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minnow's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This novel has many of the tropes I love: enemies-to-lovers, slow burn, lots of longing, gorgeous descriptions of food and clothing; additionally, the setting is lush and beautiful, with a rich lore. The plot is interesting and hints at mystery, and there are several love-based subplots. I should have loved this book. But I didn't.
It's entertaining and is, in parts, beautifully written. However, it's at best a snack, and not a very filling one. It takes some of the tropes I love and over-uses them until it made my eyes roll every time they popped up in the text--how many times can Jack rake back his hair with one hand? There are so many aching chests that this story needed a cardiologist more than it needed a bard. Every emotion is set at ten, every moment is The Most Dramatic Moment, which reduces every truly heightened emotion and moment to zero. If everything is in stereo, nothing is in stereo.
Yet the world-building is lovely and well-done. I wish it had been focused on more and there had been less romantic navel-gazing and reminiscing performed by secondary characters. The development of the main characters feels abrupt; it's handled better with the supporting characters Torin and Sidra. There is one mildly spicy scene that is well done but feels poorly placed in the narrative.
A beautiful premise that feels shallow. I won't read further into the series as it didn't enchant me.
It's entertaining and is, in parts, beautifully written. However, it's at best a snack, and not a very filling one. It takes some of the tropes I love and over-uses them until it made my eyes roll every time they popped up in the text--how many times can Jack rake back his hair with one hand? There are so many aching chests that this story needed a cardiologist more than it needed a bard. Every emotion is set at ten, every moment is The Most Dramatic Moment, which reduces every truly heightened emotion and moment to zero. If everything is in stereo, nothing is in stereo.
Yet the world-building is lovely and well-done. I wish it had been focused on more and there had been less romantic navel-gazing and reminiscing performed by secondary characters. The development of the main characters feels abrupt; it's handled better with the supporting characters Torin and Sidra. There is one mildly spicy scene that is well done but feels poorly placed in the narrative.
A beautiful premise that feels shallow. I won't read further into the series as it didn't enchant me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, Grief, Kidnapping, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Infertility, Miscarriage, Self harm, Blood, Murder, Torture, Death of parent, Infidelity, Child death, and Sexual content
kendal_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Death and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Infidelity, Sexual content, and Miscarriage
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