dani_reis's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
2.0
Predictable book. If the author grows with each release there's potential for some big successes.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Death of parent, Child abuse, and War
saramcaps's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Average girl plucked from average life and forced to survive in enemy territory alongside the not-so-evil king who knows more than he’s letting on—so not anything particularly special, but had memorable moments and easy to read for a fun time.
What makes it stand out for me is the lovable characters—there are a couple I really love and there’s good potential for the found family elements of the series.
Medium-level enemies-to-lovers, hurt/comfort, mysterious magical powers… all of the good tropes. If you like ACOTAR, you will like this.
What makes it stand out for me is the lovable characters—there are a couple I really love and there’s good potential for the found family elements of the series.
Medium-level enemies-to-lovers, hurt/comfort, mysterious magical powers… all of the good tropes. If you like ACOTAR, you will like this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
lealovesbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Chronic illness, Sexual content, Classism, and Death of parent
elntastic's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Even though the world-building and story wasn‘t something entirely new or grand, I still really liked all the ideas and characters. But most of all, I liked the dynamic between Kane and Arwen. It was a live-story that I thoroughly enjoyed even though their start was a little rough and (Attention Spoiler!! ) I didn’t get why he threatened to torture her and she just seemed to completely dismiss that he said that for the rest of the story. I thought that was too abusive. Also that he had to beg for getting a normal room instead of having to live in the friggin dungeons?! I would‘ve liked it more if he had offered it to her himself. It just made him seem cruel and then her liking him just seemed so stupid just because he was hot?
Well, anyways, the rest of the book was very good! Couldn’t put it down and I can’t wait for the second part.
Well, anyways, the rest of the book was very good! Couldn’t put it down and I can’t wait for the second part.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death of parent, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Violence
Minor: Torture, Violence, and War
dinipandareads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I was feeling quite slumpy when I picked this up but it was apparently exactly what I needed to pull myself out of the funky mood! While I don't think this brings anything particularly new or different to the romantic fantasy genre, it delivers what it says it will and I had a really great time reading it!
The story is told solely through Arwen's POV and although she came across as young and naive for a good portion of the first half of the book, she does experience some considerable growth. She's a mentally strong and driven character who understands her weaknesses and does her best to balance that by challenging herself mentally and physically. I really enjoyed the friendship she develops with Mar who brought an excellent comedic element to the story! I also enjoyed the slow burn of the romance between Arwen and Kane. He was definitely a morally grey MMC who I wasn't sure about at the beginning because he's so extremely hot and cold and there were times that I wished the romantic element had actually been stronger, especially to show them get to know each other and the strength of their connection. That said, he really grew on me, just like he grew on Arwen and oof, the sexual tension really sizzles! The tension reminded me a little bit of The Bridge Kingdom and since that's one of my all-time favourite romantasies, it's not a bad thing at all! It was SO good and oof, just as things start to really get steamy, IT'S CHAOS! IT WAS SUCH A TEASE and with the way the story ended, I just know the angst and tension are going to get even stronger in the next book. I can't wait! 😍
Much like the FMC, we're kind of kept in the dark about the "truth" of what's happening in this world and it all comes to light at the end. But as much as I enjoyed the world-building that we got, I do feel like this element was the weakest part of the whole story because I feel like there's still a lot that I don't really understand. It would've been great to get more details about the history of the kingdoms and more about how the war really began; however, I'm hopeful that we can get more of these details in the next book because this WILD ENDING sets things up nicely for more "truths" to be revealed and I'm really hoping we get it!
The story is told solely through Arwen's POV and although she came across as young and naive for a good portion of the first half of the book, she does experience some considerable growth. She's a mentally strong and driven character who understands her weaknesses and does her best to balance that by challenging herself mentally and physically. I really enjoyed the friendship she develops with Mar who brought an excellent comedic element to the story! I also enjoyed the slow burn of the romance between Arwen and Kane. He was definitely a morally grey MMC who I wasn't sure about at the beginning because he's so extremely hot and cold and there were times that I wished the romantic element had actually been stronger, especially to show them get to know each other and the strength of their connection. That said, he really grew on me, just like he grew on Arwen and oof, the sexual tension really sizzles! The tension reminded me a little bit of The Bridge Kingdom and since that's one of my all-time favourite romantasies, it's not a bad thing at all! It was SO good and oof, just as things start to really get steamy, IT'S CHAOS! IT WAS SUCH A TEASE and with the way the story ended, I just know the angst and tension are going to get even stronger in the next book. I can't wait! 😍
Much like the FMC, we're kind of kept in the dark about the "truth" of what's happening in this world and it all comes to light at the end. But as much as I enjoyed the world-building that we got, I do feel like this element was the weakest part of the whole story because I feel like there's still a lot that I don't really understand. It would've been great to get more details about the history of the kingdoms and more about how the war really began; however, I'm hopeful that we can get more of these details in the next book because this WILD ENDING sets things up nicely for more "truths" to be revealed and I'm really hoping we get it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Animal death, Blood, Gore, Violence, and Kidnapping
Moderate: War and Physical abuse
Minor: Chronic illness
daisycantread24's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Grief, Violence, Sexual content, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual harassment, War, and Child abuse
natashaleighton_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
A fast paced and deliciously addictive, NA Fantasy that I genuinely couldn’t get enough of! It follows Arwen who (in order to save her reckless brother’s life) finds herself taken prisoner by the vicious Onyx king (who’s currently at war with her homeland) and forced to use her magical abilities to heal his subjects and soldiers.
