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booksalacarte's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Contemporary Fantasy
Dark Romantasy
Magical realism
1st Person
Dual POV
Fae
Enemies to lovers
Stockholm syndrome
Trials
Twist
Tw: sexual assault, confinement, murder
This is a fun time, more than a good time.
For how short this fantasy book was, there was a lot going on… It was trying to be a lot of things in 320 pages. Cliche dialogue, typical plot… but the ending had a decent twist that only had the tiniest foreshadowing. So it was a decent surprise.
The POV overlap was really not great. I was annoyed at reading the same moments but from a different POV. It slowed the pacing down a lot. The fantasy aspect didn’t start until almost 1/2 way through the book…it felt like a lot of build up in a world where none of the action took place.
The FMC was portrayed as biology Barbie. Not really someone I wanted to root for. I was very confused by her as the FMC in a fantasy. It didn’t track. She starts out not cursing… and replacing words in a ‘The Good Place’ way, then curses in the second half of the book. She‘s inconsistent and not not a trustworthy narrator.
The MMC is a prince who is numb except when he kills. That’s it. That’s his personality. Got it. And unoriginal with his shadow powers. It is what it is at this point.
I’m hoping that the next book gets better. It was indie published and picked up before the second book was done, so maybe things get better with a good editor? It’s the same length… So jury is out. I’m reading book 2 because I got it from the library with the first one and I’m a little curious with the ending. If book 2 is the same, I’ll be done.
The longer I think about it, the lower i want to rate the book… but I was fine while reading it…
Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
saranwrap18's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Graphic: Animal death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
neighbor_reads's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
1.0
The "twist" at the end is completely unearned and reaffirms why these characters are unlikable. It's really just thrown in at the end so it can set up a sequel. Skip this.
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Blood, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Cursing, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
biancabee_'s review
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, and Murder
Moderate: Cursing, Gore, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault
sarahsbookss's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail