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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I loved this standalone!!! I will always be a fan if fairytale retellings, so this savage, steamy, fun and unique version of Beauty and the Beast was perfection! Full of elements of murder, attempted SA, kidnapping, and torture, this story really delivered.
3.75 stars
I almost gave up on this book within the first 10-15 percent. It eventually got better but this is a FAST paced book. A little too fast for my taste. I also think the book could have been written/worded better. Didn’t hate the book but I didn’t love it either. I also didn’t fall in love with the male MC which was disappointing.
I almost gave up on this book within the first 10-15 percent. It eventually got better but this is a FAST paced book. A little too fast for my taste. I also think the book could have been written/worded better. Didn’t hate the book but I didn’t love it either. I also didn’t fall in love with the male MC which was disappointing.
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
All storytelling elements are subpar. Nothing is fleshed out. I don’t like any characters because again nothing is fleshed out
if you are experiencing a debilitatingly severe acotar hangover and are absolutely desperate for some fae romance, this book may be for you! otherwise......?
i think those of us that like fantasy romance are looking for a romance along with beautiful worldbuilding, badass heroines, magic, ect ect. this book to me is the prime example of someone who had a lot of ideas but wasn't exactly sure how to execute these ideas. it was a supposed rumpelstiltskin, hades and persephone, AND a swan princess retelling? how about we just stick to one and go from there so we can flesh out our ideas, mmmkay! i mentioned this in one of my updates, but opal could spin gold and this was some huge secret she needed to keep. but literally nothing came from that fact (she was about to be used by the human queen and then she was rescued and that was the end). and besides the fact that she could spin gold there was no likeness to rumpelstiltskin. im also pretty sure there's also no similarities to swan princess except the fact that she can turn into a swan (which isn't even the story of swan princess if im not mistaken??)
basically, the world building was almost nonexistent. i didnt understand the prophecies, and frankly even the politics as i hardly understood the war between the two fae factions? it seemed like the author wanted a romeo and juliet-esque story in a fantasty world but didn't really know how to go about it. seriously, it was like 70% in and im like WHAT HAS ACTUALLY HAPPENED??? it was like... dade and opal fighting and or banter. dade yells at his vassals or does something ~~villainous~~. dade and opal have sex. opal feels guilty. rinse repeat.
that being said, i do actually think the romance in this book is what saved it. i absolutely adored dade. and actually i felt his relationship with opal was really interesting, passionate, and felt real to me. this was a true enemies to lovers!!! which yall KNOW is the best trope. if you are going into this just wanting to enjoy a romance and don't mind the world building (or lack thereof) you will enjoy the book. thats why i can safely give it 3 stars. i enjoyed the book despite all of its shortcomings. but its no where neeeear a perfect book.
i think those of us that like fantasy romance are looking for a romance along with beautiful worldbuilding, badass heroines, magic, ect ect. this book to me is the prime example of someone who had a lot of ideas but wasn't exactly sure how to execute these ideas. it was a supposed rumpelstiltskin, hades and persephone, AND a swan princess retelling? how about we just stick to one and go from there so we can flesh out our ideas, mmmkay! i mentioned this in one of my updates, but opal could spin gold and this was some huge secret she needed to keep. but literally nothing came from that fact (she was about to be used by the human queen and then she was rescued and that was the end). and besides the fact that she could spin gold there was no likeness to rumpelstiltskin. im also pretty sure there's also no similarities to swan princess except the fact that she can turn into a swan (which isn't even the story of swan princess if im not mistaken??)
basically, the world building was almost nonexistent. i didnt understand the prophecies, and frankly even the politics as i hardly understood the war between the two fae factions? it seemed like the author wanted a romeo and juliet-esque story in a fantasty world but didn't really know how to go about it. seriously, it was like 70% in and im like WHAT HAS ACTUALLY HAPPENED??? it was like... dade and opal fighting and or banter. dade yells at his vassals or does something ~~villainous~~. dade and opal have sex. opal feels guilty. rinse repeat.
that being said, i do actually think the romance in this book is what saved it. i absolutely adored dade. and actually i felt his relationship with opal was really interesting, passionate, and felt real to me. this was a true enemies to lovers!!! which yall KNOW is the best trope. if you are going into this just wanting to enjoy a romance and don't mind the world building (or lack thereof) you will enjoy the book. thats why i can safely give it 3 stars. i enjoyed the book despite all of its shortcomings. but its no where neeeear a perfect book.
Finally! A great fantasy romance book
It’s been a while since I’ve read a good fantasy romance. This book was what my heart needed.
Light elves at war with the dark elves. Humans making everything worse, a prophecy that everyone avoids and the stars (fate) that does what it wants when it sees fit.
Opal and Dade, destined enemies embark on journey or hate, deception, heartbreak and pain. However, it is a romance book, so at the end, love wins!
It has magic, intrigue, violence and sexy times. Plus it’s well written.
The only thing I didn’t like, but it doesn’t change my 5 stars review, was the prose. The author tends to overuse adjectives and mix words just for prettiness’ sake, it had me rolling my eyes a few times. Not a dealbreaker for me, since the story was well developed and with enough depth.
It’s been a while since I’ve read a good fantasy romance. This book was what my heart needed.
Light elves at war with the dark elves. Humans making everything worse, a prophecy that everyone avoids and the stars (fate) that does what it wants when it sees fit.
Opal and Dade, destined enemies embark on journey or hate, deception, heartbreak and pain. However, it is a romance book, so at the end, love wins!
It has magic, intrigue, violence and sexy times. Plus it’s well written.
The only thing I didn’t like, but it doesn’t change my 5 stars review, was the prose. The author tends to overuse adjectives and mix words just for prettiness’ sake, it had me rolling my eyes a few times. Not a dealbreaker for me, since the story was well developed and with enough depth.