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everdeeen's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
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
5.0
I LOVED THIS!!!! I am in AWE of the coruscate sisters! Stayed up till 5am the first night reading half this book! I can't beLIEVE we aren't, as a society, all over this book and series! CL Wilson's writing, world building, character dynamics and developments cater to all parts of me in a way nothing else does!
After finishing the first one, I wasn't sure how the story could go on but seeing it was another sister's story I wanted to anyway! I didn't think I could love another like Khamsin but I definitely did! I DO! I love how they are fearful and fearless and don't want to or wait to be rescued, they always save themselves! This is my favorite take on romantic partnership: be there to further their hapinness, not to be the source of it! Magnificent! I will definitely be thinking about them for a long time!
After finishing the first one, I wasn't sure how the story could go on but seeing it was another sister's story I wanted to anyway! I didn't think I could love another like Khamsin but I definitely did! I DO! I love how they are fearful and fearless and don't want to or wait to be rescued, they always save themselves! This is my favorite take on romantic partnership: be there to further their hapinness, not to be the source of it! Magnificent! I will definitely be thinking about them for a long time!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
sidneypenelope's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
kinzo103's review
adventurous
dark
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
4.25
The first book in this series was good but this one was even better. There were several moment where I could feel the gut-wrenching sadness or stomach-churning nervousness being expressed, something that was lacking in the first. I like that we still get to see the characters from the first story quite a bit and explore the world and lore of these stories even more in this book. Some very dark parts and some very typical “everything always works out in the seemingly impossible ways” parts that may feel like a bit too much of a happy ending, but who doesn’t love a happily ever after?
I will say that it felt likeSummer’s assault trauma got glossed over way too easily, as did her feelings about her sister’s death. And Dilys centers himself so much in conversations about Summer, it’s slightly maddening.
I will say that it felt like
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
jillm26's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Death, Trafficking, and Violence
dawnserra's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
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