Reviews

Probably my least favorite in the series so far but the character are very charming and the story is what you expect by now if you read the books in order.

I feel like alot of Blaise struggle in the later part of the book had already been done with Simon and Dalton, and while the stakes maybe felt bigger they were not that interesting.

Still a fun and quick read so do recommend.

necahual's review

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.0

serenity81's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious tense fast-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? No

3.5

gmv's review against another edition

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3.0

Smash & Grab was great. Humorous and light-hearted. Simon and Dalton's dialogues played off each other very well, making me so happy and giddy.

Sink or Swim, so far, is my favorite book out of the Relic series. It was concentrated on one specific area, and reading about the relationship between Baha and Jackson, which developed from hostility to wanting to be together emotionally, was chef's kiss.

So when I began reading King and Queen, the expectations were so high.

Then it fell.

And continued to fall.

And didn't stop falling.

I am going to try not to rant too much. It is definitely a personal hang-up.

Spoilers ahead.

King and Queen focus on Royal and Blaise. The story's pacing was too fast, jumping from one scene to another. There wasn't a lot of breathing room for the relationship to be organically developed compared to Jackson and Baha. The story beats were too close to Smash & Grab. I wouldn't continue the story if I had read King and Queen first. It felt like all of the ideas scrapped from Smash & Grab were placed in here instead. The book came across as a need to an end; the book is basically a setup for Henry and Montana.

My personal gripes stem from Blaise. In Sink or Swim, we get insight into what Baha felt and how he operated. The same goes with Jackson. They are their own persons with different ways of approaching their end goals. Because of how strong these two personalities presented themselves in the previous book, Royal suffered from it.

Royal didn't have a personality. Sure, he was the group's hacker and was thrown out of his element to retrieve Henry. He complained, but there wasn't much showing why it was terrible. We didn't get to delve much into his hobbies, what makes him tick, or express genuine excitement with his hobbies. It was instead played off as a joke. It could have been a great bonding moment of similar interests. We didn't get that.

Now for Blaise. He took over. Every time Blaise and Royal are in the same room, Royal becomes a stepping ladder for Blaise to climb. Blaise gets what he wanted at the end of the story, sure. Great. But it wasn't earned (They never discuss the equity of their relationship. An apartment? I am assuming Royal is paying it all like he did with everything else on this trip.) The chemistry between them felt off. I continued reading, seeing if any redeeming qualities would help improve each other. But there wasn't. Blaise was leeching off of Royal, and Royal gladly let him be walked all over like a glorified overpacked mule. He agrees with everything Blaise says. He is so chill that his personality becomes the back burner whenever they're together.

The repercussions for all of Blaise's mistakes were fixed by everyone else. The found family felt unearned. I wanted a little bit of conflict between Montana and Blaise. Heck. Even Baha was accepting far too quickly.

I prefer reading in the third person because I don't like being forced to feel what the character is feeling in the first-person view. I like reading as if I am the fly on the wall. I enjoy seeing how characters interact with each other and seeing how well they click. I am the reader. I am not here to be convinced why they would be a great partner for me. I want to see how these two romance interests fall for each other and their chemistry.

I didn't get it from Blaise and Royal.

TLDR: The book is about the narcissist Blaise and his no personality simp Royal.

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