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mellhay's review against another edition
5.0
Krista has done well creating a cast of characters I enjoy reading. They all interact well together and have sense of humor.
Krista has a masterful touch to her writing. She easily as she blends fun with serious topics. This story is much more than meets the eye when you start it. It centers around slavery and treatment of slaves. The slaves are those who are accused of being elementals and mages, this does not always mean they are as people get mad at someone and this is their way to have them eliminated. The world fears them and sees them as different so they are cruel and worse to all people who are, or are thought to fall, in the mage category. Allegra helps to free those like her, mages and elementals. She wants to educate the poor born mages so they can control their powers and do more than what they are forced to do.
****FULL REVIEW****
Allegra's letter to the Holy father asking to find an Arbiter that can help stop wars instead of more tension results in her being brought further into a world she strives to stay away from. To stop the rebellion of the mages against the people who have enslaved them, hoping to prevent an all out war between the states that the country couldn't survive, Allegra takes the position she knows will destroy her in the end. But she can't stand seeing the injustice any longer and accepts the position as Arbiter. Allegra will fight many hatreds and prejudices against mages and elementals, to be threatened again and again, to bring freedom and peace to all. Allegra also learns that the stories of the demons locked out of this word is true. Allegra will have to trust those she never thought she would, hoping they won't turn on her, to help keep her greatest secret and fight against threats of man and demon.
Krista starts us off quick with the brutal reality of the elementals - witches and mages. They stay in hiding and never show their ability for they will be sent to the mines or worse, killed. We see Walter fleeing from an underground network of tunnels in what was thought a safe house, until the General and his troops arrive to take in the Lady of the home as a needed elemental. This sets the stage of how mages and elementals are treated and the feel of why a rebellion is stewing.
Krista has done well creating a cast of characters I enjoy reading. They all interact well together and have sense of humor. I do enjoy this in Krista's writing and I read though the book faster. We start off with a small moment that made me smile about looking for the Captains' button in the stable. This sets the personalities of the crew I come to enjoy. And Pope Francois's husband, Pero, feels to have a light felt humor I enjoyed but he's also very emotional feeling about how things should be.
Krista has a masterful touch to her writing. She easily blends fun with serious topics. This story is much more than meets the eye when you start it. It centers around slavery and treatment of slaves. The slaves are those who are accused of being elementals and mages, this does not always mean they are as people get mad at someone and this is their way to have them eliminated. The world fears them and sees them as different so they are cruel and worse to all people who are, or are thought to fall, in the mage category. Allegra helps to free those like her, mages and elementals. She wants to educate the poor born mages so they can control their powers and do more than what they are forced to do.
Allegra is in a position and ranking that she might be able to help those she's been trying to with her money for years. She's a contessa and a mage, with a bigger secret. But she fears for her own control of her ability and what will be done to her if they find out her secret. She tries to help from the sidelines, but quickly learns that's not the same as doing what can be done in the open. I do enjoy her spark and drive though. She's a brilliant woman and it shows in her discussions...minor disputes...with others.
I am absolutely and totally invested in these characters! This book held my attention, and kept me coming back. I enjoyed the interactions of the characters. We have Allegra and Captain Stanton who both have pasts and secrets they don't want anyone to know about. Then there's Lex and Dodd, two lieutenants in charge under Stanton. They are a hoot when they appear on the page. I have enjoyed them both throughout the book. Lex is a different character for me to read, special in his own way. Lex seems to be many people in one and references himself as they. I really like that Lex is different, and accepted. All these relationships grow and strengthen with Allegra as the story goes, and my love for them all grows as well.
There is a growing love that we witness through the book. And it feels natural and innocent. I loved this creation through all they live through. This is a couple that should be together!
The ending had me neeeeeding the next book. I get the feel the world has destroyed the one thing that can help them in the dire times that are to come, and those that treated these people terribly are going to regret it. I sooooo am looking forward to The Nightmares We Know.
Krista has a masterful touch to her writing. She easily as she blends fun with serious topics. This story is much more than meets the eye when you start it. It centers around slavery and treatment of slaves. The slaves are those who are accused of being elementals and mages, this does not always mean they are as people get mad at someone and this is their way to have them eliminated. The world fears them and sees them as different so they are cruel and worse to all people who are, or are thought to fall, in the mage category. Allegra helps to free those like her, mages and elementals. She wants to educate the poor born mages so they can control their powers and do more than what they are forced to do.
