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tlskayte's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Gore, Blood, Body horror, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Infertility
Minor: Rape
zia_c's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.75
As for the female main character, I'm kinda on the fence about her. I mean, I'm not a fan of those stubborn types who go all out sacrificing themselves for a world that's given them nothing but suffering. Maybe she'll grow on me in the next book if she shows some positive changes.
Oh, and let's talk about Valroy. Can I just admit that I'm already smitten with this guy? I couldn't care less about the people he offed. They had it coming, except for that one kid.
Kingsley knows how to deliver a male main character who's unapologetically himself. It's freaking fantastic, and I'm absolutely loving it.
Graphic: Child death, Body horror, Toxic relationship, and Gore
Minor: Infertility, Vomit, and Suicide attempt
She surrender herself to a painful death to escape the prince. I think it's suicide because she chose death over being with him. I guess that's an explanatory itself.lalunablue's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.5
Graphic: Body horror, Murder, Violence, Blood, and Torture
Moderate: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Animal death, and Sexual harassment
caseymac's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Kidnapping, Violence, Murder, Death, Body horror, Suicide, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, and Blood
Moderate: Sexual content and Gore
Minor: Infertility, Abandonment, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Cursing, Animal death, Grief, War, and Torture
nunudeen's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Gore, and Death
spines's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
my heart was in my throat for the whole last chapter. my heart was pounding while reading the whole book.
most fantasy enemies to lovers books do one of two things: enemy does bad things with good intentions, or out of misunderstandings, or is in some way cursed or forced to be bad, or enemy falls in insta-love and suddenly regrets everything he's done as he develops empathy.
this one does neither. Valroy does bad things because he has to but also because he wants to. there is a twinge of pity and empathy in the fact that he was created for the purpose of cruelty, that it's all he's ever known, but he revels in it and does not wish to stop and this is unacceptable to Abigail. He doesn't even seem to understand why she finds him so abhorrent which makes it even harder to untangle her feelings for him.
Abigail is a perfect character. From first meeting she is downtrodden but warm-hearted, not in a Pollyanna cheerful way but just someone with a deep sense of empathy and justice. She's scrappy and insightful but she doesn't have the power to actually win her battles. The war between her lust and loathing for Valroys is much more palpable and realistic than other fantasy e2l protags and I adored everything she did.
The setting is lush and intricately woven, the side characters are vibrant and lovable, the writing style had me desperately flipping to the next chapter, and I'm writing this as fast as I can so I can get to the sequel. Fucking stellar.
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Body horror, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Abandonment, Death, and Gore
Moderate: Torture
Minor: Infertility
ka_ke's review against another edition
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Classism, Mental illness, Cursing, Abandonment, Blood, Gaslighting, Infertility, and Misogyny
Moderate: Grief, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, and Sexual violence
cosyqueer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
Graphic: Sexual violence, Blood, Violence, Death, Sexual content, and Gore
Moderate: Animal death, Vomit, and Infertility
Minor: Body horror and Rape
madelinelindy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Blood, Gaslighting, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, and Gore
Moderate: Kidnapping, Infertility, Murder, and Physical abuse
Minor: Rape
acreatureofbooksandtea's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
The start of the book was basically the same as the end of the book. There was no character growth or plot progression. It genuinely felt like I had just completely wasted my time reading through the book.
The MMC had no redeemable or likable qualities. He spends much of the story sexually harassing and assaulting the FMC, or putting her life in mortal danger while he goes off to take a nap. His whole plan is to use her to further his own goals—which will require him killing her—but wants to make sure he can use her for sex fist.
When he's not sexually harassing the FMC, he's enjoying the hell out of himself by killing. Everyone. Indiscriminately. In the most brutal ways possible. One scene in particular, he tortures and skins alive a 10-year-old boy before turning him into a monster, and he's having such a good time while he does it.
The FMC goes through one life threatening situation after another in this story, is constantly injured and hurt, and is forced throughout the entire story to go through extreme mental and emotional torment. She's treated as nothing but a playing by the MMC and a pawn by almost everyone else in the story, and because of the MMC she is always being target by someone or something trying to kill her. Or in one case, rape her and then kill her.
I picked this book up because the cover was beautiful, and it was listed as a fantasy romance. This story is not a romance. Nothing romantic, loving, or even consensually sexual happens between the MCs in this book. They lust after each other, and that's it.
The focus of the story is the MMC's aspirations for power, and the FMC trying to find a way out of the world of the fae. Ultimately neither of their plans come to fruition, and at the end of the book the FMC commits suicide by walking into a field of carnivorous flowers and allowing them to burrow their vines into her body and consume her from the inside out, which is something I wasn't expecting and really wished I could have avoided reading about.
Graphic: Torture, Gaslighting, Blood, Child death, Confinement, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Murder, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Suicide, and Violence
Moderate: Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Rape, and Infertility
Minor: Cannibalism