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jessdone's review against another edition
4.0
This series has a lot of interesting elements and I look forward to their development.
prunechips's review
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Violence and War
neelix's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
heameljon's review against another edition
4.0
As the series progresses you learn that Briand takes a stand, refusing to actually join the rebel of forces of the exiled Prince, while continuing to aid them on their missions. She eventually meets the Prince, who we learn is devious and untrustworthy in-spite of the fact that he maintains the unrelenting faithfulness of his followers; a prime example of this unwavering loyalty being Kael. No story is complete without a love triangle.....of sorts or at least I think it wants to be a love triangle. Briand and Kael fall in love. A long the way Briand develops a love hate relationship with a Seeker. A Seeker is an individual with special powers - be they the ability to heal, read other's minds, etc. The Seekers are tools of the Monarchist's cause and work for the evil Prince. The Seeker Auberon and Briand have formed an unwanted connection. At points in the story they become unlikely allies, working together to solve a shared problem, and yet at the end of the alliance each looks for opportunity to betray the other. The reader learns that Auberon has had a troubled past. I am going to just come out and admit I am full-on team Auberon. I think I have a thing for bad boys. Don't get me wrong, I love Kael and all his goodness, but Auberon is a troubled bad boy looking for someone to understand him. If we are being honest Auberon and Briand share a lot of similar life experiences and can relate on a level she cannot with Kael. A couple of times now Ellison has lead me to believe that something special was building between Briand and Auberon but I am really starting to wonder if the romance isn't all in my head. I guess we will see.
Right now there are 6 completed books in the Kingmaker's War with book 7 due out October 29th, 2018. I read the first 4 books in two days. The story drew me in from the first sentence. As a bonus these books are available via Kindle Unlimited.
Books in the series:
A Gift of Poison (Book 1)
A Bed of Blades (Book 2)
A Kiss of Treason (Book 3)
A Circle of Flames (Book 4)
A Shield of Sorrow (Book 5)
A Court of Lies (Book 6)
A Reign of Thieves (Book 7 - Due Out Soon)
Grammar - 3
There are a few minor grammatical issues with these books. It is not overwhelming but a couple of times I found myself re-reading a sentence. Words were missing or in the wrong place. If this is something you find to be problematic then it might be an issue for you but in the grand scheme of things it was not a deal breaker.
Plot - 4.5
I love the story. A young woman who has had to struggle in life to survive. She eventually finds herself and her purpose. Along the way she develops her own identity and her own belief system. Briand learns to read, she becomes educated, she learns to fight, she sees the world, she finds a cause that she supports without getting lost in that cause, and she becomes an individual. She takes the skills she used to survive as a young teen and uses those tools to make her mark on the world.
Believability - 4.5
The story is fantasy. It is a wonderfully made up world with dragons and other imaginary creatures. Ellison has built an environment for these characters and creatures to live in. I believe that sometime or somewhere this world and these people could exist.
Cover - 3.5
The covers are nice but don't have that "wow" factor. As a person who has historically been drawn to a book by it's cover I might not have taken a second look if it wasn't for my already familiarity with the author. I loved Kate Avery Ellison's Frost series and was already onboard for the Kingmakers War regardless of the way the covers looked.
Ending - 4.5
The story has not yet concluded so the ending is really not a factor to consider at this point. Each book is definitely not a stand alone. The story flows effortlessly from book to book and a reader needs to read from the beginning to fully understand the storyline.
Price Value - 4.5
For me they were free with Kindle Unlimited and you can't beat free. If you do not have Kindle Unlimited the price is relatively low and the books are well worth the cost.
Overall - 4.5
I am in love with this series. I downloaded the first book when it came out and forgot it was in my kindle until a couple of weeks ago when I rediscovered it Labor Day weekend. I love all the characters, even the ones I don't think I am supposed to. Sometimes when a series has this many books I find one that I will struggle to complete at least one of the books but each book in this series has been truly engaging.
I highly recommend this series and wait with baited breath for the next installment.
aworldshapedbybooks's review
3.0
Do you hate sequels that start up immediately after the last book ended? Then this is the sequel for you because I'm still unsure on the timeline. Synopsis says two years after the end of book one so we'll go with that, but yes they told Briand they would be coming back but plot twist they didn't and she's been on her own for over a year now. When her paths cross with Kael again, she's quickly thrown back into her role working with a cause she really isn't all that passionate about. She has to choose where her loyalties lay and decide how best to use her powers.
I don't think I liked this book all that much more than the first, but I boosted it to three stars because Briand was a lot easier to handle. Everyone didn't just hate her for no reason, a lot of the characters actually liked her. I wish everyone would stop calling her a guttersnipe as that's not really all that congruent with her mannerism nor her familial ties but you win some you lose some.
I'm still not sure if I would call it a fantasy romance because the romance doesn't even really start till like 70 percent into the book. It's essential to the story line but also somehow simultaneously non-essential. All, props to this book because I don't find the characters particularly lovable but I'm desperate to know Kael's identity/what happened with the Hermit so I'm definitely going to keep reading despite the flaws. I think there's a lot of potential for the story could go if we commit to the plot progression a little more firmly. Also, these are ten pretty short books and I think a lot more could be accomplished with like four or five average length books. If they all weren't immediately available to me on KU it would be a lot more annoying though. I'm not sure if I'm recommending the series, it's great for unfocused reading but a little weak regarding fantasy.
This review and all my others can be found at: https://aworldshapedbybooks.blogspot.com/