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wildatheart1339's review
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Murder, and Sexual content
Moderate: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, Animal death, Blood, and Grief
Minor: Death, Drug use, Death of parent, Medical content, Chronic illness, Alcohol, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, and War
tragicgloom's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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? It's complicated
5.0
I loved this book so much!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Murder
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Kidnapping
Minor: Child abuse, Blood, Death of parent, Drug use, and War
nitzanschwarz's review
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was exactly what I needed it to be! I absolutely loved it from the first page to the last, and I only have very mild complaints about it. If you're looking for a good fantasy romance that will make you fall in love with the couple, definitely give this one a shot!
So, both Whisper and Julien were lovable from the get-go. Whisper because he has this puppy vibe from the very beginning, and you are basically introduced to him as an assassin with a heart of gold. I know sounds weird, but it definitely makes sense.Exchanging his freedom for his sisters? Having nightmares over the people he killed?? ESSENTIALLY HAVING BLOOD MAGIC FORCE HIM INTO THIS PROFESSION???
But actually, Julien was the one who intrigued me more. There is just something about princes who pretend to be carefree and blase but underneath the facade, they're scheming, and all their devil-may-care attitude is a well-crafted persona to serve their means, you know?
And he was just so sweet to Whisper! Like, I totally get why Whisper fell for him. His charisma is off the charts, and this wounded kitten (look, Julien calls him 'kitten', it's not my fault) has pretty much never been treated like a person. So maybe the bar is low, but I promise Julien is so much above it. And I get why he fell for Whisper. It's that 'wounded kitten' vibes coupled with a complete lack of self-preservation. Like, my man will give his life for others, but ask him to fight for himself? nah ah, mate, he ain't worth it (in his head).
So yeah, absolutely love these two together. Also, it's like... they both fell first, and they both fell harder?? idk how to explain it, but I was here for it.
Now, I do have some minor complaints. Like, I absolutely LOVE the cats, but it would've been nice to get more of other side characters. For a world that is quite big, the story itself felt very small, and that's not necessarily a bad thing, but I would've liked to see more of other people. It would've probably helped make a few things more impactful, like Hemlock's betrayal, which I'm still not sure won't turn out to be a ruse in the future . But the villains? Mere filler characters, barely a blip on the reader. Very easily dispatched off, too.
Speaking of easily dispatching people... is it just me, or Whisper, who's supposed to be really good at his job... really bad at it? Like, I love the dude, but he didn't manage to do a single thing he set out to do smoothly. He immediately cut the Prince's eye, which-- yes was something the villain wanted, but not something he intended to do. Then, he got hurt when stopping another assassin from killing His Highness, then HE got kidnapped, and he failed to appear inconspicuous at every fucking turn. I know my man didn't really want this job, but he also had a reason to do good in it, so... In the end, he completely failed to kill the prince, and he wasn't even the one to dispatch the villain - Julien did! . I would've actually wanted this world-class assassin to be better at his job.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, Julien didn't scheme enough. Again, the introduction of this dashing prince is as someone who plays it incompetent or thoughtless but is actually super conning and everything is a plan. And he fit his role better than Whisper did, I'll give him that. But still - everything felt far more in the open than I would've liked, and his scheming was actually very surface-level. He didn't even bother to hide his magic powers from literally anyone, even though in the set up he was, like, so reluctant to use them because he was afraid to turn like his dad. But Whispered told him he could never be like his dad so I guess now years of worry have been solved .
Anyway, I really enjoyed this one, and these minor complaints didn't stop me from immensely enjoying the novel - it just made it a 4 star rather than a 5 star haha
So, both Whisper and Julien were lovable from the get-go. Whisper because he has this puppy vibe from the very beginning, and you are basically introduced to him as an assassin with a heart of gold. I know sounds weird, but it definitely makes sense.
But actually, Julien was the one who intrigued me more. There is just something about princes who pretend to be carefree and blase but underneath the facade, they're scheming, and all their devil-may-care attitude is a well-crafted persona to serve their means, you know?
And he was just so sweet to Whisper! Like, I totally get why Whisper fell for him. His charisma is off the charts, and this wounded kitten (look, Julien calls him 'kitten', it's not my fault) has pretty much never been treated like a person. So maybe the bar is low, but I promise Julien is so much above it. And I get why he fell for Whisper. It's that 'wounded kitten' vibes coupled with a complete lack of self-preservation. Like, my man will give his life for others, but ask him to fight for himself? nah ah, mate, he ain't worth it (in his head).
So yeah, absolutely love these two together. Also, it's like... they both fell first, and they both fell harder?? idk how to explain it, but I was here for it.
