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curlygirlreadz's review against another edition
4.0
I received an ARC for an honest review. First, I’d like to say that writing fantasy is tough, creating worlds and characters that don’t exist in real life is daunting, so kudos to the author for creating this special piece of work.
*some minor spoilers*
I have always liked hunger games because of the competition trope, which made me like the idea of this book immediately. Enter Varialla con Hastings an orphan in the human realm who is taken away to another world where her true identity is known to everyone BUT her! She is chosen to be a contestant on a show called “Fit For the Throne” where she will enter a battle with 100 others who are all vying to be the winner and find their mates. However, Varialla’s true origin and hidden agendas of the game council lead to unrest and chaos.
I really liked the writing style of this book although I wasn’t a huge fan of the MC or the love interest. Varialla was a little underdeveloped for me but she had redeeming qualities I did like (learning about her past, wanting to save her home). Exekiel left a lot to be desired, I would have liked more of his background and understand why the conduit chose him to be a part of the show when he is quite literally the protector of the Five Isles, to me it didn’t make a lot of sense (however, maybe that is coming in the sequel)— if he had been a member of the game council I think I would have liked him a bit more. I also disliked his nickname for Varialla.
I loved the supporting character Lucinda, Cherise, Phoebus and Maximus all added great value to the story.
I liked the character Loch, however I was not a fan of the father/daughter/lover language. It didn’t sit well with me and I found myself trying to skim past intimacy scenes that involved them—this made certain parts of the books hard to read/skip over.
Ultimately, I did like the book and really appreciated the cliffhanger. I would definitely read the sequel!
*some minor spoilers*
I have always liked hunger games because of the competition trope, which made me like the idea of this book immediately. Enter Varialla con Hastings an orphan in the human realm who is taken away to another world where her true identity is known to everyone BUT her! She is chosen to be a contestant on a show called “Fit For the Throne” where she will enter a battle with 100 others who are all vying to be the winner and find their mates. However, Varialla’s true origin and hidden agendas of the game council lead to unrest and chaos.
I really liked the writing style of this book although I wasn’t a huge fan of the MC or the love interest. Varialla was a little underdeveloped for me but she had redeeming qualities I did like (learning about her past, wanting to save her home). Exekiel left a lot to be desired, I would have liked more of his background and understand why the conduit chose him to be a part of the show when he is quite literally the protector of the Five Isles, to me it didn’t make a lot of sense (however, maybe that is coming in the sequel)— if he had been a member of the game council I think I would have liked him a bit more. I also disliked his nickname for Varialla.
I loved the supporting character Lucinda, Cherise, Phoebus and Maximus all added great value to the story.
I liked the character Loch, however I was not a fan of the father/daughter/lover language. It didn’t sit well with me and I found myself trying to skim past intimacy scenes that involved them—this made certain parts of the books hard to read/skip over.
Ultimately, I did like the book and really appreciated the cliffhanger. I would definitely read the sequel!
lauren_buchanan1995's review
adventurous
funny
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? Yes
4.5
honyombooks's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Was this the best written book I've ever read? Probably not. Did I devour it with and want to scream almost every other chapter? Yes. Would I re-read it? Most definitely!!!
Also FUCK LOCH! THAT FUCKING BASTARD!! I just want to rip off his fucking face off!
chelsiec's review
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
beanieberta's review
2.0
the love interest is a walking red flag with zero redeeming qualities. the FMC loses all senses when they're together because of a mate bond, which also leads to some scenes with dubious consent. she feels compelled to save him when he's in danger, but he gets a hard-on watching the footage of her torture. i actually had to read those sentences twice - yep, he actually said that. he is a homicidal asshole who treats her like shit, and also hates her, but doesn't take "no" for an answer. i like grey characters, but this one - i hate this guy.
drbuffyfanify's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Child death, and Violence
Minor: Death of parent
Dubconz_l_b's review
4.0
A fast-paced fantasy romance
I am so happy that I found a fantasy story - a genre not on top of my list - with a black female lead.
The world-building was awesome, but it could have used a bit of polishing when describing the different isles. But due to the pacing, it had to be limited, which is understandable.
While I did love the roller-coaster ride of drama, the characters didn't grow on me. The female lead, although her actions were understandable, I couldn't stop thinking of" keep your legs closed." The male lead was purely there for the steamy scenes, which were
I am so happy that I found a fantasy story - a genre not on top of my list - with a black female lead.
