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shu_long's review
5.0
The level of world building outside of a medieval European setting was more than welcome and richly drawn without being heavy on info dumps. It was woven in well. Enjoyed sinking into the world and the the story. Looking forward to reading more. The main character was compelling.
claire2305's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- 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
2.0
jesslynh's review against another edition
This was a DNF for me. It dived right into the 'insta-love' hole. Then compounded that mistake. The girl who experienced it had never seen a man and only knew of them by horrific stories from her best friend. But her first reaction was attraction. Sigh and Ugh.
I refuse to accept simplistic YA stories that are presented as if our YA are idiots.
I refuse to accept simplistic YA stories that are presented as if our YA are idiots.
ja_na's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
ninak36's review against another edition
5.0
Strong Feminine Role
When I first started this book I was getting very upset with its traditional male dominated approaches but slowly the book showed itself as a very strong changing feminine novel. The character stands up for herself beautifully and some of the plot twists I just hadn’t expected. It was difficult to put down.
When I first started this book I was getting very upset with its traditional male dominated approaches but slowly the book showed itself as a very strong changing feminine novel. The character stands up for herself beautifully and some of the plot twists I just hadn’t expected. It was difficult to put down.
graysonahrensbennett's review
2.0
I was so excited to read this book, but in the end I really had to question two things. In the first place, why on earth did Devon have such a death wish as to carry on with the king's bride after knowing her for only a few days? And in the second place, am I truly expected to believe that a group of teenage girls in an all-female temple were all so straight that no romances or even experimentation occurred between them?
livinliterary's review
3.0
It's a interesting concept, but I found myself dragging my feet through this book.
smuttea_matcha's review
2.0
I was not a huge fan of Kali. I felt like it came down to her luck and how the author wanted her to survive on how she got through all her obstacles. It didn't feel like she really did much. Also, Devan? I don't know how the two of them happened, but it felt so forced and so thrown together. I won't be continuing the series even though I liked that this took place in a more Southeast Asian setting.
tinynavajo's review
5.0
Highly enjoyable
A story of a girl who wants nothing more than to have the freedom to choose her own life but cannot. Then she learns of her heritage and what that means for herself, her life, the empire, and those she loves. Love the story and the characters!
A story of a girl who wants nothing more than to have the freedom to choose her own life but cannot. Then she learns of her heritage and what that means for herself, her life, the empire, and those she loves. Love the story and the characters!
rgyger's review
2.0
I'm going to give this book two stars only because I finished it laughing at the absurdity of the unresolved ending. I see now, that it is part of a trilogy, but things could have been wrapped up better, or at least with a cliff-hanger (and normally I would not ask for one of those), just so that there was some indication that the story was over other than that the next page being the acknowledgments.
Not much of anything in the story made a huge amount of sense. I mean, I knew what was happening, I just could not figure out why. There are reasons given for things that create even more questions. For instance, the benefactors are able to take whichever girls they want because otherwise they would withdraw monetary support. And this makes sense so far as the temple girls all being orphans who would die otherwise. But then you find out that up until the benefactors started claiming girls against their will, the temple was more a school for well to-do girls than an orphanage, and the only function these temples seem to hold is to train these girls to fight, not to be any sort of wife or concubine or servant that any real person would want, especially since they are not also being used as assassins. So way do they exist? And why do these highly trained fighting women need guards? Why are they not allowed to see men until chosen? Why would anyone, especially the priestesses who were alive before these claimings became obligatory, think that this exchange was in anyway an honor?
The story itself is entertaining enough for me to finish it. I cannot say that I hated it, but the explanations behind how everything worked only fell flat. And the characters continuously flip-flopped between incredibly intelligent to extremely foolish, immensely cruel to impossibly kind. And everything these women do is for the love of the Rajah who (sickeningly) 'enjoys' more than one at a time, with only our heroine seeming to find anything wrong with that. And the ending? If I had actually been invested in what happened to the viraji (I don't remember her name and don't feel like looking it up) I would have been horrified and sickened the situation she found herself in. I am, in fact, horrified by it. All I will say is that it had to do with a wedding night and it was the stuff of nightmares. But, I guess by the time I got to that point, it seem like par for the course.
Not much of anything in the story made a huge amount of sense. I mean, I knew what was happening, I just could not figure out why. There are reasons given for things that create even more questions. For instance, the benefactors are able to take whichever girls they want because otherwise they would withdraw monetary support. And this makes sense so far as the temple girls all being orphans who would die otherwise. But then you find out that up until the benefactors started claiming girls against their will, the temple was more a school for well to-do girls than an orphanage, and the only function these temples seem to hold is to train these girls to fight, not to be any sort of wife or concubine or servant that any real person would want, especially since they are not also being used as assassins. So way do they exist? And why do these highly trained fighting women need guards? Why are they not allowed to see men until chosen? Why would anyone, especially the priestesses who were alive before these claimings became obligatory, think that this exchange was in anyway an honor?
The story itself is entertaining enough for me to finish it. I cannot say that I hated it, but the explanations behind how everything worked only fell flat. And the characters continuously flip-flopped between incredibly intelligent to extremely foolish, immensely cruel to impossibly kind. And everything these women do is for the love of the Rajah who (sickeningly) 'enjoys' more than one at a time, with only our heroine seeming to find anything wrong with that. And the ending? If I had actually been invested in what happened to the viraji (I don't remember her name and don't feel like looking it up) I would have been horrified and sickened the situation she found herself in. I am, in fact, horrified by it. All I will say is that it had to do with a wedding night and it was the stuff of nightmares. But, I guess by the time I got to that point, it seem like par for the course.