Scan barcode
jg34's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.25
I don’t know why but I had low expectations. Maybe because I’ve read a lot of bad romantasy books lately and this is a debut. But I was wrong!
I think this had the perfect mix of romance, intrigue, world building and character growth. But by far I was most surprised by how much I liked the enemies to lovers situation. I was ready to give up on that trope because I often find that the “enemy” backstory is always so over the top and not realistic in other books. But this was deeper and the two characters history made sense to me. I understood what brought them to enemyhood.
And the romance!!! I loved it. A good amount of slow burn. No trivial issues that pulled them apart miscommunication. The stakes felt appropriately high and I was really invested in their story. I was confused about some of the magic and world building but I am pretty sure that is just me not being 100% focused while listening. I can’t wait to see what happens in book 2!
I think this had the perfect mix of romance, intrigue, world building and character growth. But by far I was most surprised by how much I liked the enemies to lovers situation. I was ready to give up on that trope because I often find that the “enemy” backstory is always so over the top and not realistic in other books. But this was deeper and the two characters history made sense to me. I understood what brought them to enemyhood.
And the romance!!! I loved it. A good amount of slow burn. No trivial issues that pulled them apart miscommunication. The stakes felt appropriately high and I was really invested in their story. I was confused about some of the magic and world building but I am pretty sure that is just me not being 100% focused while listening. I can’t wait to see what happens in book 2!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content, Torture, Violence, and War
lakea's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Religious bigotry
moonchild_cos's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing, Sexual content, Death of parent, and War
Minor: Vomit, Abandonment, and Alcohol
volanscore's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Vomit
bookish_hollyx's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Torture, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Vomit
aseel_reads'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I liked the enemies to lover aspect and there were some nice plot twists but overall the plot was a bit broken and confusing at times
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
mattiedancer's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Writing: 4⭐️/5
Alright, the writing is above adequate. At times, it really pushes the characters and plot in a nice, even beautiful, way. I think there were a few moments where the writing fell a bit flat, but overall, I had few issues with the writing.
Characters: 4.5⭐️/5
**Spoilers Below**
Kind of split on this one. On one hand, the characters were incredibly rich and interesting. On the other, it fell a bit into the trope of near-teens being incredibly powerful quickly. Both main characters hold head positions in the kingdom and, at times, act incredibly childish in spite of such prestigious positions. However, the three main characters we follow were fairly well-fleshed and fascinating, making their little immaturities a small issue that I was ready to ignore/accept. I liked the relationship between the characters and how slowly it grew – though maybe that also carried on a bit too long. I did like the fact that the enemies portion of the enemies-to-lovers trope felt real and raw. I really believed that these two people would not love each other.
Plot: 4.5⭐️/5
I want to give the plot a better mark, but the beginning was a lot of convenience in order to get our characters into another country. It was nice to see everyone in their element originally, but, plot-wise, it felt a bit weird where the novel started. I liked the second half of the book a lot more. The stakes increased, the drama unfolded, and our slow-burn romance finally ignited. I will also say there were some twists and turns I wasn’t expecting, or didn’t really think would happen, and I loved not knowing anyone’s next move.
Who Should Read This Book?
- Fans of romance-fantasy novels
- Fans of ACOTAR, TOG, Fourth Wing
- Those looking for plot-first books that still provide a bit of spice 🌶️
Content Warnings?
- Sexual content, blood, violence, murder, death, death of parent, war, torture, kidnapping, grief, vomit
Post-Reading Rating: 5⭐️/5
I am ready to watch this girl burn the world.
Final Rating: 4.25⭐️/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
zimmerlemon's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
Aaah!! I need book 2 asap!!
That was fun. Lots of fun mystery and suspense but not overly confusing. The twists and turns towards the end especially with Aidon back and forth were quite the roller coaster but I’ll take it. I’m such a sucker for will’s type of “it was all for you!!!” vibe, that was solid.
That was fun. Lots of fun mystery and suspense but not overly confusing. The twists and turns towards the end
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Death, Torture, and Violence
bookedandbusy's review against another edition
adventurous
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
4.5
I really enjoyed this one. I didn’t find the world building to be too complicated or hard to follow, and I really loved the characters! That being said, I do feel like the storyline jumped around at times which was a bit confusing. But!! Other than that, absolutely fantastic book and I’ll be reading the second one!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Torture
lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I received this as part of my FairyLoot subscription.
"The Curse of Saints" follows Aya, a Spymaster to the Queen. Aya has sworn a blood oath to the queen, and consequently must protect everyone she fights beside, including her rival, Will. Aya is forced to travel with Will to a nearby kingdom because of rumors that there may be dark magic afoot.
This was so difficult for me to get into, and even once I was remotely invested in the story, I still did not really care what happened to the characters. This book read a lot more YA than I expected, which was slightly disappointing to me. Aya seemed like an immature character and I did not enjoy her perspectives.
I am sure this book will work for someone, but that was just not me.
"The Curse of Saints" follows Aya, a Spymaster to the Queen. Aya has sworn a blood oath to the queen, and consequently must protect everyone she fights beside, including her rival, Will. Aya is forced to travel with Will to a nearby kingdom because of rumors that there may be dark magic afoot.
This was so difficult for me to get into, and even once I was remotely invested in the story, I still did not really care what happened to the characters. This book read a lot more YA than I expected, which was slightly disappointing to me. Aya seemed like an immature character and I did not enjoy her perspectives.
I am sure this book will work for someone, but that was just not me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Blood