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alexsnerdycorner's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
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
5.0
I loved this so much. This read was a reread and I loved it just as much as the first time, if not more. It’s filled with foreshadowing that’s hard to miss if you don’t know the ending.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Animal death, Cursing, Violence, Blood, and Death of parent
samlauren07's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
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? It's complicated
2.75
- 3🌶️ ; I gave this 3 chili peppers for the quantity of spice not for the quality.
- This book is for the vampire girlies who prefer more spicy content then plot. But I had that expectation going in so I was fine with it. Although I do wish the plot and main male character had more background. This may come in during book 2 but was definitely lacking book 1.
- The banter between the characters was hilarious.
- Easy universe to understand and jump into.
- This is a vampire, forced marriage book.
- This book wasn’t bad but could have had better plot/ writing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and War
scoutingforbooty's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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? Yes
4.5
Really loved this book, the storyline and characters were engaging and interesting and kept me on the hook. Isolde is a strong woman that is able to acknowledge her flaws and misgivings, and learn from them. She is able to cry and feel doubt but come out stronger in the end. Adrian started out as this terrible man but as we got to know him? He truly was a good man, if a little murderous. Touch and die vibes for sure. He had heart and gave Isolde answers, which I frequently find frustrating in other books when the men keep their lovers in the dark. He has good intentions for Isolde and built her up instead of trying to drag her down to keep himself on top.
The twist was fun and I enjoyed it, it wasn’t rushed and Isolde wasn’t giving all knowing power like some books tend to do with this kind of twist. Really excited to see what happens with these two! People say it’s smut with plot but I felt it was pretty even, and I felt the self doubt surrounding the sex was understandable. It needed to be intentional for this kind of book to work so I went with it i can be pretty picky and critical when it comes to unforgivable plot armor for a romance to work in a book. You have to be able to enjoy this kind of thing to really like it
The spice was more of a 3.75-4, I felt like it seemed a little rushed through when it came around but was still hot!
The twist was fun and I enjoyed it, it wasn’t rushed and Isolde wasn’t giving all knowing power like some books tend to do with this kind of twist. Really excited to see what happens with these two! People say it’s smut with plot but I felt it was pretty even, and I felt the self doubt surrounding the sex was understandable. It needed to be intentional for this kind of book to work so I went with it i can be pretty picky and critical when it comes to unforgivable plot armor for a romance to work in a book. You have to be able to enjoy this kind of thing to really like it
The spice was more of a 3.75-4, I felt like it seemed a little rushed through when it came around but was still hot!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and War
aromo720's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death of parent, and War
meg_k_white's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
I liked this, but I wasn't blown away, and some things really bothered me. The fantasy and paranormal aspects were fun to read, and the spice was spicy and sprinkled throughout. I also really liked the personal growth Isolde went through as she learns the truth about the world she was apparently sheltered from. I didn’t like the petty girl fights or the fixation on Isolde’s breasts.
***SPOILERS***
I really didn't like the reincarnation trope in the sense that everyone knew who Isolde was except her. And even after she did realize who she was... She was still Isolde? But did her entourage like her for who she was or for who she is? This lowered my rating.
I also didn't like that Isolde's people are enslaved... And that they are the only POC in the story. And that her father kept it a secret not only from her but also from her mother... And was everyone else in the kingdom kept in the dark? Or did they not tell Isolde either? This lowered my rating even more.
Bottom line, I won't be reading book two.
***SPOILERS***
I really didn't like the reincarnation trope in the sense that everyone knew who Isolde was except her. And even after she did realize who she was... She was still Isolde? But did her entourage like her for who she was or for who she is? This lowered my rating.
I also didn't like that Isolde's people are enslaved... And that they are the only POC in the story. And that her father kept it a secret not only from her but also from her mother... And was everyone else in the kingdom kept in the dark? Or did they not tell Isolde either? This lowered my rating even more.
Bottom line, I won't be reading book two.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
hanreadssbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
gcjay1994's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Fun, quick and some sexy moments, but overall not my jam. I was having continuity issues between scenes where it became confusing how we jumped from one point to the other. The audio narrator was fine, but did have some cringe moments. Didn’t really care about the characters, and the plot (which is typically more important to me) was very secondary and didn’t have much substance to it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Colonisation
luna_lovelace's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
5.0
Have you ever gotten upset with yourself for not reading a book sooner that's just been sitting on your TBR pile? I shouldn't have waited this long to read this vampire enemies-to-lovers romance; it was so good! The plot just got thicker the more you read on. I did not expect the book to end the way it did and now I can't wait to read the next book in the series.
Adrianwas in love with her from the very beginning and he waited so patiently to have her come around. He has a soft spot but only for her, which is absolutely endearing.
