Scan barcode
courtchase's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
this was super disappointing. i was expecting something completely different than this and i was truly disappointed with what it turned out to be.
Isolde was hands down one of the most unlikable characters i’ve ever read. I hate it when authors think being strong and independent means being a trigger happy bitch with no respect for anyone but demands it from others. she blamed it all on her hatred for people but her hatred was frankly immature and rash. for someone who claimed to be 26, she acted like a toddler.
not to mention, i found it hard to believe they were in love when 99% of the time they spent together they spent having sex. a solid 60% of this book is sex with 10% plot and another 30% of Isolde whining and then deciding she’s going to do the opposite of whatever she was told just for the hell of it.
adrian was kinda bland too, i liked that he listened to Isolde but that all felt too easy. have a backbone my man and don’t be afraid to disagree just because you love someone.
spoiler: but i also hate romances that are reincarnations. it feels inauthentic especially since it was only Isolde/Yesenia reincarnated. He doesn’t really love her for her, he loves her for who she was and is projecting that love and i’m not about it.
last thing i’ll say, is the ending just wrapped up way too quickly and that “twist” yeah i saw that coming from a mile away. and honestly didn’t really align with her fathers character at all. it felt like st clair just wanted the dad to be a big plot twist of killing his daughter, when all the previous information contradicted that part of his character. i’m all for a big twist but only if it makes sense and i can reasonably see the change of heart. but i couldn’t. it felt cheap and like a moment for her to be like “gotcha! bet you didn’t see that coming!”
what. a. disappointment.
Isolde was hands down one of the most unlikable characters i’ve ever read. I hate it when authors think being strong and independent means being a trigger happy bitch with no respect for anyone but demands it from others. she blamed it all on her hatred for people but her hatred was frankly immature and rash. for someone who claimed to be 26, she acted like a toddler.
not to mention, i found it hard to believe they were in love when 99% of the time they spent together they spent having sex. a solid 60% of this book is sex with 10% plot and another 30% of Isolde whining and then deciding she’s going to do the opposite of whatever she was told just for the hell of it.
adrian was kinda bland too, i liked that he listened to Isolde but that all felt too easy. have a backbone my man and don’t be afraid to disagree just because you love someone.
spoiler: but i also hate romances that are reincarnations. it feels inauthentic especially since it was only Isolde/Yesenia reincarnated. He doesn’t really love her for her, he loves her for who she was and is projecting that love and i’m not about it.
last thing i’ll say, is the ending just wrapped up way too quickly and that “twist” yeah i saw that coming from a mile away. and honestly didn’t really align with her fathers character at all. it felt like st clair just wanted the dad to be a big plot twist of killing his daughter, when all the previous information contradicted that part of his character. i’m all for a big twist but only if it makes sense and i can reasonably see the change of heart. but i couldn’t. it felt cheap and like a moment for her to be like “gotcha! bet you didn’t see that coming!”
what. a. disappointment.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Violence
kenziebeck's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Genocide, Hate crime, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and War
Minor: Death of parent and Injury/Injury detail
kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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? No
4.0
I honestly think this one is spicier than the others I’ve read by this author. I loved the love story. It was enemies to lovers but in the best way. I loved the protagonist. I enjoy how she learns and grows as the novel progresses to become a more developed, understanding person - which is how I think we should all live. There was a bit of predictability in the plot and there were a few grammatical issues that led me to a four star rating as opposed to a five star rating.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
summerspence's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Blood
Moderate: Death and Injury/Injury detail
bookish1315's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and War
Moderate: Toxic relationship
allisonwonderlandreads's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- 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? No
2.0
A King of Battle & Blood tells the story of a tumultuous affair with a cacophony of emotions. And also vampires. It features high smut content from the start, throwing human Isolde into a diplomatic marriage with vampire overlord Adrian come to conquer her father's kingdom. It relies on common vampire paranormal tropes (violence, possessiveness, jealousy & angst), so if you like that feel or if you enjoy fantasy romance that keeps things approachable with only light world-building, you'll get what you're after here.
For me, this one was a miss. In terms of romance, I thrive on stories with a growing emotional connection and a slow build of tension. Without that, the (to me, not as a generalizable fact) abrupt and early arrival of smut on the scene left me sort of disconnected and uninterested in the proceedings. The generic plot elements also kept me at a distance. We have a woman who's been so sheltered that she hates all vampires and doesn't understand their history or humanity. She's forced to marry a vampiric hottie who she's attracted to on a nearly alarming level but who she also views as the root of all evil and would like to murder. The reader knows through it all that Isolde's weak understanding of the world will be overturned, and the entire story is building up to an obvious revelation that took too long to arrive given its predictability.
Meanwhile, the author works very hard to convince us that vampire god-among-men Adrian is the epitome of respect and attentiveness. He's certainly the king of instalove, which is explained away through a fantasy plot device. There's also a lot of energy put into convincing us that this is a balanced, consenting relationship. Adrian listens to being told no, Isolde is enthusiastic, and her past lover provides the foil as the needy, controlling human man on offer. However, Adrian's ability to read minds made me a bit uncomfortable. While he assures us it's outside his control, I wasn't happy with the choice to include it. Also, the jealous, obsessed, antagonistic way the two leaned into each other stressed me out.
On either the romance or fantasy front, I was not overly involved in this story. However, I can see why it would be engaging to readers with different interests and priorities, so I've tried to be specific here to help others decide for themselves. I need to stop trying vampire series, basically (but we all know I can't stay away).
For me, this one was a miss. In terms of romance, I thrive on stories with a growing emotional connection and a slow build of tension. Without that, the (to me, not as a generalizable fact) abrupt and early arrival of smut on the scene left me sort of disconnected and uninterested in the proceedings. The generic plot elements also kept me at a distance. We have a woman who's been so sheltered that she hates all vampires and doesn't understand their history or humanity. She's forced to marry a vampiric hottie who she's attracted to on a nearly alarming level but who she also views as the root of all evil and would like to murder. The reader knows through it all that Isolde's weak understanding of the world will be overturned, and the entire story is building up to an obvious revelation that took too long to arrive given its predictability.
Meanwhile, the author works very hard to convince us that vampire god-among-men Adrian is the epitome of respect and attentiveness. He's certainly the king of instalove, which is explained away through a fantasy plot device. There's also a lot of energy put into convincing us that this is a balanced, consenting relationship. Adrian listens to being told no, Isolde is enthusiastic, and her past lover provides the foil as the needy, controlling human man on offer. However, Adrian's ability to read minds made me a bit uncomfortable. While he assures us it's outside his control, I wasn't happy with the choice to include it. Also, the jealous, obsessed, antagonistic way the two leaned into each other stressed me out.
On either the romance or fantasy front, I was not overly involved in this story. However, I can see why it would be engaging to readers with different interests and priorities, so I've tried to be specific here to help others decide for themselves. I need to stop trying vampire series, basically (but we all know I can't stay away).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Slavery, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and War
More...