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alizardbreath716's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Self harm, Violence, and Colonisation
Moderate: Sexual harassment
clara_h39's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
A really solid fantasy novel with just a tad of romance. If you like a predominantly plot based fantasy book with a lighter focus on romance (enemies to lovers), you’ll enjoy this. Honestly I’m not sure the romance was absolutely necessary for the plot but it wasn’t that out of place for the genre. Keera is a really great female protagonist who is fierce and fighting the good fight; a bit cliche at times but overall very well motivated and detailed character. I can’t wait to see her journey through the rest of the saga. The side characters are absolutely amazing too- I ‘love to hate’ Damien and the king, and I love sweet ones like Gwyn too. Overall a great book and looking forward to the next one, but it’s nothing extremely memorable for me personally (that sounds mean but just imo). (Also this book reminds me of the hunger games vaguely with its theme of converting the heroine to overthrowing the government)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Genocide, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape, Slavery, and Torture
mari1532's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I first learned about this book series from @fromthemixedupdesk on Instagram. Luckily my library had a copy of this audiobook so I could listen and see if I agreed with the positive reviews. Unsurprisingly, I really enjoyed this book. This story has political intrigue, romance, morally grey characters and eat-the-rich vibes. Blair has created a complex world with layered dynamics between complicated characters. The tension and drama had me devouring this book and excited me for the next three installments.
Due to Blair's vivid writing, I bonded with Keera throughout the story and the more I learned about her the more endearing she became. I am emotionally invested in her as a character and will greedily read the entire series emotionally invested in the outcome. I also enjoyed the romance subplot that Keera was a part of. The care that Keera's love interest has for her and their emphasis on consent was refreshing.
I picked up on enough context clues beforehand to see a few of the plot twists coming, so they did not shock me. That being said I am intrigued about how Blair is going to bring all the threads of the plot together. It is clear that Blair has a vision for the world and Keera and I am intrigued to see where this is all going.
I will say it was a little confusing keeping track of how old each of the characters was. Overall I do not think this distracts from the plot of the story, but it keeps coming up so I think that it might be important. The importance of age concerns the potential revelations about Keera. I hope it's more fleshed out in the next book.
Overall, this is what I want from a series starter, something that is exciting to read and makes me emotionally invested as a reader. Blair has accomplished that with this book and I look forward to reading more.
Due to Blair's vivid writing, I bonded with Keera throughout the story and the more I learned about her the more endearing she became. I am emotionally invested in her as a character and will greedily read the entire series emotionally invested in the outcome. I also enjoyed the romance subplot that Keera was a part of. The care that Keera's love interest has for her and their emphasis on consent was refreshing.
I picked up on enough context clues beforehand to see a few of the plot twists coming, so they did not shock me. That being said I am intrigued about how Blair is going to bring all the threads of the plot together. It is clear that Blair has a vision for the world and Keera and I am intrigued to see where this is all going.
I will say it was a little confusing keeping track of how old each of the characters was. Overall I do not think this distracts from the plot of the story, but it keeps coming up so I think that it might be important. The importance of age concerns the potential revelations about Keera. I hope it's more fleshed out in the next book.
Overall, this is what I want from a series starter, something that is exciting to read and makes me emotionally invested as a reader. Blair has accomplished that with this book and I look forward to reading more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Misogyny, Self harm, Slavery, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Sexual content and Sexual harassment
Minor: Sexual violence
pointeshoebookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
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
I have mixed feelings about this book. I know it's incredibly popular on social media, but I feel like it had such potential but ultimately fell into tropes or mirrored other popular books. Towards the end of the book I kept on wondering when it would end, as the plot for the first book had wrapped up, but it kept on going.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Islamophobia, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
corsetedfeminist's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is so much fun.
I have to admit that it took a little bit for me to truly be invested in the characters, but once I was I read the whole thing through without stopping.
I think this is the perfect middle ground between romantasy and straight fantasy. There is a romance, sure. There’s even a few hints of spice. But there’s also really well done discussions of politics and race and marginalization. But the plot itself moves along briskly despite those deeper topics being woven in.
