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

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A Vow So Bold and Deadly by Brigid Kemmerer

21 reviews

justagirlwithbooks's review against another edition

3.75

"One poor choice shouldn't undo a thousand good ones."

Oh man, there's a lot to say about this book, but for that, I need to go into spoilers... But the non-spoiler summary is that this book felt rushed at the end, and I didn't enjoy Lia Mara's pov, which is a shame because I liked her in the last book. This finale as a finale of a series felt rushed and unresolved, probably due to Brigid Kemmerer planning a sequel series with Forging Silver into Stars. I don't know if I'm going to read that book or not. Now, onto spoilers...

All these characters are flawed, and they all made choices, some of which, I don't agree with. Grey's development felt OOC to me. I get that he's upset with Rhen, but did he really have to be upset with Harper, too? Speaking of Rhen, he deserved a better ending. I wasn't picking a side in this book, I didn't choose team Grey or team Rhen, I just wanted everything to be OK. I couldn't help but feel for Rhen after everything he's been through. And I don't like how Grey became King in the end, because it doesn't make sense: he's inexperienced, he said it himself. A similar situation unfolded in We Free the Stars, but in that book, althoughI didn't like it, it made sense. In this book, it would have made sense if Rhen and Grey's roles were reversed at the end, because Rhen has done so much for his kingdom. I also really enjoyed Rhen and Harper's relationship development, because it felt realistic after everything they've been through.

This book definitely could have benefitted from an extra 50 pages like A Curse so Dark and Lonely and A Heart so Fierce and Broken had, to help the pacing issues. The writing was good, but the pacing fell flat at the end. I was expecting this book to be better than it was, so I'm a bit disappointed.

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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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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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_alyssar_'s review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

4.0

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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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katievallin's review

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense slow-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

3.75

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adeena23's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging 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

4.0

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a_wren_that_reads's review

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adventurous dark tense fast-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

4.75

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bzliz's review against another edition

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adventurous dark hopeful slow-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

3.25

Although parts of this dragged on for too long, it is the best possible ending for this trilogy and I think fans will be satisfied. If not, there’s always fanfic.

Loves found, brothers united, and a war avoided. The final destruction of Lillith came so quickly I almost didn’t realize it was happening. Resolving every conflict would have felt cheap but I’m left with so many questions. Will the crew be able to patch the wounds of these two countries? Will Rhen and Grey be able to truly work together? Now that their immediate goals have been accomplished, will Jake and Noah go back to DC? Do they still want to? Can Harper and Lia Mara forge their own friendship?

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