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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
snowdrop_68's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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? Yes
5.0
noahreadsstuff's review against another edition
Didn‘t catch me at the time, might come back to it later
clovergenie's review
DNF at 57%… and I really tried. I should have read the top liked reviews.
The concept is pretty interesting but the world building character development were nonexistent. And I don’t claim to be an expert in grammar or syntax but I wonder how many people edited the original manuscript before it was published. There is a constant switching between middle english, modern english and informal/formal language; a constant whiplash that made it hard to follow. And the repetitions were constant so you basically had to skip sentences to make the story somewhat palatable. It was infuriating.
Slight spoilers ahead (a quote that stuck out to me and made the errors way more obvious as I kept reading)
> “What do you know of your sire?” Althea asked, breaking the silence of the ruined room.
> “Sire?” I questioned, pulling a face at her reference. “You you mean my mother?”
> “If that is the title you have opted to refer to her, then yes.”
Last I check, sire is a male. And you can’t just change the definition of English words without giving some context or background.
To be honest, I’ve read fan fic that are more eloquently written and have amazing character building that make you feel connected with them from the first chapter. And when a spicy scene happens? You can’t understand what happens, how, etc. The only spice I read before officially dropping this book was atrocious.
The concept is pretty interesting but the world building character development were nonexistent. And I don’t claim to be an expert in grammar or syntax but I wonder how many people edited the original manuscript before it was published. There is a constant switching between middle english, modern english and informal/formal language; a constant whiplash that made it hard to follow. And the repetitions were constant so you basically had to skip sentences to make the story somewhat palatable. It was infuriating.
Slight spoilers ahead (a quote that stuck out to me and made the errors way more obvious as I kept reading)
> “What do you know of your sire?” Althea asked, breaking the silence of the ruined room.
> “Sire?” I questioned, pulling a face at her reference. “You you mean my mother?”
> “If that is the title you have opted to refer to her, then yes.”
Last I check, sire is a male. And you can’t just change the definition of English words without giving some context or background.
To be honest, I’ve read fan fic that are more eloquently written and have amazing character building that make you feel connected with them from the first chapter. And when a spicy scene happens? You can’t understand what happens, how, etc. The only spice I read before officially dropping this book was atrocious.