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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
fast-paced
IT WAS OKAY.
BLOG || INSTAGRAM
Maybe this is better for a younger audience? I don’t know, things didn’t hit all the way for me. Lets get into it.
I am ALWAYS here for a marriage of convenience trope. What I didn’t quite get behind is how quickly the enemies were apparently lovers? For a fantasy that tops out at 300 pages I can see the difficulty in formulating the necessary depth in connections and relationships needed to fully be on board with what was happening.
There’s some decent world building. I didn’t feel confused by the set-up or how the magic worked. It wasn’t fully defined, but at least easy to follow. I loved the concept of dragon shifters and thought that was executed well.
This tried to be dark at times, and while things that were brought up were definitely dark, I don’t know that it fit? The whole overall vibe of the book + what it was trying to accomplish kind of clashed for me. Once again I think it goes back to the depth of connections I was looking for.
I won’t be continuing this series at this time! As it isn’t bringing anything new that I want to pursue.
Overall audience notes:
- YA Fantasy Romance
- Language: a little
- Romance: kisses
- Violence: high
- Trigger/Content Warnings: war themes, executions, torture, descriptive and graphic violence, weapons and physical violence, loss of loved ones
BLOG || INSTAGRAM
Maybe this is better for a younger audience? I don’t know, things didn’t hit all the way for me. Lets get into it.
I am ALWAYS here for a marriage of convenience trope. What I didn’t quite get behind is how quickly the enemies were apparently lovers? For a fantasy that tops out at 300 pages I can see the difficulty in formulating the necessary depth in connections and relationships needed to fully be on board with what was happening.
There’s some decent world building. I didn’t feel confused by the set-up or how the magic worked. It wasn’t fully defined, but at least easy to follow. I loved the concept of dragon shifters and thought that was executed well.
This tried to be dark at times, and while things that were brought up were definitely dark, I don’t know that it fit? The whole overall vibe of the book + what it was trying to accomplish kind of clashed for me. Once again I think it goes back to the depth of connections I was looking for.
I won’t be continuing this series at this time! As it isn’t bringing anything new that I want to pursue.
Overall audience notes:
- YA Fantasy Romance
- Language: a little
- Romance: kisses
- Violence: high
- Trigger/Content Warnings: war themes, executions, torture, descriptive and graphic violence, weapons and physical violence, loss of loved ones
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Let me tell you, this would make a pretty good movie. I could actually physically see some of these images in my mind while reading. That normally never happens.
I love the name - Kaida.
For 7 years she was caught in a world that she didn't deserve. Finally getting out and back into civilization. Only to be taken to another kingdom. Her dragon hatred is pure and she has a reason to feel the way she does. Let that loosen over time as she comes to the realization of who she is becoming throughout the book. (Not going to spoil it)
There were times during this story where I felt like the scenes were rushed and could have been explored a little more, but this was still a very well rounded novel. I will look forward to reading the stories to come in this series.
Read from - Kindle Unlimited
I love the name - Kaida.
For 7 years she was caught in a world that she didn't deserve. Finally getting out and back into civilization. Only to be taken to another kingdom. Her dragon hatred is pure and she has a reason to feel the way she does. Let that loosen over time as she comes to the realization of who she is becoming throughout the book. (Not going to spoil it)
There were times during this story where I felt like the scenes were rushed and could have been explored a little more, but this was still a very well rounded novel. I will look forward to reading the stories to come in this series.
Read from - Kindle Unlimited
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Can I just start off by saying that the premise of this is so intriguing! Like, shapeshifter dragons? A war between good and evil? Dismantling complacency and a corrupt status quo and inciting change for a better world? Enemies to lovers? Sign me up!!
Let's start with what I loved - enemies to lovers. I loved how Kaida and Tarrin's relationship was an ~actual~ enemies to lovers situation where they both ended up growing for the better, breaking free of their own prejudices, finding strength within themselves to fight for good, and falling for each other in a way that develops into a healthy relationship because of it. I find that a lot of times enemies to "lovers" can actually fall into a toxic relationship, which is probably one of my biggest pet peeves and genuinely breaks my heart whenever I see it happen. I'm so glad this wasn't the case here! There's a lot of anger and hate, but there's also a HUGE character growth arc for the both of them that's really fun to read.
I also loved how even though there was so much rage, hatred, and darkness that consumed a lot of the characters and fuelled their actions, Emily used that as an opportunity to portray the strength it takes to break free from that and to do better. Vengeance, while tempting, often leads to death. Fighting out of love to protect is (in my opinion) always stronger than fighting out of wrath, and it was really cool seeing how she grew a few of the characters in that way, while also allowing that to be some other characters downfall. There was a super interesting balance going on there.