****FULL REVIEW****
Allegra's letter to the Holy father asking to find an Arbiter that can help stop wars instead of more tension results in her being brought further into a world she strives to stay away from. To stop the rebellion of the mages against the people who have enslaved them, hoping to prevent an all out war between the states that the country couldn't survive, Allegra takes the position she knows will destroy her in the end. But she can't stand seeing the injustice any longer and accepts the position as Arbiter. Allegra will fight many hatreds and prejudices against mages and elementals, to be threatened again and again, to bring freedom and peace to all. Allegra also learns that the stories of the demons locked out of this word is true. Allegra will have to trust those she never thought she would, hoping they won't turn on her, to help keep her greatest secret and fight against threats of man and demon.
Krista starts us off quick with the brutal reality of the elementals - witches and mages. They stay in hiding and never show their ability for they will be sent to the mines or worse, killed. We see Walter fleeing from an underground network of tunnels in what was thought a safe house, until the General and his troops arrive to take in the Lady of the home as a needed elemental. This sets the stage of how mages and elementals are treated and the feel of why a rebellion is stewing.
Krista has done well creating a cast of characters I enjoy reading. They all interact well together and have sense of humor. I do enjoy this in Krista's writing and I read though the book faster. We start off with a small moment that made me smile about looking for the Captains' button in the stable. This sets the personalities of the crew I come to enjoy. And Pope Francois's husband, Pero, feels to have a light felt humor I enjoyed but he's also very emotional feeling about how things should be.
Krista has a masterful touch to her writing. She easily blends fun with serious topics. This story is much more than meets the eye when you start it. It centers around slavery and treatment of slaves. The slaves are those who are accused of being elementals and mages, this does not always mean they are as people get mad at someone and this is their way to have them eliminated. The world fears them and sees them as different so they are cruel and worse to all people who are, or are thought to fall, in the mage category. Allegra helps to free those like her, mages and elementals. She wants to educate the poor born mages so they can control their powers and do more than what they are forced to do.
Allegra is in a position and ranking that she might be able to help those she's been trying to with her money for years. She's a contessa and a mage, with a bigger secret. But she fears for her own control of her ability and what will be done to her if they find out her secret. She tries to help from the sidelines, but quickly learns that's not the same as doing what can be done in the open. I do enjoy her spark and drive though. She's a brilliant woman and it shows in her discussions...minor disputes...with others.
I am absolutely and totally invested in these characters! This book held my attention, and kept me coming back. I enjoyed the interactions of the characters. We have Allegra and Captain Stanton who both have pasts and secrets they don't want anyone to know about. Then there's Lex and Dodd, two lieutenants in charge under Stanton. They are a hoot when they appear on the page. I have enjoyed them both throughout the book. Lex is a different character for me to read, special in his own way. Lex seems to be many people in one and references himself as they. I really like that Lex is different, and accepted. All these relationships grow and strengthen with Allegra as the story goes, and my love for them all grows as well.
There is a growing love that we witness through the book. And it feels natural and innocent. I loved this creation through all they live through. This is a couple that should be together!
The ending had me neeeeeding the next book. I get the feel the world has destroyed the one thing that can help them in the dire times that are to come, and those that treated these people terribly are going to regret it. I sooooo am looking forward to The Nightmares We Know.
tani's review against another edition
3.0
I have some issues with the synopsis of this. I think it really gave me some mismatched expectations, and in general lessened my enjoyment of the story. The synopsis actually covers a pretty significant proportion of the book, so I found myself getting very impatient when some of the events it advertises don't happen until past the halfway point of the book. (The disclaimer being that the late stages of pregnancy have had a negative impact on my patience and concentration, so my experience reading this at a different time of my life may have been very different indeed.)
That being said, I enjoyed this but didn't love it. All of the characters were very well-crafted and enjoyable to spend time with, and I especially appreciated Lex as a POV character. They are awesome, and I hope the sequel includes more of them. The politics in this were also right up my alley, if maybe a touch heavy-handed, to the point where it's hard to understand why anyone would be on any other side. The action occasionally felt a bit disjointed to me (perhaps because of aforementioned issues with concentration?), so that was a bit of a negative, but I did appreciate the way that events continued rolling onward with such consistency. I also thought that the moral development of some of the characters could have been a bit better - I wasn't quite convinced by the change of heart that at least one of the characters had.
Still, I thought that this was a very solid effort, and I'm excited to read more by the author in the future.
