Scan barcode
kurumipanda's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Sexual content, Alcohol, Death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Violence
Minor: Animal death
cheye13's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
While I found no faults in this book for my own reading tastes, I can see where it may fall short for others. This is not a surprising book in the slightest – though the political/criminal investigation is paced to persist through the full novel, it is set up pretty straightforwardly from the start. The romance progression is also fully predictable, and while it didn't deliver any gut-punch style emotion, I thoroughly enjoyed being swept through the journey. Finally, while the slow burn tension is off the charts, some may find the release/resolution of that tension unequal to the anticipation (i.e. it's pretty low on the spice).
But I don't look for any of these elements in my fantasy romance. I enjoy predictability and the satisfaction of the characters finally catching up to my detached perspective; I was awash in the natural flow and growth of the leads' relationship; and I love me a closed-door or mild heat level. In fact, given the building tension throughout the book, I would've felt like there was no closure if there weren't at least a vague on-page Scene™, so this book skipped past that pitfall as well. A complete joy to read. Hope there's more to this series in the future!
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Kidnapping, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death and Sexual content
Minor: Alcohol and Torture
mirandyli's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Death of parent, Alcohol, Blood, Death, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
amy_in_the_city's review against another edition
- 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
The romance in this was such a delicious, angsty, slow burn. Evemer was so stoic and reserved, which made it all the more fun to see him fall so hard for Kadou. I appreciated the anxiety representation with Kadou and that it didn't make him any less of a badass. He still defended Evemer whenever needed, and I loved seeing a prince also defend his bodyguard. A big theme in their relationship is reciprocity, and I love when couples feel like a real partnership.
There was enough action to keep the plot fun and exciting, but I do wish the villain wasn't so obvious from the start. Also, while this was a fantasy, the fantasy elements are used very sparingly. The ending felt a little bit rushed, and I do wish we got to see a bit more of Kadou and Evemer together as a happy couple. My overwhelming love for the romance and the characters overrides any of these quibbles though, and I know this is a book I'll come back to for rereads.
Graphic: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Blood, Alcohol, Mental illness, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual content, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, and Gore
Minor: Pregnancy, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Classism, and Death of parent
cinnamonandpancakes's review against another edition
- 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
I loved Kadou and Evemer, especially Evemer, and their romance. It was very sexy and compelling. And Tadek was a lot of fun. But I found a lot of the other characters less interesting. Siranos, in particular, seemed to change personality depending on what the narrative needed him to be and that made his plotline quite unsatisfying in my opinion.
The world building was amazing, however, and I loved the focus on material culture. It felt very much like a world that people lived in.
Graphic: Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Mental illness, Alcohol, and Drug use
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, and Death
tinyelfarcanist's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexual content and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Death
heather667's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Classism, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Ableism, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Death
Minor: Acephobia/Arophobia
ceruleanseas's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcohol and Drug use
Minor: Grief
purely_romantic's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Kidnapping, and Mental illness
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Death of parent
Minor: Grief
Detailed descriptions of anxiety and intrusive thoughts sometimes leading to panic attackskimschouwenaar's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Is it historically accurate? Probably not.
Is it enjoyable? Yes, but I will not be re-reading, and this has not become one of my favourite reads.
Besides the fact that I just could not connect to the two main characters, the pacing is off. Some scattered moments were exciting, but overall I was a little bored. Then there is the wording and dialogue, which was a peculiar mix of historical and modern speech. For some it might work, but for me it was confusing.
Additionally, I simply do not understand why in such a seemingly modern and advanced society, there is such an ignorance towards mental health issues. There are multiple characters using neo-pronouns (a fact I absolutely ADORE), they seem to have equal rights for men and women, and the sultan is a woman with a new-born (!!!!) (Zeliha and Eyne were an absolutely delightful addition to the story). Also, there was an aro-ace character that uses çe/çem/çir!
It could have been great, but to me it wasn’t.
Graphic: Grief, Murder, Blood, Violence, Cursing, Death, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Gore
Moderate: Alcohol, Eating disorder, Kidnapping, Alcoholism, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Sexual content, and Grief