism
bkmckown's review against another edition
2.0
The overall story was fairly interesting. The sexy parts were indeed spicy. That’s about it.
Now for the stuff I did NOT like:
Let me preface this to say that I don’t like fantasy that much. Especially the ones who refer to characters in full name, the ones that have names that are difficult to pronounce, the ones that have exotic names for every group of people, location, position, etc
The main character is basically a child who is taught in the erotic arts. HUGE WTF! She’s a sex slave. Her first “master” just enjoys inflicting pain- which part of her “curse” makes it pleasurable to her. I felt like it wasn’t BDSM, but just abuse. Maybe there was a time in my life where I’d find this read enjoyable, but this isn’t it.
I did give it 2 stars because the author did create and intricate cast of characters and story, but honestly, I would’ve DNF at any other time.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Cultural appropriation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
strawberrypinch's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Murder, and Alcohol
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Vomit and Pregnancy
storykeeper_saga'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? Yes
3.5
Though this is not an erotica, sex, sexuality, and BDSM themes are integral to the story. Our main character is a sex worker, a religious sex worker at that.
Phaedra is now one of my favorite characters. She has a realistic character arc and is interesting. She makes changes in the story. Starting off as a bratty child, she grows into a clever and cunning woman.
My main issue is the sheer amount of characters and things that happen. Carey has extremely purple prose on top of it. There’s a lot of characters who matter to the story, but a lot of them blend together and are hard to keep track of. This may have been because I listened to the audio book.
All in all, interesting but an excess of characters and a romance that I am not fully a big fan of is not my favorite. Purple prose is on every page but the story is engaging and the world is so rich and three dimensional. I am excited to read the rest of the books in this world.
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Rape and Violence
nexusgoblin's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, and War
Moderate: Slavery
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
btrz7's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.25
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Death, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, and War
Moderate: Animal death
massivepizzacrust's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I think for what the content of this book is, I didn't love the "narrating from the future" writing choice. It felt detached and I've never been a fan of explicit foreshadowing. All the emotionally important raunchy scenes happened off screen or were only summarized in a couple of sentences, while the "just what work looks like" scenes were the ones highlighted. That's just not what I personally enjoy. But I liked the world building, where the wider plot went and how the main character interacted with the diplomatic challenges around her given her skills...
Phedre's boys were my favorite part, I love them. Also, if Joscelin could unbutton about two more buttons on his shirt, he would be so much better than Melisande could ever be. That's just my two cents.
Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
reading_rainbows's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Trafficking, and War
laura_mcloughlin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Fair warning - it takes awhile for the Plot to get started. The first 40% of the book is world building. It is (mostly) interesting world building but you may (like me the first time I read it) start wondering when things will really get moving. But once the Plot starts it is hard to put down.
I would recommend these books to anyone who enjoys epic fantasy (especially those set in what is clearly our world, with just a few tweak). Phedre is an amazing heroine and Jacqueline Carey is an auto-read for me.
Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Violence, and Death of parent
Minor: Rape