The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! š
bzliz's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I truly could not stop myself from devouring this book. I have enjoyed the others but this one grabbed me tight and wouldnāt let go.Ā
Where some of the other books in the series have felt borderline frantic with a series of impossibly important events crammed in back to back, the first two thirds felt more like a heist. Kase has been absorbed back into the Black Palace in service to the Lord Magnate Ivar, who twisted his memory to have only feelings of devotion toward Ivar and nothing but hatred for Malin and the Kryv. Unfortunately, his power comes with a sort of kill switch to reinforce the lies of anyone should try to convince his victim of the truth. The Kryv work hard to infiltrate the palace and set up a long series of innocuous encounters with Kase to destabilize his manipulated faith in Ivar and give him little hints of his true past so that he might come to realize on his own that heās living a lie. He is forced to sort through what he believes to be true and his own conflicting feelings, especially when it comes to Malin.Ā
I really enjoyed the dynamic between Malin and Kase, even as he essentially has amnesia. It has elements ofĀ enemies to loversĀ with a heavy dose of memory loss. I think I love them all the more for how fully they embrace their villainy because make no mistake, there are no heroes here. There are horrible, awful, power hungry villains and there are blackmailing, murdering villains who love each other intensely and would gladly see the world burn if it meant their loved ones were safe (and maybe sometimes they secretly do good things while covering it up with bad things).Ā
Content warnings:
Blood, body horror, injury, murder, violence (on page):lots of fighting, lots of injuries, lots of gruesome deaths at the hands of the Nightrender
Torture (on page):Niklaus explicitly tortures Eero for betraying the guilds, cutting him endlessly do he slowly bleeds out over the course of days
Rape, sexual assault, sexual violence (off page):Dagny tells Malin her story, including how the Heir Magnate Niall forced himself on her and when it became known she was pregnant, she was locked in his room and forced to endure his abuse until she had given birth and the child was taken from her and she was sold into a ācheer houseā aka a brothel. This scene isnāt very long but it is heartbreaking.
Sexual content (on page):Malin and Kase engage in sexual activity, including one instance in which he is torn between his desire to kill her and his desire to bed her, and a handful of times they have sex once his mind is restored. The scenes are not very long and are explicit but not vulgar. Some include mild BDSM elements such as throat grabbing and light wrist restraint. Iād give it about 1.5-2/5 for spice compared to a solid 1/5 for the other books.
Emotional abuse, gaslighting (on page):Ivar uses his Mesmer to alter memories of his victims, manipulating them into being utterly devoted to him. He is even able to reinforce it if someone tries to convince his victims theyāve had their memories altered.
Death of parent (on page):Jens Strom demands to be killed rather than taken prisoner by the Black Palace where he would certainly have been forced to move against his children. Bard, Marlinās brother, snaps his neck to save him from that fate.
Where some of the other books in the series have felt borderline frantic with a series of impossibly important events crammed in back to back, the first two thirds felt more like a heist. Kase has been absorbed back into the Black Palace in service to the Lord Magnate Ivar, who twisted his memory to have only feelings of devotion toward Ivar and nothing but hatred for Malin and the Kryv. Unfortunately, his power comes with a sort of kill switch to reinforce the lies of anyone should try to convince his victim of the truth. The Kryv work hard to infiltrate the palace and set up a long series of innocuous encounters with Kase to destabilize his manipulated faith in Ivar and give him little hints of his true past so that he might come to realize on his own that heās living a lie. He is forced to sort through what he believes to be true and his own conflicting feelings, especially when it comes to Malin.Ā
I really enjoyed the dynamic between Malin and Kase, even as he essentially has amnesia. It has elements ofĀ enemies to loversĀ with a heavy dose of memory loss. I think I love them all the more for how fully they embrace their villainy because make no mistake, there are no heroes here. There are horrible, awful, power hungry villains and there are blackmailing, murdering villains who love each other intensely and would gladly see the world burn if it meant their loved ones were safe (and maybe sometimes they secretly do good things while covering it up with bad things).Ā
Content warnings:
Blood, body horror, injury, murder, violence (on page):
Torture (on page):
Rape, sexual assault, sexual violence (off page):
Sexual content (on page):
Emotional abuse, gaslighting (on page):
Death of parent (on page):
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Torture
Moderate: Death of parent, Sexual assault, Gaslighting, Rape, Sexual violence, Sexual content, and Emotional abuse
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