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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
In the beginning, I felt that the main characters were very boring and very bland. It took quite a while to get to know them and for me to feel that I was invested and interested. We get to follow Ravi and Yasmin on a very dangerous mission. They are brought together against their will and it takes a very long time for them to get used to and accept each other. Halfway through the book and I was hooked! I was hooked on the characters, the plot was very good. The atmosphere between our two main characters just got better and better. The tension between them just kept increasing!
The plot consists mostly of Yasmin and Ravi getting from one place to another. Along the way, various obstacles and challenges appear that they have to overcome. Yasmin was forced to come on the journey with Ravi because she's the only one that know how to get both in and out of the place. The book consists very much of traveling, which may not me for everyone. I'm intrigued and really want just want more, where it all will take them!
The book has relatively short chapters which makes the book very easy to read. It was a really fast read! I had a hard time putting the book down once I got invested enough.
I love the tension that has formed between the main characters and I just want more! Im so intrigued about what will happen in future books and I am so looking forward to continuing to follow Yasmin and Ravi.
This is a fantastic book.
I absolutely couldn’t put it down.
I absolutely couldn’t put it down.
This is an enthralling fantasy romance audiobook. Yasmin, a human woman with a dark past, must guide the determined elf Ravi through the Dangerous Peaks to avoid imprisonment. Despite starting off as enemies, their dangerous journey leads to understanding and sparks a powerful romance. Yasmin is hesitant to revisit Shaldorn, a place of nightmares, while Ravi is on a mission to save his people. Their bond deepens as they face life-threatening challenges and share secrets. The story combines high fantasy elements with a slow-burn enemies-to-lovers dynamic, set in a richly detailed world of magic and intrigue. Shane East's narration brings the characters to life, making this an enthralling listen. Highly recommended for fans of romantasy.
Nothing could prepare Yasmin for her return to Shaldron, but she must go in order to protect the kids.
Yasmin escaped the fortress that has captured humans for high society elves' darkest desires four years ago. Since then she has been barely scraping by trying to survive. When she is caught stealing she is forced to re-enter Shaldron to help stop a future bombing. Yasmin must guide the dark and handsome elf, Ravi, across treacherous ground and through the underworld of Shaldron if she hopes to return to her life. As Ravi and Yasmin survive numerous near death experiences they find that their guarded walls fall down and are replaced by love. But can they save more than one soul as well as their own on this mission?
LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! I lost sleep to finish this audiobook! The slow burn, and star-crossed lovers was epic. I loved Grant’s writing style of the dual POVs. Usually when written from a male’s POV I feel there is too much unrelatable sexual innuendo. But not in this book it was so gritty and beautifully written. I thought at first I would have issues getting into a book narrated by a man. However, Shane East made listening to this tale so intriguing and enjoyable. I can’t wait for the next book in the series and will be impatiently waiting……..
*Thank you to Donna Grant and Shane East, Netgalley and Tantor Audio for the audio copy. I am freely leaving my honest review.
Yasmin escaped the fortress that has captured humans for high society elves' darkest desires four years ago. Since then she has been barely scraping by trying to survive. When she is caught stealing she is forced to re-enter Shaldron to help stop a future bombing. Yasmin must guide the dark and handsome elf, Ravi, across treacherous ground and through the underworld of Shaldron if she hopes to return to her life. As Ravi and Yasmin survive numerous near death experiences they find that their guarded walls fall down and are replaced by love. But can they save more than one soul as well as their own on this mission?
LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! I lost sleep to finish this audiobook! The slow burn, and star-crossed lovers was epic. I loved Grant’s writing style of the dual POVs. Usually when written from a male’s POV I feel there is too much unrelatable sexual innuendo. But not in this book it was so gritty and beautifully written. I thought at first I would have issues getting into a book narrated by a man. However, Shane East made listening to this tale so intriguing and enjoyable. I can’t wait for the next book in the series and will be impatiently waiting……..
*Thank you to Donna Grant and Shane East, Netgalley and Tantor Audio for the audio copy. I am freely leaving my honest review.
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:
Complicated
I fell through a rabbit hole of clicking around, looking for something new to read when I found Rising Sun by Donna Grant. It had pretty good ratings, so I decided to pick up the audiobook to listen to at work. When I tell you that I’ve never been gladder to find a book at random! Narrator Shane East? To die for. The slow burn? Burned. This was just such a great romantasy!
Usually, when I’m picking up romance audiobooks, I tend to pick up duet narrators or female narrators only. I’m not sure why. It’s just how it has always been. So I was on the fence going through an entire romance with dual POV and having a male narrator only. I was a fool to be worried. Shane East was amazing. He had enough range that I could tell exactly who was talking at all times and the pitch was never annoying or squeaky. I am looking forward to listening to many more audiobooks narrated by him.