Trying to escape is futile on her own but, with help from a fellow prisoner she might just make it out alive—if she can survive his infuriating personality and twisted sense of humour that is! But, with back-stabbing royals, dark magic, and sinister beasts to contend with, trusting this mysterious stranger is the least of her worries…
As you might already know, I’m a huge fan of anything enemies to lovers based so I was super excited to delve straight into this and, thankfully it didn’t disappoint!
The epic, fantasy world-building was quite detailed with a magic system I found incredibly intriguing. Not to mention the phenomenally intense, slow-burn romance we see unfold between Arwen and the sinfully charismatic Kane—which I relished every second of!
Their banter and flirtatious interactions were really good and reminded me a little of Poppy and Casteel‘s dynamics in From Blood and Ash.
The character development was also really well done. I absolutely adored protagonist, Arwen whose loving, self sacrificing nature has landed her in a pretty bad situation she has almost no way out of. But the determination and optimism she manages to hold on to, even during her own complex bouts of powerlessness. Not to mention the emotional divide between loyalty and love—both her her family and homeland, and her growing feelings for Kane, a man that many would consider her enemy.
Kane, likewise, has a lot of extremely difficult decisions to make—both in relation to his feelings for Arwen and his own sense of duty and loyalty to his people. I was genuinely impressed with the level of emotional detail we get throughout Kane’s character arc, despite never getting any chapters from his perspective—I’m not often endeared to a character (especially one as morally ambiguous as Kane is) without experiencing their POV, but Kate Golden really had me rooting for him.
I also found myself rooting for some of the supporting characters (particularly Mari and Dagan) and the almost wholesome, found family dynamics they have with Arwen. It’s definitely something I look forward to seeing more of. I’m also hoping Mari gets more scenes with Griffin because their chemistry was palpable.
Overall, an action packed page turner of a debut though like I said previously, is a bit of a slow-burn when it comes to the romance. So,if you’re looking for something a little more Instant in the romance department this may not be the book for you—but if (like me) you relish some good, old fashioned angst and romantic tension then, I definitely recommend checking this out.
I also want to say a huge thank you to the author Kate Golden for the e-copy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death of parent
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, War, Violence, and Kidnapping
Minor: Chronic illness and Gore
readswithcat's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gore, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, and War
Minor: Rape
kalie626's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I really enjoyed the world and the main characters were well developed and like-able. I’m looking forward to the next one!
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Death of parent and Physical abuse
Minor: Medical content
cryosphinx's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-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? Yes
4.25
I wouldn't have expected something from a debut author is be this GOOD and make me stay up all night reading. It's very tropey but if you love enemies to lovers, slow burn, one horse, forced proximity, he falls first, "touch her and die" vibes, this has it and does it well. It's got dragons, witches, fae, oh my!
There is some fleshing out that desperately needs to happen, especially in terms of the MMC who is delightful, but some things about his personality I felt I didn't understand by the end. Some people have also complained about the lack of world building, but I didn't find an issue with that because the FMC narrator has lived a sheltered life, there's only so much SHE knows. I'm hoping that both of these things w about the world. I'll get resolved throughout the rest of the trilogy.
I also loved the growth of the FMC from timid and afraid to being a bad ass lady but you don't see much growth out of anyone else. There isn't a ton of side characters but I LOVED Mari and hope we see her story more and learn about her abilities.
There is some fleshing out that desperately needs to happen, especially in terms of the MMC who is delightful, but some things about his personality I felt I didn't understand by the end. Some people have also complained about the lack of world building, but I didn't find an issue with that because the FMC narrator has lived a sheltered life, there's only so much SHE knows. I'm hoping that both of these things w about the world. I'll get resolved throughout the rest of the trilogy.
I also loved the growth of the FMC from timid and afraid to being a bad ass lady but you don't see much growth out of anyone else. There isn't a ton of side characters but I LOVED Mari and hope we see her story more and learn about her abilities.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Child abuse, War, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual harassment, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, and Sexual violence