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tobbled's review
2.0
// half spoilers, not really
This book was advertised as 'perfect for fans of A Court of Thorns and Roses' which, in hindsight, should've been my first warning. Around the 200 page mark I was wondering if I was reading the same book as everyone else. Everyone who I've seen review this book has had nothing but praise for it: 5 stars across the board. the only review I saw that did actually agree with me, didn't even finish the book.
I read 535 pages of it.
Not only was the plot... boring, but the writing was... well... terrible. To be fair, I reckon that I would've enjoyed the plot... if the writing was better. It was... overwritten... and repetitive. And overused... ellipsis...
and it was fucking annoying. I hope my demonstration has proved how infuriating it is to turn the page to 5 sets of ellipsis on one single page. Nothing should ever call for 5 ellipsis... nothing.
Another thing that was repetitive was the use of the word 'pregnant' as an adjective - which is weird considering it's an M/M romance.
Speaking about the romance, the blurb promised me Gideon, a fey warrior. And I don't know if this is a mistake or not but every description of this book mentions Gideon. And after reading all 535 pages I have yet to meet him. Honest to God, there is not a single mention of Gideon in this entire book. Unless I missed it, I'm pretty sure his name is Erix. This actually really disappointed me, I was really excited to meet Gideon, because maybe he actually had a good personality.
All the characters in this book were pretty one note and annoying. The main character especially. One of the 'betrayals' in the book is from a character who was introduced around halfway and absolutely no one had anything good to say about him (me included).
Except for the main character, who doesn't listen because 'he's been nice to me so I trust him' and then gets shocked when he (inevitably) gets betrayed. To be fair, I did enjoy the betrayal that happened only minutes before. It genuinely shocked me. Mostly because I wasn't really paying attention.
I think 'A Betrayal of Storms' is perfect for ACOTAR fans. Unfortunately, I am not one of them. And this made me consider 3 stars, because maybe this book just wasn't for me. But the physical pain that I experienced during this book wouldn't allow me that extra star.
The only condition in which I would ever read the second book is if I got sent it for free. So Ben, if you want me to slate your book again, hmu.
This book was advertised as 'perfect for fans of A Court of Thorns and Roses' which, in hindsight, should've been my first warning. Around the 200 page mark I was wondering if I was reading the same book as everyone else. Everyone who I've seen review this book has had nothing but praise for it: 5 stars across the board. the only review I saw that did actually agree with me, didn't even finish the book.
I read 535 pages of it.
Not only was the plot... boring, but the writing was... well... terrible. To be fair, I reckon that I would've enjoyed the plot... if the writing was better. It was... overwritten... and repetitive. And overused... ellipsis...
and it was fucking annoying. I hope my demonstration has proved how infuriating it is to turn the page to 5 sets of ellipsis on one single page. Nothing should ever call for 5 ellipsis... nothing.
Another thing that was repetitive was the use of the word 'pregnant' as an adjective - which is weird considering it's an M/M romance.
Speaking about the romance, the blurb promised me Gideon, a fey warrior. And I don't know if this is a mistake or not but every description of this book mentions Gideon. And after reading all 535 pages I have yet to meet him. Honest to God, there is not a single mention of Gideon in this entire book. Unless I missed it, I'm pretty sure his name is Erix. This actually really disappointed me, I was really excited to meet Gideon, because maybe he actually had a good personality.
All the characters in this book were pretty one note and annoying. The main character especially. One of the 'betrayals' in the book is from a character who was introduced around halfway and absolutely no one had anything good to say about him (me included).
Except for the main character, who doesn't listen because 'he's been nice to me so I trust him' and then gets shocked when he (inevitably) gets betrayed. To be fair, I did enjoy the betrayal that happened only minutes before. It genuinely shocked me. Mostly because I wasn't really paying attention.
I think 'A Betrayal of Storms' is perfect for ACOTAR fans. Unfortunately, I am not one of them. And this made me consider 3 stars, because maybe this book just wasn't for me. But the physical pain that I experienced during this book wouldn't allow me that extra star.
The only condition in which I would ever read the second book is if I got sent it for free. So Ben, if you want me to slate your book again, hmu.
sweet__chaos_'s review against another edition
3.0
It was left on a cliff hanger but im not inclined to read the rest of the series. This is because i didnt really gel with the character to the point that i want find more about their story. The plot twists were also a bit predictable except for Briar!! The relstionship between erix and robin was ok but because we only get robins point of view it wasnt as good as it could be also i felt it was a bit weird that erix decided he was in love with robin pretty much as soon as he met him but we carry on. I do have to say it was kinda like a court of thorn and roses but mxm instead.
konstance's review
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
3.5
Although I had a hard time getting invested in the story at the beginning and had some issues throughout that easily took me out of a good immersive experience, A Betrayal of Storms had really good pacing, engaging action, heavy foreshadowing, and realistic characters. Ben paints a really good picture and uses descriptive prose to tell a story.
Read full review on SFF Insiders: https://www.sffinsiders.com/blog/review-a-betrayal-of-storms-by-ben-alderson
Read full review on SFF Insiders: https://www.sffinsiders.com/blog/review-a-betrayal-of-storms-by-ben-alderson
leeleet's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
An enjoyable read but I wasn’t a big fan of the characters. Something about this didn’t quite click with me but I know people who enjoy fantasy romance will love this book. So I do recommend it.
bookshopghost's review
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I loved the concept of this book - I’m always a fan of fae fantasy concepts and bringing in gay rep without making it a big deal. Unfortunately, it was not executed particularly well.