Onto the actual story itself. This is a spin-off of Donna Grant’s Dragon Kings series, which I’ve never read. Even still, everything is well laid out and easy to grasp. Dragons live in a neighboring country and there is a tentative peace. Humans are the minority and there are some reproduction issues going on, leading to humans being adopted out to whomever. We get just enough story that the narrative makes sense and feels solid, but not so much that it bogs down the pacing or romance. Human FMC, Yasmin, is caught thieving and told she will not be charged or in trouble so long as she guides elven MMC Ravi to her former home, Shaldorn.
Yasmin and Ravi, of course, hate and misunderstand each other. Ravi thinks she’s being petulant for refusing to return and help, believing she just doesn’t understand how high the stakes are. Yasmin thinks Ravi is cruel and heartless, uncaring and oblivious. And so, little by little, as the pair travel through beautiful and cruel landscapes, they begin to slough off their misguided misconceptions and form a tentative friendship until, of course, one falls ill and the other looks at them in a new light – a sexy light. This is a slow burn. VERY SLOW BURN. If that isn’t something you’re into, do not pick this up. Over three quarter of the book is building up to the actual romance, which is made all the more delicious thanks to what they have to overcome. The spice is short but intense and satisfying.
For anyone that is a fan of extremely slow burn romances in a fantasy setting, I absolutely would recommend Rising Sun by Donna Grant. It has solid worldbuilding, amazing tension, and great characters. I especially would recommend picking this up as an audiobook because Shane East does a marvelous job bringing every character to life. Honestly, I cannot wait for the second book in this series to continue within this world and with the greater cast we were introduced to.
Usually, when I’m picking up romance audiobooks, I tend to pick up duet narrators or female narrators only. I’m not sure why. It’s just how it has always been. So I was on the fence going through an entire romance with dual POV and having a male narrator only. I was a fool to be worried. Shane East was amazing. He had enough range that I could tell exactly who was talking at all times and the pitch was never annoying or squeaky. I am looking forward to listening to many more audiobooks narrated by him.
Onto the actual story itself. This is a spin-off of Donna Grant’s Dragon Kings series, which I’ve never read. Even still, everything is well laid out and easy to grasp. Dragons live in a neighboring country and there is a tentative peace. Humans are the minority and there are some reproduction issues going on, leading to humans being adopted out to whomever. We get just enough story that the narrative makes sense and feels solid, but not so much that it bogs down the pacing or romance. Human FMC, Yasmin, is caught thieving and told she will not be charged or in trouble so long as she guides elven MMC Ravi to her former home, Shaldorn.
Yasmin and Ravi, of course, hate and misunderstand each other. Ravi thinks she’s being petulant for refusing to return and help, believing she just doesn’t understand how high the stakes are. Yasmin thinks Ravi is cruel and heartless, uncaring and oblivious. And so, little by little, as the pair travel through beautiful and cruel landscapes, they begin to slough off their misguided misconceptions and form a tentative friendship until, of course, one falls ill and the other looks at them in a new light – a sexy light. This is a slow burn. VERY SLOW BURN. If that isn’t something you’re into, do not pick this up. Over three quarter of the book is building up to the actual romance, which is made all the more delicious thanks to what they have to overcome. The spice is short but intense and satisfying.
For anyone that is a fan of extremely slow burn romances in a fantasy setting, I absolutely would recommend Rising Sun by Donna Grant. It has solid worldbuilding, amazing tension, and great characters. I especially would recommend picking this up as an audiobook because Shane East does a marvelous job bringing every character to life. Honestly, I cannot wait for the second book in this series to continue within this world and with the greater cast we were introduced to.
The writing style made it difficult for me to enjoy the book. The sentence structure was choppy and relied heavily on telling rather than showing. The frequent use of "and then, and then, and then" made the narrative feel repetitive and tedious. While I was aware of the characters' actions, I didn't gain any real insight into their motivations or emotions. This lack of depth falls short of my high standards for fiction, and as a result, the book did not appeal to me.
When I read the synopsis, this book seemed right up my alley. The genre, the tropes, the elves… so why didn’t I enjoy it more? I have no complaints about the plot, worldbuilding, and lore, but unfortunately the characters and writing didn’t do it for me.
Note: I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for honest feedback.
❤️ Swoon-worthy voice actor
❤️ Smart, strong FMC
❤️ Interesting worldbuilding
❤️ Gorgeous cover
❌ Inconsistent pace
❌ Too much telling vs. showing
❌ Meh MMC
❌ Third-act breakup
Trigger warnings: violence, blood and gore, injury detail, child abuse (mentioned), racism, controlled reproduction, hunger, kidnapping, human trafficking, torture.
