jynx66's review
4.0
Posted At: Riverina Romantics
My Rating: 4 out of 5 *
Romance Rating: 4 out of 5 <3
It is unnerving to have such a gentle character turn into a cold-hearted gladiator. It always makes me sad, knowing that who they have become is not who they really are. Nasir took such a dark turn this book, after being sent to a gladiator-type place as a punishment to his brother, Tariq. He always seemed to exude strength and determination, but after being trapped in the hell like he was, I guess it is understandable. Either change or die.
And Kavin’s treatment throughout most of the book made me want to reach into my Kindle and pull her out. How anyone could live such a life is beyond me. She was a timid character, never having known love or care from the beginning. She was soft-hearted and caring, but her position in her life didn’t allow for that. She quickly learned she had to toughen up, or be broken. And being broken for the monster that owned her was simply not an option.
I think the aspect of this book I enjoyed most was how Nasir’s prejudices against Kavin’s race, and Kavin’s prejudices against Nasir, slowly changed. In the beginning Nasir wanted to wipe out every single Ghul in existence. Whereas Kavin was terrified of Nasir and thought him disgusting and disfigured. To have two very negative and strong opinions about the other is very different from the typical ’this-is-the-first-time-I’m-seeing-you-and-you’re-hot’ thing we usually get. It was interesting to see how their opinions of each other changed over time. From open hostility to sacrificing oneself, and downright terror to pure open love.
Unlike the first book, this one is quite simply about a beautiful and pure love. There was nothing hot or inflaming about this one. Instead, we got a much softer tone. It was like feeling around blindly and discovering that although things do go according to plan, things always have a reason for happening. It was a sweet story with a wondrous love.
My Rating: 4 out of 5 *
Romance Rating: 4 out of 5 <3
It is unnerving to have such a gentle character turn into a cold-hearted gladiator. It always makes me sad, knowing that who they have become is not who they really are. Nasir took such a dark turn this book, after being sent to a gladiator-type place as a punishment to his brother, Tariq. He always seemed to exude strength and determination, but after being trapped in the hell like he was, I guess it is understandable. Either change or die.
And Kavin’s treatment throughout most of the book made me want to reach into my Kindle and pull her out. How anyone could live such a life is beyond me. She was a timid character, never having known love or care from the beginning. She was soft-hearted and caring, but her position in her life didn’t allow for that. She quickly learned she had to toughen up, or be broken. And being broken for the monster that owned her was simply not an option.
I think the aspect of this book I enjoyed most was how Nasir’s prejudices against Kavin’s race, and Kavin’s prejudices against Nasir, slowly changed. In the beginning Nasir wanted to wipe out every single Ghul in existence. Whereas Kavin was terrified of Nasir and thought him disgusting and disfigured. To have two very negative and strong opinions about the other is very different from the typical ’this-is-the-first-time-I’m-seeing-you-and-you’re-hot’ thing we usually get. It was interesting to see how their opinions of each other changed over time. From open hostility to sacrificing oneself, and downright terror to pure open love.
Unlike the first book, this one is quite simply about a beautiful and pure love. There was nothing hot or inflaming about this one. Instead, we got a much softer tone. It was like feeling around blindly and discovering that although things do go according to plan, things always have a reason for happening. It was a sweet story with a wondrous love.
booklvrkat's review
5.0
Oh I liked this one much more than the first. This story gave us more information on the castes of the Djinn tribes and explained the differences.
Continuing from the first story, Nasir is still trapped by the sorceress and she'd sent him to the "pits". Think of where gladiators of old fought, make the "players" Djinn and add in more blood. These fights are to the death, and Nasir, as Marid Tribe, has fought his way to the top. This is not normal, as Marid are not fighters, they don't like it, but they do it. Nasir has fallen deep into the depths of his soul and he lives in the darkness. Barely remembering who and what he comes from, he returns to his cell to find a present. Kavin has been given as a concubine to the highborn Ghul and this is her test. To survive one night in the cell with a killer. She survives, much to the dismay of the Ghul. She's sent back for 5 days and if she doesn't come back from her test "completed" she'll be killed.
Kavin has her own plan. And Nasir is going to help her.
Continuing from the first story, Nasir is still trapped by the sorceress and she'd sent him to the "pits". Think of where gladiators of old fought, make the "players" Djinn and add in more blood. These fights are to the death, and Nasir, as Marid Tribe, has fought his way to the top. This is not normal, as Marid are not fighters, they don't like it, but they do it. Nasir has fallen deep into the depths of his soul and he lives in the darkness. Barely remembering who and what he comes from, he returns to his cell to find a present. Kavin has been given as a concubine to the highborn Ghul and this is her test. To survive one night in the cell with a killer. She survives, much to the dismay of the Ghul. She's sent back for 5 days and if she doesn't come back from her test "completed" she'll be killed.
Kavin has her own plan. And Nasir is going to help her.
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