The pace alternated between skim-reading slow, and so fast that entire plot points flew past in a blur. It made the experience of reading feel like something of a chore, but it was the characters and their chemistry that kept me going. They were enjoyable, and attempts had been made to make them three dimensional, even if it didn’t quite work at all times. The plot was somewhat predictable, and I had the main ‘bad guy’ pegged as soon as they were introduced (although I must say they were quite a sympathetic villain which I always appreciate). One of the best parts of the book was genuinely the smut, which very much had its moments. There were a fair number of typos and tense-change errors throughout the book which was frustrating.
Overall, I did finish the book, and can’t say I didn’t enjoy it. I doubt I’ll be reading the sequels however, although I’m sure I’ll be wondering at Robin’s future fate for a while!
The pace alternated between skim-reading slow, and so fast that entire plot points flew past in a blur. It made the experience of reading feel like something of a chore, but it was the characters and their chemistry that kept me going. They were enjoyable, and attempts had been made to make them three dimensional, even if it didn’t quite work at all times. The plot was somewhat predictable, and I had the main ‘bad guy’ pegged as soon as they were introduced (although I must say they were quite a sympathetic villain which I always appreciate). One of the best parts of the book was genuinely the smut, which very much had its moments. There were a fair number of typos and tense-change errors throughout the book which was frustrating.
Overall, I did finish the book, and can’t say I didn’t enjoy it. I doubt I’ll be reading the sequels however, although I’m sure I’ll be wondering at Robin’s future fate for a while!
nyeran's review
1.0
"Doors of possibility open when one commands attention, but it is the confidence you wear that demands for those very doors to close again.”
✿ Io lo scrivo.
Ero partita aspettandomi del trash becero. E guarda un po', mi sa che questo è ciò che la Pacat avrebbe voluto scrivere con Dark Rise ma niente. E sarà che l'ho letto dopo Shuggie Bain ed ero emotivamente distrutta quindi qualsiasi lettura leggera e vagamente coerente mi sarebbe piaciuta. Tranne questa che però mi ha fatta uscire da quel buco nero di schifo in cui ero entrata quindi daje.
✿ Però raga, basta usare la tensione sessuale per descrivere ogni interazione tra due persone. Non è tensione sessuale, questi due si piacciono e vogliono fare cosacce, che tensione sessuale!?
Robin c'ha ventiquattro anni e io continuavo a dimenticarmelo perchè questo doveva essere uno YA ma ormai pare che nessuno voglia più scriverli e quindi è altro, e lui si comporta e parla come se ne avesse sedici. E come lui si comportano così la principessa che dovrebbe avere molti più anni di lui -ma tutti dovrebbero averli, in realtà- e che è, appunto, una principessa e il soldato/guardia personale che dovrebbe essere quello stoico e freddo ma che invece dalla prima frase che gli dice già fa i sorrisetti, flirta, si avvicina e tocca.
✿ Io lo scrivo.
Ero partita aspettandomi del trash becero. E guarda un po', mi sa che questo è ciò che la Pacat avrebbe voluto scrivere con Dark Rise ma niente. E sarà che l'ho letto dopo Shuggie Bain ed ero emotivamente distrutta quindi qualsiasi lettura leggera e vagamente coerente mi sarebbe piaciuta. Tranne questa che però mi ha fatta uscire da quel buco nero di schifo in cui ero entrata quindi daje.
✿ Però raga, basta usare la tensione sessuale per descrivere ogni interazione tra due persone. Non è tensione sessuale, questi due si piacciono e vogliono fare cosacce, che tensione sessuale!?
Robin c'ha ventiquattro anni e io continuavo a dimenticarmelo perchè questo doveva essere uno YA ma ormai pare che nessuno voglia più scriverli e quindi è altro, e lui si comporta e parla come se ne avesse sedici. E come lui si comportano così la principessa che dovrebbe avere molti più anni di lui -ma tutti dovrebbero averli, in realtà- e che è, appunto, una principessa e il soldato/guardia personale che dovrebbe essere quello stoico e freddo ma che invece dalla prima frase che gli dice già fa i sorrisetti, flirta, si avvicina e tocca.
ivoryf's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
tempest2007's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
benjiwilla's review
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Started off sooo well for the first 100 pages or so, but I struggled to finish and even found myself having to skip whole paragraphs and sentences as I felt they added nothing. The writing was messy, and changed formality even when it didn’t need to. The smut was mediocre and mainly just cringe. The plot had so many twists to the point I was getting confused and mixed up, and not in a good tense way.
But overall I enjoyed the premise of the book and the world that it is in. I feel the characters were not lovable simply as they did not develop much personality and their purpose was just to taunt Robin.
Would have been great had the execution been better, but unfortunately was shoddily written.
But overall I enjoyed the premise of the book and the world that it is in. I feel the characters were not lovable simply as they did not develop much personality and their purpose was just to taunt Robin.
Would have been great had the execution been better, but unfortunately was shoddily written.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Death, Medical trauma, Confinement, Gore, Gaslighting, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse
leon_s's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
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