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amym84's review against another edition
4.0
Originally posted at Vampire Book Club
By the tradition of the Calbernan’s, Sea prince Dilys Merimydion earned his right to take a wife four years ago. However, fighting other people’s wars has kept him from fulfilling that which the Calbernan’s live for. After aiding the people of Wintercraig in the defeat the Ice King, Dilys has been invited to court the three princesses of Summerlea—known as Spring, Autumn, and Summer. He’s vowed to bring home a strong and fierce mate as any daughter born between them will be the next ruler of Calbernan. Dilys has been nudged toward choosing Seasons Spring and Autumn as they are known for their strong gifts, but it’s Summer, the Season no one knows much about, that catches his eye.
There’s a reason Summer is known as the “nice” Season and not for her strength of power. It’s because if she was to truly release the full scope of her gifts, there’s no end to the damage they’d do. All her life, Summer has kept a tight lock on her powers, choosing to remain soft-spoken and in the background behind her seemingly more formidable sisters, but then along comes Dilys who challenges everything she thought she knew about herself.
The time for pushing down her powers comes to an end when the Seasons are kidnapped by pirates. Summer will have to rely on her powers if she and her sisters want to survive. And while Dilys does all he can to bring them home safely, he’ll uncover a conspiracy within his household that changes everything he thought he knew about the past.
After reading CL Wilson’s famed Tairen Soul series, I was hooked. She’s now one of my go-to authors for romantic fantasy and this conviction was only solidified upon reading The Winter King. I anxiously waited and waited for the release of The Sea King and was beyond excited when I finally heard we would actually get this story as its release was pushed back a few times.
Fans of CL Wilson will love diving (ha!) right into this book. Wilson definitely knows how to craft wonderful, fantastical worlds and the sea setting is one of her best. The development is steady with the blossoming romance between Dilys and Summer taking up more than half of the story—justifiably seeing as how this is a romance. The kidnapping plotline is established early on, so readers are quite aware something is coming, and it’s this anticipation that aids in driving the story forward, but its execution and resolution is relegated to about the latter third of the book. which for me, started to feel both like it was a little rushed and yet dragged the ending since the entire conspiracy takes a bit to fully flesh out.
One of the ideas I loved the most about the story was the how CL Wilson established Calbernan as a matriarchal society. I wished we had spent more time exploring this and what it would have meant for Summer, as an oulani (i.e. Outlander), to marry into a Calbernan household, especially given the contrast between this society and the horrifying violations against Summer and her sisters that occur during the kidnappings.
While the overall story followed a somewhat predictable pattern, I loved the world and the imagery CL Wilson created. While The Sea King is a standalone story, there are certain things left open at the end that will lead nicely into the next (and final?) book in the series. So now, after waiting years for this book, I can now begin to anxiously await the next!
By the tradition of the Calbernan’s, Sea prince Dilys Merimydion earned his right to take a wife four years ago. However, fighting other people’s wars has kept him from fulfilling that which the Calbernan’s live for. After aiding the people of Wintercraig in the defeat the Ice King, Dilys has been invited to court the three princesses of Summerlea—known as Spring, Autumn, and Summer. He’s vowed to bring home a strong and fierce mate as any daughter born between them will be the next ruler of Calbernan. Dilys has been nudged toward choosing Seasons Spring and Autumn as they are known for their strong gifts, but it’s Summer, the Season no one knows much about, that catches his eye.
There’s a reason Summer is known as the “nice” Season and not for her strength of power. It’s because if she was to truly release the full scope of her gifts, there’s no end to the damage they’d do. All her life, Summer has kept a tight lock on her powers, choosing to remain soft-spoken and in the background behind her seemingly more formidable sisters, but then along comes Dilys who challenges everything she thought she knew about herself.
The time for pushing down her powers comes to an end when the Seasons are kidnapped by pirates. Summer will have to rely on her powers if she and her sisters want to survive. And while Dilys does all he can to bring them home safely, he’ll uncover a conspiracy within his household that changes everything he thought he knew about the past.
After reading CL Wilson’s famed Tairen Soul series, I was hooked. She’s now one of my go-to authors for romantic fantasy and this conviction was only solidified upon reading The Winter King. I anxiously waited and waited for the release of The Sea King and was beyond excited when I finally heard we would actually get this story as its release was pushed back a few times.
Fans of CL Wilson will love diving (ha!) right into this book. Wilson definitely knows how to craft wonderful, fantastical worlds and the sea setting is one of her best. The development is steady with the blossoming romance between Dilys and Summer taking up more than half of the story—justifiably seeing as how this is a romance. The kidnapping plotline is established early on, so readers are quite aware something is coming, and it’s this anticipation that aids in driving the story forward, but its execution and resolution is relegated to about the latter third of the book. which for me, started to feel both like it was a little rushed and yet dragged the ending since the entire conspiracy takes a bit to fully flesh out.
One of the ideas I loved the most about the story was the how CL Wilson established Calbernan as a matriarchal society. I wished we had spent more time exploring this and what it would have meant for Summer, as an oulani (i.e. Outlander), to marry into a Calbernan household, especially given the contrast between this society and the horrifying violations against Summer and her sisters that occur during the kidnappings.
While the overall story followed a somewhat predictable pattern, I loved the world and the imagery CL Wilson created. While The Sea King is a standalone story, there are certain things left open at the end that will lead nicely into the next (and final?) book in the series. So now, after waiting years for this book, I can now begin to anxiously await the next!
saradp's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
slow-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
3.0
emlibby's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Trafficking, and Slavery
itssamanthakelly's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I would have probably rated this book higher if it was the first one in the series but it lost a star for me because The Winter King is unbeatable and I was constantly comparing it in my head.
A region of men who get down on their knees to worship their women??? Yes please.
This was definitely a slow burn and the tension in this book made me so impatient in the best way.
CL Wilson’s prose is still absolutely phenomenal and made this book such a beautiful journey.
A region of men who get down on their knees to worship their women??? Yes please.
This was definitely a slow burn and the tension in this book made me so impatient in the best way.
CL Wilson’s prose is still absolutely phenomenal and made this book such a beautiful journey.
chelsie337's review against another edition
4.0
Oh my word! Don’t read the second epilogue if you’re like me and have zero patience to wait for the next installment of a series!
jkmiles's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
3.75
ashlle1's review against another edition
The writing is fine. However: This is a sequel to [b:The Winter King|10485751|The Winter King (Weathermages of Mystral, #1)|C.L. Wilson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1372702999l/10485751._SY75_.jpg|15391255].