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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
SOOOOO GOOODDDD. this is what acotar thinks its doing. I loved every part of this story, Silhara being multidimensional, Martise being literally me, GURN MY LOVEEE
This is what romantic fantasy should be. A plot that is interesting and makes sense, a solid relationship, and both of those working in tandem. I LOVED that Silhara and Martise's sex life didnt revolve around the master and apprentice dynamic. It was two ADULTS in love. And thank gawd for that.
This is what romantic fantasy should be. A plot that is interesting and makes sense, a solid relationship, and both of those working in tandem. I LOVED that Silhara and Martise's sex life didnt revolve around the master and apprentice dynamic. It was two ADULTS in love. And thank gawd for that.
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
This is one of those books that gets better once it's over and you're just remembering it. The ideas and characters in this were all pretty good, but the plotting/pacing really hampered things. This book was definitely not a page turner, and I often would put it down after reading just one chapter (even when I was at the climax). I liked both Martise and Silhara, but I wasn't a fan of their dynamic until they actually got together—the intended build-up to their relationship was more annoying than enticing. The plot besides their romance was intriguing in theory but would often take a back seat to the romance, which has always been my problem with the romantasy genre. I really enjoyed Radiance and was willing to overlook the occasional type and problems with pacing that I encountered in Draven's writing, but the main story here wasn't enough to distract me this time.
Loved this story.
The formatting threw me off at first, and honestly made me skeptical, because it uses two spaces after the period. A small thing, you might say, and in and of itself I would agree. However, it could have been a sign of other, unprofessional, traits. I am happy to say my fears were unfounded.
This was a fun, entertaining, exciting read.
I love magic, I love fantasy - and I hold a special place in my heart for heroines whose gifts or abilities do not define them or make them super-special. While Martise has her own Gift revealed in the book, and a use for it, it is not the reason Silhara is initially interested in her. I really liked that.
While I wish there had been some apologizing for previous actions, and there were a couple cliche moments and tropes, Grace handles Silhara's anti-hero personality very well and Martise's social situation with delicacy. She handles their initial sex scene even better.
Without spoiling it (other than knowing they get together at some point, I guess? really, though, it's a romance), I will say I'm impressed with her handle of consent, their power/status differences, and freaking getting the woman ready before plunging a cock into her. The sex scene made this book for me, because of how all of that was handled.
While there were some plot-holes, they weren't glaring enough for me to be too bothered by them. I could enjoy the story of Martise and Silhara for what it was meant for: entertainment. No deep soul-searching here, and that was more than fine.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in fantasy romance with a little power play, anti-heroes, magic, and some descriptive sex.
The formatting threw me off at first, and honestly made me skeptical, because it uses two spaces after the period. A small thing, you might say, and in and of itself I would agree. However, it could have been a sign of other, unprofessional, traits. I am happy to say my fears were unfounded.
This was a fun, entertaining, exciting read.
I love magic, I love fantasy - and I hold a special place in my heart for heroines whose gifts or abilities do not define them or make them super-special. While Martise has her own Gift revealed in the book, and a use for it, it is not the reason Silhara is initially interested in her. I really liked that.
While I wish there had been some apologizing for previous actions, and there were a couple cliche moments and tropes, Grace handles Silhara's anti-hero personality very well and Martise's social situation with delicacy. She handles their initial sex scene even better.
Without spoiling it (other than knowing they get together at some point, I guess? really, though, it's a romance), I will say I'm impressed with her handle of consent, their power/status differences, and freaking getting the woman ready before plunging a cock into her. The sex scene made this book for me, because of how all of that was handled.
While there were some plot-holes, they weren't glaring enough for me to be too bothered by them. I could enjoy the story of Martise and Silhara for what it was meant for: entertainment. No deep soul-searching here, and that was more than fine.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in fantasy romance with a little power play, anti-heroes, magic, and some descriptive sex.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I confess, I have mixed feelings about this book.
It's a story that seems, at times, to drag on. But when I look back, I can see that the entire narrative was necessary to cement the characters, making them credible and complete in their motivations and actions. I'm not a fan of the idea of a servant-master relationship, and it was perhaps one of my least favorite parts of the relationship between Silhara and Martise, but I liked the way it was handled, in a well-crafted, realistic, and even sometimes raw way.
Martise isn't exactly submissive, but servitude is ingrained in her like a second skin. It's inevitable that her instinct is to annul herself, to become invisible. But this hides a sharp, intelligent mind and a deep search for self-knowledge and freedom. Silhara, isolated, temperamental, and surrounded by secrecy, doesn't know at all how to deal with a stranger in his domain populated only by three male identities. And yet she wins him over with her spirit and mystery. He knows she's in Neith to betray him, and this part was refreshing to read—there's no subterfuge here that could lead to a feeling of betrayal when her circumstances as a spy are revealed. It makes the feelings he begins to develop more real, no matter how much he tries to repress and suppress them! And oh! how good the longing and desire are!! Draven is a master at writing sexual and sensual tension, about desire and longing. And she also writes the most sensual and steamy scenes!!