I love Keera so much. In many ways I think her brilliance as a main character is that she’s allowed to be what so many male main characters have been in fantasy before. She’s not magically better than everyone else at fighting, she has been trained for decades until she is the best. She doesn’t hesitate to kill, but she does end up an alcoholic over it and has to drag herself to sobriety. She is harsh and calculating and doesn’t trust anyone. And yet, she can be soft and tender- with her Shades, with the halflings in general, with Gwyn. Her position as someone who technically has power and yet practically is controlled every step of the way by the king is also very well written.
I didn’t like Riven until the very end, and I’m still not his biggest fan (he’s not worthy of my Keera yet) but he is very well written- the well intentioned revolutionary who is extremely slow to trust even when it would benefit him and wants the best for everyone but doesn’t always know how to get it.
I did love Syrra. A woman who has devoted her life to being a warrior? Yes please. Give me more. Her scene with a very hungover Keera was one of my favorites in the book for sheer emotion- two women with blood on their hands struggling with the weight of it all.
Oh, and Nikolai. Every revolution needs “playboy who is very smart but useless in battle.”
I’m really looking forward to how the complexities of revolution and racial equality are handled going forward. This book has set up the best discussion of those issues I’ve ever seen in fiction.
The only reason I’m not already reading the second book is that I have to wait for it on Libby, but it shouldn’t be too long.
I have to admit that it took a little bit for me to truly be invested in the characters, but once I was I read the whole thing through without stopping.
I think this is the perfect middle ground between romantasy and straight fantasy. There is a romance, sure. There’s even a few hints of spice. But there’s also really well done discussions of politics and race and marginalization. But the plot itself moves along briskly despite those deeper topics being woven in.
I love Keera so much. In many ways I think her brilliance as a main character is that she’s allowed to be what so many male main characters have been in fantasy before. She’s not magically better than everyone else at fighting, she has been trained for decades until she is the best. She doesn’t hesitate to kill, but she does end up an alcoholic over it and has to drag herself to sobriety. She is harsh and calculating and doesn’t trust anyone. And yet, she can be soft and tender- with her Shades, with the halflings in general, with Gwyn. Her position as someone who technically has power and yet practically is controlled every step of the way by the king is also very well written.
I didn’t like Riven until the very end, and I’m still not his biggest fan (he’s not worthy of my Keera yet) but he is very well written- the well intentioned revolutionary who is extremely slow to trust even when it would benefit him and wants the best for everyone but doesn’t always know how to get it.
I did love Syrra. A woman who has devoted her life to being a warrior? Yes please. Give me more. Her scene with a very hungover Keera was one of my favorites in the book for sheer emotion- two women with blood on their hands struggling with the weight of it all.
Oh, and Nikolai. Every revolution needs “playboy who is very smart but useless in battle.”
I’m really looking forward to how the complexities of revolution and racial equality are handled going forward. This book has set up the best discussion of those issues I’ve ever seen in fiction.
The only reason I’m not already reading the second book is that I have to wait for it on Libby, but it shouldn’t be too long.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Racism, Self harm, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
fr3ckls's review against another edition
4.25
i find keera such a breath of fresh air. she was complex, brave and smart, struggling with her past and her traumas but still so caring for those around her.
i found the side characters compelling and interesting as well, although i felt like sometimes the writting was to descriptive.
i found the side characters compelling and interesting as well, although i felt like sometimes the writting was to descriptive.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Self harm, Violence, and Sexual harassment
sasclostchild's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
So the first third of the book was very depressing, focusing on our protagonist living the American dream: doing a shitty job they don't like to barely live and to drown their sorrows in alcohol, all while harming a lot of people.
She then turns her life around by quitting alcohol (good for her) and siding with a rebellious group to eat the rich.
This is all accompanied by a very icky straight romance which is not icky because it's straight (although that is a sad part because i was hoping for a sapphic romance but that only exists in a short flashback) but because the dude forces himself on her all the time and the only chemistry they have is some weird interaction between their types of magic that acts as an aphrodisiac making them horny for each other.She still somehow falls in horny because idk if you can call drug addled make outs love
Then the book also fails to close its main arc during the book but fuck I'm not buying the second book.
Still 2.25, because the unfinished story got kinda interesting in the second half
This is all accompanied by a very icky straight romance which is not icky because it's straight (although that is a sad part because i was hoping for a sapphic romance but that only exists in a short flashback) but because the dude forces himself on her all the time and the only chemistry they have is some weird interaction between their types of magic that acts as an aphrodisiac making them horny for each other.
