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ka_ke's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
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
I will say I saw the big reveal coming. That being said, I am enjoying this coming of age turned revenge plot that has appeared. Also pages 421- 425 were pure sex
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
theespressoedition's review
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
*looks back at the notes I sent my friend while reading* Aha! Yes, here we go...
This has been my favorite book of the series so far. There's a kind of comfort that's settled in between Casteel and Poppy now that they're married - and despite the insane cliffhanger that book two left us on, things were cleared up relatively quickly at the beginning of this book.
Okay, so "cleared up" is maybe the wrong term considering the insanity that followed - and that's where I got a little revved up. Not because I was disliking the story so much as I was constantly confused. There was a lot of information overload in this installation. I found myself constantly looking up the terms because I lost track of the differences between "deities" and "gods" or I lost track of the character names because it seems like someone new is always being introduced. In addition to that, there was a lot of back-and-forth with who the characters were, who they were related to, what they were spawns of, whether they were Ascended, Descenters, masked, Wolven, vamprys, etc. I literally couldn't keep up.
At a certain point, I just decided to kind of say "screw it" and enjoy the story for what it was rather than trying to piece together every little bit of information because, let's be real, JLA is totally gonna throw half of it out the window in the next novel and we'll have to relearn it all again. That's not necessarily a bad thing, it's just the style she's chosen for this series. Everything can be undone or retold and you have to get used to never really knowing for sure whether something is set in stone.
Just like the other two books, there were some irritants for me, such as the repetition:
1) Poppy likes violence
2) Poppy has a lot of questions
We get it. Can Kieren or Casteel acknowledge anything else? Thanks.
There was a lot of sexual content - maybe even more than the others, but at this point it's not as appealing to me. Not that it was "appealing" before, so much as it was new. Now it's not and it felt like she was reaching a lot of the time. I found myself just flipping through pages until those scenes ended because I didn't feel like I was missing anything.
I love Kieren. Honestly, if we could get some books just about him, I think I'd be happy. He's sarcastic and caring - and even though he pretty much only ribs Poppy about how inquisitive she is, he's probably the most likable character in the books.
While I can't say these are my favorite books ever or anything, I definitely stay interested throughout the entire time I'm reading, which encourages me to continue the series. So far, I haven't had anything really make me think I need to stop where I am. I'm not bored and I'm not disinterested, so even though I'm not obsessed, I'll be picking up the next book.
This has been my favorite book of the series so far. There's a kind of comfort that's settled in between Casteel and Poppy now that they're married - and despite the insane cliffhanger that book two left us on, things were cleared up relatively quickly at the beginning of this book.
Okay, so "cleared up" is maybe the wrong term considering the insanity that followed - and that's where I got a little revved up. Not because I was disliking the story so much as I was constantly confused. There was a lot of information overload in this installation. I found myself constantly looking up the terms because I lost track of the differences between "deities" and "gods" or I lost track of the character names because it seems like someone new is always being introduced. In addition to that, there was a lot of back-and-forth with who the characters were, who they were related to, what they were spawns of, whether they were Ascended, Descenters, masked, Wolven, vamprys, etc. I literally couldn't keep up.
At a certain point, I just decided to kind of say "screw it" and enjoy the story for what it was rather than trying to piece together every little bit of information because, let's be real, JLA is totally gonna throw half of it out the window in the next novel and we'll have to relearn it all again. That's not necessarily a bad thing, it's just the style she's chosen for this series. Everything can be undone or retold and you have to get used to never really knowing for sure whether something is set in stone.
Just like the other two books, there were some irritants for me, such as the repetition:
1) Poppy likes violence
2) Poppy has a lot of questions
We get it. Can Kieren or Casteel acknowledge anything else? Thanks.
There was a lot of sexual content - maybe even more than the others, but at this point it's not as appealing to me. Not that it was "appealing" before, so much as it was new. Now it's not and it felt like she was reaching a lot of the time. I found myself just flipping through pages until those scenes ended because I didn't feel like I was missing anything.
I love Kieren. Honestly, if we could get some books just about him, I think I'd be happy. He's sarcastic and caring - and even though he pretty much only ribs Poppy about how inquisitive she is, he's probably the most likable character in the books.
While I can't say these are my favorite books ever or anything, I definitely stay interested throughout the entire time I'm reading, which encourages me to continue the series. So far, I haven't had anything really make me think I need to stop where I am. I'm not bored and I'm not disinterested, so even though I'm not obsessed, I'll be picking up the next book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Sexual content, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Cursing, Torture, and Injury/Injury detail
meligarcia's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
fast-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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Murder, and War
lunsbooks's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Torture and Kidnapping
giannelli21's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and War
Moderate: Death and Torture
greentailbambi's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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? No
5.0
I love this book! Absolutely thrilling, I was on the edge of my metaphorical seat the whole book. I love how unexpected the plot could be—it kept things interesting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Sexual content
Minor: Torture
_malia_pt's review
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, and Murder
fraanini's review
adventurous
emotional
tense
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? Yes
4.25
Bro, dude, poppy is a badass through and through
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Violence
Moderate: Confinement and Torture
ashlightgrayson's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I think this installment helped greatly expand the lore of the world which felt like it was lacking in the previous two books. We discover a lot more about the gods as well as Poppy's heritage. By the end of the story you can tell there is a lot more left to know about the world and based on the next book being released by the author, she will be delivering on that.
