Reviews

This book has so much potential!

Only whenI was nearly done, I found out the book was self-published, which made a lot of sense, because there's a definite lack of editor going on here.

And it's heartbreaking, because the world and the stories has a ridiculous amount of potential. Between all the awkward word choices, strange sentences and a lot of "tell, not show", it was sometimes difficult to stay immersed in the story. The writing style was inconsistent, too, which showed most clearly when her 1st person POV knew stuff she could never have known, or when the character she usually wrote in 1st person, suddenly was written in 3rd person, and back again.

The story itself is very fascinating, however, which is why I kept reading. The world-building is fascinating when done right, but there's a lot happening and not all of it is consistent. There's a language and pronunciation guide, which is sadly incomplete. And there are A LOT of characters, sadly too many to keep track of.

I did enjoy myself, but it was painfully obvious that it was a) her first book and b) not edited. I hope she finds someone who can be a bit more critical of her work for the next book, because the potential is glorious. There's a lot that was left on the cutting room floor, and a lot that should have been left on the cutting room floor. Things that definitely need to end up on the cutting room floor: words like pup, mate and male/female. Also if I never have to read the phrase "divine shit" instead of "holy shit" again, it'll be too soon.

All in all, I enjoyed myself, and I desperately hope the second book is better in its writing!

threemorechapters's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

frouvdc's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional slow-paced

2.5

I liked the fantasy build and it was all well thought. Though for me it was a bit to much plus why was there alwasy someone crying every 10 pages?

helenace13's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I have honestly never wanted to not finish a book because it was so good. From the descriptions to the world-building and characters, everything fit together perfectly. But most importantly, this isn't a story with a happy ending. This is a story about revenge, about rage, pure blind rage.
Though the ending was amazing, I found myself feeling at home in the middle. The middle was safe and happy, but of course that can't last.

jordan131's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced

1.0

lynndvh's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

4.5

xpemphredo's review against another edition

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5.0

“I couldn’t stand the iron taste in my mouth, the blood that had already started to dry on my silk nightgown. How something in me needed to taste that blood - liked it. Something monstrous. I couldn’t stop lashing out at the lifeless body underneath me, slipping deep into madness. I really was nothing but a beast.”

Many thanks to Lauren for the arc in exchange for an honest review! :)

I’ve longed for a good female villain origin story - and this book did not disappoint in the slightest.

In short, if you want:

• immersive world-building;
• gods, nymphs and daemons;
• relatable, fully-fleshed out characters with their own backstories;
• remarkable humor;
• a book that will make you cry, laugh, scream because you are so invested;

then you need to read a curse of crows.

Now onto the real review (warning: slight maybe massive spoilers ahead):

✶ Storyline ✶

The story follows our two main characters, Diana and Aedlynn. Starting with Aedlynn, who’s been trained to be an assassin since she was a mere sixteen years old now works under king Lorcan’s reign. Unhappy with her current position, her life doesn’t get easier when she meets Kaelena, who changes her life in ways she did not anticipate.

By the time we meet Diana, she’s in desperate need of some divine intervention. She prays for help to the god of malevolence, Keres, whose reputation precedes himself. Not expecting to be heard, it comes as quite a surprise to her when he does, in fact, show up in front of her – but he isn’t quite the god she expected him to be.

By a turn of events, our two main characters end up crossing paths and connecting in ways they never expected – both feeling a certain affinity towards each other due to similar life experiences and connecting on a deeper level. I’m really trying my best here to not spoil anything from the storyline but still convey that this is a story with romance, friendship, strong family bonds, betrayal, action, plot twists you may or may not see coming – and so, SO much more.

✶ Inspiration & themes ✶

• Feminism: having two strong female leads and lots of other strong, independent women makes this a pleasure to read and relate to.
• LGBT: without saying too much, there is a decent amount of representation without making a fuss about sexuality in this universe. It’s such a breath of fresh air knowing it isn’t made as something of a spectacle, an oddity.
• Gods/daemons & myths: I think this goes without saying – Lauren created an intricate world full of amazing lore about major gods and daemons. I really had to stay focused to keep up with all the different deities and their role in the story – but that’s to be expected with a high fantasy book such as this one.

✶ Storytelling ✶

The author has a way of immersing you truly and fully into the story and its world. I absolutely felt for the characters; wept when they were hurt, screamed when they were in danger and laughed when they were happy. Lauren’s writing feels very poetic and very descriptive without being too bloated. She really brought her characters to life, the smut is very impressive, and the battle scenes felt like true action scenes that played out in front of me.

✶ Characters ✶

• Aedlynn (POV): A strong, powerful, loyal woman who is slow to trust but is determined and brave and goes through the biggest character development in the book to the point that she would die for her people.

“Don’t ever allow them to forget yourself.”

• Diana (POV): Our sweet, loveable cinnamon roll. Diana also went through quite some character development and growth herself in this book. She went from being that frail, insecure shell of a being and truly transformed herself inside and out – whether for better or worse. I’m very interested in seeing how her storyline will continue in the second book.

"You call me beautiful like it's my name."

Other characters who deserve an honorable mention because they made quite the impression one way or another:

Keres, the malevolent god, loml. Kaelena, charismatic and irresistible. Alois, daddy - that is all. Eva, my sarcastic spirit animal. Yael, strong and beautiful. Lorcán, for being so easy to hate. Eiran, for stealing my heart. And many, many more.

✶ Relationships ✶

I’ve never been so torn between certain relationships, and felt such betrayal at certain developments in a specific relationship. The highlight for me were Diana and Keres. The chemistry between them was palpable and the build-up, the will-they, won’t-they vibes and the slow build-up were everything. I was screaming at my book when they finally got together.

But another main theme in this book was ultimately friendship, family and finding oneself. When Diana, who has been alone and lost her entire life, finally finds her family (by blood and by honor) everything really falls into place. My number one relationship in this book is the one between Aedlynn and Diana, as they are practically sisters to one another.

“I wished I’d met him sooner, that younger me had had such a kind friend when she’d desperately needed one. But I had him now, as well as my other friends. I wasn’t that lonely girl anymore.”

“Who knew where my Fate would take me?”

I whole-heartedly recommend picking this book up once it gets released mid-September, as I already can’t wait to read its sequel!

(5/5 stars, it’s been a while since I’ve been so windswept by a story that I devoured it in so little time)

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