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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This story was almost perfect. So freaking close if it weren't for the dreaded Third Act Breakup trope (one-sided) . The stupidity displayed there was jaw dropping, including the fact that Taegan let Zorvut leave . But I'm getting ahead of myself.
The audiobook was a short 6hrs and I finished it in a day; the story was THAT good and interesting. The Elves and Orcs are at war, and to end it, King Ruven of the Elves suggests that his only son marry the son of their enemy - an arranged marriage for peace. Taegan accepts despite already having a lover, and Zorvut is the best husband he could have ever hoped for. The orc is sweet, kind, forgiving to a fault, loving, honorable, and honest. I'd freaking marry him!
Their first night married,Taegan sees Zorvut naked and gets frightened seeing his arousal, and sweet Zorvut gets dressed and sleeps on the floor . How kind is he????! Taegan makes a lot of mistakes in this story regarding their romance, but I'll give him credit, he told off his lover to stay away and had every intention of making the marriage work. It was difficult at the start, but I know he gave lots of effort to love his new husband, and when they finally opened up, it was PERFECT.
However, the scene with the EX going to their bedroom in the middle of the night after finding out that Zorvut is an illegitimate child and thus "unsuitable" for the Elven Prince, it was so obvious what it was - a plot for the EX and Taegan to reunite withour Zorvut in the way. Honestly, I thought that Taegan would GO WITH ZORVUT, and when he didn't flee with him, I was legitimately shocked and disappointed. I THOUGHT he loved him, but I guess it wasn't enough, OR, that it was just a moment of weakness. IDK.
Worst though is when King Ruven offered to break the bond and Taegan accepted. WHY?!?!?!? Why the 3rd Act Breakup trope??? SOOOOO stupid. If it were me, i would have changed the story for Taegan to flee with the orc and leave a note for his father choosing his husband above all else. Thankfully, Zorvut forgives him, bc he's an angel, and that conflict quickly becomes a non-conflict. The one redeeming thing is that King Ruven apologized to them both, admitting his error, and he SHOULD. The fact that he offered to break the bond when his son was WEAK like that, knowing his son needed guidance and was frightened, was the most idiotic thing he did, and he should have fucking kissed their FEET in apology.
But, overall, I still liked the story and it had me hooked to the point I finished it in a day. It was fast paced, but their love progressed well until it all went to hell in a hand-basket. I liked that Taegan has a close bond with his father and that he was true to Zorvut in the end. I'm looking forward to the next one.
The audiobook was a short 6hrs and I finished it in a day; the story was THAT good and interesting. The Elves and Orcs are at war, and to end it, King Ruven of the Elves suggests that his only son marry the son of their enemy - an arranged marriage for peace. Taegan accepts despite already having a lover, and Zorvut is the best husband he could have ever hoped for. The orc is sweet, kind, forgiving to a fault, loving, honorable, and honest. I'd freaking marry him!
Their first night married,
Worst though is when King Ruven offered to break the bond and Taegan accepted. WHY?!?!?!? Why the 3rd Act Breakup trope??? SOOOOO stupid. If it were me, i would have changed the story for Taegan to flee with the orc and leave a note for his father choosing his husband above all else. Thankfully, Zorvut forgives him, bc he's an angel, and that conflict quickly becomes a non-conflict. The one redeeming thing is that King Ruven apologized to them both, admitting his error, and he SHOULD. The fact that he offered to break the bond when his son was WEAK like that, knowing his son needed guidance and was frightened, was the most idiotic thing he did, and he should have fucking kissed their FEET in apology.
But, overall, I still liked the story and it had me hooked to the point I finished it in a day. It was fast paced, but their love progressed well until it all went to hell in a hand-basket. I liked that Taegan has a close bond with his father and that he was true to Zorvut in the end. I'm looking forward to the next one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Death of parent
adventurous
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Definitely not for me, but hey, a girl has to try orc romance at least once in her life! The narrator was way too modern for the characters and his MLI (is that the right abbreviation?) voice just sounded like the way my fiancee and I make fun of Kingpin's voice so I couldn't take it seriously. Super low and flimsy stakes.
Good book, well written, but almost painfully anticlimactic. I enjoyed the world building and thought that the fantasy was well done. At almost every point in the book I knew what was coming next,t so it didn't excite me like fantasy usually does. I liked the main relationship though and I thought this idea has good potential.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
fast-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
2.75⭐️
High fantasy romance between an elf and an orc. An arranged marriage for a peace treaty bonds them together: both legally and with a psychic connection.
This book is the first short novel in a trilogy. This book definitely just felt like set up for the next two, and the plot was less actual plot, and more setting the stage. However, for me it wasn’t enough to make me want to pick up book two.
There were some things that were cool for me! Some great tropes like wound tending, arranged marriage, psychic links, and opposites attract. Yet, the execution of the story wasn’t the best. The decision making and reasoning for major plot events seems so arbitrary. And unfortunately, I can’t really describe the characters’ personalities much, they were basically neutral in terms of characterization. They had cool powers or abilities or traits, but they were mostly superficial.
Really cool premise, and maybe it gets better in book 2.
High fantasy romance between an elf and an orc. An arranged marriage for a peace treaty bonds them together: both legally and with a psychic connection.
This book is the first short novel in a trilogy. This book definitely just felt like set up for the next two, and the plot was less actual plot, and more setting the stage. However, for me it wasn’t enough to make me want to pick up book two.
There were some things that were cool for me! Some great tropes like wound tending, arranged marriage, psychic links, and opposites attract. Yet, the execution of the story wasn’t the best. The decision making and reasoning for major plot events seems so arbitrary. And unfortunately, I can’t really describe the characters’ personalities much, they were basically neutral in terms of characterization. They had cool powers or abilities or traits, but they were mostly superficial.
Really cool premise, and maybe it gets better in book 2.
