Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - King of Battle and Blood

Have you ever gotten upset with yourself for not reading a book sooner that's just been sitting on your TBR pile? I shouldn't have waited this long to read this vampire enemies-to-lovers romance; it was so good! The plot just got thicker the more you read on. I did not expect the book to end the way it did and now I can't wait to read the next book in the series.
Adrian

was in love with her from the very beginning and he waited so patiently to have her come around.

He has a soft spot but only for her, which is absolutely endearing.
I love that Isolde is a warrior and can take care of herself.

I enjoyed the scenes where she was capable of surviving and protecting herself, having a strong female character just hits differently.

The author did such a great job at making my blood boil every time Safira came up, props to her for making me dislike a character so much.

She got away with a lot, that bed scene though was chef's kiss. I am just glad Isolde had girlfriends who cared for her and didn't go after her man.

It's so sad when you find out why she's afraid of being near fire, it made me teary!
Overall, I think this book has a great mix of plot and character development which made me enjoy this book from the beginning, middle, and end.

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weirdefruit's review against another edition

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lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Enjoyed this more than I thought I would but some of the plot felt confusing, particularly the bits about reincarnation etc

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azmadaz's review against another edition

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dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes

3.0

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kaitrates's review against another edition

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adventurous dark fast-paced

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

3.5

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lutenation's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

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simpledifficulties's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-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

4.0

18+
(I cannot stress enough how 18+ this book is.)

I've seen some other reviews and I totally get that this book isn't for everyone. The romance is incredibly fast-paced, like love-at-first-sight kind of fast-paced. The plot, on the other hand, is very slow-paced. If you're looking for something action-packed, this just isn't for you. If you're looking for a character-driven fantasy romance with the promise of action in later books, pick this one up.

While the novel touches upon larger conflicts to be developed throughout the rest of the series, it acts more as an introduction to those conflicts than anything else. Some hints of a larger conflict are sprinkled throughout, but don't come to the forefront until the last 50 pages or so. The main conflict involves Isolde's acceptance of herself as she adjusts to life in a new kingdom and learns some hard truths about what she thought she knew. Oh, and the fact that she's falling for the enemy We follow her as she explores her new home by trying traditional foods, visiting the local market, and reading old journals in the library among other things. There are very few epic battles and we don't get much information about the big bad until very near the end. We mostly see Adrian and Isolde living their "normal" lives, and this is exactly what I was looking for in a novel.

I do have some complaints, though:

While I'm not one to shy away from explicit content, in this book sex is literally around every corner. Isolde will go for a walk outside and run into a couple having sex, or enter the library and find the librarian having sex. This type of discovery happens several times throughout the ~400 pages and doesn't serve any purpose other than to indicate which characters are coupled.

St. Clair names all the horses. Seriously. And I love that. We have Midnight, and Shadow, and Elli, and Snow. Then St. Clair kills Midnight and Snow, and Shadow runs off never to be seen again. To be honest, it's not even clear to me Elli's fate. Why name the horses only to kill them pages later?

I have more, but to be honest I can't think of any at the moment, so I'll add them when I do.

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melia24's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

This book is fun. It's not well written but it's a good time.

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heathergudaz95's review against another edition

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adventurous 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

4.25

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