Reviews with content warning for Fire/Fire injury - King of Battle and Blood

My expectations were very low for this book, but I enjoyed it. There is more plot and emotion than I expected. I found the cuts between the emotional moments and the sex scenes jarring, but hey different people cope in different ways I guess. The MC felt very realistic to me. She takes her emotions out on others by starting fights when she's upset, so I can see why some people found her annoying. She also took forever to figure out the very-foreshadowed reveal, but I thought that was supposed to be some dramatic irony where the reader knows before the character.

Throughout the book, I always felt the need to know what happened next. I picked up the sequel asap. I really love some of the supporting characters, though I feel several are under-developed. Overall, I'd say it's mostly well-written prose. There are a few glaring flaws, but if you can look past them, it's a fun read.

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fayeelizabeth's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

would have been 4 stars but killing off one of the lesbians and leaving the other to suffer is a crime i cannot forgive

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katerinovaaa's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

1 POV, ich-form, longer chapters
I loved the storyline and I really wanna read the second book but I'm not a fan of angst. Was it slightly cringy at times? Yes. But I didn't mind at all. The smut was pretty vanilla but I liked their connection and desire. So if you just wanna read comforting hard vampire smut then this is not a book for you.

Issa is so badass I freaking love her. And as Adrian said: "I like my wife and her knives."

"What if I miss the sun?"
"Then I will find it for you."

I cried my eyes out in the first 50 pages ngl. 😂 Even though it was insta-lust, the slow-burn was so slow I was scared I'll have to wait till the second book.

Tropes:
🩸orgasmic bites (not used between MCs unfortunately.)
🩸one horse
🩸enemies to lovers
🩸fated mates
🩸forced marriage
🩸witches, vampires, monsters
🩸disrespect my queen and DIE (unless she kills you first)

Trigger warnings:
JEALOUSY - it's there all the fucking time. He says he's not interested but his behavior is sure questionable. However, there is no cheating.
burning alive
sword fights, gore
alcohol (wine, mentioned)
death of a parent
death of a loved one
Killian has anger issues and grabs her once, bruising her arm. Adrian is NOT impressed.
betrayal - NOT between MCs

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ardhyahayu's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-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

3.0

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meg_k_white's review against another edition

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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.

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hanschub's review against another edition

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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

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simpledifficulties's review against another edition

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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.

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