Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - King of Battle and Blood

Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

King of Battle and Blood by Scarlett St. Clair

94 reviews

toffishay's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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? It's complicated

3.0

Adrian is sexy! The plot was excited, even though some of the twists felt obvious. <SPOILER> It's a more than a little frustrating that the female lead is brown and her people were secretly enslaved...<SPOILER OVER>

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rosegoes3's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

I don’t usually like fantasy but I liked this. The ending felt like a lot was happening very quickly and although I expected the twist, it still felt like it needed to be fledged out more

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ednam0dewannabe's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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gattolinos_nerdy_nook's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense fast-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

I absolutely loved this book. Fantasy romance is by far my favourite genre combination and something I read the most of. Add in the dark elements, enemies to lovers, and the best sex scenes that I have read in a while and I was hooked. I couldn't not stop reading and had to force myself to go to bed.

We follow Isolde through her marriage to the King of Revekka, Adrian, as she learns more about the vampires and who they truly are, and an alternative history of the burning and Dark Era.
A lot happens in this book and trying to write a review doesn't do it justice. There is a decent amount of sex and sexual tension as well a story and plot, and it is all really well balanced, something I find can be hard to get in some books.
The pacing and the scope of the book felt comfortable as well. It didn't feel like anything was rushed (despite only a couple of weeks passing in the book), and the twists and turns really felt on beat and not like you have been whipped lashed.

This is a book I know I will reread when the sequel comes out, whether it is in a month or 7. It was such a good read I already want to read it again. I am so excited to have found Scarlett St. Clair as an author, I know I will be binging her books and series now.

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thea_rem's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

What did I expect from this book? I expected a smutty fantasy romance.
This book delivered on the smutty part. On the romance part, not so much. I didn’t really see anything beyond sexual attraction between these characters but then they declare love for each other? Did I miss anything?

I liked the idea of an enemies-to-lovers romance but they were never really enemies. She’s just shipped of to his kingdom and has to adjust.
But I enjoyed her attitude. She knows who she is, a princess who rules not only with words and compliments but with her fists and weapons as well. She’s badass. She takes no shit from anyone. Not even from citizens form a foreign kingdom she’s now supposed to rule. No, she stands her ground like a real queen. For anyone else it would have seems unnatural but she has been a princess for her whole life and was supposed to follow her father on the throne.

The book reminded me of From Blood and Ash from time to time. The vampires, walled of villages, a protagonist who doesn’t know the truth, the absence of any explanation from other characters…
At least Poppy asked question after question. Isolde just accepts that nobody tells her shit.
And than the sexual tension. It was there from the beginning and I get that. They are attracted to each other. What I didn’t appreciate was how Isolde never wanted to act on it but did anyway? Girl, you don’t have to if you don’t want to!

Also, Adrian can read minds, so he knows what she’s thinking and he DOESN‘T stop?! Ever hear about consent? The mind reading really bothered me, because it was never really explained, too. Who can do it? Why does no one try to teach the new QUEEN how she can avoid her mind being read? Isn’t that something her husband would want? Especially now, that there’s a traitor among their most trusted friends?

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maregred's review against another edition

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adventurous dark 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? It's complicated

2.25

Why so much girl on girl hate? Isolde needs to brush up on the tenants of feminism and stop trying to fight basically every other women she comes across. This book was also very, VERY inspired by FBAA.

Additionally, for enemies-to-lovers this was very insta-lovey (yes there are ~reasons~ But still).

I like the Hades and Persephone series but I do not think I will be continuing this one.

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