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noellegrace8's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This type of fantasy is so hard to come by. It's more traditional, with the slow pace and less of a view into the emotions of the characters. They're more static than dynamic, coming into their own if changing at all. The combat scenes are the type of thing I would go back to read only THAT paragraph just for the fun of it (the mug scene, anyone?!). There is no sensationalism or glamorizing of the sexual assault in the book, which I appreciated. On the same note, I liked the represenation of someone whose romantic and sexual desires are unaffected by her past trauma even if that trauma(PTSD) does show up in other aspects of her life. There were no attachment disorder issues or anything, just a strong, decisive relationship. Readers who are looking for a very emotionally charged fantasy, especially on the romance side, will be disappointed in this, as the actual world-building and plot are where it shines. I honestly loved this book so much. Ready to read the others.
The one giant low point for me, despite my 5⭐ rating, is the 19 y/o with the 33 y/o thing. Gross. But to be honest, I genuinely can't imagine Yelena as any younger than 28. So... that's what I choose to believe she is lol. There's this whole section at the end of the book that has the writer going into her chapter notes on the book, and I was so disappointed to hear that a lot of her plot points were not planned, because in hindsight, I can see it. I wish I hadn't known tbh. That being said, the worst was the whole "I didn't plan for the age gap but it was the only thing that made sense." Nah. You can almost ALWAYS make writing work for your vision, you just have to have the skills to do so. Yes, Valek needed to be older to be the commander's first in command. But Yelena could have been older. Make a caste system, it seems like that's already a thing anyway with the way she's not even allowed to defend herself. She could have been owned by Reyad or something, making her disobedience punishable. There are so many ways the age thing could have been above board but Snyder deliberately chose not to put the effort in. So, again, in my head, Yelena is close to Valek's age, because she also ACTS like she is. NO 19 y/o would make the mature decisions she makes.
I give Kristin Atherton 3.5/5⭐. Sometimes she REALLY just HAS it, you know? With the way her voices are all different and recognizable especially. But she has way too much of a monotone most of the time, emotionless (that more stuffy British sound) or without enough pauses and inflection. More than that, however, is her pacing. I NEVER listen to dramatized readings at higher speeds than recorded because that, to me, is like watching a movie at high speed and therefore incorrectly depicts the art of the performance. But I listened to this on 1.5x without remorse. It was unbearably slow otherwise.
The one giant low point for me, despite my 5⭐ rating, is the 19 y/o with the 33 y/o thing. Gross. But to be honest, I genuinely can't imagine Yelena as any younger than 28. So... that's what I choose to believe she is lol. There's this whole section at the end of the book that has the writer going into her chapter notes on the book, and I was so disappointed to hear that a lot of her plot points were not planned, because in hindsight, I can see it. I wish I hadn't known tbh. That being said, the worst was the whole "I didn't plan for the age gap but it was the only thing that made sense." Nah. You can almost ALWAYS make writing work for your vision, you just have to have the skills to do so. Yes, Valek needed to be older to be the commander's first in command. But Yelena could have been older. Make a caste system, it seems like that's already a thing anyway with the way she's not even allowed to defend herself. She could have been owned by Reyad or something, making her disobedience punishable. There are so many ways the age thing could have been above board but Snyder deliberately chose not to put the effort in. So, again, in my head, Yelena is close to Valek's age, because she also ACTS like she is. NO 19 y/o would make the mature decisions she makes.
I give Kristin Atherton 3.5/5⭐. Sometimes she REALLY just HAS it, you know? With the way her voices are all different and recognizable especially. But she has way too much of a monotone most of the time, emotionless (that more stuffy British sound) or without enough pauses and inflection. More than that, however, is her pacing. I NEVER listen to dramatized readings at higher speeds than recorded because that, to me, is like watching a movie at high speed and therefore incorrectly depicts the art of the performance. But I listened to this on 1.5x without remorse. It was unbearably slow otherwise.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Self harm, Transphobia, Medical content, Trafficking, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Dysphoria, and War
savage_book_review's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Destined for the gallows, Yelena is no fool and accepts an offer to keep her life. In return, she must become the food taster for Commander Ambrose, leader of Ixia. Risking her life with every bite, she must also navigate the 'training' given by the chief spy master, Valek, try to survive the wrath of the father of the man she killed and keep her own secrets safe.
