Scan barcode
katsa6's review against another edition
I have read alot of fantasy and alot of romantasy. This isn't grabbing me. The main female character is annoying to me and unlikable in a way that is uninteresting. I don't mind unlikable or morally grey characters but nothing was standing out the politicking and world building was average.
nite0wl29's review against another edition
I’m sorry but…this was bad. I expected better from this author but it’s as if she smushed two different books together without the flawless transitioning. It felt choppy and messy. And I found it jarring that the MC goes through something pretty traumatic in the beginning yet she brushes it off as if nothing happened? Say what!!?
Don’t get me started on the Insta love.
Don’t get me started on the Insta love.
madashreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
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
4.5
slothieereads's review against another edition
5.0
There were many things that I loved about this book. The plot was incredible. It kept me invested the entire time and more often than that I didn't expect the turns it would take or what would happen next.
The characters were wonderful. It was so easy to become invested in them and attached. I found myself laughing with them, crying a few times, and anxious for them during certain harrowing moments.
For me this book will always be special. As someone who has chronic pain, like the main character Gemma, and who has had those same what if I just wouldn't wake up thoughts, I truly felt seen. It made me feel connected in a way I usually don't with most books. I think anyone who has a chronic illness and any form of depression or anxiety truly should read this.
The characters were wonderful. It was so easy to become invested in them and attached. I found myself laughing with them, crying a few times, and anxious for them during certain harrowing moments.
For me this book will always be special. As someone who has chronic pain, like the main character Gemma, and who has had those same what if I just wouldn't wake up thoughts, I truly felt seen. It made me feel connected in a way I usually don't with most books. I think anyone who has a chronic illness and any form of depression or anxiety truly should read this.
sydhammond24's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, and Murder
ticvoria_'s review against another edition
DNF at 82%. I wish this would have stayed the low-magic, feuding families, regency romance that it started as. The second half tried to follow no less than 3 different messy, confusing, high-fantasy-and-or-supernatural high stakes plot lines. Also the character development plateaued around the 40% mark of this 21 hour audiobook and I couldn’t push myself to force the last 3 hours of it.
saluda9's review against another edition
This girl is AWFUL. Thevwhole thing was awful. I wasn't even interested in skimming to the end, which was also AWFUL Just NO
leaht's review against another edition
2.0
Believe me, no one is more surprised than me.
What in the world happened?? With a pitch that is Bridgerton meets ACOTAR written by Claire Legrand, author of one of my all-time favourite epic fantasies, this should have been a home run. I mean, everything was screaming my name and instead I am left incredibly disappointed.
This felt like two separate books crammed together without any sort of seamless transition. I loved the first half. Like, that was what I wanted. It was Bridgerton glamour and romance with a fantasy twist. Gemma and Talan have an instant attraction that leads them to team up to a) help him restore respect to his family name and business and b) help her figure out a way to spy on the Basks and allow her family to win the feud that has raged between them. There was room for them to get to know each other and fall in love, all while travelling through magical portals and disguising their appearances to get one over on the Basks. It was fun and sweet and worth spending 500 pages on.
And then everything just sort of ... unravelled. It took about four turns that suddenly dropped the story into full ACOTAR territory, and not in a good way. And it was quickly after this point that the book felt unnecessarily long and I lost interest. There was a bigger mystery coming to light, monsters, undead allies, new magic—and none of it excited me. WHAT HAPPENED?! Gemma came into her own with self-discovery and taking control and it felt very (lord forgive me) Mary Sue.
Honestly, I question why Gemma had to be the first character to focus on for this series. What I liked most about her was the chronic pain rep Legrand invested in her. For some reason, Gemma not only doesn't have magic of her own like the rest of her family, but the magic around her actively harms her. She has to limit where and who she spends time with to avoid being on bedrest for several days. But she is not weak or whiny, and that is what makes it so wonderfully and respectfully done. She is a strong individual even on her worst days. But personality-wise, the girl was not pleasant. Gemma is the youngest of three sisters, and it kind of shows in how she behaves. She is rather vain, somewhat selfish and dismissive of others if it doesn't suit her, and is often focused on appearances, and not just of her own. Normally, I wouldn't have an issue with an unlikeable character like this, especially when part of their arc is to turn those traits to good, but there was something about her that felt off and made me not want to be with her. The whole time, I wanted to be in her sisters' heads instead.
