lucypkeen's review against another edition
5.0
For some reason (not sure why) I was actually surprised to have a book about Lars! And to be completely honest?? When Fionna was introduced I never put them together in my head. However, I am so happy this happened regardless of how much I didn't see it coming. I love Fionna. I love how sassy, strong and independent she is. SHE GETS IT DONE. And how can you not like Lars? Will he murder you or kiss you? Who knows. But either way you will love it. His admission to feeling Dad feelings for Ember made my heart squeeze so much. Great Enemies to Lovers story. And how Stacey ties all these stories together? Just wonderful. Really enjoyed this book. Bonus, loved it took place for a chunk in Scotland! One of my favorite places to visit, so my imagination had tons of ammo for it. :)
raven168's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
I would have really liked this book so much more if it wasn't for the fact that I hate characters like Fionna. I really truly hate it when characters are so full of themselves, thinking that they're better than everyone and to prove it they keep shoving their self-inflated ego into everyone's face. They show nobody respect no matter who they are or their station and just push and push and push. All they do is cause confrontation and you can't have a single conversation without them making it a fight. Fionna was that character and I was just so pissed off that Lars would end up with her.
I absolutely love Lars and learning more about him was just awesome. I was so happy when he would talk about Ember and how he really felt about her. It was sad to see just how much of his true self he has been hiding for such a long time and hear of his regrets. Unfortunately all of his careful control and solid thinking is so easily shattered by one annoying Druid.
Like I said, I didn't like Fionna. But I will say that towards the end she did get a lot easier for me to deal with. Once she accepted what was between her and Lars she didn't always act like such a stuck up bitch. She was shockingly sweet rarely even. Yes. She is extremely powerful, but I didn't like how that made her act like she was so superior to every single person.
So we know that Lars captured Fionna at the end of the last book and instead of killing her, as is his right, he is keeping her alive because he knows he'll need her in order for him to get his hands on the last treasure. She refuses to give in and Lars doesn't actually want to torture her, so he finds an even better way to get what he wants. Fionna thought she carefully hid her one and only weakness, but she was very wrong. And now Lars has leverage over her so off they go to get the cauldron. Fionna thinks herself so very clever by lying to Lars at first but that quickly only makes him even more angry. And she's not the only one causing that rage to boil.
While on this treasure hunt, Lars and Fionna are constantly attacked. Even worse, Lars fears he is losing his mind because he keeps seeing people that he knows are dead. The emotions between these two are always one extreme or another. Hot or cold. It is quite the roller coaster ride for the both of them and always ends up with some sort of explosion.
While they are successful in their hunt, Lars refuses to accept what fate awaits Fionna and he screws everything up. Even worse, Lars finally confronts his enemy. And it wasn't somebody him or I was expecting. And definitely a very, very bad thing. What's happening between Lars and this person is devastating and will have profound repercussions all over the world. With help, Lars and Fionna do manage to make it back to his home. But the peace there is so very temporary. Seeing no other way, and no longer able to fight it, Lars does something unthinkable. And the price is much heavier than he ever expected.
Can I just point out that Lars had the chance TWICE to kill this enemy but chose not to? I get that he made the choice each time in order to save Fionna, but let's be real here. It would have taken him, what, a couple seconds to finish the guy off? I really don't think it would have been what cost Fionna her life either time, and if he had done so before, the world wouldn't fast be approaching a horrible end.
I would have really liked this book so much more if it wasn't for the fact that I hate characters like Fionna. I really truly hate it when characters are so full of themselves, thinking that they're better than everyone and to prove it they keep shoving their self-inflated ego into everyone's face. They show nobody respect no matter who they are or their station and just push and push and push. All they do is cause confrontation and you can't have a single conversation without them making it a fight. Fionna was that character and I was just so pissed off that Lars would end up with her.
I absolutely love Lars and learning more about him was just awesome. I was so happy when he would talk about Ember and how he really felt about her. It was sad to see just how much of his true self he has been hiding for such a long time and hear of his regrets. Unfortunately all of his careful control and solid thinking is so easily shattered by one annoying Druid.
Like I said, I didn't like Fionna. But I will say that towards the end she did get a lot easier for me to deal with. Once she accepted what was between her and Lars she didn't always act like such a stuck up bitch. She was shockingly sweet rarely even. Yes. She is extremely powerful, but I didn't like how that made her act like she was so superior to every single person.
So we know that Lars captured Fionna at the end of the last book and instead of killing her, as is his right, he is keeping her alive because he knows he'll need her in order for him to get his hands on the last treasure. She refuses to give in and Lars doesn't actually want to torture her, so he finds an even better way to get what he wants. Fionna thought she carefully hid her one and only weakness, but she was very wrong. And now Lars has leverage over her so off they go to get the cauldron. Fionna thinks herself so very clever by lying to Lars at first but that quickly only makes him even more angry. And she's not the only one causing that rage to boil.
While on this treasure hunt, Lars and Fionna are constantly attacked. Even worse, Lars fears he is losing his mind because he keeps seeing people that he knows are dead. The emotions between these two are always one extreme or another. Hot or cold. It is quite the roller coaster ride for the both of them and always ends up with some sort of explosion.
