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hollymmcg's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
The writing of these books has never been ✨spectacular✨, but they've been fun, enjoyable, easy reads. I can look past the unlikely romances and awkwardly written conversations because as I said - they're just fun books. But this book really struggled for me in a lot of ways.
Karigan truly behaved like a child. She was stubborn, rude, idiotic, and completely unlikeable at times. Also, we get it; she hates sex workers. I don't care what sort of environment these books take place in, her high-handed thoughts about what a base and depraved profession it is got really old really fast.
A character, who could very easily have just been a "bad guy" for his machinations against the king, just had to be written as a pedophile; potentially for no other reason than for the reader to just be really really glad when he was finally caught and tortured? I would have been fine without having to read about his inner thoughts and desires from his perspective.
We then had the unwilling rape of an unconscious man, as well? Surely Estora could have learned of Zachary's feelings for Karigan without him saying her name in the throes of drug-induced and coma-addled passion?
All in all, while the story still progressed interestingly enough for me... Oof, Kristen Britain. Not your best.
A character, who could very easily have just been a "bad guy" for his machinations against the king, just had to be written as a pedophile; potentially for no other reason than for the reader to just be really really glad when he was finally caught and tortured? I would have been fine without having to read about his inner thoughts and desires from his perspective.
We then had the unwilling rape of an unconscious man, as well? Surely Estora could have learned of Zachary's feelings for Karigan without him saying her name in the throes of drug-induced and coma-addled passion?
All in all, while the story still progressed interestingly enough for me... Oof, Kristen Britain. Not your best.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
Moderate: Pedophilia
silentquercus's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Rape
Moderate: Pedophilia and Injury/Injury detail
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