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asorg1989's review
4.0
When I first started this book I wasn’t sure I would be finishing it. But boy am I glad that I pushed through and continued on because once the action started it just kept going! Through the book your feelings morph and change consistently on each character. Whatever you feel about them is not how you will feel at the end! So many ups and downs, so many times when the situation felt so dire and as if there was no way out. It was so hard to feel hope at a solution towards the end, but Lis and her merry men made it happen! I can not wait for the second book to see how this storm continues on, as well as how these relationships expand and develop!
*I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily*
*I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily*
heathersfantasyreads's review
4.0
I requested this book because of the cover, the cover caught my eye because it is absolutely gorgeous.
I loved the in-depth world building and character building it’s so different from anything I’ve read and that is a great thing!
Liseya is a strong woman and the heiress to the family business, she’s portrayed as shy girl trying to take over the family business but she is so much more than that and she’s tired of being controlled by men.
I loved this book and cannot wait until next year when book 2 comes out.
I loved the in-depth world building and character building it’s so different from anything I’ve read and that is a great thing!
Liseya is a strong woman and the heiress to the family business, she’s portrayed as shy girl trying to take over the family business but she is so much more than that and she’s tired of being controlled by men.
I loved this book and cannot wait until next year when book 2 comes out.
samanthainfantasyworld's review
4.0
✨ARC REVIEW ✨
First I want to say how happy and thankful I am that I was able to read this book. I really enjoyed this book! I loved the female main character and all the other main characters in the book. Definitely like a “mafia” dark romance fantasy book! Such a different twist and I really liked it. WARNING it is very spicy so if you like spice and fantasy this is definitely for you. Not too long especially for a fantasy book and I definitely loved the world building. This is isn’t your typical fantasy book and that’s what I think makes this book! I would definitely recommend!
First I want to say how happy and thankful I am that I was able to read this book. I really enjoyed this book! I loved the female main character and all the other main characters in the book. Definitely like a “mafia” dark romance fantasy book! Such a different twist and I really liked it. WARNING it is very spicy so if you like spice and fantasy this is definitely for you. Not too long especially for a fantasy book and I definitely loved the world building. This is isn’t your typical fantasy book and that’s what I think makes this book! I would definitely recommend!
retrogirlreads's review
5.0
“The Desert Heiress” by Shoshana Rain is the first book in her newest series, The Seven Star Empire, and I thought it was completely and utterly brilliant. The world building was both intricate and wonderfully written, and the world itself was extremely unique as well. Liseya “Lis” Moroeste, the heroine, was bold, confident, snarky, and intelligent - I really enjoyed reading about her. There were three other POV characters - Deo, Adrian, and Filip - who were important to the plot, and I thought they each had a unique personality and different characteristics that made them interesting. I thought the banter between the POV characters was amazing, and the author constantly surprised me with all of the plot twists that happened in this book as well. To sum it up, I thought this book was incredible and addicting… I can’t wait to see what happens next!
morganleigh4's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
atrailofpages's review against another edition
3.0
Lis is the heir to her grandfather’s empire and so when he dies suddenly and she’s now tasked with being the new arbitress, she has to learn how to take on this new role officially while also trying to clear her name after being accused of being a part of a smuggling ring by the Council and try to work with the three men who work with her or bring them down to gain all the power.
Some things I really enjoyed: the world is amazing! So well built! It’s like an old western tied and mixed with religion and a form of the mafia. It’s intriguing and then set in a desert with a substance called the Sun Rose that grows in this particular arid region that is distilled into vials that can give you super strength, super speed or super perception. And then we have the smugglers who smuggle the Sun Rose beneath the nose of the Council who run the actually selling of the Sun Rose, it’s just an interesting and unique world and setting!
I really enjoyed the romance, for the most part. I would say that Deo and Adrian are my favorite characters. Adrian is that comedic relief and Deo is that unexpected dark horse that you think you know him and then he does something unexpected. I also really liked Filip, the alpha-hole if you will of the group, but he also you can’t help but like. There is one particular romance I REALLY loved in this book, and I’m not gonna say who because it came as a surprise to me, but I loved it and want to see more!