Now, I do have some minor complaints. Like, I absolutely LOVE the cats, but it would've been nice to get more of other side characters. For a world that is quite big, the story itself felt very small, and that's not necessarily a bad thing, but I would've liked to see more of other people. It would've probably helped make a few things more impactful, like
Speaking of easily dispatching people... is it just me, or Whisper, who's supposed to be really good at his job... really bad at it? Like, I love the dude, but he didn't manage to do a single thing he set out to do smoothly.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, Julien didn't scheme enough. Again, the introduction of this dashing prince is as someone who plays it incompetent or thoughtless but is actually super conning and everything is a plan. And he fit his role better than Whisper did, I'll give him that. But still - everything felt far more in the open than I would've liked, and his scheming was actually very surface-level. He didn't even bother to hide
Anyway, I really enjoyed this one, and these minor complaints didn't stop me from immensely enjoying the novel - it just made it a 4 star rather than a 5 star haha
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
akirokis's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Confinement, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Torture, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: War
anniereads221's review against another edition
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Murder, Gore, Sexual content, Medical content, Death, and Violence
asa_s_16's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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
3.75
There was A LOT of pining and I really enjoyed the plot twists.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
shadowspinner's review
adventurous
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: Sexual content, Kidnapping, and Violence
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, and Blood
Minor: Sexual harassment and Racism
jesthemess's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Minor: Blood
mallorypen's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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
4.75
I KNOW I have a book type, and that type is queer romance set against the backdrop of political scheming. And Prince and Assassin DELIVERED. Was pretty much everything a little expected and trope-y? Oh, absolutely. Did I eat it up with a spoon and wish it was twice as long so I could enjoy more of it? Of course I did.
The concept of the Assassins guild isn’t new, nor is the the idea of controlling the members. But the blood magic, the “father and children” element, granting boons of freedom just to send your next child assassin to clean up loose ends, and the casual cruelty of calling them Hounds in a Kennel … I was totally bought in.
I also expected Julian to be an asshole with the way he was initially described, and I adored the twist to make him his brother’s champion. His self doubt about inheriting his father’s magic and not wanting to turn into him felt a little weak, but overall Julian delighted me.
Whisper was such a great character - frank about his own shortcomings, distracted by giant cats, trying to protect people even when he shouldn’t have any empathy left. His dynamic with Julian was very hot, and easy to fall in love with.
I think my favorite thing about this book was the world building. The casual mentions of creatures like dragons, wyrms and fell cats place the story into a fantasy setting without trying too hard with lengthy, ungainly backstory and exposition. The rivalries between the three countries and political machinations were complex while still being laid out in an easy-to-follow manner. I loved the two queens, and that they got children by way of a biological father without giving him a right to the offspring; that dynamic was explained well and also grounded the character behaviors without needing to use dozens of pages to ascribe importance or motivations.
When Whisper was revealed as an assassin and poisoned, I felt that Julian got over it WAY too quickly, and I also felt that Hemlock’s betrayal wasn’t given enough time either. Those both could have had juicy story arcs on their own, and for that reason (and because of some of the predictability) I’m not giving it a five star rating.
That said, this was an enjoyable and highly entertaining read! The narrators were both wonderful and embodied their characters well.
The concept of the Assassins guild isn’t new, nor is the the idea of controlling the members. But the blood magic, the “father and children” element, granting boons of freedom just to send your next child assassin to clean up loose ends, and the casual cruelty of calling them Hounds in a Kennel … I was totally bought in.
I also expected Julian to be an asshole with the way he was initially described, and I adored the twist to make him his brother’s champion. His self doubt about inheriting his father’s magic and not wanting to turn into him felt a little weak, but overall Julian delighted me.
Whisper was such a great character - frank about his own shortcomings, distracted by giant cats, trying to protect people even when he shouldn’t have any empathy left. His dynamic with Julian was very hot, and easy to fall in love with.
I think my favorite thing about this book was the world building. The casual mentions of creatures like dragons, wyrms and fell cats place the story into a fantasy setting without trying too hard with lengthy, ungainly backstory and exposition. The rivalries between the three countries and political machinations were complex while still being laid out in an easy-to-follow manner. I loved the two queens, and that they got children by way of a biological father without giving him a right to the offspring; that dynamic was explained well and also grounded the character behaviors without needing to use dozens of pages to ascribe importance or motivations.
When
That said, this was an enjoyable and highly entertaining read! The narrators were both wonderful and embodied their characters well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Violence, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Death, and Murder
brims's review
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Murder
Minor: Suicide, Child abuse, and Sexual assault