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bzliz's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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? It's complicated
4.0
This was a great sequel though it was doing A Lot and probably could’ve been two books. The headway made by our main characters and their respective squads felt earned rather than extremely convenient. There’s also great spicy scenes (be warned of blood play because it’s vampires) and they don’t feel gratuitous.
Some dialogue felt clunky and heavy handed with reveals that shocked no one (re: Mische in the wedding party scene). The refusal/inability of Oraya and Raihn to discuss feelings went on for too long in my opinion and it was no longer serving a purpose by the time confessions were made. The buildup to the final battle was well done butthe additional human army was pretty damn convenient and also apparently not a problem for vampires who have always had trouble holding themselves back from human blood.
Overall I’m glad I read this and I’m interested in reading more from this author in the future. Mind the content warnings!
Content warnings:
Blood, body horror, death, gore, injury, murder, violence, fire injury (on page):Vampire battles that get pretty gruesome. If you cannot handle lots of serious injuries with characters on the brink of death, this isn’t the book for you. Blood is also shared in sexual encounters.
Grief (on page):Oraya must grapple with her father’s death at Raihn’s hands and is also overtaken by his memory at points in time. She has complicated feelings about him because he was her father but he also shielded her from the truth about many topics for his own continued benefit.
Sexual content (on page):Oraya and Raihn share a few intimate scenes ranging from sweet and loving to down and dirty. They are explicit but not vulgar.
Emotional abuse, domestic violence, physical abuse: (off & on page):Raihn and probably everyone under former King Neculai’s rule suffered greatly. Much of the violence was implied through mentions of bruises and trauma. Raihn still suffers residual emotional trauma through exposure to Neculai’s cousin and the nobles looking down on him for the dehumanizing events they participated in at his expense.
Alcohol (on page):Alcohol is specifically used as a tactic to get information out of Oraya’s cousin Evelaena about her father and his violent rise to power.
Child death (off page):Evelaena relays the story of Vincent’s ascent to power by killing his family including the children which she survived by chance.
Death of parent (off page):Vincent was killed in the previous book and Oraya spends most of the book dealing with the aftermath of that event.
Infidelity (off page):Vampires don’t seem to adhere to bonds of fidelity but Raihn specifically had an affair with Queen Nessanyn as they were both victims of King Neculai’s violent tendencies. I mention this because of the emotional bond forged there and because it was significant in shaping Raihn’s life.
Rape, sexual assault (off page):It is strongly implied Raihn was regularly sexually abused by Neculai and his court/nobles. Oraya’s first sexual encounter is mentioned again which began consensually and turned into rape (her explicit words say this). The experience is not rehashed in this book but is referenced a few times.
Some dialogue felt clunky and heavy handed with reveals that shocked no one (re: Mische in the wedding party scene). The refusal/inability of Oraya and Raihn to discuss feelings went on for too long in my opinion and it was no longer serving a purpose by the time confessions were made. The buildup to the final battle was well done but
Overall I’m glad I read this and I’m interested in reading more from this author in the future. Mind the content warnings!
Content warnings:
Blood, body horror, death, gore, injury, murder, violence, fire injury (on page):
Grief (on page):
Sexual content (on page):
Emotional abuse, domestic violence, physical abuse: (off & on page):
Alcohol (on page):
Child death (off page):
Death of parent (off page):
Infidelity (off page):
Rape, sexual assault (off page):
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Violence, Body horror, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Rape, Alcohol, Child death, and Death of parent
lovejasmine's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- 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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Cursing, Gore, Murder, Blood, Grief, Physical abuse, and War
Minor: Alcohol, Genocide, Death of parent, Torture, Violence, and Confinement
sarahyjackson's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
I really liked the latter 50% of this one! And my chagrin with the first 50% was I was edged.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Death
stardust_heidi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
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
5.0
God. Fucking. Damn. It. This book slayed me.
The first half of the book was quite agonizing, given the events of Serpent. Oraya's grief was truly something to behold. Grief and rage. Sometimes it almost felt like it dragged on a bit too long, but at the same time, especially by the end of the book, I appreciated it for what it was. Her feelings about Raihn were justifiably complicated, and I think Carissa Broadbent did an incredible job at portraying the grief and anger and the other, more difficult to navigate feelings like love. UGH, IT'S SO GOOD. Chapter 43-45 literally sent me. And it changed the whole tone of the book after that. The whole story is incredible, and I loved how CB captures not just amazing character moments but also ties it into a phenomenal plot.
The first half of the book was quite agonizing, given the events of Serpent. Oraya's grief was truly something to behold. Grief and rage. Sometimes it almost felt like it dragged on a bit too long, but at the same time, especially by the end of the book, I appreciated it for what it was. Her feelings about Raihn were justifiably complicated, and I think Carissa Broadbent did an incredible job at portraying the grief and anger and the other, more difficult to navigate feelings like love. UGH, IT'S SO GOOD. Chapter 43-45 literally sent me. And it changed the whole tone of the book after that. The whole story is incredible, and I loved how CB captures not just amazing character moments but also ties it into a phenomenal plot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
yourbookishbff's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Sexual content, Torture, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, War, Body horror, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Grief, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Slavery and Trafficking
soniajoy98's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Cursing, Death of parent, Sexual content, Slavery, Death, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, Gore, Sexual assault, Blood, Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Torture, War, Child abuse, Self harm, Rape, and Sexual violence
Minor: Infidelity, Emotional abuse, Child death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, and Vomit
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