The story is really good too. I would say the first half is very slow going helping us learn about the world, the politics of the world, how the organizations and empires are run, as well as learn about all the main characters. And then at the half way mark, things happen that escalate very fast and I read the last half of the book very fast! There are secrets and betrayals(that were sooo obviously going to happen) but it made for an action packed ending!
Now, I don’t give any names away or details, but it might be a bit spoilers below….
What I didn’t like was our main female character Lis. She started out so strong and strong willed. She knew what she wanted and wasn’t letting anyone sway her. Something happens in here that literally just proves how naive she is taking over this empire and it made me so mad because she acts like she’s got it under control and you’re like “okay yah she does”, and then she does something so monumentally stupid because of a few pretty words and literally proves how naive and unfit she is. It was severely disappointing to me, especially when she still seemed to be okay with what happened at the end and it just made me cringe. I liked her till that point and I’ve not recovered since. There is also a misunderstanding that Lis does not take the time to ask about and instead makes assumptions and well, I don’t like that trope at all.
I really liked the story and some of the romance in here, but if I don’t like the main character, it’s hard for me to enjoy the rest of the book to the full. I’m not sure I’ll continue this series because I’m pretty sure it’s not going to go the way I will enjoy based on how it ended and I cannot bring myself to suffer through Lis’ bad decisions or thoughts/opinions again.
I received a free digital copy to read. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Some things I really enjoyed: the world is amazing! So well built! It’s like an old western tied and mixed with religion and a form of the mafia. It’s intriguing and then set in a desert with a substance called the Sun Rose that grows in this particular arid region that is distilled into vials that can give you super strength, super speed or super perception. And then we have the smugglers who smuggle the Sun Rose beneath the nose of the Council who run the actually selling of the Sun Rose, it’s just an interesting and unique world and setting!
I really enjoyed the romance, for the most part. I would say that Deo and Adrian are my favorite characters. Adrian is that comedic relief and Deo is that unexpected dark horse that you think you know him and then he does something unexpected. I also really liked Filip, the alpha-hole if you will of the group, but he also you can’t help but like. There is one particular romance I REALLY loved in this book, and I’m not gonna say who because it came as a surprise to me, but I loved it and want to see more!
The story is really good too. I would say the first half is very slow going helping us learn about the world, the politics of the world, how the organizations and empires are run, as well as learn about all the main characters. And then at the half way mark, things happen that escalate very fast and I read the last half of the book very fast! There are secrets and betrayals(that were sooo obviously going to happen) but it made for an action packed ending!
Now, I don’t give any names away or details, but it might be a bit spoilers below….
What I didn’t like was our main female character Lis. She started out so strong and strong willed. She knew what she wanted and wasn’t letting anyone sway her. Something happens in here that literally just proves how naive she is taking over this empire and it made me so mad because she acts like she’s got it under control and you’re like “okay yah she does”, and then she does something so monumentally stupid because of a few pretty words and literally proves how naive and unfit she is. It was severely disappointing to me, especially when she still seemed to be okay with what happened at the end and it just made me cringe. I liked her till that point and I’ve not recovered since. There is also a misunderstanding that Lis does not take the time to ask about and instead makes assumptions and well, I don’t like that trope at all.
I really liked the story and some of the romance in here, but if I don’t like the main character, it’s hard for me to enjoy the rest of the book to the full. I’m not sure I’ll continue this series because I’m pretty sure it’s not going to go the way I will enjoy based on how it ended and I cannot bring myself to suffer through Lis’ bad decisions or thoughts/opinions again.
I received a free digital copy to read. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
moodyreadsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
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? Yes
4.5
bookitallaway's review
4.0
I enjoyed a lot of things about this book. It did take a minute for me to get wrapped up into the story, but once I did I was hooked for the ride. I loved how literally everyone was queer. It was confusing and surprisingly delightful at the same time!
What I liked:
--- I loved the portrayal of how different people were extremely prejudiced against others. It was well done.
