Reviews with content warning for Grief - King of Battle & Blood

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!

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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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luna_lovelace's review against another edition

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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.
Adrian

was 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.

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melia24's review against another edition

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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.

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cmcdonnell2014's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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mycutykoala's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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melissaslibraryy's review against another edition

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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

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shaylac's review against another edition

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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.

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