Emily's not afraid to get gritty with this story. Like, it gets surprisingly heavy. There's some pretty low lows for these characters and there were definite moments where I was like "oh my gosh NO NOT MY FAVE WHYY?!" However, it wasn't dark for the sake of being dark. She used those moments for incredible character growth, healing through trauma, and the pull towards hope. Even in the darkness when all felt lost and I don't know what would happen I felt like I could trust her to navigate me through that, which is really cool as a reader. It's something I've never experienced before and it's incredibly refreshing. It definitely adds a layer of humanity, raw emotion, and nuance to her story.
That being said, I do want to mention some of the main trigger warnings: slavery, graphic descriptions of torture/violence, starvation, death of a parent, and kidnapping. While book 2 is still heavy (this is a war after all), it's not nearly as dark. If you feel you can handle those themes I would definitely recommend this series, but please be mindful of yourself and your mental health. That always comes first <3
Lastly, what I didn't like as much. There were moments in the writing, a few descriptions or certain word choices for example, that I felt were slightly cliche and it momentarily broke me out of the flow of reading. This didn't happen often, but it was enough to be noticed and made the experience slightly less enjoyable. There's also a way one moment was handled that I didn't really enjoy, but it's probably just from a personal experience I've had and won't impact your opinion on the book.
Overall I loved this book and I'm so excited for the second one! Emily really is a great author and it's crazy to think that this is her debut novel!
Let's start with what I loved - enemies to lovers. I loved how Kaida and Tarrin's relationship was an ~actual~ enemies to lovers situation where they both ended up growing for the better, breaking free of their own prejudices, finding strength within themselves to fight for good, and falling for each other in a way that develops into a healthy relationship because of it. I find that a lot of times enemies to "lovers" can actually fall into a toxic relationship, which is probably one of my biggest pet peeves and genuinely breaks my heart whenever I see it happen. I'm so glad this wasn't the case here! There's a lot of anger and hate, but there's also a HUGE character growth arc for the both of them that's really fun to read.
I also loved how even though there was so much rage, hatred, and darkness that consumed a lot of the characters and fuelled their actions, Emily used that as an opportunity to portray the strength it takes to break free from that and to do better. Vengeance, while tempting, often leads to death. Fighting out of love to protect is (in my opinion) always stronger than fighting out of wrath, and it was really cool seeing how she grew a few of the characters in that way, while also allowing that to be some other characters downfall. There was a super interesting balance going on there.
Emily's not afraid to get gritty with this story. Like, it gets surprisingly heavy. There's some pretty low lows for these characters and there were definite moments where I was like "oh my gosh NO NOT MY FAVE WHYY?!" However, it wasn't dark for the sake of being dark. She used those moments for incredible character growth, healing through trauma, and the pull towards hope. Even in the darkness when all felt lost and I don't know what would happen I felt like I could trust her to navigate me through that, which is really cool as a reader. It's something I've never experienced before and it's incredibly refreshing. It definitely adds a layer of humanity, raw emotion, and nuance to her story.
That being said, I do want to mention some of the main trigger warnings: slavery, graphic descriptions of torture/violence, starvation, death of a parent, and kidnapping. While book 2 is still heavy (this is a war after all), it's not nearly as dark. If you feel you can handle those themes I would definitely recommend this series, but please be mindful of yourself and your mental health. That always comes first <3
Lastly, what I didn't like as much. There were moments in the writing, a few descriptions or certain word choices for example, that I felt were slightly cliche and it momentarily broke me out of the flow of reading. This didn't happen often, but it was enough to be noticed and made the experience slightly less enjoyable. There's also a way one moment was handled that I didn't really enjoy, but it's probably just from a personal experience I've had and won't impact your opinion on the book.
Overall I loved this book and I'm so excited for the second one! Emily really is a great author and it's crazy to think that this is her debut novel!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Torture, Violence
Moderate: Kidnapping, Death of parent
Minor: Vomit
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I think this book was a really interesting read with characters and a plot that were well developed.
The world building was done fairly well and I soon became lost in the story.
The characters were interesting and unique. I felt that the relationship between the main characters was a little rushed and forced at the start, but as the story progressed their relationship became more relatable and realistic.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I devoured it in two days and I'm already eager for the story to continue!
I think this book was a really interesting read with characters and a plot that were well developed.
The world building was done fairly well and I soon became lost in the story.
The characters were interesting and unique. I felt that the relationship between the main characters was a little rushed and forced at the start, but as the story progressed their relationship became more relatable and realistic.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I devoured it in two days and I'm already eager for the story to continue!
I was lucky enough to be an arc reader for this book. The descriptions used in this book are amazing and really helps you get into the story. To avoid spoilers I'm only going to share a small bit. this book has dragons, and humans.. an enemies to lovers feel, dysfunctional families, magic, abuse, slaves, murder, and heart break. if you're wondering if this is YA or NA its kinda both the characters ages are 17 and 19 and there's absolutely no smut but I'm 32 and was drawn into the story. I will happily order the physical copy of this book that is how much I enjoyed it and kind of got a feel that there is more to come. (book two anyone?)
I strongly suggest pre ordering and reading this book when it is released in October.
I strongly suggest pre ordering and reading this book when it is released in October.