maureen2506's review
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Der Schreibstil ist sehr angenehm und das Buch liest sich wie von selbst. Die Story ist ebenfalls sehr interessant und man ist gespannt wie es weitergeht, der große Plottwist mit Isolde wirkte etwas gehetzt und dadurch irgendwie komisch.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Sexual content
booksandcoffeewithlexi's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Sexual content, and Blood
frog_appreciator's review against another edition
3.5
I was expecting purely smut so was pleasantly surprised there was a plot as well. However the worldbuilding and execution was thin.The sex was hot and I appreciate how important consent was. I do wish they didn’t fuck or “make love” when he finally drank her blood and all her memories came back. I think the moment would have been more intimate and special without sex. Also the jealousy thing was a bit overdone and what was the need for his constant erection lmao. Another big thing was Isolde seemed to be meant to be a diverse character in the sense we were told she was but then she wasn’t written as such. It was mentioned once she was midsize(?)and then dropped, and she was only referenced as mixed race when talking about how people look at her funny. Also struck me as icky that this nation of Black or Brown ppls only function in the narrative was to be enslaved, as something to be a big reveal to fuck with the MCs relationships? Like ooh they didn’t tell her that her ppl are enslaved like huh gross Overall though I did enjoy reading it, despite being predictable, it was fun.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, and Fire/Fire injury
melissaslibraryy's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Blood, Child death, Sexual content, Cursing, and Sexism
shaylac's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
TLDR: a book about a human princess betrothed to a powerful and feared vampire king and she must choose between her people or her new husband. There's definitely an enemies to lovers trope.
I'll start off by saying that I have read the Hades saga from Scarlett St. Clair and I actually liked the Adrian x Isolde storyline a little better. The story is told from Isolde's perspective which, I thought was done well but there could have been a little more character development throughout the book. Their is a lot of spiciness, for some it's a lot, to me I think it's fine (it is a romance book so spiciness is expected). I wish Adrian was in more of the scenes but when he did make an appearance, I thought the storyline was a little better. Maybe we'll get a book from Adrian's perspective like the Hades saga but who knows. The ending was okay, I think it was building up to it. Will probably read the next book in the series.
I'll start off by saying that I have read the Hades saga from Scarlett St. Clair and I actually liked the Adrian x Isolde storyline a little better. The story is told from Isolde's perspective which, I thought was done well but there could have been a little more character development throughout the book. Their is a lot of spiciness, for some it's a lot, to me I think it's fine (it is a romance book so spiciness is expected). I wish Adrian was in more of the scenes but when he did make an appearance, I thought the storyline was a little better. Maybe we'll get a book from Adrian's perspective like the Hades saga but who knows. The ending was okay, I think it was building up to it. Will probably read the next book in the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, Blood, and Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent, Gore, and War
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Cursing
aliteraryescape's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Sexual content, and Violence
victoriastrack's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Violence
karin_goodreads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
3.0
Honestly, I'm not even sure what I think of this book.. I've seen all of the mixed reviews and I'm very unsure of my opinion too.
There wasn't anything majorly wrong with this book per se, but it was all over the place sometimes. Basically just vampire erotica... I would've wanted more of the fantasy/vampiric aspects.
This book also made me realise that I might not like the trope where the woman's soul gets reborn and she now looks different, acts different, IS different, but she remembers the past life and suddenly she's like: "It's me, and you were actually in love with me, but it's not actually me!" The two characters just feel too far apart from each other. But then again, maybe they're meant to be apart, I have no idea.
There wasn't anything majorly wrong with this book per se, but it was all over the place sometimes. Basically just vampire erotica... I would've wanted more of the fantasy/vampiric aspects.
This book also made me realise that I might not like the trope where the woman's soul gets reborn and she now looks different, acts different, IS different, but she remembers the past life and suddenly she's like: "It's me, and you were actually in love with me, but it's not actually me!" The two characters just feel too far apart from each other. But then again, maybe they're meant to be apart, I have no idea.
I knew then who I truly was. Who I had always been. Yesenia of Aroth. I was Yesenia of Aroth—not now, not in this body, but I had been her in another life, in Adrian’s life.
I don't have much to say, I don't think I wasted my time by reading this, but I don't feel super excited to read the series. (update: I have completely forgotten this series and I won't be returning.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Slavery
joyfulfoodie's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I was less impressed with this one - greatly preferred her Persephone X Hades books. I think part of my problem was that after reading those, with such strong greek mythological tie ins, I kept expecting this one to be Tristan and Isolde, not Adrian. I don't mind the liberties taken with vampire lore. What I really didn't care for was how much of the plot felt like it was only there as a bridge between sex scenes. The first is placed so early in the book you have no vested interest in the characters yet. And the scenes aren't even that good. So if you're only reading it for the smut you had better options out there. I am not sure if I will bother with book two... I saw reviews of book two that made it seem like it is just one prolonged hold to get to book three (which isn't published yet as I write this.) So I can't see liking book two more, and will likely have forgotten it before book three comes out. I might revisit them if book three gets better reviews, but for now this one is a pass.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
elanuruysal's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Death of parent, and Blood
Moderate: Death, War, and Violence
Minor: Slavery