Reviews with content warning for War - A Vow So Bold and Deadly

Reviews tagging 'War'

A Vow So Bold and Deadly by Brigid Kemmerer

20 reviews

onefineelephant's review

adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense 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

4.0

8/10. I liked this book just as much as the other two books, which is saying a lot because I tend to dislike the last books in trilogies. Just like the other two books, this one had me on my toes and I truly didn't know what was going to happen next. I enjoyed the relationships between the characters and the variety of the POVs. I have to admit, though, that partway through the book there was significant gore and murder and I had to take a few weeks break from it. I think the ending was satisfying enough but I think there could have been a bit more epilogue to wrap everything up, especially given the ambiguous relationships between some of the characters and their futures.

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ameydireads's review

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adventurous emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

“You looked like you were going to level the courtyard.”

“For you, my lady, I would have leveled the entire city.”

Hmmm… what can I say? I am quite disappointed. The story was all over the place. It felt shallow and ridiculous. Apparently, Rhen had to consent to being cursed and he did because he was afraid for his life. What the heck? I don’t like how magic works in this world. And Lilith is very monotonous and has no depth as a villain. Her only goals in life are revenge and going to extremes torturing Rhen.

The ending was very anticlimactic, rushed and uneventful. Even intended plot twists left me cold. The story also doesn’t deal with all the supposed opposition towards Grey and the politics within Syhl Shallow. It’s left open, probably to be discussed in the next books.

And what’s up with the sudden pregnancy and Grey actually becoming king?

And Harper was frustrating at times as well, especially when she misunderstands Rhen’s intentions and says things like:
“And I'm the idiot who stayed here. Because I believed in Rhen.”

Ugh, come on. But on the other hand, she was determined to help him whenever time calls for it.

To be honest, Harper’s cerebral palsy felt too forced. I do believe it’s good to shine light on this subject and to raise awareness, because I did not know much about this condition prior to reading this book. The only thing I learned was that people with this condition can have more difficulty doing particular things but that does not mean it’s impossible. After the first book, however, there is almost no focus on cerebral palsy except for the occasional surprise of characters when they are reminded of Harper’s condition.

Let’s end on a more positive note. One thing that did warm my heart is when

Rhen and Grey were being all brotherly at the end.

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hollowhallow13's review

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adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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luna_lovelace's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad 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

4.75

I finally got the courage to finish the last book in the series. I wasn't ready for the journey to end!

I love Grey and I especially love Grey and Lia Mara together. He doesn't undermine her decisions, on the contrary, he supports her in not using violence to rule. It was impressive how Lia Mara slowly gained trust from her people.

I felt for her when she had a hard time knowing people saw her as weak, yet she never gave up to resort to violence.

I love Harper too, but there were times I couldn't stand Rhen's decision making and I wished Harper would speak up more like she did on the first book.

There are some loved characters that did not make it. They were brave until the very end.

I'm satisfied with how the story ended, but do I wish there was a fourth book? Absolutely! I feel like there is enough questions left unanswered to have a fourth book.

Especially when Rhen kept feeling like he didn't know what else to do but be King. Also, Lia Mara seemed to worry about her pregnancy due to her child being born with magic. I also don't trust her sister to hold down the fort while she's gone. Iisak's son also doesn't trust Grey so I wonder how that will affect them.

I'm not holding my breath for a fourth book, but I definitely see potential for one!

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jackiepreston's review against another edition

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dark emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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milenasbooknook's review against another edition

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4.0

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qrschulte's review against another edition

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adventurous dark slow-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? Yes

3.0

It was decent. Not great, but okay.

What I liked:
- Finally some steaminess for the romances.
- Harper and Rhen finally addressing their utter lack of communication.

What I didn’t like:
- How anti-climactic the end battle was.
- The body horror.

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