Reviews tagging 'Torture'

The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King by Carissa Broadbent

33 reviews

hollymileham's review

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adventurous dark emotional slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

god this sent me into a slump i dont really know why i really liked it at first but i was just so busy and then every time i went back to read it i was bored but at least its done now. i feel like the first book was loads better this was so slow paced for a fantasy book with this much action, i'll still read the rest of the series but idk

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romywrites's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I was able to get a copy before it's official re-release through Edelweiss. I was absolutely ecstatic.

While there were a few technical issues I found to be perplexing or frustrating, I still enjoyed this journey. One issue I did not have was likeable characters. I'm still excited to read more. I read and needed to know more. 

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savvyrosereads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Rating: 5/5 stars

Oraya and Raihn’s story continues in the sequel to THE SERPENT AND THE WINGS OF NIGHT.

I loved this one and was entertained the entire way through! I feel like I can’t say a ton about the plot without spoilers, but RAIHN, my HEART. He was such a standout here, and getting a dual POV kept me so invested. I also loved the glimpses of Vale and Lilith after being introduced to them in SIX SCORCHED ROSES.

Overall, I really like this duology and the world Carissa Broadbent has created—it has romance, action, and political intrigue, and I was super invested by the end. I’m intrigued by what with come next with book three (which starts off the Shadowborn Duet) and I’m excited to read that one in November!

CW: Violence; blood/injury; death of parent

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howboutjane's review against another edition

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challenging emotional tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

This book was so beautiful 🥹

Carissa said she wanted to bring the main story to a satisfying & emotional close and she DID THAT 😫👏🏽. Character development was top notch, the emotions were emotioning. I cried..mutiple times.. happy tears + sad ones. There were some bffr moments, but honestly overall it was a vibe. 10/10.

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jas_thompson's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0


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kaythebooklover's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

5.0

I loved The Serpent and the wings of night, and I don't know what took me so long to finish the ashes, and the star cursed King because this book was even better! 

The plot, the characters, and the romance it all came together so beautifully in this book. Also, I'm a sucker for a good vampire story!  

I highly recommend this! 

Overall ☆☆☆☆☆/5
Spice ☆☆☆/5
Audio ☆☆☆☆☆/5 narrators are Amanda Leigh Cobb & Aiden Snow 

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kymboh78's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark hopeful tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75


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rubisbooknook's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

It’s hard to explain all the feelings that this book made me feel because I felt so much! I completely lost myself in the world and the characters joy, fear, love, and pain all felt so real. And I had moments while reading where I absolutely SOBBED, which any reader will tell you is usually the sign of a great book.
I love both Raihn and Oraya and I’m so glad that this book showed their dual point of views because they were definitely both needed. They are one of my favorite fictional couples of all time now and this series has also definitely cemented itself in my list if all-time favorites!
I’m also really glad that I read Six Scorched Roses before starting this book because Vale and Lilith’s story was so relevant. If you’re thinking of moving onto this book after finishing book 1, stop and go back to Six Scorched Roses first, and then come back! 
I’m so happy I read this book because I truly loved every moment of the experience, but I’m also sad it’s over cause I still need more. I’m looking forward to whenever the next duology in this series is finally released!

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princessofpages's review against another edition

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4.25

I'd spend a lifetime at the tip of your blade, and it would have been worth it.

AGHHHH!! This book was so hard to write a review for because in many ways it is the perfect example of a sequel not quite living up to the sky-high expectations of the first book. The Serpent and the Wings of Night had me absolutely ENTHRALLED, GAGGED, DISTRESSED, FOAMING AT THE MOUTH... all the things. Without giving any spoilers, the ending of the first book set up this incredible enemies-to-lovers storyline that I was fully prepared to go feral for.

Unfortunately, the sequel didn't really deliver for me in terms of pacing or plotting. The first 35% was very slow and it was difficult to get a sense of the characters' motives once we were removed from the Kejari setting. Though I absolutely LOVED getting Raihn's backstory, it wasn't clear at almost any point WHY he was doing... basically anything he was doing. The entire Godblood storyline felt tired and patently uninteresting. Overall, the vibe of the entire first half was just *mild disappointment*.

All of these things had me prepped and ready to hit that 3-star review. EXCEPT.

EXCEPT. There were a few things this book did really well and I'm such a massive sucker for them that they made up for the plotting flaws.

1. The Complicated Father
I love reading about complicated father figures, the more details and emotional messiness and nuance and pain the better. Yes, I obviously have daddy issues. No, I don't want to talk about it. Oraya's exploration of her relationship with Vincent, coming to terms with who he was to her, and the resolution at the end? Had me choking, sobbing, retching. I tabbed so many moments that those sections are just annotations at this point. I'd read the entire series just for the Oraya/Vincent saga.

2. The Healing Arc
I'm beginning to fear that my favorite themes are revealing too much about me personally, but the dual POV was (imo) an amazing choice, and getting to see both Raihn and Oraya's sexual trauma and the way they were able to heal from it together really had me emotional and just generally elevated the story. 

Overall, I enjoyed this book so much even though it truly did NOT live up to the expectations of the first. As far as fantasy series wrap-ups go, it wasn't bad: I laughed, I kicked my feet, I cried (too much), and I experienced moderate anguish even though I wasn't once surprised. I call that a win. And cannot WAIT to devour the other novellas in this world!!

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firehearttt's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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