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sammybookside's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Gore, Death, Blood, Violence, War, Rape, Murder, Body horror, and Sexual assault
Minor: Torture and Slavery
kittypride93's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Gore, Blood, Body horror, and Cursing
Moderate: War, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, and Slavery
Minor: Rape, Death of parent, Torture, and Vomit
onthesamepage's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Steam level: 🌶🌶
There has been a lot of hype surrounding this book. I'm not a huge romantasy reader in the sense that I don't seek it out, but I can appreciate a book that blends romance and fantasy in equal measure. One important part, though, is that the fantasy elements have to be heavy enough to mean more than a shell for the romance, and I do think Broadbent delivered on that.
The worldbuilding and the non-romance plot were both interesting and engaging. I liked how there were different types of vampires with different kinds of powers, although I did tend to mix up the houses a lot. The world is pretty brutal, and there's an ongoing conflict between the different vampire houses to hold onto the throne. In the midst of this, we have Oraya, a human who was taken from the ruins of her family home by Vincent, the current vampire king, and raised as his daughter. She grew up constantly on guard against the vampires living in her immediate vicinity, and is now joining the Kejari with one goal in mind: to become strong.
Oraya has a lot of hatred against humans, even though she is one. She sees them as weak and inferior compared to vampires. It takes meeting Raihn for her to begin to see that there is something beautiful in humanity.
The romance had a steady pacing, and I liked Raihn as a character and as a love interest. I do think there was actually more focus on the plot than the romance, which I didn't mind, but might be disappointing if you are looking for something that's more romance than fantasy.
I predicted some of the twists, but definitely not all of them, especially towards the end, and I'm curious enough that I'll pick up the second book to see what happens.
There were a couple of moments that were so over the top that they'd drag me out of the story (I'm not one for melodrama). At one point, Raihn says this:
"I've lived through some injustices in the last couple of centuries. Seen some fucking travesties. But one of the biggest, Oraya, is that anyone taught you that you should become anything other than exactly what you are."
The next bit is a spoiler:
The other part that made this a good read, but not a great one, is that I wasn't very invested in the characters. I did enjoy the romance, and I liked Oraya, Raihn, and Mische, but I never got to the point where I was anxious about what was going to happen to them, or worried about their fate, or anything that signals true attachment to me. Still, I had a fun time reading, which is the most important thing.
One last note:
Raihn's voice was cold and hard. "Five hundred thousand people. Half a million lives. I don't give a fuck what reason he might have. What explanation could make that acceptable?"
None. There was none.
"We don't know what happened."
"I know enough," he snapped. "I saw the ruins. I could smell the bones in that dust. That's enough, Oraya. That is enough."
Graphic: Death of parent, Violence, Emotional abuse, Slavery, and Gore
Moderate: Self harm and Rape
Minor: Sexual assault and Torture
erinkellyreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
((Also - and this is petty because I have read way too many vampire books and also all of Maas' work - I'm not a huge fan of winged vampires. Shapeshifting to have wings? Sure. Turning into animals a 'la the old myths? Of course. But... feather wings and bat wings? I dunno.))
Graphic: Violence, Grief, Body horror, Colonisation, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Murder, Death, Death of parent, Blood, Gore, Physical abuse, War, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Confinement, Sexual violence, Genocide, Cursing, Slavery, Gaslighting, Religious bigotry, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, and Self harm
Minor: Animal death and Child death
smaugwithablog's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Violence and Rape
Moderate: Slavery and Emotional abuse
Minor: Torture
kenziekat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Blood and Rape
Moderate: Violence, Death, and War
Minor: Torture and Slavery
kymboh78's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Alcohol, Gore, Murder, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Cursing, Rape, Kidnapping, Gore, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Slavery
Minor: Animal death and Cannibalism
pagesinthesnow's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Grief, War, Torture, Racism, Rape, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Child death, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Self harm, Slavery, and Confinement
zanazy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Oraya is the adopted-human daughter of the reigning Vampire King, Vincent. In this world, there are three factions of vampires, and the Hiaj are currently on top since Vincent is a Hiaj. The other two factions are the Rishan who previously ruled and who Vincent overthrew in what is described as a bloody coup. The Bloodborn are the third faction who are cursed and set to live for shortened lifespans. As a human surrounded by vampires, Oraya has always been protected by her father, Vincent. He trains her to fight and kill, and it’s his idea for her to enter the Kejari, a bloody tournament that comes along once in a lifetime for Oraya. Vincent basically trains her to win so in the end, as her wish from the goddess, she can bind herself to him. Giving her power, but also giving him power too. Raihn is another contestant in the tournament, and they form an alliance, knowing they will eventually need to turn on each other as only one can win. While they are in the tournament, civil unrest is prevalent and King Vincent rains havoc for all the Rishan. As the tournament progresses, Oraya and Raihn become close, and although Oraya has always been told to guard her heart, it becomes harder to do after each trial. This culminates in the final trial, when the two fight each other and only one of them wins.
This was a unique vampire story that was not afraid to show that humans are the main food source for vampires. This led me to wonder how a human like Oraya has survived as long as she has which I hope to find out more in book 2. Oraya was cunning and smart when it came to her survival. When it came to knowledge, she was as naive as a prey would be in a world surrounded by predators. On a personal note, her name did not seem fitting and is my least favorite amongst all the other characters. Raihn is a complex and mysterious character who was both a white knight and dark knight throughout the story. Villain, enemy, friend, and
The ending…
Graphic: Rape, Genocide, Death, Blood, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Death of parent, Sexual content, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Gore
Minor: Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, Slavery, Cursing, Physical abuse, and Toxic relationship
aubbywaubby's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Death, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Self harm, Torture, and Rape
Minor: Slavery
tw page reads “violence, torture off page), flashback of rape (consent withdrawn), self-harm, emotional abuse, slavery, and references to sexual abuse”