Then the book also fails to close its main arc during the book but fuck I'm not buying the second book.
Still 2.25, because the unfinished story got kinda interesting in the second half
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Trafficking, Murder, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship
katscradle's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I thought the main romance would be sapphic... it's not </3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm and Violence
Moderate: Addiction and Sexual harassment
stormbringer52's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
2.5
My thoughts toward this book are complicated.
The beginning is incredibly heavy. It felt like the author was relying too much on exposition, using it to try and cram how bad the world is down our throats rather than actually showing us. It made living in this world seem almost cartoonishly horrible withdescriptions of dead and starving people lining the streets . This method undercut the characterization of both the protagonist, Keera, and the major antagonist, King Aemon.
With Keera, the author was simultaneously making sure we knew that she was a badass but also beating us over the head with the fact that her life as the King’s Blade has been horrific. Like with the world, this was mostly told to us. Keera's internal monologue switches back and forth between arrogant bravado and utter despair in a way that feels disjointed and unconvincing.I also found it unrealistic that she had been the King's best assassin for 30 years but had been a raging alcoholic for 20 of those years, but that is neither here nor there. Keera's exposition gives us a clear picture of who King Aemon is, showcasing the terrible things he has done and how he feels no remorse over them. This sets him up as a good antagonist. However, in the narrative itself, he is presented simply as a monarch who is stressed about the existence of a rebellious force within his kingdom. We do not actually see him perform any horrendous acts.
However, as the book progresses, the presentation of events becomes more balanced. We leave behind Keera's downtrodden monologue and are actually brought into the present, watching events unfold. We actually meet characters who are impacted by events, and Keera starts to show the effects of her life rather than just tell them to us. The actual plot of the book is revealed, and it is intriguing and compelling. It became interesting. Keera improved as a character for me when she was part of an ensemble cast and had to interact with others.
Now, it is a romantasy book. The romance subplot actually develops somewhat naturally, but it is completely tarnished by inappropriate moments of sexual tension that detract from otherwise serious scenes. The relationship between the leads starts from a point of mutual mistrust, and they gradually get closer as assumptions are broken down. There is a steady progression of the relationship that would otherwise be compelling. However, the constant horniness presenteven during their first fight scene is a major disappointment. Rather than adding anything to these moments, it was a complete disruption that undermined what should have been a tense scene. At one point, I wanted to throw my book across the room.
The book has potential. The plot is interesting, and the cast is diverse and complex. However, the heavy exposition at the beginning and the inappropriate sexual tension completely tarnish it for me. I can't help but leave reading the book with a sour taste in my mouth.
The beginning is incredibly heavy. It felt like the author was relying too much on exposition, using it to try and cram how bad the world is down our throats rather than actually showing us. It made living in this world seem almost cartoonishly horrible with
With Keera, the author was simultaneously making sure we knew that she was a badass but also beating us over the head with the fact that her life as the King’s Blade has been horrific. Like with the world, this was mostly told to us. Keera's internal monologue switches back and forth between arrogant bravado and utter despair in a way that feels disjointed and unconvincing.
However, as the book progresses, the presentation of events becomes more balanced. We leave behind Keera's downtrodden monologue and are actually brought into the present, watching events unfold. We actually meet characters who are impacted by events, and Keera starts to show the effects of her life rather than just tell them to us. The actual plot of the book is revealed, and it is intriguing and compelling. It became interesting. Keera improved as a character for me when she was part of an ensemble cast and had to interact with others.
Now, it is a romantasy book. The romance subplot actually develops somewhat naturally, but it is completely tarnished by inappropriate moments of sexual tension that detract from otherwise serious scenes. The relationship between the leads starts from a point of mutual mistrust, and they gradually get closer as assumptions are broken down. There is a steady progression of the relationship that would otherwise be compelling. However, the constant horniness present
The book has potential. The plot is interesting, and the cast is diverse and complex. However, the heavy exposition at the beginning and the inappropriate sexual tension completely tarnish it for me. I can't help but leave reading the book with a sour taste in my mouth.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Genocide, Self harm, and Slavery
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Classism
Minor: Physical abuse and War
rachelfayreads'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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Genocide, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Colonisation
Moderate: Addiction, Physical abuse, Torture, Trafficking, Kidnapping, and Sexual harassment