That being said, I enjoyed this but didn't love it. All of the characters were very well-crafted and enjoyable to spend time with, and I especially appreciated Lex as a POV character. They are awesome, and I hope the sequel includes more of them. The politics in this were also right up my alley, if maybe a touch heavy-handed, to the point where it's hard to understand why anyone would be on any other side. The action occasionally felt a bit disjointed to me (perhaps because of aforementioned issues with concentration?), so that was a bit of a negative, but I did appreciate the way that events continued rolling onward with such consistency. I also thought that the moral development of some of the characters could have been a bit better - I wasn't quite convinced by the change of heart that at least one of the characters had.
Still, I thought that this was a very solid effort, and I'm excited to read more by the author in the future.
erdicooper's review against another edition
4.0
Krista D. Ball writes with a voice that is belongs solely to herself. This is great and makes the book super refreshing to read, but I can imagine that those reading her for the first time might be scared away (I know I almost was).
Don't! like I said, Ball's voice is fantastic and allows for extremely effective character representation. Furthermore, the plot itself focuses on a part fantasy worlds that is often discussed, but abandoned nearly as often. I don't want to spoil anything, but it works to create a more intimate (in both meanings of the word) experience that I've been looking for.
my ONLY beef is that some events (and their implications) would come up sort of quickly for me and I would have to play mental catch up.
Don't! like I said, Ball's voice is fantastic and allows for extremely effective character representation. Furthermore, the plot itself focuses on a part fantasy worlds that is often discussed, but abandoned nearly as often. I don't want to spoil anything, but it works to create a more intimate (in both meanings of the word) experience that I've been looking for.
my ONLY beef is that some events (and their implications) would come up sort of quickly for me and I would have to play mental catch up.
galexywitch's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
lady_mel's review against another edition
5.0
A true page-turner. Once I started it, I read half of it before I could put it down.
foxwish's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I adored all of our POV characters, Allegra, Lex and Stanton were all amazing and felt well rounded. Some great humour in this too and chemistry between our leads, strong themes of loyalty and it was a wonderful surprise that one of our POV characters is trans.
I think the characterisations for some of our side characters, including Dodd, were weaker and it is impossible to see a certain character the General as anything but purely evil at this point in the story.
Ball draws parallels between the plight of mages/elementals in her story and those of a trans person, there is a great deal of empathy shown by our main characters and that ultimately is what made me love this book.
We get the classic idea of enslaved mages rebelling contrasted by having a gay married pope and trans soldier be perfectly acceptable in the same world, Ball makes it all work together.
There is a slowburn romance in this book as a secondary plot to the issue of the mage rebellions, I think the two characters are great together, but I did get frustrated at them for not getting together sooner than they did. Be assured that they do eventually talk about their feelings though and there are a couple short sex scenes.
I think the characterisations for some of our side characters, including Dodd, were weaker and it is impossible to see a certain character
Ball draws parallels between the plight of mages/elementals in her story and those of a trans person, there is a great deal of empathy shown by our main characters and that ultimately is what made me love this book.
We get the classic idea of enslaved mages rebelling contrasted by having a gay married pope and trans soldier be perfectly acceptable in the same world, Ball makes it all work together.
There is a slowburn romance in this book as a secondary plot to the issue of the mage rebellions, I think the two characters are great together, but I did get frustrated at them for not getting together sooner than they did. Be assured that they do eventually talk about their feelings though and there are a couple short sex scenes.
The Negatives:
If you are reading this book hoping for a clearly laid out magic system, this is not for you. Ball lays out the basics, but we never learn about the specifics of the powers of mages/elementals or exactly how they do magic.
The book slowed down too much for me about halfway through, but the final act of the story is easily the best part of the book.
The phrase "witch bitch" as a slur seemed somewhat unbelievable to me and I had a hard time taking it seriously.
My final note is that although there is a cliffhanger at the end of the book, I don't think it is as bad as others have said. However if you are invested in the romance and the greater plot of the mage war then you will want to pick up the next book by the end.
The book slowed down too much for me about halfway through, but the final act of the story is easily the best part of the book.
The phrase "witch bitch" as a slur seemed somewhat unbelievable to me and I had a hard time taking it seriously.
My final note is that although there is a cliffhanger at the end of the book, I don't think it is as bad as others have said. However if you are invested in the romance and the greater plot of the mage war then you will want to pick up the next book by the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Sexual content, War, Sexism, Cursing, Violence, and Slavery
Minor: Abortion
scholarly_pigeon's review
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Slavery, and Violence
Moderate: Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and War
Minor: Death of parent, Sexual content, and Sexism