Reviews - A Duet with the Siren Duke

The human world is a mess... and so is this book.

I was leery going into this as it seems to be the lowest rated out of all the Married to Magic books, and my caution was not wrong. I feel like I can't rate this any lower than a 3 because Kova's such a talented writer, but the writing tries too hard in this book. There's something too trying about it, too repetitive, too "telly" vs "showy."

I liked Ilryth, for the most part. But Victoria and her sadness goes on and on. And I feel like, for me at least, we don't get enough background between her and Charles to know why she has PTSD from being with him. The beginning of the book was really gripping, but other than that, I feel like we barely learn about Charles in a way that makes me hate him and really feel for Victoria. That part felt lacking for me.

And there are too many things going on that are dragged out, that it feels like this was being made up as it went along. I wouldn't want to read this one without having read the others in the series first, and yet, even having read those, I am still confused by the Fade and Veil. Like there are parts of Midscape that the author understands but haven't been explained enough for the reader. (Maybe I need to re-read Elf King again).

While I think the world building for a story that places underwater was done beautifully, some parts felt glossed over as though the author wasn't sure how it worked either.

Something just fell flat in this one, sadly. By the end, I was just trying to finish it because it felt too weird to DNF after 75% finished.

kitsunesdiary's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad slow-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? Complicated

3.75

hannahlang13's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Enjoyed this a lot!! Very slow burn though!!

mameier's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging 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

4.5

sshields28's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

Ugh, so disappointing. This book made zero sense and was all over the place. This didn’t even feel like an Elise kova book.

all_about_them_audiobooks's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

2.75 Stars

❤️ Ventris x Victoria

vynelda's review

Go to review page

5.0

Very enjoyable book! I loved that Victoria was a ship captain. The world building was amazing! Loved reading about the sirens' way of life and culture. I really liked Victoria and Ilryth! I was hoping for a marriage of convenience story like some of the other books in the series, but that doesn't happen in this one.

One thing I didn't understand: why did Charles see her as a servant? Why did he say he owned her? I'm wondering what was in the marriage contract they signed? Didn't make sense that he could demand all that money when he was the one who broke his marriage oath to her. It was totally unfair that she and her family were paying the price for Charles' emotional abuse. I would have loved to see some punishment come his way, but I guess that would go against the book's message that the way to get back at him would be to forget him.

More...