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margaret_k30's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, War, Sexual violence, Violence, Toxic relationship, and Murder
Moderate: Xenophobia
Minor: Physical abuse
starry's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I read this book in a single sitting because I just couldn't put it down. A fast-paced combination of fantasy romance tropes that St. Clair executes pretty well, but can't distract from the more troubling themes of racism and colonialism that are handled as poorly as is genre-typical.
King of Battle and Blood is like The Vampire Diaries meets From Blood and Ash and The Bridge Kingdom. Human Princess Isolde is betrothed to the Vampire King Adrian in exchange for the safety of her home kingdom from the Vampire King's terrorizing reign and rapid territory expansion. As she is fitted into her wedding gown, Isolde is gifted a golden dagger, and instructed to kill the king and save her home land, no matter the cost. This should be easy for someone who hates vampires as much as Isolde does — only, she can't deny the simmering attraction she feels for him. And the more she learns about Adrian's people and the centuries-long war between his kingdom and hers, the more conflicted she becomes. When attraction starts giving way to something more, will she still maintain the strength to kill her enemy and save her people? And is Adrian even her enemy anymore?
Here's what's up: almost nothing about this book was original. It was like Scarlett St. Clair dug into a mystery grab bag of fantasy romance tropes and then just strung a book together around them. But here's what's also up: I don't mind at all! I don't need my fantasy romances to be original anymore as long as they're fun and keep me engaged. And this book did that! I stayed home and canceled plans so I could keep reading this book. I finished it in a single evening because I didn't want to put it down. For that reason, I would recommend it to other readers of fantasy romance looking for something to scratch that itch. The marriage of convenience was a nice touch, and there's a very-present but unfortunately underbaked element of fated mates here too.
This book has an extended plot for sure, but it is mostly a backdrop used to progress Isolde and Adrian's relationship. If you're looking for fantasy, this is not for you. This is a romance novel in a fantasy setting, similar to SJM, FBAA, etc. I liked the fantasy elements that were there, but a lot of it felt cobbled together.
There are also some aspects to this story (like with SJM and FBAA) that were so troubling. First, Isolde is mixed race. Her father (the king) is white, and her mother (died in childbirth) was darker skinned and called "an island woman." We hear very little about the islands except that the people there are tan and love the sun, they exports shells and pearls, and by the end of the novel, they are all enslaved by another kingdom. These unpictured island people are as far as we are told, the only brown people in this fantasy world, except for Isolde's handmaiden who is also brown. Isolde never knew her mother and had no island influences in her life growing up. When she meets nobles of the vampire kingdom, she wonders if they find her less beautiful or less dignified for being islander. All of these aspects, especially coming from a white author, are super frustrating. Given the opportunity to design a world from the ground up (one with magic and monsters and unique political structures, etc etc etc), St. Clair still chose to enslave the only known kingdom of brown people. Like, what was the purpose? There was opportunity to make Isolde's mixed race heritage an active piece of her identity and personality, but instead it was only ever brought up negatively.
The other majorly troubling factor for me was the pervasive theme of invasion, conquest, colonization. This seems to be a new genre fixture in this pseudo-feminist fantasy romance space where girlbossing is the goal. Thinking back to Aelin of TOG and Poppy of FBAA, the end goal seems to be to spread the good fortune of their kingdom to others, by violently invading other territories and subjecting them to foreign rule. It's a very white, very American view — that these girls can erase injustice by conquering other lands and dethroning their easily-identified-as-evil rulers. It takes a lot of black-and-white worldbuilding to try to justify colonization in your fantasy universe. To be in any way convincing, it also has to lack all nuance. It always leaves a bad taste in my mouth, and this book is no exception. This book ends with Isolde deciding she doesn't want to be a princess or a wife or an assassin or whatever else — she wants to be a conqueror. This is framed by the narrative as huge growth for her character. She's going to take down the enslavers and free her mother's people. She's going to reclaim her homeland and all the other human kingdoms so that she and Adrian can free the magic that has been suppressed and abused across the realm... or so they say. St. Clair doesn't justify her colonialism enough in this book for it to even hold up in-universe, much less outside of it. Adrian's kingdom is shown to be full of as much corruption and in-fighting as the human territories but somehow they're still more fit to lead? Isolde has no leadership experience, and when her own people question her or her motives, she belittles them or kills them. She is erratic in her leadership and abusive of her power, and while I admire her boldness (she kills a high-ranking lord's son on the dance floor of a highly-populated ball, because he touched her shoulder after she said no), I sincerely hope there is a reality check or a humbling of Isolde's character in the sequel. Moments of justice like the one mentioned can be fun, but they became repetitive over time and even began to feel cruel given the present imbalances of power.
I will read the sequel, because I really do like St. Clair's writing style and I remember the Hades x Persephone saga getting better with time. This was definitely an addition to my mainstay fantasy romance shelf, even with the disappointing aspects.
King of Battle and Blood is like The Vampire Diaries meets From Blood and Ash and The Bridge Kingdom. Human Princess Isolde is betrothed to the Vampire King Adrian in exchange for the safety of her home kingdom from the Vampire King's terrorizing reign and rapid territory expansion. As she is fitted into her wedding gown, Isolde is gifted a golden dagger, and instructed to kill the king and save her home land, no matter the cost. This should be easy for someone who hates vampires as much as Isolde does — only, she can't deny the simmering attraction she feels for him. And the more she learns about Adrian's people and the centuries-long war between his kingdom and hers, the more conflicted she becomes. When attraction starts giving way to something more, will she still maintain the strength to kill her enemy and save her people? And is Adrian even her enemy anymore?
