Reviews with content warning for Murder - Kingsbane

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Kingsbane by Claire Legrand

10 reviews

ali_k0's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

4.5

My only qualm was that I feel in some areas the book dragged out it's pacing in the name of tension that didn't need to be added.

Regardless, it is a stunning, terrifying sequel by all accounts. Kingsbane grabs your heart from the start and refuses to let go, tightening it's grip with every word until it finally rips it out from your chest at the very moment you think it will let you go.

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kaip's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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kayanoelle's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Well, that certainly went downhill very fast.
I was gagged for the last 50 pages, what the hell did I just read???

Also, Audric is the incarnation of ‘work song’ by Hozier.
“No grave can hold my body down,
I’ll crawl home to her.”
That’s literally Audric.

There were so many plot twists, I could barely keep up. I’m still a little confused with the one right at the end.

Why would Simon work for the Emperor, it doesn’t make sense?? Because why would he help Eliana strengthen her powers and try to prevent everything? Maybe he’s a double agent and this is his plan to help her/the world?? I really don’t know.

This is one of the darkest books I’ve ever read, it’s crazy to see how Corien corrupts Rielle and makes her doubt everything. He always tells her exactly what she needs to hear to gain her trust and it’s working and the f#cked up thing is I UNDERSTAND WHY IT’S WORKING. Her situation is impossible to handle, she’s annoying and selfish sometimes but I do understand how difficult it is. Claire Legrand did a wonderful job of portraying the constant conflict in her mind.

What I found fascinating was that when Eliana went to the past, it actually changed something!! I thought it wouldn’t because everything she did in the past already happened and led to the present she lives in. But now that we know she changed something, that leaves a lot of possibilities for the other books. They could still “win” and change Rielle’s mind and that’s exciting!!

What I find really impressive is when an author manages to convey feelings and boy did she succeed in that. The relationship between Eliana and Simon made me ache, I didn’t know what to do with my despair lmfao. Corien made me want to throw the book, Audric made me ehdbwjskbwwi because he’s just too good for the world. I was shocked, I cried, I laughed.
I’m very very excited for book 3!

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csmall73's review

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challenging dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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angstifies's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

this book had a lot of ups and downs. the pacing was definitely slower than the first book and i think it was too long, some parts definitely needed to be cut. it took me a while to finish it but i had fun, i’m glad i liked Eliana more in this book and the ending was very interesting.

one thing i don’t like about this series in general is how abusers get forgiven? this is the third time that happens, it really fucking bothers me.

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alices13thdiary's review against another edition

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adventurous dark slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

1.5

First of all, check TWs.

second, corien is annoying and whiny.

as rielle said, it's his own damn fault. he literally started a war and then Didn't expect to be punished?

Third, if u want a book where both MCs are just Constantly angry and experience absolutely No other emotion, then this book is for u!

fourth. Plot twists. plenty of them, but did i care? not a single bit. there was 1 where i was actually shocked, but the rest, meh. every time one happened, i either 1 didn't care about the characters enough to be all that upset about it, 2 there was absolutely ZERO build-up to it which just made it disappointing, or 3 i saw it coming.

fifth there are absolutely 0 consequences for the actions of any of the characters and there are 0 stakes involved.

u thought lu was gonna die? no, rielle saves her in the same damn chapter. what abt harkan? no, he's back. what abt all of the lying rielle and lu do? not until the very end and then the consequences are on audric bc he was understandably upset abt being betrayed. the queen? no, not her either cus rielle brings her back.

sixth the romance. Corien calls rielle CHILD.

and lu literally tells rielle that corien wants nothing more than the power she can give him. & he forces himself on her in CH41.

but people support them and him. HUH

and eliana & simon just felt bland.

audric and rielle were okay? except for all of the lying (which made me feel bad for audric most of the time, except for ch41.)

also the lines in which rielle and lu are supposed to be written as best friends, sisters, and potential romantic love interests are Very blurry and confusing. which reminds me, why are rielle and audric talking about a threesome with lu when lu and audric are cousins

anyways as a final conclusion, my thoughts can be summed up as that little girl is a child, i don't wanna see you sniffing around her anymore this afternoon. do u understand me? boy have u lost ur mind cus i'll help u find it

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laurenfro22's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
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

4.25

"I hope you'll remember that in the days to come-that many here love you, and would give up their silly, simple lives for you. You do not exist alone in this world. You are part of something immense and fragile and infinite. I hope you can respect that, even as mighty as you are."