I love that Isolde is a warrior and can take care of herself.I enjoyed the scenes where she was capable of surviving and protecting herself, having a strong female character just hits differently.
The author did such a great job at making my blood boil every time Safira came up, props to her for making me dislike a character so much.She got away with a lot, that bed scene though was chef's kiss. I am just glad Isolde had girlfriends who cared for her and didn't go after her man.
It's so sad when you find out why she's afraid of being near fire, it made me teary!
Overall, I think this book has a great mix of plot and character development which made me enjoy this book from the beginning, middle, and end.
Adrian
I love that Isolde is a warrior and can take care of herself.
The author did such a great job at making my blood boil every time Safira came up, props to her for making me dislike a character so much.
It's so sad when you find out why she's afraid of being near fire, it made me teary!
Overall, I think this book has a great mix of plot and character development which made me enjoy this book from the beginning, middle, and end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, and War
Minor: Cursing
simpledifficulties's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
18+
(I cannot stress enough how 18+ this book is.)
I've seen some other reviews and I totally get that this book isn't for everyone. The romance is incredibly fast-paced, like love-at-first-sight kind of fast-paced. The plot, on the other hand, is very slow-paced. If you're looking for something action-packed, this just isn't for you. If you're looking for a character-driven fantasy romance with the promise of action in later books, pick this one up.
While the novel touches upon larger conflicts to be developed throughout the rest of the series, it acts more as an introduction to those conflicts than anything else. Some hints of a larger conflict are sprinkled throughout, but don't come to the forefront until the last 50 pages or so. The main conflict involves Isolde's acceptance of herself as she adjusts to life in a new kingdom and learns some hard truths about what she thought she knew. Oh, and the fact that she's falling for the enemy We follow her as she explores her new home by trying traditional foods, visiting the local market, and reading old journals in the library among other things. There are very few epic battles and we don't get much information about the big bad until very near the end. We mostly see Adrian and Isolde living their "normal" lives, and this is exactly what I was looking for in a novel.
I do have some complaints, though:
While I'm not one to shy away from explicit content, in this book sex is literally around every corner. Isolde will go for a walk outside and run into a couple having sex, or enter the library and find the librarian having sex. This type of discovery happens several times throughout the ~400 pages and doesn't serve any purpose other than to indicate which characters are coupled.
St. Clair names all the horses. Seriously. And I love that. We have Midnight, and Shadow, and Elli, and Snow. Then St. Clair kills Midnight and Snow, and Shadow runs off never to be seen again. To be honest, it's not even clear to me Elli's fate. Why name the horses only to kill them pages later?
I have more, but to be honest I can't think of any at the moment, so I'll add them when I do.
(I cannot stress enough how 18+ this book is.)
I've seen some other reviews and I totally get that this book isn't for everyone. The romance is incredibly fast-paced, like love-at-first-sight kind of fast-paced. The plot, on the other hand, is very slow-paced. If you're looking for something action-packed, this just isn't for you. If you're looking for a character-driven fantasy romance with the promise of action in later books, pick this one up.
While the novel touches upon larger conflicts to be developed throughout the rest of the series, it acts more as an introduction to those conflicts than anything else. Some hints of a larger conflict are sprinkled throughout, but don't come to the forefront until the last 50 pages or so. The main conflict involves Isolde's acceptance of herself as she adjusts to life in a new kingdom and learns some hard truths about what she thought she knew. Oh, and the fact that she's falling for the enemy We follow her as she explores her new home by trying traditional foods, visiting the local market, and reading old journals in the library among other things. There are very few epic battles and we don't get much information about the big bad until very near the end. We mostly see Adrian and Isolde living their "normal" lives, and this is exactly what I was looking for in a novel.
I do have some complaints, though:
While I'm not one to shy away from explicit content, in this book sex is literally around every corner. Isolde will go for a walk outside and run into a couple having sex, or enter the library and find the librarian having sex. This type of discovery happens several times throughout the ~400 pages and doesn't serve any purpose other than to indicate which characters are coupled.
St. Clair names all the horses. Seriously. And I love that. We have Midnight, and Shadow, and Elli, and Snow. Then St. Clair kills Midnight and Snow, and Shadow runs off never to be seen again. To be honest, it's not even clear to me Elli's fate. Why name the horses only to kill them pages later?
I have more, but to be honest I can't think of any at the moment, so I'll add them when I do.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Animal death, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
melia24's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
reflective
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
This book is fun. It's not well written but it's a good time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Blood
Minor: Grief and Death of parent
It's a book about vampires and a man called the blood king... they kill people🤷🏾♀️