egurgens's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Although a very short book, this mulan-esc story includes magic, woman-disguised-as-a-man, loss, and love. Alexa, or Alex as she is known to her other soldiers, disguised herself as a boy to avoid being sent to the breeding house, like all other female orphans. The male orphans are sent to the barracks to serve in the war. Her twin brother came up with the plan, as she was already a better swordsman than him, and was easy enough to pull off, when she was initially 14. As she makes her way through the ranks, she and her brother get placed in the prince-guard, to protect the crown prince from harm. Her body has continued to develop, resulting in her struggle to bind her breasts, hide her curves, and lower her voice. She is the best of the elite guard, and the time comes when the prince is threatened, and she is responsible for his watch. Through her years of guarding him, Prince Damien has always seemed lazy, smug, and pretentious. However, she gets to know him better, and actually begins to not hate him. When enemy sorcerers come to kidnap him, Alex finds herself and fellow guard Rylan taken as well, as prisoners of the sorcerer state, Blevon. Not everything is as it seems, and everyone has secrets that they are desperate to hide. Damien isn't who Alex thought he was, and it seems that everyone knows her secret. What does she do when both men in her life express affection for her? Who will she pick? How will she get Prince Damien out of Blevon and back home? What will she have to do to protect herself, and those she loves?
My only complaint is that I can’t really see how there can be a whole other book in this series. Everything seems to have been tied up in a pretty bow. The only thing left is the romantic situation, and I don’t think that requires a whole book to fix. To be determined if the other books are any good.
My only complaint is that I can’t really see how there can be a whole other book in this series. Everything seems to have been tied up in a pretty bow. The only thing left is the romantic situation, and I don’t think that requires a whole book to fix. To be determined if the other books are any good.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, and Violence
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Trafficking, Violence, and War
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