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alaris's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Probably this is more fun if you like romantasy more than I do.
I enjoy stories with two POV but there was no signal for who was the focus of each new chapter - which was fine while it was usually trading off with each new chapter, but then got a tad jarring when it switched to longer passages from each perspective.
I liked the snarkiness and enemies to lovers trope is fine, but the prince just seems dumb for not figuring out her identity sooner. The romance itself seemed slapped on because of course there had to be romance, not fleshed out so it'd be believable. It dragged by the middle, I nearly DNF'd.
I enjoy stories with two POV but there was no signal for who was the focus of each new chapter - which was fine while it was usually trading off with each new chapter, but then got a tad jarring when it switched to longer passages from each perspective.
I liked the snarkiness and enemies to lovers trope is fine, but the prince just seems dumb for not figuring out her identity sooner. The romance itself seemed slapped on because of course there had to be romance, not fleshed out so it'd be believable. It dragged by the middle, I nearly DNF'd.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore
sbrnamthla's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-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
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore
earlieststar's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-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? N/A
3.75
CW: depictions of drowning
would be 4 but the .25 is bc i wish this book was double the length.
fight at the end felt a little rushed and too magic-y for me. couldnt envision it properly and it lacked explanation on what the magic system was supposed to be.
aside from that i loved the characters, and both elian and lira are developed and lovable and genuinely well thought through.
the worldbuilding is really interesting. again, i wish we saw more of it, but im glad that it was overexplained nor dragged on. its just- the book is good and interesting and i wanted more of it. but its well written within the length and honestly, it might have gone off the rails if we spent a couple hundred more pages in the world so ill take my wins.
i liked the mythical side of the sirens a lot. they truly do feel brutal and otherworldly in this really engaging way.
slow burn in a 300 page standalone is hard to achieve but the tension was delicious. thank you for the food.
the vibes are also immaculate and there was some really good banter.
would be 4 but the .25 is bc i wish this book was double the length.
fight at the end felt a little rushed and too magic-y for me. couldnt envision it properly and it lacked explanation on what the magic system was supposed to be.
aside from that i loved the characters, and both elian and lira are developed and lovable and genuinely well thought through.
the worldbuilding is really interesting. again, i wish we saw more of it, but im glad that it was overexplained nor dragged on. its just- the book is good and interesting and i wanted more of it. but its well written within the length and honestly, it might have gone off the rails if we spent a couple hundred more pages in the world so ill take my wins.
i liked the mythical side of the sirens a lot. they truly do feel brutal and otherworldly in this really engaging way.
slow burn in a 300 page standalone is hard to achieve but the tension was delicious. thank you for the food.
the vibes are also immaculate and there was some really good banter.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Gore, and Violence
davianareads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
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
5.0
I didn’t realize that this book is a Little Mermaid retelling going into it, but enjoyed it thoroughly. There were a few typos that I was surprised by and it threw me out of the story somewhat. Also, there is a bit of filler along the journey. However, the banter between characters was highly enjoyable and I found all of the characters to be lovable, even if some of the side characters fell a little flat.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Gore, Violence, Death, and Emotional abuse
e_emmaa's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Violence, War, Cursing, and Gore
thewillowwood's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
inspiring
tense
fast-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
I read this in one fell swoop during a long flight. I can’t think of any complaints. Well paced, interesting worldbuilding, loveable and complex characters. A fun, fast paced fantasy read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Body horror, Physical abuse, Murder, War, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse and Confinement
Minor: Trafficking and Slavery
anastasia_raf's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
"Lira, a famous siren, must prove herself by stealing the heart of the man, a prince, threatening their race."
To kill a kingdom...more like to kill my time! Because that's what this book felt like. Fun time, a way to kill evening boredom.
I felt nothing towards the characters to actually be scared for them or even care if they would survive or not. Still, I flew through it and I found the writing pleasant.
Honestly, the only reason I probably enjoyed most of it was because it was pirate-sea themed. The fast pace benefited the book and the almost constant action made it easier to follow. I couldn't help but cringe at the Greek used in the book. My first language is Greek, and I was disappointed that it felt like I was reading Google translation sentences sort of pieced together... Coherent enough to be cringy but also bad enough to be...well, cringy. I liked the way she used Greek words for the name of each kingdom. They were actually pretty well used! But the dialogues in Greek were, unfortunately, very poorly written.
I appreciate the effort but wish the author payed a little more attention to the grammar and translation of the dialogues.
To kill a kingdom...more like to kill my time! Because that's what this book felt like. Fun time, a way to kill evening boredom.
I felt nothing towards the characters to actually be scared for them or even care if they would survive or not. Still, I flew through it and I found the writing pleasant.
Honestly, the only reason I probably enjoyed most of it was because it was pirate-sea themed. The fast pace benefited the book and the almost constant action made it easier to follow. I couldn't help but cringe at the Greek used in the book. My first language is Greek, and I was disappointed that it felt like I was reading Google translation sentences sort of pieced together... Coherent enough to be cringy but also bad enough to be...well, cringy. I liked the way she used Greek words for the name of each kingdom. They were actually pretty well used! But the dialogues in Greek were, unfortunately, very poorly written.
I appreciate the effort but wish the author payed a little more attention to the grammar and translation of the dialogues.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gore, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Grief, Murder, Trafficking, Torture, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Slavery, and Vomit
tovetott's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
(Rating: 3.5)
I did it! I finished it !!
I did it! I finished it !!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Gore
inkysplodge's review
dark
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Violence
Moderate: Gore
val_theburrowofstories's review against another edition
adventurous
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Violence, Blood, and Gore
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gun violence, and Child abuse
Minor: War and Genocide