And yet I felt something was missing, some warmth. I never really got hooked on the story or the characters, though I really enjoyed the world the writer created, the society, the idea of there being Gifted and non-Gifted, and how this places them in a diverse society with distinct cultures. The worldbuilding is very good, the story nuanced with bits of information that enriched and shaped it. I especially enjoyed Silhara's character, his cruel and dark past, his motivations and hatreds, his cruelty and outward coldness, which despite everything couldn't corrupt an honorable, loyally fierce, and just character. And his struggle not to succumb to the temptation of an entity that offers him everything his being has ever desired!
Just a note, perhaps just a pet peeve of mine: I'm starting to get a little tired of this need writers seem to have to emphasize that their protagonists aren't beautiful or desirable! I understand they wanted to move away from the stereotype of romance novels in which the protagonists are the most beautiful, the most charismatic, the most talented, or the most seductive. But there's no need to go to the opposite extreme either! It's fine if the protagonist has a discreet beauty or a unique characteristic, and I was annoyed by the constant "beating of the dead horse" throughout the book about how plain and unattractive Martise was.
In short, an excellent fantasy world, well explored in a story that presents it progressively and lets us discover it throughout the narrative. The conflict/problem felt underexplored and didn't create any real tension or sense of urgency. The romance isn't perfect, and it's not my favorite trope, but the tension and chemistry between the two made up for it, and when the tension finally reached a peak between Martise and Silhara, it was simply magical and explosive!
It's a story that seems, at times, to drag on. But when I look back, I can see that the entire narrative was necessary to cement the characters, making them credible and complete in their motivations and actions. I'm not a fan of the idea of a servant-master relationship, and it was perhaps one of my least favorite parts of the relationship between Silhara and Martise, but I liked the way it was handled, in a well-crafted, realistic, and even sometimes raw way.
Martise isn't exactly submissive, but servitude is ingrained in her like a second skin. It's inevitable that her instinct is to annul herself, to become invisible. But this hides a sharp, intelligent mind and a deep search for self-knowledge and freedom. Silhara, isolated, temperamental, and surrounded by secrecy, doesn't know at all how to deal with a stranger in his domain populated only by three male identities. And yet she wins him over with her spirit and mystery. He knows she's in Neith to betray him, and this part was refreshing to read—there's no subterfuge here that could lead to a feeling of betrayal when her circumstances as a spy are revealed. It makes the feelings he begins to develop more real, no matter how much he tries to repress and suppress them! And oh! how good the longing and desire are!! Draven is a master at writing sexual and sensual tension, about desire and longing. And she also writes the most sensual and steamy scenes!!
And yet I felt something was missing, some warmth. I never really got hooked on the story or the characters, though I really enjoyed the world the writer created, the society, the idea of there being Gifted and non-Gifted, and how this places them in a diverse society with distinct cultures. The worldbuilding is very good, the story nuanced with bits of information that enriched and shaped it. I especially enjoyed Silhara's character, his cruel and dark past, his motivations and hatreds, his cruelty and outward coldness, which despite everything couldn't corrupt an honorable, loyally fierce, and just character. And his struggle not to succumb to the temptation of an entity that offers him everything his being has ever desired!
Just a note, perhaps just a pet peeve of mine: I'm starting to get a little tired of this need writers seem to have to emphasize that their protagonists aren't beautiful or desirable! I understand they wanted to move away from the stereotype of romance novels in which the protagonists are the most beautiful, the most charismatic, the most talented, or the most seductive. But there's no need to go to the opposite extreme either! It's fine if the protagonist has a discreet beauty or a unique characteristic, and I was annoyed by the constant "beating of the dead horse" throughout the book about how plain and unattractive Martise was.
In short, an excellent fantasy world, well explored in a story that presents it progressively and lets us discover it throughout the narrative. The conflict/problem felt underexplored and didn't create any real tension or sense of urgency. The romance isn't perfect, and it's not my favorite trope, but the tension and chemistry between the two made up for it, and when the tension finally reached a peak between Martise and Silhara, it was simply magical and explosive!
just a bit too dark and graphic all around for my taste
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Oh wow what a beautiful story! Such a refreshing change from all the other fantasy romance books I’ve been reading. I adored this book, ate it up. Beautiful prose and the vibes were there. Very Howls Moving Castle but darker and grittier. Definitely an all time favorite
Re read of this
Absolutely lovely it.
The characters are sensible adults (not the usual teenager vibe in Romantasy)
The dialogue is great and witty
This authors shows the characters attributes, not just telling us
You could really feel the building chemistry, and when it happened the spice was great
The fantasy plot was good, but the main focus of this book is romance
Absolutely lovely it.
The characters are sensible adults (not the usual teenager vibe in Romantasy)
The dialogue is great and witty
This authors shows the characters attributes, not just telling us
You could really feel the building chemistry, and when it happened the spice was great
The fantasy plot was good, but the main focus of this book is romance