Here's what's up: almost nothing about this book was original. It was like Scarlett St. Clair dug into a mystery grab bag of fantasy romance tropes and then just strung a book together around them. But here's what's also up: I don't mind at all! I don't need my fantasy romances to be original anymore as long as they're fun and keep me engaged. And this book did that! I stayed home and canceled plans so I could keep reading this book. I finished it in a single evening because I didn't want to put it down. For that reason, I would recommend it to other readers of fantasy romance looking for something to scratch that itch. The marriage of convenience was a nice touch, and there's a very-present but unfortunately underbaked element of fated mates here too.
This book has an extended plot for sure, but it is mostly a backdrop used to progress Isolde and Adrian's relationship. If you're looking for fantasy, this is not for you. This is a romance novel in a fantasy setting, similar to SJM, FBAA, etc. I liked the fantasy elements that were there, but a lot of it felt cobbled together.
There are also some aspects to this story (like with SJM and FBAA) that were so troubling. First, Isolde is mixed race. Her father (the king) is white, and her mother (died in childbirth) was darker skinned and called "an island woman." We hear very little about the islands except that the people there are tan and love the sun, they exports shells and pearls, and by the end of the novel, they are all enslaved by another kingdom. These unpictured island people are as far as we are told, the only brown people in this fantasy world, except for Isolde's handmaiden who is also brown. Isolde never knew her mother and had no island influences in her life growing up. When she meets nobles of the vampire kingdom, she wonders if they find her less beautiful or less dignified for being islander. All of these aspects, especially coming from a white author, are super frustrating. Given the opportunity to design a world from the ground up (one with magic and monsters and unique political structures, etc etc etc), St. Clair still chose to enslave the only known kingdom of brown people. Like, what was the purpose? There was opportunity to make Isolde's mixed race heritage an active piece of her identity and personality, but instead it was only ever brought up negatively.
The other majorly troubling factor for me was the pervasive theme of invasion, conquest, colonization. This seems to be a new genre fixture in this pseudo-feminist fantasy romance space where girlbossing is the goal. Thinking back to Aelin of TOG and Poppy of FBAA, the end goal seems to be to spread the good fortune of their kingdom to others, by violently invading other territories and subjecting them to foreign rule. It's a very white, very American view — that these girls can erase injustice by conquering other lands and dethroning their easily-identified-as-evil rulers. It takes a lot of black-and-white worldbuilding to try to justify colonization in your fantasy universe. To be in any way convincing, it also has to lack all nuance. It always leaves a bad taste in my mouth, and this book is no exception. This book ends with Isolde deciding she doesn't want to be a princess or a wife or an assassin or whatever else — she wants to be a conqueror. This is framed by the narrative as huge growth for her character. She's going to take down the enslavers and free her mother's people. She's going to reclaim her homeland and all the other human kingdoms so that she and Adrian can free the magic that has been suppressed and abused across the realm... or so they say. St. Clair doesn't justify her colonialism enough in this book for it to even hold up in-universe, much less outside of it. Adrian's kingdom is shown to be full of as much corruption and in-fighting as the human territories but somehow they're still more fit to lead? Isolde has no leadership experience, and when her own people question her or her motives, she belittles them or kills them. She is erratic in her leadership and abusive of her power, and while I admire her boldness (she kills a high-ranking lord's son on the dance floor of a highly-populated ball, because he touched her shoulder after she said no), I sincerely hope there is a reality check or a humbling of Isolde's character in the sequel. Moments of justice like the one mentioned can be fun, but they became repetitive over time and even began to feel cruel given the present imbalances of power.
I will read the sequel, because I really do like St. Clair's writing style and I remember the Hades x Persephone saga getting better with time. This was definitely an addition to my mainstay fantasy romance shelf, even with the disappointing aspects.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Xenophobia, Toxic relationship, and Misogyny
Minor: Slavery and War
karapillar's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Genocide, Murder, Death of parent, Sexual content, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Animal death, Child death, Gore, Grief, and Sexism
Moderate: Abandonment, Kidnapping, Racism, Stalking, Vomit, War, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Physical abuse, and Cursing
Minor: Infidelity, Alcohol, Xenophobia, Torture, Slavery, and Religious bigotry
kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
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? No
4.0
I honestly think this one is spicier than the others I’ve read by this author. I loved the love story. It was enemies to lovers but in the best way. I loved the protagonist. I enjoy how she learns and grows as the novel progresses to become a more developed, understanding person - which is how I think we should all live. There was a bit of predictability in the plot and there were a few grammatical issues that led me to a four star rating as opposed to a five star rating.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, War, Blood, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Murder, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Xenophobia
steffandbooks's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
4.5
I came here for the smut, but stayed for the plot. There were several fantasy aspects I‘m pretty sure we read before or heard of, but I really enjoyed how Scarlett put these tropes and plot lines into a new story. I sometimes found Isolde a bit annoying and very rude, although I understand that she needed to be ruthless at times to show her power as Queen, that she could survive.
I like Adrian very much. He was sweet, possessive, cunning and very sexy at the time time. I did not enjoy how he and Isolde came together in the beginning, but the sexy times improved each time.
Can’t wait to see how this evolves in the second book!
I like Adrian very much. He was sweet, possessive, cunning and very sexy at the time time. I did not enjoy how he and Isolde came together in the beginning, but the sexy times improved each time.
Can’t wait to see how this evolves in the second book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Blood, Murder, Sexual content, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, and Sexual violence
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