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dragon_lion64's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.0
I was hooked from page one. Sabine is a strong female protagonist and adapted well to a uncomfortable and humiliating situation. I'm leaning towards liking Wolf but he's too loyal to his master so that's a mark for the negative side.
jlp90's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
cmfox1208's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
mallotha's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I had some cons with this book that prevented it from being as great a read as it could have been, but overall it was engaging and I'll be going on to book 2.
Liked:
- the worldbuilding in general (animal companions, sleeping gods/fae/mythical creatures, magic abilities, aesthetic of the court, the budding political intrigue)
- the main relationship, up to a point - Sabine and Basten/Wolf seem like a great pairing, until they don't
- Lady Godiva/Tristan and Isolde/Guinevere and Lancelot vibes
- Sabine's subtle and somewhat understated character development - the mistakes she makes are quite realistic for someone in her position, but she learns fast and finds a quiet sort of strength that I really appreciate in a character
Disliked:
- certain things broke my immersion a bit at times, like Sabine riding butt naked without a saddle for 3 weeks without any nasty consequences
- I liked Basten from Sabine's PoV chapters, but from his own he gave me the ick quite often with all the self-loathing and sex-obsession that for me clashed quite hard with the "bodyguard bound by loyalty" thing he has going on in the beginning, but maybe that's just because I prefer my male love interests to be a bit more noble or, if morally gray, more complex and interesting, and Basten is pretty one-note when it comes to that
Liked:
- the worldbuilding in general (animal companions, sleeping gods/fae/mythical creatures, magic abilities, aesthetic of the court, the budding political intrigue)
- the main relationship, up to a point - Sabine and Basten/Wolf seem like a great pairing, until they don't
- Lady Godiva/Tristan and Isolde/Guinevere and Lancelot vibes
- Sabine's subtle and somewhat understated character development - the mistakes she makes are quite realistic for someone in her position, but she learns fast and finds a quiet sort of strength that I really appreciate in a character
Disliked:
- certain things broke my immersion a bit at times, like Sabine riding butt naked without a saddle for 3 weeks without any nasty consequences
- I liked Basten from Sabine's PoV chapters, but from his own he gave me the ick quite often with all the self-loathing and sex-obsession that for me clashed quite hard with the "bodyguard bound by loyalty" thing he has going on in the beginning, but maybe that's just because I prefer my male love interests to be a bit more noble or, if morally gray, more complex and interesting, and Basten is pretty one-note when it comes to that
juliaannreads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
kacochran123's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
tense
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? No
4.0
acorn1111's review
2.75
Really slow the first 40%, I thought the writing was repetitive and poor in this portion. The book becomes increasingly more enjoyable as it progresses past that point and the writing tightens up. Last 10% is almost really good - navigating court politics, mind games, and more info about is going on in the world.
I hate the“I need to make her hate me” trope. It sort of becomes justified at the very end , but he still should have just shared what he knew originally. Also a lot of weird ruminating about virginity on all sides.
Three stars is meets expectations, personally, and due to how not good the first 40% was it gets dinged to 2.75. My library doesn’t carry book 2, and I’m certainly not going to go out and buy it, so this is where it ends for me. Oh well!
I hate the
Three stars is meets expectations, personally, and due to how not good the first 40% was it gets dinged to 2.75. My library doesn’t carry book 2, and I’m certainly not going to go out and buy it, so this is where it ends for me. Oh well!
adriannaclar's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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? No
4.0