The world-building was awesome, but it could have used a bit of polishing when describing the different isles. But due to the pacing, it had to be limited, which is understandable.
While I did love the roller-coaster ride of drama, the characters didn't grow on me. The female lead, although her actions were understandable, I couldn't stop thinking of" keep your legs closed." The male lead was purely there for the steamy scenes, which were
imreading's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-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
5.0
shelsilvers's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Gore, Incest, Grief, Violence, War, and Sexual violence
spookshow's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
When Varialla is kidnapped by a smoking hot stranger while on a night out, she's not too impressed. Even more so once they arrive in the Five Isles and she discovers that she now has to compete in some twisted fae game show for the crown to a kingdom she's never heard of. Varialla is just a human woman, but no one around her believes her, least of all Exekial - the fae who brought her here. With nothing else on her mind bar escaping this crazy nightmare she's found herself in, Varialla soon discovers that the only way out of the games, is through them. With her life on the line at every turn, Varialla soon discovers that the life she thought was hers was littered with secrets and lies, and that there is so much more to her than she's ever realised. Death is common in the Trial of Ten, will Varialla be able to survive long enough to learn the full truth about who she is?
I was so stoked when I received confirmation that I'd been chosen to receive an ARC copy of this book, and even more so when that copy rocked up in my mailbox! I live in Australia, so receiving physical copies of ARC books is always a huge mood lifter. After reading the synopsis for this story, I knew it was one that I wanted to read. I couldn't help but feel that the blurb read like the Hunger Games crossed with The Bachelor, and what kind of person would I be if I didn't admit to wanting to watch THAT kind of game show. This story definitely delivered on it's promise and my assumption, yet did so without getting too bogged down in the details of the TV show side of things which was nice. Yes there were scenes where Varialla's outfits were given more page time than was probably necessary, but I didn't really have a problem with that. It helped to round out the image in my head. I've always been one that has enjoyed deeper descriptions of characters, their outfits and the world around them, so this worked well for me.
The story itself had a fantastic and unique premise and it's what drew me in and had me wanting to read it. One issue that I did have however, was that I felt like there was a lot of things going on and at times the story became a bit convoluted and chaotic. We had the game show, many, many characters, the story of Varialla competing in said game show, the relationship between her and Exekiel, and we also had the deeper story line of Varialla's true identity and heritage. When laid out like that, it doesn't seem like a lot, but the way that it was written did make it feel like, at times, there was way too much going on. Don't get me wrong, I loved that there is so much to unpack here and that there is so many storylines which will make way for more instalments, I just felt like McPherson may have tried to tackle too much in the first instalment for the series. In saying that though, I'm not really sure whether any of the plot threads could have been left until a later instalment or not. You kind of needed all of that information to get a fuller picture on what was going on. Initially I struggled a little because there was a lot to take in, but by the last quarter of the book I found myself really invested in the story and Varialla and finding out where they were headed.
The characters were fun, and I really enjoyed the character of Varialla's friend in the games, the witch (I want to say Lucinda, but I'm not 100% certain whether that's her name), she was probably my favourite if I'm honest. I did not like Exekiel at all. I'm a big fan of close proximity and enemies to lovers, but there's just something about him that I really didn't like and even when he was saving Varialla from life threatening events that she found herself in, it still didn't redeem him in my eyes. I know that there's more than meets the eye and that there's going to be a deeper story to his character and his involvement in being the Protector of the Realm and the terrible things that he's done in the name of BEING the protector, but at this point in the story, I just really do not like him at all. So the spicy scenes between him and Varialla really did nothing for me other than make me dislike him more and more. Varialla is a strong character, she's been through a lot and some of this is touched on throughout the story. I did feel like she lost a little bit of that fierce female energy in her reaction to Exekiel, though I understand the reaction she was having was due to the other thing and not just because she's a lust crazed female who can't say no to a pretty face. I do wish that she was able to assert more power over that attraction though. For someone who I took to be so street smart, I did find that she was a teeny bit dense when it came to all the dropped info alluding to her true heritage as well as the connection to Exekiel. I'd picked the Exekiel thing from the second that it was mentioned as a possibility and something that is used in the games, and I'd pretty much picked up what she was not long after the first hints had been accidentally dropped by other characters. That denseness could have simply been just an illustration on how difficult it can be for us to be objective about things when it comes to ourselves, but I feel like it was more used to keep the suspense a little bit longer about certain aspects of Varialla's character and the story. Our initial meeting of a certain sea swept character had me intrigued, but McPherson did an absolutely fantastic job of illustrating the relationship between them and Varialla, as well as Varialla's distate and uncomfortable feelings towards the supposed relationship they were meant to have. Being able to really have your reader feeling such distaste and revulsion due to memories and feelings is a fantastic ability, and I really felt what Varialla was feeling towards this particular situation. In saying that, McPherson also did a great job of getting me to feel Varialla's disgust at herself for her feelings towards Exekiel as well, especially after she began to learn more about her heritage and what had been happening in the world and his involvement in it.
