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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cannibalism
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
This was like poorly written YA with mature themes. I didn't care for the worldbuilding, characters or plot. The whole thing dragged and put me in a multi-day reading slump before I finally forced myself to finish it.
What irritated me the most was the amount of graphic abuse and how much of it was minimized and excused.
(Daddy wasn't always like this--he used to read to me! All these years of severe child abuse weren't daddy's fault--he was possessed by a spirit and didn't mean it! )
Completely unnecessary.
What irritated me the most was the amount of graphic abuse and how much of it was minimized and excused.
(
Completely unnecessary.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence
Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery
I was murdered but not allowed to pass on. Given godly power, but no freedom. Offered the chance to be with someone at the cost of the one I wish to be with.
Okaay, what am I going to do with my life until December? I want to know what’s going to happen almost as much as I want to know what Lorcan did! #ifkyk
❤️ Fast-paced and captivating, with compelling plot twists and a jaw-dropping ending
❤️ Epic worldbuilding and lore
❤️ Interesting, complex characters (both main and supporting)
❤️ Strong FMC and toe-curling MMC
❤️ Humour and banter
❌ Slightly off-putting book title
❌ Modern elements that don’t quite fit
❌ Slightly disappointing spice
Trigger Warnings: violence, blood and gore, injury details, domestic abuse, parental abuse, child abuse, attempted rape, poisoning, murder, death and grief.
Plot:
Nizzara is the heiress to the Zarr throne and the daughter of a power-hungry tyrant. Forced into an arranged marriage, she enters a deadly tournament to win the freedom to choose her own suitor. Dagen is the last king of Zarr, who was killed by Nizzara’s father many years before. Now a half-ghost with tremendous power, he is stuck in another realm, working as a soul reaper. To reclaim his freedom and his kingdom, he must deliver a pure soul: Nizzara’s.
At first, the plot sounded just like 349058 other romantasy novels or series. But fear not, this book definitely stood out after only a few chapters. There’s a high-stake tournament, political turmoil, rebels, monsters, gods, ghosts and spirits, prophecies, love, tension, angst, betrayal and heartache, humour (“Nightlight” made me crack up!) and banter, etc. And, most of all, many of the plot twists were unexpected. None of the common tropes or conundrums felt like they were weaved in just to tick a box or add shock value. It really felt like the worldbuilding, the lore, the characters, and the plot were well thought of. The only things that annoyed me were the modern elements, that didn’t quite fit in; but maybe they will make more sense in the following installments.
Characters:
If you follow my reviews, you probably know how hard I am on MCs. I always find the leading ladies too reckless and self-centred, too needlessly confrontational or stabby, etc. And that the leading guys all sound like generic morally-grey alphaholes who are obsessed with the FMC after a minute and a half. But in this one, we get an FMC who is as fierce and stabby as she is mature and compassionate. We get an MMC who’s a funny, snarky, foul-mouthed, flirtatious half-ghost royal. He’s ruthless, but also sweet and caring. I loved both of them right away and felt an emotional connection very quickly. Also, there’s not a single character that I 100% hated (except Dae’s ex, maybe). The “bad guys” could have been very unidimensional like so many others, but Winn made it hard for us not to feel any sort of compassion for them—and I love that.
Writing:
Winn has a sharp, mature, and captivating writing style that’s also very accessible. I’m not a fan of the first-person POV, but Winn made it work. The addition of journal entry snippets was also great and helped learn more about the world, political dynamics, and important characters without tedious info dumps – thank gods! Some of the names, however, were too similar to my liking. Even at the end of the book, I was still confusing the three kingdoms because of their (very) similar names: Zo, Zarr, Zem. The spice was also slightly disappointing.
The only thing… the title. Maybe it’s a non-native English speaker thing, but I’m really not a fan. If it wasn’t for the high ratings and intriguing reviews, I probably would have skipped it just for that. But I’m so glad I didn’t because I would have missed out big times!
You know what they say? Don’t judge a book by itscover title!
Follow me on Instagram: @bibi.reads.writes
Okaay, what am I going to do with my life until December? I want to know what’s going to happen almost as much as I want to know what Lorcan did! #ifkyk
❤️ Fast-paced and captivating, with compelling plot twists and a jaw-dropping ending
❤️ Epic worldbuilding and lore
❤️ Interesting, complex characters (both main and supporting)
❤️ Strong FMC and toe-curling MMC
❤️ Humour and banter
❌ Slightly off-putting book title
❌ Modern elements that don’t quite fit
❌ Slightly disappointing spice
Trigger Warnings: violence, blood and gore, injury details, domestic abuse, parental abuse, child abuse, attempted rape, poisoning, murder, death and grief.
Plot:
Nizzara is the heiress to the Zarr throne and the daughter of a power-hungry tyrant. Forced into an arranged marriage, she enters a deadly tournament to win the freedom to choose her own suitor. Dagen is the last king of Zarr, who was killed by Nizzara’s father many years before. Now a half-ghost with tremendous power, he is stuck in another realm, working as a soul reaper. To reclaim his freedom and his kingdom, he must deliver a pure soul: Nizzara’s.
