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justkarlah's review
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
▫️Dual 1st person POV▫️
I just want to start my review by saying that I have not read the first two books in the series. I went into it not knowing anything about the first two princesses or their stories. It didn't make the plot or world building too confusing, and I was able to follow along with the story for the most part. The only thing I did have some trouble with was all the characters that had multiple names/were referred to by different names.
Alyse was a strong-willed FMC with a passion for helping her people. She was pretty naive at the beginning, which makes sense since she's a princess, so it was nice to see her grow both in maturity and in delving into/developing her powers.
Kazimir is the definition of a possessive, overprotective MMC with a dark side. He was an interesting character to read about, and it would have been cool to learn more about his past and his progress to becoming a scribe at the castle. I loved that he created mechanisms that helped him use his powers to the best of their ability.
The story progressed at a pretty normal pace, although it did feel like some events passed by too quickly (almost like they had to cut them down to make the book shorter?).
There's a ton of tension between the two main characters, a large amount of sexual content, as well as some non-consensual scenes. I would definitely recommend checking the TWs before reading!
If you're looking for a fantasy book with forbidden love, revenge, and strong princesses, then this might be the book for you!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I just want to start my review by saying that I have not read the first two books in the series. I went into it not knowing anything about the first two princesses or their stories. It didn't make the plot or world building too confusing, and I was able to follow along with the story for the most part. The only thing I did have some trouble with was all the characters that had multiple names/were referred to by different names.
Alyse was a strong-willed FMC with a passion for helping her people. She was pretty naive at the beginning, which makes sense since she's a princess, so it was nice to see her grow both in maturity and in delving into/developing her powers.
Kazimir is the definition of a possessive, overprotective MMC with a dark side. He was an interesting character to read about, and it would have been cool to learn more about his past and his progress to becoming a scribe at the castle. I loved that he created mechanisms that helped him use his powers to the best of their ability.
The story progressed at a pretty normal pace, although it did feel like some events passed by too quickly (almost like they had to cut them down to make the book shorter?).
There's a ton of tension between the two main characters, a large amount of sexual content, as well as some non-consensual scenes. I would definitely recommend checking the TWs before reading!
If you're looking for a fantasy book with forbidden love, revenge, and strong princesses, then this might be the book for you!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Torture, Death, Rape, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Drug use, Body shaming, Confinement, Murder, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Alcohol and Animal cruelty
Minor: Slavery
sassypantsreading's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Hooo boy, that was a wild ride! Dark Artificer was the perfect addition to the Princesses of Ruin series. I know the author warned and warned and warned that it was really dark, but I actually didn’t think it was that bad. I personally don’t think it’s necessary to separate out the triggering passages of chapters because the reader is duly warned up front, but it doesn’t really disrupt the flow of the book at all. I absolutely loved Alyse and Kazimir and how they helped each other grow so much. They complemented each other perfectly. I don’t think Alyse’s magic ever would’ve grown so strong without Kazimir. I wish we had a bit more time with them together in person. The pacing of the book was really slow for most of the book, but then at the end, when they can finally be together, boom, we speed up. Although, the magic s*x was 🥵🥵🥵 Like, can we have more of that in books please? Overall, great book, and I can’t wait for the conclusion of this series! I love the direction the plot took at the end.
I received an ARC of Dark Artificer from the author, Ember Holt, for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an ARC of Dark Artificer from the author, Ember Holt, for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Sexual content, and Blood
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, and Classism
Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death
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