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soniajoy98's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Abandonment, War, Colonisation, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Grief, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Confinement, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, and Xenophobia
Minor: Animal cruelty, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
bookishmillennial's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I enjoy most books for what they are, & I extract lessons from them all. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
Okay, admittedly it took me about 30% in to really begin to feel fully invested in the storyline (a lot of info-dumping/exposition and world-building)and the characters. However, once I was locked in, I was *LOCKED IN* !!!!! If you feel like you're going to DNF, keep going if you can. For me, it did pay off & I ended up really enjoying this!
I recognize many people think it is Star Wars/ReyLo fanfiction, but I still had an absolute blast and didn't mind that at all. Sure, there are absolutely parallels (enemies to lovers, the Night Empire, Talasyn's upbringing as an orphan & then reveal of her surprising identity & parentage), but it still felt unique enough to stand on its own, with its:
Okay, admittedly it took me about 30% in to really begin to feel fully invested in the storyline (a lot of info-dumping/exposition and world-building)and the characters. However, once I was locked in, I was *LOCKED IN* !!!!! If you feel like you're going to DNF, keep going if you can. For me, it did pay off & I ended up really enjoying this!
I recognize many people think it is Star Wars/ReyLo fanfiction, but I still had an absolute blast and didn't mind that at all. Sure, there are absolutely parallels (enemies to lovers, the Night Empire, Talasyn's upbringing as an orphan & then reveal of her surprising identity & parentage), but it still felt unique enough to stand on its own, with its:
- Philippines-inspired setting of Nenavar
- South Asian folklore-inspired dragons (hopefully more dragons in the next books!)
- wartime climate
- soft (not fully fleshed out, at least to me) but easy-to-follow magic system with light versus shadow
- diverse characters
- forced proximity/arranged marriage/marriage of convenience with so much romantic tension and a satisfying slow burn
I really enjoyed the dynamic between Alaric (Night Emperor Gaheris' son & the Master of the Shadowforged Legion & shadow magic) and Talasyn. Mostly, I think it's funny because they very much have the classic enemies-to-lovers tension of "I hate you/I so badly want to kiss you" energy, but I do recognize the problematic elements of essentially creating a colonizer/colonized storyline. Ultimately, I do think this will be a series about fighting for freedom and equality, and coming together to overcome greater evils. The current dynamics of Talasyn's home Sarodivia, struggling under the oppressive rule of Kesath, will likely change (I don't see how they can't? Hoping Sarodovia & everyone displaced will rise up from the ashes?!) and I'm excited to see where the series picks up next.
Sometimes, the pacing felt off, with random flash forwards/time jumps. However, I'm going to give the author a bit of grace because I still was able to follow and have a good time! Go into book one knowing that it is mostly character-driven (to me, there is essentially no plot yet lol); (I think) since this is the first book in the series, that this novel's main goal to introduce readers to the characters, the world, and to entice us to care for and root for them, as I expect we will get more action-packed plotlines later in the series.
steam rating: 2.5/5 - there is one open-door, on-page sex scene, but the sexual tension and pining is fantastic!
cw: War, Colonisation, Genocide, Sexual content, Death, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Terminal illness
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Colonisation, Genocide, Death, and War
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Terminal illness, Child abuse, and Gun violence
memoirsofabooklover's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
i loved this book. the characters were well fleshed out and i loved that we got both perspectives so could see from both sides. their back stories got more complex and entangled as the story progressed, their conflict and contrast of their feelings politically and romantically, tinged with each of their childhood traumas was so well done. the tension weaved throughout was exquisite. i love the world this author created, so many beautiful sentiments and intriguing concepts in their cultures. i cannot wait for the next book to continue this story!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Dysphoria, Gaslighting, Death, Hate crime, Blood, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Alcohol, Terminal illness, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Gun violence
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