Casteel, Poppy, and Kieran are pretty well established characters at this point, so there isn't as much character development for them in general. There is more focus on the plot in this book than in previous book, which I appreciated since the previous books felt much less eventful. The author strikes a better balance between plot, world building, and character development than before.
We have seen Casteel be assertive and protective of Poppy and I was happy to see that sense of protectiveness be reciprocated by Poppy. It shows that there is trust and affection on both sides of the relationship that wasn't as present there before. Newly married to Casteel, Poppy takes a more active role in Atlantian politics as a new royal family member. She is an outsider and we get to see how she handles opposition to her new role. She has a newfound sense of confidence and independence and her naiveté is mostly gone. She handles obstacles in the plot with maturity and is as vicious as Casteel when she needs to be, which was great to see.
My main issues with the book were pertaining to the flirting between Casteel and Poppy sometimes occurring at inappropriate times. In additoin, I would have liked to spend more time with side characters like Kieran. Everyone in Atlantia is interesting and I feel that as the world continues to be development we'll also learn more about side characters. Overall, a solid installment and I'm looking forward to more.
Casteel, Poppy, and Kieran are pretty well established characters at this point, so there isn't as much character development for them in general. There is more focus on the plot in this book than in previous book, which I appreciated since the previous books felt much less eventful. The author strikes a better balance between plot, world building, and character development than before.
We have seen Casteel be assertive and protective of Poppy and I was happy to see that sense of protectiveness be reciprocated by Poppy. It shows that there is trust and affection on both sides of the relationship that wasn't as present there before. Newly married to Casteel, Poppy takes a more active role in Atlantian politics as a new royal family member. She is an outsider and we get to see how she handles opposition to her new role. She has a newfound sense of confidence and independence and her naiveté is mostly gone. She handles obstacles in the plot with maturity and is as vicious as Casteel when she needs to be, which was great to see.
My main issues with the book were pertaining to the flirting between Casteel and Poppy sometimes occurring at inappropriate times. In additoin, I would have liked to spend more time with side characters like Kieran. Everyone in Atlantia is interesting and I feel that as the world continues to be development we'll also learn more about side characters. Overall, a solid installment and I'm looking forward to more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Violence
Moderate: Death and Torture
Minor: Sexual assault and Slavery
Sex scenes featuring voyeurism.baexlee's review
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-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
2.25
I had really high hopes for this book. When I first got it delivered I actually waited until I finished my re-read of the first two books in the series before I started because I enjoyed those so much. While overall I enjoyed reading this and it was a continuation of the story, it felt like a downgrade from what I had been enjoying previously. Perhaps it was the mindset that I was going into it with, but overall the plot feels convoluted and confusing and some of the character choices are difficult to reconcile with the idea of them I had from previous installments like Casteel deciding to Ascend Poppy, risks be damned, when she was killed being freed from the Unseen, and he despite his hatred for the Ascended he would kill anyone who tried to kill her even if she was no longer the same? It felt so out of character and it is explained away with Heartmates which is also weakly explained and followed through with. The impact just isn't there.
Nothing feels planned out at all, and the twists feel like they were decided as they were happening and it really just leaves me wanting more. There are some glaring editing errors that just made me feel like the entire thing was rushed (if you want an example of what I'm talking about look at the contradiction that is written one sentence after something is stated on page 639) This installment honestly feels almost wholly separate from the other installments in the series in some ways. It does manage to shine in other regards though.
The main reason that I don't give this a rating lower than a 2 is that the romance is still steamy and Poppy and Casteel still manage to steal my breath away, which is always a redeeming factor, and in addition to that the relationship between Poppy and the wolven is interesting and developed. There was enough that reminded me of the previous installments, well planted call backs and genuinely laugh out loud heart warming moments that I have hope the story can be redeemed in later installments, but as it currently stands I'm nervous to see where Poppy's Crown will take her.
Nothing feels planned out at all, and the twists feel like they were decided as they were happening and it really just leaves me wanting more. There are some glaring editing errors that just made me feel like the entire thing was rushed (if you want an example of what I'm talking about look at the contradiction that is written one sentence after something is stated on page 639) This installment honestly feels almost wholly separate from the other installments in the series in some ways. It does manage to shine in other regards though.
The main reason that I don't give this a rating lower than a 2 is that the romance is still steamy and Poppy and Casteel still manage to steal my breath away, which is always a redeeming factor, and in addition to that the relationship between Poppy and the wolven is interesting and developed. There was enough that reminded me of the previous installments, well planted call backs and genuinely laugh out loud heart warming moments that I have hope the story can be redeemed in later installments, but as it currently stands I'm nervous to see where Poppy's Crown will take her.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Sexual content, Blood, and Grief
Moderate: Child death, Kidnapping, and Death of parent
Minor: Infidelity and Torture