At first, the plot sounded just like 349058 other romantasy novels or series. But fear not, this book definitely stood out after only a few chapters. There’s a high-stake tournament, political turmoil, rebels, monsters, gods, ghosts and spirits, prophecies, love, tension, angst, betrayal and heartache, humour (“Nightlight” made me crack up!) and banter, etc. And, most of all, many of the plot twists were unexpected. None of the common tropes or conundrums felt like they were weaved in just to tick a box or add shock value. It really felt like the worldbuilding, the lore, the characters, and the plot were well thought of. The only things that annoyed me were the modern elements, that didn’t quite fit in; but maybe they will make more sense in the following installments.
Characters:
If you follow my reviews, you probably know how hard I am on MCs. I always find the leading ladies too reckless and self-centred, too needlessly confrontational or stabby, etc. And that the leading guys all sound like generic morally-grey alphaholes who are obsessed with the FMC after a minute and a half. But in this one, we get an FMC who is as fierce and stabby as she is mature and compassionate. We get an MMC who’s a funny, snarky, foul-mouthed, flirtatious half-ghost royal. He’s ruthless, but also sweet and caring. I loved both of them right away and felt an emotional connection very quickly. Also, there’s not a single character that I 100% hated (except Dae’s ex, maybe). The “bad guys” could have been very unidimensional like so many others, but Winn made it hard for us not to feel any sort of compassion for them—and I love that.
Writing:
Winn has a sharp, mature, and captivating writing style that’s also very accessible. I’m not a fan of the first-person POV, but Winn made it work. The addition of journal entry snippets was also great and helped learn more about the world, political dynamics, and important characters without tedious info dumps – thank gods! Some of the names, however, were too similar to my liking. Even at the end of the book, I was still confusing the three kingdoms because of their (very) similar names: Zo, Zarr, Zem. The spice was also slightly disappointing.
The only thing… the title. Maybe it’s a non-native English speaker thing, but I’m really not a fan. If it wasn’t for the high ratings and intriguing reviews, I probably would have skipped it just for that. But I’m so glad I didn’t because I would have missed out big times!
You know what they say? Don’t judge a book by its
Follow me on Instagram: @bibi.reads.writes
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:
Complicated
There is SO much to like about Vesselless. The magic system is unique, even if the world building doesn’t totally make sense at times - this is fantasy and I’m ok with suspending my belief for a bit and just going with it. I really loved Nizzara. She’s a wonderfully fleshed out character. The MMC as well I found super interesting, his backstory and history. Nizzara herself has a well-executed, very focused goal and story through the book. The MMC is our eye into the broader world and side stories. Both of their POVs are beautifully balanced. I am typically not a huge fan of “games” or “trials” in books, I find them mind numbingly repetitive and predictable. However, this is a very different take on that trope and is executed in an interesting way, as it doesn’t overtake the whole of the story. The fights themselves are used to push the narrative forward and are quick and well-written.
The part that has me docking this is that it reads very much like it is a standalone. The story pacing, and set-up all the way to the climax. Or that it’s kicking off a series of interconnected standalones. And folks, color me surprised to find out that this very much is NOT resolve anything for our MCs. The last 10% of the book landed so flat for me when I realized there would not be any resolution. Yes, you can put this on me as the reader! I did do research on this book prior to picking it up and did not find anywhere that said it was book 1 of (however many). According the authors website, the next book that’s coming is a prequel.
I just felt like this book had literally jaw dropping momentum and then I had the floor dropped out from under me when it just… ends. It just didn’t seem like the story was headed where it ended?
So all in all I enjoyed this and yes I’ll be coming back for more! It’s been a while since I finished a book and sat staring into oblivion scratching my head wondering what happened but that’s where I’m at. Hoping my frustration and shock settles soon!
The part that has me docking this is that it reads very much like it is a standalone. The story pacing, and set-up all the way to the climax. Or that it’s kicking off a series of interconnected standalones. And folks, color me surprised to find out that this very much is NOT resolve anything for our MCs. The last 10% of the book landed so flat for me when I realized there would not be any resolution. Yes, you can put this on me as the reader! I did do research on this book prior to picking it up and did not find anywhere that said it was book 1 of (however many). According the authors website, the next book that’s coming is a prequel.
I just felt like this book had literally jaw dropping momentum and then I had the floor dropped out from under me when it just… ends. It just didn’t seem like the story was headed where it ended?
So all in all I enjoyed this and yes I’ll be coming back for more! It’s been a while since I finished a book and sat staring into oblivion scratching my head wondering what happened but that’s where I’m at. Hoping my frustration and shock settles soon!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
if only the author did her job this garbage will end with only 300 pages of suffering but no, she dragged it for almost 500 pages, and for what?? NOTHING. super draggy. first 10 chapter are okay the rest are nonsense. plot holes everywhere. didn't like any character except for maybe Lo and Liha
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
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:
No
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
adventurous
dark
This was a DNF at 47%. I was not invested in the characters and found myself not caring what happened in the story.