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A review by mallotha
White Horse Black Nights by Evie Marceau
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
4.0
I had some cons with this book that prevented it from being as great a read as it could have been, but overall it was engaging and I'll be going on to book 2.
Liked:
- the worldbuilding in general (animal companions, sleeping gods/fae/mythical creatures, magic abilities, aesthetic of the court, the budding political intrigue)
- the main relationship, up to a point - Sabine and Basten/Wolf seem like a great pairing, until they don't
- Lady Godiva/Tristan and Isolde/Guinevere and Lancelot vibes
- Sabine's subtle and somewhat understated character development - the mistakes she makes are quite realistic for someone in her position, but she learns fast and finds a quiet sort of strength that I really appreciate in a character
Disliked:
- certain things broke my immersion a bit at times, like Sabine riding butt naked without a saddle for 3 weeks without any nasty consequences
- I liked Basten from Sabine's PoV chapters, but from his own he gave me the ick quite often with all the self-loathing and sex-obsession that for me clashed quite hard with the "bodyguard bound by loyalty" thing he has going on in the beginning, but maybe that's just because I prefer my male love interests to be a bit more noble or, if morally gray, more complex and interesting, and Basten is pretty one-note when it comes to that
Liked:
- the worldbuilding in general (animal companions, sleeping gods/fae/mythical creatures, magic abilities, aesthetic of the court, the budding political intrigue)
- the main relationship, up to a point - Sabine and Basten/Wolf seem like a great pairing, until they don't
- Lady Godiva/Tristan and Isolde/Guinevere and Lancelot vibes
- Sabine's subtle and somewhat understated character development - the mistakes she makes are quite realistic for someone in her position, but she learns fast and finds a quiet sort of strength that I really appreciate in a character
Disliked:
- certain things broke my immersion a bit at times, like Sabine riding butt naked without a saddle for 3 weeks without any nasty consequences
- I liked Basten from Sabine's PoV chapters, but from his own he gave me the ick quite often with all the self-loathing and sex-obsession that for me clashed quite hard with the "bodyguard bound by loyalty" thing he has going on in the beginning, but maybe that's just because I prefer my male love interests to be a bit more noble or, if morally gray, more complex and interesting, and Basten is pretty one-note when it comes to that