I feel like I wanted a bit more world exploration, there is a great world that has been built in this initial instalment, and there's a rich history as well which are fantastic foundations for a solid world and story. I'm hoping that we get to explore the world itself a little bit more in the next instalment as I feel like it was a bit of a lost opportunity here. Things were touched on and the world hierarchy and functionality was easily understood, I just wanted more from the world side of things I think. I still think the idea of the games is absolutely fantastic and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens with that as we didn't get to see who was crowned the winner. I feel that some people might look at this as a messy smut fest with no real depth or bones to it, where for me, this was a decent first instalment for a series that felt a little bit convoluted at times, but I feel that it did a great job at giving us an overview of the world, how it works, the key issues here, one of the biggest ones being the political side of everything and where Varialla stands amongst it all. It set up all the foundations for a strong story to progress from and I am really looking forward to where it's going to head. Do I feel that this story could have been streamlined a little more to make it a bit easier to follow, yeah maybe. Do I still feel that it's an interesting read that kept me entertained and wanting to know what happens next? Yes. Books don't have to be perfect to be enjoyed, they just have to be able to grab the reader and have them empathising with the character's plight, and this one did that for me. Yes the pacing was a little bit too slow moving at times, but I put that down to the fact that there was a lot to take in and in order to not just info dump that, the story did have to slow down a lot and take it's time working through details.
All in all, this was an entertaining and unique read and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens as the series progresses. I'm not a huge fan of the love interest at this point, but I'm open to McPherson being able to change that as Exekiel and Varialla's character evolve with the story.
When Varialla is kidnapped by a smoking hot stranger while on a night out, she's not too impressed. Even more so once they arrive in the Five Isles and she discovers that she now has to compete in some twisted fae game show for the crown to a kingdom she's never heard of. Varialla is just a human woman, but no one around her believes her, least of all Exekial - the fae who brought her here. With nothing else on her mind bar escaping this crazy nightmare she's found herself in, Varialla soon discovers that the only way out of the games, is through them. With her life on the line at every turn, Varialla soon discovers that the life she thought was hers was littered with secrets and lies, and that there is so much more to her than she's ever realised. Death is common in the Trial of Ten, will Varialla be able to survive long enough to learn the full truth about who she is?
I was so stoked when I received confirmation that I'd been chosen to receive an ARC copy of this book, and even more so when that copy rocked up in my mailbox! I live in Australia, so receiving physical copies of ARC books is always a huge mood lifter. After reading the synopsis for this story, I knew it was one that I wanted to read. I couldn't help but feel that the blurb read like the Hunger Games crossed with The Bachelor, and what kind of person would I be if I didn't admit to wanting to watch THAT kind of game show. This story definitely delivered on it's promise and my assumption, yet did so without getting too bogged down in the details of the TV show side of things which was nice. Yes there were scenes where Varialla's outfits were given more page time than was probably necessary, but I didn't really have a problem with that. It helped to round out the image in my head. I've always been one that has enjoyed deeper descriptions of characters, their outfits and the world around them, so this worked well for me.
