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kb33's review
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.75
The book hints that Vienne has albinism, but then has to add that she has some sort of magical powers, like stereotyping a person with albinism isn’t a problem. It’s also the first in the series to include even a hint of magic, and it leans in hard. I couldn’t connect with the characters in this one, and I was disappointed that there were extremely limited interactions with very few side characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Blood, Death, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Kidnapping, and Violence
Moderate: Slavery and Sexual violence
Minor: Death of parent, Animal death, Physical abuse, Rape, Murder, Confinement, Toxic relationship, War, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
greystory's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I have mixed feelings about this one. It's a solid story but there were times when it felt like it was jumping the shark a little within the universe that had been established and some other stuff I'll mention. Nevertheless, if I let that go and ignore pieces that just weren't for me (i.e., the voyeurism and some of the possibly toxic parts of their sex life), I liked it!
There was adventure! There was lore! There was mystery! Friendships! Quests! Badass moments! Sad, quiet moments! Spooky moments! This one had it all, folks.
Doesn't hurt that the guy on the front is giving Winter Soldier vibes, haha!
Vienne and her gift was an interesting character and I enjoyed reading about her for the most part. I appreciated that she had some balance between "delicate little scared waif" and "bravely staring your horde king down because she has got shit to do and you're in her way." I also appreciated that, in the end, she was the one that kicked ass and took names when it came to the Ghertun. Hell yeah!
I appreciated that she was intended to balance the rage/violence of Rath Drokka but I have to admit it was also one of those things that I have mixed feelings about. Too often in reality women are expected to be the quiet, gentle peacekeepers that keep their cool and calm their men, who are allowed to explode in the full range of emotions and throw temper tantrums and for whom physical violence is somehow accepted. Nah. Fuck that nonsense. So it was iffy for me having it in my fantasy, too, you know? Rath Drokka didn't need a quiet gentle mouse to calm him down and give his life purpose and meaning, he needed to chill the fuck out, grow some empathy, and get some therapy.
There are some heavy trigger warnings needed for this one, though, especially around kidnapping, enslavement, sexual assault, sexual abuse, grooming, and rape. Minor warnings on vomit and pregnancy at the end, which is a running theme for this series.
There was adventure! There was lore! There was mystery! Friendships! Quests! Badass moments! Sad, quiet moments! Spooky moments! This one had it all, folks.
Doesn't hurt that the guy on the front is giving Winter Soldier vibes, haha!
Vienne and her gift was an interesting character and I enjoyed reading about her for the most part. I appreciated that she had some balance between "delicate little scared waif" and "bravely staring your horde king down because she has got shit to do and you're in her way." I also appreciated that, in the end, she was the one that kicked ass and took names when it came to the Ghertun. Hell yeah!
I appreciated that she was intended to balance the rage/violence of Rath Drokka but I have to admit it was also one of those things that I have mixed feelings about. Too often in reality women are expected to be the quiet, gentle peacekeepers that keep their cool and calm their men, who are allowed to explode in the full range of emotions and throw temper tantrums and for whom physical violence is somehow accepted. Nah. Fuck that nonsense. So it was iffy for me having it in my fantasy, too, you know? Rath Drokka didn't need a quiet gentle mouse to calm him down and give his life purpose and meaning, he needed to chill the fuck out, grow some empathy, and get some therapy.
There are some heavy trigger warnings needed for this one, though, especially around kidnapping, enslavement, sexual assault, sexual abuse, grooming, and rape. Minor warnings on vomit and pregnancy at the end, which is a running theme for this series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Murder, Blood, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Terminal illness and Mental illness
Minor: Torture and Pregnancy
now_booking's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
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
4.25
I really like this series and this book in particular, I found particularly page-turning. If not that I wished that the conflict wasn’t based around secrets the hero and heroine were keeping from each other, this would have been a 5-star read for me. But even not being a huge fan of the “secret-that-a-single-conversation-would-solve conflict” trope, this was a stellar romance read.
The premise is that Vienne is a human slave of the much-detested Ghertuns who is sent to the Dakkari king to win some concessions for her masters because it’s believed she has the power of persuasion. There she is mocked but she meets Davik, a horde king, who takes her seriously and sees her as a tool to get an inside track on Ghertun secrets in order to defeat them. Meanwhile, Vienne, is on her own secret timeline to find what the Ghertuns want and go back to save herself and her family.
I think this had a lot of great themes around grief and vulnerability and loss and bravery. I adored all the characters including the side ones- no internal saboteurs here. I also liked how with this addition to the series, there’s the beginning of a multi-species collaboration on the planet. This stands alone well but is much better when read in order as a series. Love this series and can’t wait to read the next one and more of this author’s work.
The premise is that Vienne is a human slave of the much-detested Ghertuns who is sent to the Dakkari king to win some concessions for her masters because it’s believed she has the power of persuasion. There she is mocked but she meets Davik, a horde king, who takes her seriously and sees her as a tool to get an inside track on Ghertun secrets in order to defeat them. Meanwhile, Vienne, is on her own secret timeline to find what the Ghertuns want and go back to save herself and her family.
I think this had a lot of great themes around grief and vulnerability and loss and bravery. I adored all the characters including the side ones- no internal saboteurs here. I also liked how with this addition to the series, there’s the beginning of a multi-species collaboration on the planet. This stands alone well but is much better when read in order as a series. Love this series and can’t wait to read the next one and more of this author’s work.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Grief, Mental illness, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, and Xenophobia
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