Scan barcode
thalia332's review
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
teenykins's review
5.0
I COULD NOT STOP READING THIS!!!
READ THE TWs: https://www.ariananashbooks.com/post/trigger-warnings-for-fool-me-once-see-below
I gotta say that I haven't read Ariana's [b:Silk & Steel|43444227|Silk & Steel (Silk and Steel, #1)|Ariana Nash|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1546451978l/43444227._SY75_.jpg|65508590] series, because I have issues with the non-con incest. After this I'll go with no fear and with the hopes it'll have a similar depiction as here. Not that it was easy to read it here but it was NOT graphic and it helped... somewhat... that Ariana hit the ground running with this story!
This first part of the Court of Pain Duology is brilliant, intricate, intriguing and enthralling!!! Lark is brilliant and so tortured and Ariana better give him everything he wants in the second book or we'll have words! Arin should get his head out of his a$$ and use his noggin!!!
I'm wishing Lark's brother all the torment in the world!
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
READ THE TWs: https://www.ariananashbooks.com/post/trigger-warnings-for-fool-me-once-see-below
I gotta say that I haven't read Ariana's [b:Silk & Steel|43444227|Silk & Steel (Silk and Steel, #1)|Ariana Nash|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1546451978l/43444227._SY75_.jpg|65508590] series, because I have issues with the non-con incest. After this I'll go with no fear and with the hopes it'll have a similar depiction as here. Not that it was easy to read it here but it was NOT graphic and it helped... somewhat... that Ariana hit the ground running with this story!
This first part of the Court of Pain Duology is brilliant, intricate, intriguing and enthralling!!! Lark is brilliant and so tortured and Ariana better give him everything he wants in the second book or we'll have words! Arin should get his head out of his a$$ and use his noggin!!!
I'm wishing Lark's brother all the torment in the world!
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
lifeinthebooklane's review
4.0
Brief Summary
I think the author has invented a new genre of liars-to-lovers with this one! The bar has been set fairly high by her, so whilst this didn't wow me quite as much as some of her previous work, it was still an amazing, twisty tale that kept me turning pages. My mind didn't wander, I didn't want to skim parts and it was easy to pick back up again when I'd put it aside for a while.
Themes and Trigger Warnings
The main themes are good against evil and found family. The book contains scenes of both physical and sexual violence towards one of the protagonists, off-page incest and mentions of rape by a side character.
Star Rating
As mentioned above, this author has written several of my all-time favourite books, so anything that doesn't hit the same heights can feel disappointing, Then I remember to compare this to work by other authors and realised that it very much deserves 4 stars.
The Characters
Lark gave me Lysander vibes whilst Arin was a soft-hearted Vasili and therein lay the reason this was a good rather than great read. It held a few too many echoes of previous books with the "trust you/don't trust you" merry-go-round. For many Nash fans this will be a huge bonus, as her previous books and characters are massively popular. I liked that both Arin and Lark had vulnerabilities they hid with lies, subterfuge and a mean sneer, Nash's male protagonists are frequently polar opposites but that wasn't the case here.
Draven is an unknown element, I have a very soft spot for him and that really worries me because this author has a nasty track record with beloved side characters. I'm praying for a positive outcome! Razak makes a great mysterious villain, the jury's out on whether I think Lark should know him a little better than he does. I didn't get a clear sense of how long Lark had been "kept" by Razak before being sent to the Court of Love.
The Plot
As always, the plot is both layered and complex, full of bluffs, double bluffs and lies galore. I certainly didn't find it predictable or trite. The pace was good throughout, though the sexual tension didn't quite hit the mark for me in the first third, I would have liked more heat even if it was unrequited/slow-burn.
The Writing & World Building
Ms Nash produces a beautiful, emotional and powerful narrative throughout. Not once does it ever descend into purple prose, but rather it flows lyrically, creating an intriguing world whilst also building emotion. There wasn't a great deal of information about the different Courts, I suspect this is in part to avoid plot spoilers but also because the Courts are somewhat aloof and socially distant from one another.
The story ends on a soft cliffhanger and will leave you wanting more of Lark, Arin and Dravan.
Absolutely no pressure, Ms Nash, but...
:
please
I think the author has invented a new genre of liars-to-lovers with this one! The bar has been set fairly high by her, so whilst this didn't wow me quite as much as some of her previous work, it was still an amazing, twisty tale that kept me turning pages. My mind didn't wander, I didn't want to skim parts and it was easy to pick back up again when I'd put it aside for a while.