The story itself had a fantastic and unique premise and it's what drew me in and had me wanting to read it. One issue that I did have however, was that I felt like there was a lot of things going on and at times the story became a bit convoluted and chaotic. We had the game show, many, many characters, the story of Varialla competing in said game show, the relationship between her and Exekiel, and we also had the deeper story line of Varialla's true identity and heritage. When laid out like that, it doesn't seem like a lot, but the way that it was written did make it feel like, at times, there was way too much going on. Don't get me wrong, I loved that there is so much to unpack here and that there is so many storylines which will make way for more instalments, I just felt like McPherson may have tried to tackle too much in the first instalment for the series. In saying that though, I'm not really sure whether any of the plot threads could have been left until a later instalment or not. You kind of needed all of that information to get a fuller picture on what was going on. Initially I struggled a little because there was a lot to take in, but by the last quarter of the book I found myself really invested in the story and Varialla and finding out where they were headed.
The characters were fun, and I really enjoyed the character of Varialla's friend in the games, the witch (I want to say Lucinda, but I'm not 100% certain whether that's her name), she was probably my favourite if I'm honest. I did not like Exekiel at all. I'm a big fan of close proximity and enemies to lovers, but there's just something about him that I really didn't like and even when he was saving Varialla from life threatening events that she found herself in, it still didn't redeem him in my eyes. I know that there's more than meets the eye and that there's going to be a deeper story to his character and his involvement in being the Protector of the Realm and the terrible things that he's done in the name of BEING the protector, but at this point in the story, I just really do not like him at all. So the spicy scenes between him and Varialla really did nothing for me other than make me dislike him more and more. Varialla is a strong character, she's been through a lot and some of this is touched on throughout the story. I did feel like she lost a little bit of that fierce female energy in her reaction to Exekiel, though I understand the reaction she was having was due to the other thing and not just because she's a lust crazed female who can't say no to a pretty face. I do wish that she was able to assert more power over that attraction though. For someone who I took to be so street smart, I did find that she was a teeny bit dense when it came to all the dropped info alluding to her true heritage as well as the connection to Exekiel. I'd picked the Exekiel thing from the second that it was mentioned as a possibility and something that is used in the games, and I'd pretty much picked up what she was not long after the first hints had been accidentally dropped by other characters. That denseness could have simply been just an illustration on how difficult it can be for us to be objective about things when it comes to ourselves, but I feel like it was more used to keep the suspense a little bit longer about certain aspects of Varialla's character and the story. Our initial meeting of a certain sea swept character had me intrigued, but McPherson did an absolutely fantastic job of illustrating the relationship between them and Varialla, as well as Varialla's distate and uncomfortable feelings towards the supposed relationship they were meant to have. Being able to really have your reader feeling such distaste and revulsion due to memories and feelings is a fantastic ability, and I really felt what Varialla was feeling towards this particular situation. In saying that, McPherson also did a great job of getting me to feel Varialla's disgust at herself for her feelings towards Exekiel as well, especially after she began to learn more about her heritage and what had been happening in the world and his involvement in it.
I feel like I wanted a bit more world exploration, there is a great world that has been built in this initial instalment, and there's a rich history as well which are fantastic foundations for a solid world and story. I'm hoping that we get to explore the world itself a little bit more in the next instalment as I feel like it was a bit of a lost opportunity here. Things were touched on and the world hierarchy and functionality was easily understood, I just wanted more from the world side of things I think. I still think the idea of the games is absolutely fantastic and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens with that as we didn't get to see who was crowned the winner. I feel that some people might look at this as a messy smut fest with no real depth or bones to it, where for me, this was a decent first instalment for a series that felt a little bit convoluted at times, but I feel that it did a great job at giving us an overview of the world, how it works, the key issues here, one of the biggest ones being the political side of everything and where Varialla stands amongst it all. It set up all the foundations for a strong story to progress from and I am really looking forward to where it's going to head. Do I feel that this story could have been streamlined a little more to make it a bit easier to follow, yeah maybe. Do I still feel that it's an interesting read that kept me entertained and wanting to know what happens next? Yes. Books don't have to be perfect to be enjoyed, they just have to be able to grab the reader and have them empathising with the character's plight, and this one did that for me. Yes the pacing was a little bit too slow moving at times, but I put that down to the fact that there was a lot to take in and in order to not just info dump that, the story did have to slow down a lot and take it's time working through details.
All in all, this was an entertaining and unique read and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens as the series progresses. I'm not a huge fan of the love interest at this point, but I'm open to McPherson being able to change that as Exekiel and Varialla's character evolve with the story.
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