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jessslibrary's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- 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
3.75
weirdlittlebooks's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
- 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
3.0
dreamerfreak's review against another edition
4.0
A lovely fantasy story about the unsuspecting (though not so innocent) country boy and the king he falls in love with. The forced courtship aspect really caught my interest, and Jasen and Rivlor's romance and dealing with political concerns was very well played. I can't wait to see more from Sera! Sequel?
tina123's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
3.0
geryon92's review against another edition
3.0
I really adored the first half of this book, to the point where I was considering this read being a 5-star rating, but the writing sort of fell apart with typos and with the development of characters. Jasen's personality was initially very vivid and likable, but he eventually became a bit contrived and two-dimensional as the plot went on. Rilvor's character suffered the most from the lack of development, which is shame because I really enjoyed his introduction. For a love story I was hoping for some more genuine interactions between the two, but their scenes felt a little shallow and the progression moved too quickly for my liking. I wish the story had carried the momentum from that excellent first half, because I know it the potential to be a much more engaging read in the end!
djbrinsky's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
merny88's review against another edition
3.0
I love the marriage/dating competition trope, but nothing about this really hit the spot.
hartd's review against another edition
4.0
This book definitely seemed like something I might like, but some of the negative reviews I'd seen dampened my enthusiasm. I'm glad to say I enjoyed it a lot!
I would guess the author has probably written or read fanfic, but I definitely don't say that to insult her or this book. For one thing, she never uses epithets (and rarely proper names) when two or more characters with the same pronouns are present, yet it's never confusing! More significantly, this book delves deeply into the characters' emotional states. Since we're mostly in Jasen's PoV, and he's a fairly self-involved guy, it's his feelings we're mostly dealing with. He's reasonably open-minded, though, so the fish-out-of-water vibe of an outsider at a royal court is usually a lot of fun. He does spend a lot of the book disoriented and unsure of himself, but it was never boring to read about.
I'd say the central theme is Jasen's coming of age, which is really him coming to realize that In addition to that theme, the whole concept of the consorts going to training and then competing for suitors feels a little juvenile. Jasen is 20, but he isn't worldly wise at all, even at the end of the story. The sex is non-explicit, also, so I can recommend this book to YA readers. Again, though, I don't mean that classification as an insult, just an observation.
Unfortunately, the pairing of Jasen with Rilvor, who is about 30 years old, a ruler of a kingdom (or empire, really), and a father of four children, didn't really work for me. They didn't feel like they were at the same place in life at all, which can make for a good romance, but something was lacking for me here. More character development for Rilvor may have helped me appreciate them as a couple. I didn't feel like Rilvor's own inner conflict was dealt with to my satisfaction, although I understand why Jasen felt okay with it. The worldbuilding, with the dragons and their relationship with humans, was very interesting, but not as detailed as I would've preferred. I really like the idea that both Rilvor and Tasenred wanted Jasen, in different ways.
I absolutely loved Risyda, as well as Polina's character arc. This book has a number of interesting side characters, and the plot gives them all room to be flawed and human. There is no actual villain, which I thought was an impressive feat in a fairy-tale-ish story.
This book reminded me somewhat of a few others, especially [b:The High King's Golden Tongue|25902535|The High King's Golden Tongue (Tales of the High Court, #1)|Megan Derr|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1436805757s/25902535.jpg|47453880] and [b:Lord of the White Hell, Book 1|8017244|Lord of the White Hell, Book 1 (Lord of the White Hell, #1)|Ginn Hale|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1270983929s/8017244.jpg|12582432], because all three are mainly about an outsider diving into a life among nobles. But all three books stand on their own merits. I'd say this one is more personal than the others, in that Jasen's daily experiences and his emotional state are the most important things happening in the book, rather than dramatic plot events. I like an intimate book of this kind sometimes. I think the world really was at stake, but it wasn't the most upfront thing happening in the story.
Overall, this is very good, and I'll gladly read more by this author.
I would guess the author has probably written or read fanfic, but I definitely don't say that to insult her or this book. For one thing, she never uses epithets (and rarely proper names) when two or more characters with the same pronouns are present, yet it's never confusing! More significantly, this book delves deeply into the characters' emotional states. Since we're mostly in Jasen's PoV, and he's a fairly self-involved guy, it's his feelings we're mostly dealing with. He's reasonably open-minded, though, so the fish-out-of-water vibe of an outsider at a royal court is usually a lot of fun. He does spend a lot of the book disoriented and unsure of himself, but it was never boring to read about.
I'd say the central theme is Jasen's coming of age, which is really him coming to realize that
Spoiler
he has to live his life, even without the guarantee of success.Unfortunately, the pairing of Jasen with Rilvor, who is about 30 years old, a ruler of a kingdom (or empire, really), and a father of four children, didn't really work for me. They didn't feel like they were at the same place in life at all, which can make for a good romance, but something was lacking for me here. More character development for Rilvor may have helped me appreciate them as a couple. I didn't feel like Rilvor's own inner conflict
Spoiler
regarding his wife's deathI absolutely loved Risyda, as well as Polina's character arc.
Spoiler
I hope there will be a book or short story about them.Spoiler
I believed that Adwig really was concerned with the safety of the realm, even if I didn't like his methods.This book reminded me somewhat of a few others, especially [b:The High King's Golden Tongue|25902535|The High King's Golden Tongue (Tales of the High Court, #1)|Megan Derr|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1436805757s/25902535.jpg|47453880] and [b:Lord of the White Hell, Book 1|8017244|Lord of the White Hell, Book 1 (Lord of the White Hell, #1)|Ginn Hale|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1270983929s/8017244.jpg|12582432], because all three are mainly about an outsider diving into a life among nobles. But all three books stand on their own merits. I'd say this one is more personal than the others, in that Jasen's daily experiences and his emotional state are the most important things happening in the book, rather than dramatic plot events. I like an intimate book of this kind sometimes. I think the world really was at stake, but it wasn't the most upfront thing happening in the story.
Overall, this is very good, and I'll gladly read more by this author.
cleo_reads's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. Fun Cinderella story, with dragons! I read the original short story and it was one of my fave of the MM romance group story event.
I'm not sure about the expansion. It's definitely a different story - I liked most of the changes but I'm not sure it works as a romance. I felt like the MC turned into a completely useless Disney princess type character - honest, beautiful, trusting, and with less sense of self preservation than one of my houseplants. My biggest problem with the expansion is that there's still not much romance to the story and with more story, it was more obviously missing. The king's character isn't developed much and we don't really see them fall in love.
I'm not sure about the expansion. It's definitely a different story - I liked most of the changes but I'm not sure it works as a romance. I felt like the MC turned into a completely useless Disney princess type character - honest, beautiful, trusting, and with less sense of self preservation than one of my houseplants. My biggest problem with the expansion is that there's still not much romance to the story and with more story, it was more obviously missing. The king's character isn't developed much and we don't really see them fall in love.