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alicebme's review against another edition
2.0
Book club with Aidan. I appreciated the historical references, and I love anything with magic. Not quite invested in any characters yet. Classic archetypes, which can be fun, but also meh. My son loved it, which is the point, of course.
votesforwomen's review against another edition
4.0
This is probably my least favorite Nielsen I've read so far? Which is saying something because I still really really enjoyed it AND she's still one of my favorite authors! That being said:
-Nic was a lot like Sage, with two major exceptions: He NEVER had a plan, and he had a good heart that would put literally anyone else before himself. At one point, he states that even to save himself or the city of Rome, he won't blur the lines of right and wrong. And that made me miss Sage and Kestra, our other two Nielsen protagonists who will stab you for looking at them wrong. The morally gray characters who stab people for the right reasons are my favorite part of Nielsen books, so...yeah. I missed that here.
-Aurelia just wasn't a terribly interesting character?
-The other characters were pretty much all meh.
-General Radulf is, in essence, the exact same villain as The Traitor's Game's Lord Endrick. ALTHOUGH the way this book ended has given me a terrifying theory for TTG Book 3 and while I don't want it to happen...oh, man. DO IT, NIELSEN. DO IT.
-The setting was fantastic!
-The plot moved really really really slowly and I was bored at a couple of moments, but I think the next book will move more quickly so I am looking forward to that.
Overall 3.5 stars! My favorite thing about Nielsen's books is how perfectly clean they are, despite their stabbiness. This is ancient Rome so the "gods" are real here, for anyone who may wish to avoid that, but otherwise...yeah, no content concerns at all!
-Nic was a lot like Sage, with two major exceptions: He NEVER had a plan, and he had a good heart that would put literally anyone else before himself. At one point, he states that even to save himself or the city of Rome, he won't blur the lines of right and wrong. And that made me miss Sage and Kestra, our other two Nielsen protagonists who will stab you for looking at them wrong. The morally gray characters who stab people for the right reasons are my favorite part of Nielsen books, so...yeah. I missed that here.
-Aurelia just wasn't a terribly interesting character?
-The other characters were pretty much all meh.
-General Radulf is, in essence, the exact same villain as The Traitor's Game's Lord Endrick. ALTHOUGH the way this book ended has given me a terrifying theory for TTG Book 3 and while I don't want it to happen...oh, man. DO IT, NIELSEN. DO IT.
-The setting was fantastic!
-The plot moved really really really slowly and I was bored at a couple of moments, but I think the next book will move more quickly so I am looking forward to that.
Overall 3.5 stars! My favorite thing about Nielsen's books is how perfectly clean they are, despite their stabbiness. This is ancient Rome so the "gods" are real here, for anyone who may wish to avoid that, but otherwise...yeah, no content concerns at all!
charlottefaith's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
pern1x's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.5
sallyavena's review against another edition
4.0
My full review can be found here: http://www.compassbookratings.com/reviews/index.php/review/view/1632
k1mar1e11's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
libraryjen's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I've really enjoyed other books by this author, so maybe I was expecting too much from this one, but I finished it with no desire to continue the series. I'm not familiar enough with the Praetor Wars in Ancient Rome, and the book skips over any explanation or setup. The twists were too easy to guess, and I never connected with any of the characters. Nic just frustrated me because he walked into every trap with his eyes wide open, "I know it's a trap, I have no plan, but I can't just let my sister die." Um, ok, how about pausing for a moment and consulting your allies?
The book started out strong enough but lost momentum about 20% in. 2.5 stars.
The book started out strong enough but lost momentum about 20% in. 2.5 stars.
hayleybeale's review against another edition
4.0
A thrilling fantasy adventure set in Ancient Rome - this is the start of a new series from the author of The False Prince. See my full review here.