--- The characters were fun. One of them was kinda too annoying/labrador and didn't fit with the persona he played but it wasn't bad enough to be a negative.
--- The world was not over the top style and it was so descriptive that it was very easy to paint a picture in my mind. I love when books can make it so colorful that I don't have to try to imagine the story very hard.
---The power dynamics were done really well bc I found myself being frustrated with our MFC.
--- Hello potential for a why choose/reverse harem!!!! I was extremely surprised and pleased by this.
What I didn't like:
--- I felt like it took forever to get the ball rolling. I had a hard time staying focused at first.
--- I didn't understand the 'whys' on the power plays that were involved, but maybe the next book will explain this better
--- The ending had me scratching my head in confusion....I can't give spoilers but I kinda eye-rolled it, but again, maybe the next book will explain more and it won't be as much of a sticking point for me
--- One or two of the character backgrounds wasn't explained super well and so their bond was hard to relate to and/or believe
--- More character development needed but we may get more of this in book 2
Overall a great, well done story! I'll definitely read the next book when it comes out!
Spice: 4/5
Plot: 4/5
Character Dev: 3.5/5
Overall: 4/5
What I liked:
--- I loved the portrayal of how different people were extremely prejudiced against others. It was well done.
--- The characters were fun. One of them was kinda too annoying/labrador and didn't fit with the persona he played but it wasn't bad enough to be a negative.
--- The world was not over the top style and it was so descriptive that it was very easy to paint a picture in my mind. I love when books can make it so colorful that I don't have to try to imagine the story very hard.
---The power dynamics were done really well bc I found myself being frustrated with our MFC.
--- Hello potential for a why choose/reverse harem!!!! I was extremely surprised and pleased by this.
What I didn't like:
--- I felt like it took forever to get the ball rolling. I had a hard time staying focused at first.
--- I didn't understand the 'whys' on the power plays that were involved, but maybe the next book will explain this better
--- The ending had me scratching my head in confusion....I can't give spoilers but I kinda eye-rolled it, but again, maybe the next book will explain more and it won't be as much of a sticking point for me
--- One or two of the character backgrounds wasn't explained super well and so their bond was hard to relate to and/or believe
--- More character development needed but we may get more of this in book 2
Overall a great, well done story! I'll definitely read the next book when it comes out!
Spice: 4/5
Plot: 4/5
Character Dev: 3.5/5
Overall: 4/5
opal_rose_reader's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
alice_jensen27's review
4.0
I received this book as an ARC:
The opinions of this book are completely my own and only just that.
This book did take me a full week to read, because of the world building. The story and plot was all there just didn’t get to the good action and plot twists until a little halfway through the book which is the reason for me 4 stars. Other then that the writing was very exceptional, the religion and beliefs that went into this book were very thought out and very interesting.
I really enjoyed this book once the turn of events took place and I couldn’t put it down after that. Once I hit the halfway mark I had it finished in less then a day due to the story line really taking a turn and I was along for the ride. When this book releases I do strongly recommend it, I think it’s a great start to a series.
If you feel yourself doubting just push forward because it is worth it.
Shoshana you did a beautiful job writing and building these characters, the personalities/actions were excellent. There was a lot of love you put into this and the ending made it all worthwhile. I’m excited to read book 2, thank you so much for trusting me with such a beautiful story.
The opinions of this book are completely my own and only just that.
This book did take me a full week to read, because of the world building. The story and plot was all there just didn’t get to the good action and plot twists until a little halfway through the book which is the reason for me 4 stars. Other then that the writing was very exceptional, the religion and beliefs that went into this book were very thought out and very interesting.
I really enjoyed this book once the turn of events took place and I couldn’t put it down after that. Once I hit the halfway mark I had it finished in less then a day due to the story line really taking a turn and I was along for the ride. When this book releases I do strongly recommend it, I think it’s a great start to a series.
If you feel yourself doubting just push forward because it is worth it.
Shoshana you did a beautiful job writing and building these characters, the personalities/actions were excellent. There was a lot of love you put into this and the ending made it all worthwhile. I’m excited to read book 2, thank you so much for trusting me with such a beautiful story.