While they are successful in their hunt, Lars refuses to accept what fate awaits Fionna and he screws everything up. Even worse, Lars finally confronts his enemy. And it wasn't somebody him or I was expecting. And definitely a very, very bad thing. What's happening between Lars and this person is devastating and will have profound repercussions all over the world. With help, Lars and Fionna do manage to make it back to his home. But the peace there is so very temporary. Seeing no other way, and no longer able to fight it, Lars does something unthinkable. And the price is much heavier than he ever expected.
Can I just point out that Lars had the chance TWICE to kill this enemy but chose not to? I get that he made the choice each time in order to save Fionna, but let's be real here. It would have taken him, what, a couple seconds to finish the guy off? I really don't think it would have been what cost Fionna her life either time, and if he had done so before, the world wouldn't fast be approaching a horrible end.
ashlee_bookworm78's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
4.75
books_and_chocolat3's review against another edition
5.0
OMG ...
This weekend I had an exam to prepare and I have a baby to take care of .. but I started this book and here I am .. I don't have a brain anymore .. it's all over my walls .. yes it exploded !
This book is my favorite of the series , so sexy, a lot of emotions, I even had a lump in my throat two or three times !
The written is fabulous with appealing and strong characters .. I loved every words ! Must read !
This weekend I had an exam to prepare and I have a baby to take care of .. but I started this book and here I am .. I don't have a brain anymore .. it's all over my walls .. yes it exploded !
This book is my favorite of the series , so sexy, a lot of emotions, I even had a lump in my throat two or three times !
The written is fabulous with appealing and strong characters .. I loved every words ! Must read !
booksta_adventure's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.5
Whew! What a setup for the final book of all THREE of these series (totaling 13 books in all)โฆโnot everyone will make it out aliveโ. Well ๐ฉโฆ
This is the book we finally get a peek inside the mind of Lars, the demon Unseelie King, whilst on a treasure hunt with the powerful Druid, Fionna.
๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ด ๐ฎ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ. ๐ ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐จ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ช๐ต, ๐ง๐ถ๐ค๐ฌ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ค๐ข๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฏ? ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ด ๐ฎ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ. ๐ ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ค๐ข๐ฏ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ.
We got action, we got suspense, we got twists and turns, and we also got ๐ถ๏ธ! I thought the tension between these two characters was the best out of all three series. And when that tension finally paid off, they went all in.
What this book is giving:
โ
Enemies to Lovers
โ
Forced proximity
โ
Mates
โ
Dual POV
โ
Badass FMC
Rating:
โญ๏ธ โญ๏ธ โญ๏ธ โญ๏ธ ยฝ / 5
๐ถ๏ธ ๐ถ๏ธ ๐ถ๏ธ/ 5
gracik56's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
3.5
gracekalli's review against another edition
5.0
OMG so this is Lars' story. In the last book he took Fiona, who happens to be Kennedy's sister, and made a deal with Kennedy to keep Fiona alive. Kennedy has to find the last of the four treasures. The Cauldron of Dagda. In this book, you get to see inside Lars' mind, and I have been waiting for this since he first made an appearance!! This is one of the best books so far in the series (and that's saying a lot because I LOVED Sprig)!! If you haven't read this one, DO IT!! The final book EVER is coming out soon and this book will have you in tears, tatters, and on the edge of your seat!!! You will run the gamut of emotions. I loved this one and cannot wait to read Rise from the Embers, but at the same time I'm a little sad because it is coming to an end.
nicspears's review against another edition
5.0
Jesus, Stacey! What in the bloody hell have you done to me???
My heart is in tatters and my gut is twisted in knots with how youโve left us and with thoughts of whatโs to come.
I knew you were going to put us through the ringer, but by hell I was not expecting this.
Stacey has created a world with characters that have weaved their way and taken up residence in our hearts and who will forever stay there.
We feel every single emotion that bleeds through these pages, and by god we got it in bucket loads with TFOTK.
The anguish, the hate, the raw and primal hunger seeped out and dowsed is from head to toe, drowning us.
Lars was EVERYTHING plus more. I absolutely loved getting in his head and really did not want to leave. We get to see him as the ruthless King as well as see him at his most vulnerable...and itโs only just beginning.
The next book...Iโm both excited and dreading. I canโt wait to get back into this world and to see all the characters we have come to love come together, again. But I know itโs not going to be plain sailing. Not with Stacey at the helms.
Itโs going to be THE END and Iโm not sure if Iโm ready for that. To let this magical world and its characters go.
Itโs going to be EPIC. UNPREDICTABLE. EXHILARATING. I just hope we can survive it.
My heart is in tatters and my gut is twisted in knots with how youโve left us and with thoughts of whatโs to come.
I knew you were going to put us through the ringer, but by hell I was not expecting this.
Stacey has created a world with characters that have weaved their way and taken up residence in our hearts and who will forever stay there.
We feel every single emotion that bleeds through these pages, and by god we got it in bucket loads with TFOTK.
The anguish, the hate, the raw and primal hunger seeped out and dowsed is from head to toe, drowning us.
Lars was EVERYTHING plus more. I absolutely loved getting in his head and really did not want to leave. We get to see him as the ruthless King as well as see him at his most vulnerable...and itโs only just beginning.
The next book...Iโm both excited and dreading. I canโt wait to get back into this world and to see all the characters we have come to love come together, again. But I know itโs not going to be plain sailing. Not with Stacey at the helms.
Itโs going to be THE END and Iโm not sure if Iโm ready for that. To let this magical world and its characters go.
Itโs going to be EPIC. UNPREDICTABLE. EXHILARATING. I just hope we can survive it.