Speaking of which, Farrin and Ryder. They better be the next book because I will eat that sh!t up. I mean, I was practically chomping at the bit with the tiny glimpses we got. And the fact that those little blips were more interesting than the romance between Gemma and Talan? Dead. If I have to say "is this really the time?" with every steamy scene, something is wrong. I admit, I didn't really trust Talan after a few scenes and thought Gemma deserved better. In hindsight, what he did makes sense, but it kind of soured him for me. What I did like about him, though, ties into Gemma's chronic pain. For one, he was respectful as f*ck about it, but he also served as a way to soothe her pain as an empath. It created an interesting dynamic between them of how much Gemma needed to be clear-headed or with him and managing her pain as is.
I think I'm getting to the point that I am going to swear off romances from Sourcebooks. There are a few more authors I'm going to keep with, but I no longer trust this imprint. I have read so many flops that feel as though no editor dug into the story to help the author shape it into what it needs to be, and I'm over being constantly disappointed.
What in the world happened?? With a pitch that is Bridgerton meets ACOTAR written by Claire Legrand, author of one of my all-time favourite epic fantasies, this should have been a home run. I mean, everything was screaming my name and instead I am left incredibly disappointed.
This felt like two separate books crammed together without any sort of seamless transition. I loved the first half. Like, that was what I wanted. It was Bridgerton glamour and romance with a fantasy twist. Gemma and Talan have an instant attraction that leads them to team up to a) help him restore respect to his family name and business and b) help her figure out a way to spy on the Basks and allow her family to win the feud that has raged between them. There was room for them to get to know each other and fall in love, all while travelling through magical portals and disguising their appearances to get one over on the Basks. It was fun and sweet and worth spending 500 pages on.
And then everything just sort of ... unravelled. It took about four turns that suddenly dropped the story into full ACOTAR territory, and not in a good way. And it was quickly after this point that the book felt unnecessarily long and I lost interest. There was a bigger mystery coming to light, monsters, undead allies, new magic—and none of it excited me. WHAT HAPPENED?! Gemma came into her own with self-discovery and taking control and it felt very (lord forgive me) Mary Sue.
Honestly, I question why Gemma had to be the first character to focus on for this series. What I liked most about her was the chronic pain rep Legrand invested in her. For some reason, Gemma not only doesn't have magic of her own like the rest of her family, but the magic around her actively harms her. She has to limit where and who she spends time with to avoid being on bedrest for several days. But she is not weak or whiny, and that is what makes it so wonderfully and respectfully done. She is a strong individual even on her worst days. But personality-wise, the girl was not pleasant. Gemma is the youngest of three sisters, and it kind of shows in how she behaves. She is rather vain, somewhat selfish and dismissive of others if it doesn't suit her, and is often focused on appearances, and not just of her own. Normally, I wouldn't have an issue with an unlikeable character like this, especially when part of their arc is to turn those traits to good, but there was something about her that felt off and made me not want to be with her. The whole time, I wanted to be in her sisters' heads instead.
Speaking of which, Farrin and Ryder. They better be the next book because I will eat that sh!t up. I mean, I was practically chomping at the bit with the tiny glimpses we got. And the fact that those little blips were more interesting than the romance between Gemma and Talan? Dead. If I have to say "is this really the time?" with every steamy scene, something is wrong. I admit, I didn't really trust Talan after a few scenes and thought Gemma deserved better. In hindsight, what he did makes sense, but it kind of soured him for me. What I did like about him, though, ties into Gemma's chronic pain. For one, he was respectful as f*ck about it, but he also served as a way to soothe her pain as an empath. It created an interesting dynamic between them of how much Gemma needed to be clear-headed or with him and managing her pain as is.
I think I'm getting to the point that I am going to swear off romances from Sourcebooks. There are a few more authors I'm going to keep with, but I no longer trust this imprint. I have read so many flops that feel as though no editor dug into the story to help the author shape it into what it needs to be, and I'm over being constantly disappointed.
thebooklovebot's review against another edition
1.0
They couldn’t pay me to touch this book again. I couldn’t even finish it.
anyag's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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? Yes
3.75