The second installment of the Empirium series plops the reader right back down into the action. In Kingsbane, Legrand continues the arc of the mysterious and diametrically opposed Queens said to rise to save humanity. A thousand years apart, we see Rielle's unravelling and Eliana's burgeoning skills. Kingsbane felt a little bit like a bridge book - building the world, characters, and context with a pause on the plot to prepare for book three. This definitely impacted my rating, as I felt that there are so many unanswered questions and plot points just piling up and swirling around in this world- very effective at creating tension, but occasionally made it difficult to stay connected to the characters and larger story. There were a lot of great points where we see excellent character development; secrets finally shared, major betrayals, painful losses, and a whole host of battles both blood and lust filled. It was a solid read, and I'm hoping the set up lets Legrand really spike Lightbringer. I have high hopes for book three and am still a little nervous to start!

I enjoyed the ongoing development of the reader's understanding of the political climates, and the religious-mythos-magic systems that reflect each other in interesting ways between the two timeframes to which we're privy. It is a grand world that Legrand is building and she is skillful in her prose, especially describing the Empirium and the characters' interactions with the world just a layer below 'our' own. I'll be interested to see how some of those hanging threads are tied up in Lightbringer.

A number of reviews commented on the sex scenes in Kingsbane eclipsing those of Furyborn. There were certainly many more, and while I can see the point raised (they're just thrown in there), my take is that Rielle is in a complicated situation and using the tools she had available to her to maintain her status and keep the other parties around her distracted. The only scene that came off unfortunate was roughly two-thirds in and felt very much out of line with Audric's characterization. But I suppose there is truly no escape from the patriarchy and toxic masculinity. Folks with a history of SA should tread carefully or avoid altogether. What I did appreciate though, was that sex is not treated as some 'fade-to-black' taboo. The characters feel and love and lust and act human; the queerness in some of the relationships and side characters was lovely to run into as well.

As I've pondered the book, the thought I keep returning to is the question of villainy. The premise of the book turns on the idea of two Queens rising - one that will be the death of humanity, the other the salvation. We spend a lot of time in Rielle's head in her tug-of-war between the 'freedom' Corien hangs over her head and the stability that appears to exist in Audric, Ludvine. I'm waiting to see the other shoe drop, as I'm not completely convinced that she'll end up as the 'evil' side of the coin. What makes her the villain? The inborn aspects that tilt villainy in her favor, or weight of the expectations fate and its constant reminders place on her head? Between Rielle and Eliana, I know I'm going to be surprised. Legrand does a great job crafting characters that are complex, and often it's often painful to see them tripping down a path that you want to reach in and drag them out of.

Overall, I was far more impressed with the plot of book 1, but appreciated Kingsbane for what it is. The prose and flow are equally enjoyable, so I still flew through the book in a couple of days. I'll have to see how I feel about the series after I finish book 3.

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junebugreads's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious 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

4.75

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ka_ke's review

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adventurous 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

I’m not sure how this series was classified as Y/A, it’s definitely more suited for Adult Fantasy readers.

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stormywolf's review

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challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This was not the best time to read this through. Then again, I don't know if there's ever a good time to read a book like this, but definitely not when you're already feeling depressed. It's not uncommon for the 2nd book in a trilogy to be more depressing than the first, what with needing to set up for the more triumphant finale, but this one, I think, takes it to a new extreme. I mean, I don't even think Catching Fire (The Hunger Games) was this disheartening.

Read my full review at The Wolf's Den

Overall, I think Kingsbane was well written, though maybe a little slow in places, and a great character study in how love, and grief and fear can shape people. Both story and characters are detailed and complex, and every chapter knows just how to end to where you want to get back to their story as quick as possible. Of course, you end up feeling that way for both storylines, so you're stuck reading the book as written. If you were intrigued by the first book, you'll definitely want to continue their stories, but I might recommend waiting until the next book is out so you're not left in so much despair for so long...

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