Plot:
To save their region from a terrorist attack, reluctant partners Yasmin and Ravi have to steal a powerful weapon in Shaldorn, a stronghold where rich, sadistic Elves can do whatever they want without consequences. Yasmin is the only one who’s ever managed to escape from this place of nightmares, but to avoid life imprisonment and take care of the ones she loves, she accepts to guide Ravi to the one place she vowed she’d never go back to.
The worldbuilding in the first 20% was captivating and intriguing (with segregation and discrimination of humans from the elves), but most of it was quickly swept under the rug and barely mentioned again while our protagonists embarked on a mission to save their region from a peril I didn’t know (or care) much about. Then, the story started dragging while they hiked for a long while, barely talking and yet falling in “love.” By the time they got to the stronghold, I was uninvested in both the quest and the relationship/romance.
Characters:
This is where things went wrong, in my opinion. I just can’t enjoy a book if I don’t like the characters.
While I liked Yasmin’s profile, I failed to connect with her character. Perhaps it would have helped if she’d used sentences with more than four words? As for Ravi, I disliked his intransigence and lack of compassion. I was hoping for more character development from him and had a hard time believing in his budding relationship with Yas; I saw lust, but no chemistry or love.
And then there’s this other elf called Dain. I wanted to know mooooooooore about him! When he was introduced, I was convinced he’d be the MMC. He certainly seemed stronger, kinder, sexier than Ravi! If I continue this series (I haven’t decided yet), it would be 100% thanks to Dain and the dragon shifters, as Yasmin and Ravi failed to keep me interested.
Writing:
While the writing wasn’t *bad*, it was slightly choppy. I also feel like more atmosphere and imagery would have been great, especially given how amazing the worldbuilding was.
Audiobook:
Okaaay, I am now a Shane East fan. I could listen to his deep, toe-curling voice and British accent aaaaall day. And while I usually prefer having two different voice actors for dual-POV stories, I think he did a spectacular job at changing his voice and speech pattern for the various characters.
Follow me on Instagram: @bibi.reads.writes
Note: I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for honest feedback.
❤️ Swoon-worthy voice actor
❤️ Smart, strong FMC
❤️ Interesting worldbuilding
❤️ Gorgeous cover
❌ Inconsistent pace
❌ Too much telling vs. showing
❌ Meh MMC
❌ Third-act breakup
Trigger warnings: violence, blood and gore, injury detail, child abuse (mentioned), racism, controlled reproduction, hunger, kidnapping, human trafficking, torture.
Plot:
To save their region from a terrorist attack, reluctant partners Yasmin and Ravi have to steal a powerful weapon in Shaldorn, a stronghold where rich, sadistic Elves can do whatever they want without consequences. Yasmin is the only one who’s ever managed to escape from this place of nightmares, but to avoid life imprisonment and take care of the ones she loves, she accepts to guide Ravi to the one place she vowed she’d never go back to.
The worldbuilding in the first 20% was captivating and intriguing (with segregation and discrimination of humans from the elves), but most of it was quickly swept under the rug and barely mentioned again while our protagonists embarked on a mission to save their region from a peril I didn’t know (or care) much about. Then, the story started dragging while they hiked for a long while, barely talking and yet falling in “love.” By the time they got to the stronghold, I was uninvested in both the quest and the relationship/romance.
Characters:
This is where things went wrong, in my opinion. I just can’t enjoy a book if I don’t like the characters.
While I liked Yasmin’s profile, I failed to connect with her character. Perhaps it would have helped if she’d used sentences with more than four words? As for Ravi, I disliked his intransigence and lack of compassion. I was hoping for more character development from him and had a hard time believing in his budding relationship with Yas; I saw lust, but no chemistry or love.
And then there’s this other elf called Dain. I wanted to know mooooooooore about him! When he was introduced, I was convinced he’d be the MMC. He certainly seemed stronger, kinder, sexier than Ravi! If I continue this series (I haven’t decided yet), it would be 100% thanks to Dain and the dragon shifters, as Yasmin and Ravi failed to keep me interested.
Writing:
While the writing wasn’t *bad*, it was slightly choppy. I also feel like more atmosphere and imagery would have been great, especially given how amazing the worldbuilding was.
Audiobook:
Okaaay, I am now a Shane East fan. I could listen to his deep, toe-curling voice and British accent aaaaall day. And while I usually prefer having two different voice actors for dual-POV stories, I think he did a spectacular job at changing his voice and speech pattern for the various characters.
Follow me on Instagram: @bibi.reads.writes
adventurous
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
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:
Complicated