This is a great series starter and I'm really looking forward to reading the next one, but equally it's a really enjoyable story in its own right. I'd also say it would serve as quite a good 'on-ramp' for those who are just dipping their toes into the romantasy genre - it's got the magic, the intrigue and a number of the tropes that are very familiar (although no Fae, shadow daddies or wingspans in here - but then these books do predate these fashions), but at the same time it's not overwhelmingly fantastical - you could almost be fooled into thinking you're reading more of a historical fiction novel with a twist.
While it is an easy read, there is a darker undertone to the story and, while not explicitly detailed, there are moments in Yelena's backstory that are deeply disturbing. She is a very well drawn character and, although I would have liked to have seen a bit more depth to her development, she is certainly a character you can get on board with and walk alongside. Similarly, her relationship with Valek is joyfully inevitable given the genre, and while I didn't get much 'feeling' until it was written in black and white, at the same time I didn't really need it - my imagination just filled in the gaps for me!
I was very pleasantly surprised by a layer of representation in here that came completely out of no-where, but it's a wonderful idea and I'm very excited to see how it affects the story moving forward. Not saying what the representation is as I don't want to spoil the surprise, but it gives the book a feeling that it's a little ahead of its time IMO!
I feel like SJM might have read this book... I get definite ACOTAR vibes in a few places. The 'power twins' who teach our main character to fight with weapons and have a banter between them like no others; a grumpy yet skilled female warrior involved in the training; the man with power over the FMC that compels her back to him at regular intervals... there's even a character called Nix!
Hoping to meet the author at RARE24 in a couple of weeks, so really want to get through the next couple in the series before then! But with how smooth this was to read, I'm hoping there won't be a problem with that!
This is a great series starter and I'm really looking forward to reading the next one, but equally it's a really enjoyable story in its own right. I'd also say it would serve as quite a good 'on-ramp' for those who are just dipping their toes into the romantasy genre - it's got the magic, the intrigue and a number of the tropes that are very familiar (although no Fae, shadow daddies or wingspans in here - but then these books do predate these fashions), but at the same time it's not overwhelmingly fantastical - you could almost be fooled into thinking you're reading more of a historical fiction novel with a twist.
While it is an easy read, there is a darker undertone to the story and, while not explicitly detailed, there are moments in Yelena's backstory that are deeply disturbing. She is a very well drawn character and, although I would have liked to have seen a bit more depth to her development, she is certainly a character you can get on board with and walk alongside. Similarly, her relationship with Valek is joyfully inevitable given the genre, and while I didn't get much 'feeling' until it was written in black and white, at the same time I didn't really need it - my imagination just filled in the gaps for me!
I was very pleasantly surprised by a layer of representation in here that came completely out of no-where, but it's a wonderful idea and I'm very excited to see how it affects the story moving forward. Not saying what the representation is as I don't want to spoil the surprise, but it gives the book a feeling that it's a little ahead of its time IMO!
I feel like SJM might have read this book... I get definite ACOTAR vibes in a few places. The 'power twins' who teach our main character to fight with weapons and have a banter between them like no others; a grumpy yet skilled female warrior involved in the training; the man with power over the FMC that compels her back to him at regular intervals... there's even a character called Nix!
Hoping to meet the author at RARE24 in a couple of weeks, so really want to get through the next couple in the series before then! But with how smooth this was to read, I'm hoping there won't be a problem with that!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child abuse, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Excrement, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Alcohol, and Dysphoria
arkiwi88's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Genocide, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Dysphoria, and Classism
raquelraquel's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, and Dysphoria
Minor: Transphobia
booksoflore's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
4.25
So I read this book back in 2012 (!!!) and gave it 5 stars. Now that I am almost twice as old as I was when I first read this book, imma give it a smooth 4.25. honestly I still really love this book but HOLY SHIT WAS THERE REALLY A WHOLE TRANS NARRATIVE SIDEPLOT THAT I TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT AS A KID. the library really did turn me gay, I’m so shook
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Violence, Blood, Vomit, and War
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Trafficking, and Dysphoria
Minor: Transphobia