You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
I really enjoyed this book, I think this set the story up great for the rest of the series. What I liked most was that the characters have really strong personalities and are very head strong. That made me like both of them a lot and care for them. So it didn't matter who's pov I was reading, I was enjoying it. I also liked that it wasn't the typical boy meets girl and falls in love and that's where all this is going to revolve around. They have multiple suitors/interests and that's something I can really appreciate especially because they're still so young. I can't wait to pick the second book up.
adventurous
mysterious
slow-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
It was very difficult to get started due to the slow pace, but once it got going it got good. I love the world building and characters.
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
At first I thought this was just going to be another Lord of the Rings-lite epic fantasy. It had all the signs: an evil amulet, wizards, dark and twisty history, and it even had maps on the inside covers. There's nothing inherently wrong with those books, but I was glad when this one took a different course. This book is so much better than it's cover or blurb would have you believe!
adventurous
dark
emotional
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:
No
Nothing new, but definitely improved as it went along. Say 3.75...
Great book! One thing I will say, though, is how out-of-place and frankly jarring it was (however necessary) to have Amon's POV shown twice when the rest of the book is exclusively from Han and Raisa's POVs.
Wow this book was amazing I don't think I have read anything like that before. I love books with evil wizard and native people who control the wizards power. Thanks to a long ago mishap. Raisa the Heir princess was not exactly what I was expecting. She is a little love sick teenager who is attracted to all the cute boys surrounding her. But to go along with her open heart she wants to help her people because she sees that there are many things that need to be changed. When her long ago friend returns a new man she realizes that she never really looked at him and realized he would be anything other than that little boy who taught her how to defend herself and who she got into trouble with. But to make matter worse her mother the Queen in under the Head wizards control. Raisa sees this and wants to go into the city to see what no one is telling her except Amon the boy left and came back a man.
Alright I’m going to say this right now. The beginning of this book is slow and a bit confusing. The reader is pretty much thrust right into this world and expected to just go with it. It’s made especially complicated by the fact that our two main characters like to change their identities.
Our first main character is Hanson Alister also known as Hunts Alone also known as Cuffs. He’s a young sixteen year boy who splits his time between doing odd jobs to support his mother and sister and spending time with friends who belong to the Marisa Pines clans. He used to be the streetlord of a gang called the Ragger’s and despite giving up that life it seems he can’t quite escape it. Our young male protagonist is split between his three worlds and has a big problem feeling like he belongs somewhere. Oh and he’s got those mysterious cuffs that he’d like to get off and sell for some money.
Our second star of the show is the young princess heir Raisa. In typical fashion of young strong female protagonists, Raisa prefers breeches and leggings to her elaborate dresses. She seems more at home with her father’s clan the Demonai then at court in the Vale. She butts heads with her mother, has a perfect younger sister (whom we don’t see much), and she gives money to help the poor and starving. Her characterization is a bit weak in this book as she seems just like all the heroines of similar novels. Hopefully this will change in the next book, The Exiled Queen, which would seem to focus more on her. She is desperately avoiding marriage though on her sixteenth birthday everyone is allowed to start proposing to her. Just because she’s avoiding marriage doesn’t mean she’s not having a little fun with boys. She tells us at one point that she’s kissed quite a few but her main squeezes are the wizardling Micah Bayar and her long time friend Amon Byrne. Both are forbidden fruit as a Princess cannot marry a wizard and Amon is far below her station.
You’ll be waiting a long time for the two protagonists to meet and even then they are not together for long. This book is more of a set up for future novels as well as developing the protagonists and giving them motivation to set out on their journey’s. I’m going to give this novel three and a half out of five stars.
I didn’t have a problem with the consistency of anything except that at one point Raisa starts referring to Han as Han Alister even though she only knew him as Cuffs and when they were together she always called him Cuffs. I can’t remember her ever learning his true name. Maybe I skipped a line when someone told her his real name but even with that information she had known him as Cuffs, he would have been Cuffs to her in her thoughts. It should have been awkward for her to refer to him as Han Alister.
Our first main character is Hanson Alister also known as Hunts Alone also known as Cuffs. He’s a young sixteen year boy who splits his time between doing odd jobs to support his mother and sister and spending time with friends who belong to the Marisa Pines clans. He used to be the streetlord of a gang called the Ragger’s and despite giving up that life it seems he can’t quite escape it. Our young male protagonist is split between his three worlds and has a big problem feeling like he belongs somewhere. Oh and he’s got those mysterious cuffs that he’d like to get off and sell for some money.
Our second star of the show is the young princess heir Raisa. In typical fashion of young strong female protagonists, Raisa prefers breeches and leggings to her elaborate dresses. She seems more at home with her father’s clan the Demonai then at court in the Vale. She butts heads with her mother, has a perfect younger sister (whom we don’t see much), and she gives money to help the poor and starving. Her characterization is a bit weak in this book as she seems just like all the heroines of similar novels. Hopefully this will change in the next book, The Exiled Queen, which would seem to focus more on her. She is desperately avoiding marriage though on her sixteenth birthday everyone is allowed to start proposing to her. Just because she’s avoiding marriage doesn’t mean she’s not having a little fun with boys. She tells us at one point that she’s kissed quite a few but her main squeezes are the wizardling Micah Bayar and her long time friend Amon Byrne. Both are forbidden fruit as a Princess cannot marry a wizard and Amon is far below her station.
You’ll be waiting a long time for the two protagonists to meet and even then they are not together for long. This book is more of a set up for future novels as well as developing the protagonists and giving them motivation to set out on their journey’s. I’m going to give this novel three and a half out of five stars.
I didn’t have a problem with the consistency of anything except that at one point Raisa starts referring to Han as Han Alister even though she only knew him as Cuffs and when they were together she always called him Cuffs. I can’t remember her ever learning his true name. Maybe I skipped a line when someone told her his real name but even with that information she had known him as Cuffs, he would have been Cuffs to her in her thoughts. It should have been awkward for her to refer to him as Han Alister.
