Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Glorious Day by Skye Kilaen

4 reviews

penandpages's review

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adventurous lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Loveable characters? Yes

3.75

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musebeliever's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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clacksee's review against another edition

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dark hopeful inspiring tense medium-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Elsenna is second in command of the king's security forces. She's also a traitor to the brutal, horrible dictator, secretly working with insurrectionists to overthrow the oppressive regime. Oh, and she's also in love with the king's only daughter. What could possibly go wrong.

I make no secret of the fact – in books or in life – I have no use for romance. Too often I find it distracts from a story and/or attempts to stand in for genuine character development. Not so here. The characters are flawed and realistic and fully rounded.

Ninestar Press describes this as science fiction romance. I'd describe as a political intrigue thriller tale of found family. Beautifully diverse and disability positive.

If you've ever thought that what the world really needs is Heinlein's classic, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, but left-wing and queer, then this book is for you.
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unicornsbookshelf's review against another edition

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adventurous fast-paced
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

 
Disclaimer: I have voluntarily reviewed this book after receiving a free copy from the publisher via NetGalley, thank you!

I don’t usually love reading novellas, mostly because it seems to be impossible for me to fit good worldbuilding, solid plot, and appealing characters into such a small amount of pages. Novellas often leave me unsatisfied and wanting more from the world I was introduced to. However, there are exceptions.

Glorious Day has its world and plot presented in a clear way. We follow the vice-captain of the guard under the rule of a cruel king who took over the throne by killing his wife. Elsenna, our main character is secretly aiding the rebellion by leaking information. However, there’s a problem - she’s deeply in love with said king’s daughter whose bodyguard she used to be until the memorable kiss in the gardens two years ago tore them apart. When the princess takes her back as her bodyguard after two years, Elsenna will have to decide if her loyalties are with the rebellion or with the woman she loves.

We get a very straightforward story with no unnecessary subplots, no info-dumps of worldbuilding that a story this short wouldn’t be able to take advantage of anyway. Everything sticks to the kingdom where the plot happens so we don’t know much about the state of the universe outside but it’s not necessary to the plot at all. The action is rather fast and a lot of things happen, leading to a satisfying conclusion. What I enjoyed in the world was the fact that despite the setting being SF, the customs of the kingdom were reminiscent of the typical fantasy novel. It’s a thing that I always like seeing in books.

The fast-paced action doesn’t overshadow the romance - thanks to the fact that Elsenna and the princess were close before the plot started, the relationship doesn’t seem rushed and unbelievable. There is some over the top drama to make things spicier but it comes from circumstances, not the characters themselves, and doesn’t feel forced. I especially loved the ending that felt wholesome and warmed my heart.

As for the characters - well, I have to say Elsenna is kind of hot. She’s the stoic type, who treats her job very seriously and doesn’t let her emotions get the better of her but inside she has a lot of feelings. She also has a strong moral compass and hates to see the injustice of the king’s reign. She’s also one of few people who see past the princess’ disability and sheltered upbringing. The princess is also an interesting character - she’s detached from the way normal people live but she’s still trying to make them happy and wants to put their good above her own. She was also aware of her own shortcomings and didn’t try to do things she had no idea about.

All in all, Glorious Day is a fun novella with a cute f/f romance and I recommend it to all the sapphics out there who are looking for something quick to read. It didn’t exactly make it to my list of favorites but it’s still a solid 4 stars read. 
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