Reviews with content warning for Kidnapping - A Court of Sugar and Spice

Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

A Court of Sugar and Spice by Rebecca F. Kenney

15 reviews

coffeepotoo's review

lighthearted tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

i didn't like it very much. i actually thought the worldbuilding was fairly imaginative and it wasn't as cisnormative as this genre tends to be but the pacing gets extremely rushed early on and there's a lot of iffy misogynistic implications regarding one of the main characters and her love interest. the "enemies to lovers" thing is extremely forced and based on pretty much nothing, so i just found that aspect of the book incredibly frustrating.

if you're really into this genre and you'd like it with some more interesting worldbuilding you might enjoy this, but personally by the end i just kinda felt exhausted. definitely not a plot-heavy book, and the plot itself gets wrapped up very quickly once both the main couples are together. i could see someone enjoying this book but i really did not.

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koistyfishy's review

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Ohh this was utterly toothsome and I enjoyed it so much! A Court of Sugar and Spice was a deliciously delectable and delightful treat, that was that perfect fix of "sugar and spice" but defiantly naughty.

This dual-POV Nutcracker retelling follows two sisters, Louisa and Clara. Who after their father dies are sent to live with their Godfather Drosselmeyer. They soon find that not everything is what it seems in the house. One night following a bloody splinter, Louisa temporarily breaks the curse on a Nutcracker doll to reveal he is actually a captured and cursed Fae Prince. The sisters offer to help him break the curse completely so they journey to the Fae Realm; where they discover, in the Prince's absence, the Seelie Kingdom has been overrun by the Rat King's forces. To aid their quest and retake the kingdom, the group enlist the help of the Prince's cousin, the seductive and flirty gender-bent "Sugarplum Faerie".

The main thing that made me love this book is the worldbuilding and descriptions of the setting. It was beautiful, transcendent and gorgeous. I could so easily picture the world in its glowing and luminescent glory. It was scrumptious, filled with vivid colour, brightly coloured people, trees, and delicious smells of vanilla and cinnamon. None of this would have been possible if Rebecca Kenney did not have an amazing ability for writing. She is by far climbing to the top of my favourite Authors for a reason because I JUST LOVE HER BOOKS, WRITING AND CREATIVITY! She manages to take an idea and give it such a unique and inventive spin that I will EAT IT UP like a kid in a candy shop!

This is actually the love story of both girls so I am going to split this into the two couples

❆Clara and Fin❆
I just love them! I eat my words and distaste for insta-love with these two. While there was definitely insta-"lust" between these two characters, Clarawas sweet, demure and complicated. She had been creatively repressed by her father, forced to find shame in the fact that she wanted to paint. Then bring in Fin (probably the BEST CHARACTER IN THIS BOOK BY FAR). He was perfect and even more so, PERFECT for Clara. He was the first person to actually see who she was, not who she pretended to be. He was smart, kind, generous and unapologetically sexual, but I loved it! I found myself wanting to skim Louisa and Lir's scenes, just to get back to Clara and Fin, because whilst they were in dangerous and perilous situations, the levity Fin brought to the chapters was AMAZING!

❆Louisa and Lir❆
These two are probably the reason why I brought the rating down. I have no problem with a woman who loves sex and is proud of her sexuality and body, but when you make your entire PERSONALITY your like for sex and use this as the thing to define yourself...that is where I tend to be a little put-off. Whilst she is very quick thinking and strategic, I found myself annoyed at her more times than I could count, especially since she also tried to make herself feel better by bringing Clara down. Lir was incredibly unlikeable and I did not see his appeal or charm until the last 10% of the book. For the majority there was nothing redeeming about him as a character as he says hurtful and mean things to Louisa WHILE SHE IS HELPING HIM and then tries to excuse his behaviour for "I feel so much for you that it scares me so I am trying to push you away". No dude....If you weren't Fin's cousin I might have left you as a doll if it was me.

Let's talk about the naughty parts of this book 😏 There is A LOT of it in this book, and it starts very quickly - it ranges from light touching to consensual"running through a forest" fantasy acted out.... My only issue is...I have this awful moral catch-22 that the times when some of the scenes occurred, seemed a little strange and if I were hypothetically in the story in their place, probably would have gone "NOW, is not the best time to have sex"

example: Clara and Fin are captured by the Rat King and put in his dungeon and sex is the only thing making captivity bearable???

It has some good trope moments in it too:
▶ Enemies to Lovers
▶ One Horse Reindeer
▶ Forced Proximity
▶ One Bed - WITH Body heat for warmth
▶ He falls first (kinda)
▶ Fae/Human Romance

Overall, this was exactly what I needed and another amazing book by Rebecca Kenney to add to my list! I cannot wait for A Court of Hearts and Hunger(Officially out 31 March 2023) where I get to spend more time with Clara and Fin ♥️♥️♥️

❆Quotes❆:
The one that sticks in my mind the most

“Nowadays, people call me Sugarplum because I have the same delightful quality as these fruits. I’m deliciously flavored, and I taste different every time.”
“You—you mean your personality?”
“No.” His lashes lower, hooding his eyes. “I’m not talking about my personality. I’m talking about my cum.”

❆Clara and Fin❆

He breaks the hot torment of the kiss for a moment, and in that moment I say the words against his lips. “I love you.”
No more than a frenzied breath, but he hears me. His hand tightens on my hair, and he crushes himself against my body, his words hot and hoarse in my ear.
“Only you,” he grits out. “Only you, ever.”

❆Louisa and Lir❆

“Your scent,” he says. “It’s like nothing else I’ve ever encountered. It’s—it’s mine. It’s my scent. That’s the only way I can describe it. It’s not the way I smell, but it belongs to me, it’s—tailored to me, designed to be the one fragrance I can’t resist.

I need you—not your body, not only that, but more. I—I admire you, Louisa. I admire your confidence, your keen mind, your beautiful enthusiasm for everything, your courage in crisis. I long to be like you. I wish I could lose myself entirely in you.”

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