Themes and Trigger Warnings
The main themes are good against evil and found family. The book contains scenes of both physical and sexual violence towards one of the protagonists, off-page incest and mentions of rape by a side character.
Star Rating
As mentioned above, this author has written several of my all-time favourite books, so anything that doesn't hit the same heights can feel disappointing, Then I remember to compare this to work by other authors and realised that it very much deserves 4 stars.
The Characters
Lark gave me Lysander vibes whilst Arin was a soft-hearted Vasili and therein lay the reason this was a good rather than great read. It held a few too many echoes of previous books with the "trust you/don't trust you" merry-go-round. For many Nash fans this will be a huge bonus, as her previous books and characters are massively popular. I liked that both Arin and Lark had vulnerabilities they hid with lies, subterfuge and a mean sneer, Nash's male protagonists are frequently polar opposites but that wasn't the case here.
Draven is an unknown element, I have a very soft spot for him and that really worries me because this author has a nasty track record with beloved side characters. I'm praying for a positive outcome! Razak makes a great mysterious villain, the jury's out on whether I think Lark should know him a little better than he does. I didn't get a clear sense of how long Lark had been "kept" by Razak before being sent to the Court of Love.
The Plot
As always, the plot is both layered and complex, full of bluffs, double bluffs and lies galore. I certainly didn't find it predictable or trite. The pace was good throughout, though the sexual tension didn't quite hit the mark for me in the first third, I would have liked more heat even if it was unrequited/slow-burn.
The Writing & World Building
Ms Nash produces a beautiful, emotional and powerful narrative throughout. Not once does it ever descend into purple prose, but rather it flows lyrically, creating an intriguing world whilst also building emotion. There wasn't a great deal of information about the different Courts, I suspect this is in part to avoid plot spoilers but also because the Courts are somewhat aloof and socially distant from one another.
The story ends on a soft cliffhanger and will leave you wanting more of Lark, Arin and Dravan.
Absolutely no pressure, Ms Nash, but...
:
please
tobyryan's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
elementory's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
4.1 🐉
This was okay.
I liked the characters. I liked the story for the most part. I was absolutely traumatized by the Court of Pain's brothers.
I am not sure if I'm continuing this.
This was okay.
I liked the characters. I liked the story for the most part. I was absolutely traumatized by the Court of Pain's brothers.
I am not sure if I'm continuing this.
bookloversofantastic's review
5.0
What can I say, Ariana Nash definitely knows how to build tension !!! This book was just extraordinary, different from the one she already wrote but so exceptional.
I’m baffled, each time you can breathe, you need to get ready to have your breath taken away again. You don’t have to register everything while following the plot. It’s a mastermind piece. I never thought that a fool character could be that interesting, little did I know.
Like each time I read one of her books, I cannot do long review, because I’m always scared to spoil it, it is that good !!
Soooo now I’m gonna enjoy the 2nd book right away (so happy to have been able to grab an ARC
I’m baffled, each time you can breathe, you need to get ready to have your breath taken away again. You don’t have to register everything while following the plot. It’s a mastermind piece. I never thought that a fool character could be that interesting, little did I know.
Like each time I read one of her books, I cannot do long review, because I’m always scared to spoil it, it is that good !!
Soooo now I’m gonna enjoy the 2nd book right away (so happy to have been able to grab an ARC
gardenofbones's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
witworth's review
4.0
Alright, I’ll admit that I really, really enjoyed this book. My four stars lie mostly with the fact this book needs better trigger warnings..really badly. At the beginning of the book it says to find the trigger warnings on the authors website *sigh* alright fine..I headed over to their website and I had to almost dig to find the trigger warnings. It mentions that there is off-page incest…no bestie it’s ON page and it IS between main characters, not the main two but between one of the main characters and a main side character (IT STILL COUNTS AS MAIN CHARACTERS IMO OKAY?) incest also counts as kissing and other things, it’s not strictly limited to s*x, thus in my opinion there is on page incest. And while there’s a warning for non-consensual incest there should be a very large SA trigger warning up towards the top because it’s very prominent in this book. It really really would have benefited to better tw’s and it being on page in the book at the front vs on a website where you have to search for them. It was also published this year and putting warnings in your books has been a common thing for years now so it’s not because the book is older that there are no on page trigger warnings. I just felt very unprepared for happened in the book and I had to set it down and take a break multiple times. All of that aside however, I really enjoyed this book and am definitely gonna read book 2.