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yrc's review
4.0
As a reader who prefers epic and dark stories to romance and YA, this book was a pleasant surprise and here's why.
I loved the author's character work and the great dialogues full of banter between our main trio- Tristan, Riona and Liam. The fact that Riona is so focused on revenge for her parents and still stands up for the weak down that road was inspiring to experience.
I also felt that one of the main arcs here was to reconsider one's moral position, forgive and face secrets head on. As we all know, this can be extremely difficult to do even during the best of time, and it definitely created an emotional reaction from me.
I can say with confidence that to me the romance in here was well done- believable and slow, nothing sudden or too graphic and it actually helped the plot go along. The amount of daggers and political machinations in just over 300 pages was really impressive and I was definitely positively surprised by it.
Though in my mind the middle section of the book felt slow and the main villain (yes there are more than one as should be the standard nowadays) felt lacking a complex motivation, I still think this is a brilliant book for readers like me who want a very moderate amount of YA romance and are willing to challenge their limits without compromising on anything else. Kudos to the author!
I loved the author's character work and the great dialogues full of banter between our main trio- Tristan, Riona and Liam. The fact that Riona is so focused on revenge for her parents and still stands up for the weak down that road was inspiring to experience.
I also felt that one of the main arcs here was to reconsider one's moral position, forgive and face secrets head on. As we all know, this can be extremely difficult to do even during the best of time, and it definitely created an emotional reaction from me.
I can say with confidence that to me the romance in here was well done- believable and slow, nothing sudden or too graphic and it actually helped the plot go along. The amount of daggers and political machinations in just over 300 pages was really impressive and I was definitely positively surprised by it.
Though in my mind the middle section of the book felt slow and the main villain (yes there are more than one as should be the standard nowadays) felt lacking a complex motivation, I still think this is a brilliant book for readers like me who want a very moderate amount of YA romance and are willing to challenge their limits without compromising on anything else. Kudos to the author!
nenacall's review
5.0
Everyone loves castle intrigue. We have Prince Tristan's new chambermaid Riona but who is she really? Tristan likes her but his mage mirror doesn't trust her or want her near. Of course , Riona has an agenda of her own like getting information on the King and the prince and giving the info to her aunt. As she gets closer to the prince her character goes through a lot of soul searching. It's a fun read, with a great plot, and will keep you guessing whether will she or whether she won't. I gave it 5 stars.
emmermu's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
geethr75's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I started this book a long time ago, because I heard a lot of glowing recommendations. This is the debut book by the author and I enjoyed it a lot.
The main protagonist is Riona who was orphaned by the King of Revon, Padrig when he invaded her kingdom of Makaria and killed her parents who were the rulers of Makaria. As their only daughter and heir, Riona is now the queen of Makaria. The only problem is Makaria no longer exists and is now part of Revon. Riona has been raised on a diet of revenge and anger by her Aunt, Orla whose sole mission is to kill the royal family of Revon and retake Makaria’s throne. They know that there was a mage who helped Padrig in defeating the armies of Makaria and they want to take him out too. As part of the mission, Riona infiltrates the royal palace as a maid. Her mission is to gather intelligence and to kill Prince Tristan, Padrig’s son and heir. But the mission doesn’t go as expected as she discovers Tristan to be intelligent, wise, compassionate and caring. Not to speak extremely handsome.
The story is set in a larger world called Kasmia and the magic system is rather unique. I loved the overall plot and development, but it lacked tension for me. At no point did I feel the urgency or anxiety for the characters. Riona’s character development needed more space in my view, and the romance while it took time to develop, didn’t feel wholly convincing
The world building is subtle, which I liked a lot. It’s done very well and is immersive, but it doesn’t spend passages expounding on the world or the magic. Descriptions are vivid without interrupting the plot, and the characters are believable, likeable and relatable.
Warnings for blood and gore, attempted sexual harassment, nightmares, trauma and PTSD.
That said, this is an immensely enjoyable and entertaining read. If you like high fantasy, romantic fantasy, elves, well developed magic systems and world building that’s not in your face, but done well, you may enjoy this book.
hj0504's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 ⭐️
Kind of cheesy but a good vibe for kindle unlimited! Not sure if I’ll continue the series since it’s about characters I’m not too fond of but I did enjoy this one.
Kind of cheesy but a good vibe for kindle unlimited! Not sure if I’ll continue the series since it’s about characters I’m not too fond of but I did enjoy this one.
sophiablanche's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
bats_nook's review against another edition
4.0
it's cliche, it's cute, what more do you want!
Also, I wish she and Liam would've had a proper conversation like we would've delved deeper into his character and why he's so against his kingdom.
Also, I wish she and Liam would've had a proper conversation like we would've delved deeper into his character and why he's so against his kingdom.
nenacall's review against another edition
5.0
Everyone loves castle intrigue. We have Prince Tristan's new chambermaid Riona but who is she really? Tristan likes her but his mage mirror doesn't trust her or want her near. Of course , Riona has an agenda of her own like getting information on the King and the prince and giving the info to her aunt. As she gets closer to the prince her character goes through a lot of soul searching. It's a fun read, with a great plot, and will keep you guessing whether will she or whether she won't. I gave it 5 stars.