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wrensandroses's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Child death, Sexual content, Death, and Terminal illness
Moderate: War, Violence, Self harm, Kidnapping, Confinement, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Colonisation and Grief
kaity_b's review
4.0
3.5-4 stars
man the groveling that took place... it was a little long for my liking, but i loved these two characters a lot that i let it slide. i think that in Jem's position i would have done the same soo i can't blame him for making cador work for his trust.
with that i think that cador did redeem himself, more than, in my opinion since he was protecting Jem throughout the book to prove himself.
Even with all the groveling, it didn't feel as repetitive as other books i have read when the characters are groveling, which is another reason why i enjoyed this story!
i will miss these two and will definitely have to come back to them soon..
Michael Ferraiuolo did an amazing job with the narrations as always!
ps, the candle again... i hope that they use some sturdy wax because ouch haha.
man the groveling that took place... it was a little long for my liking, but i loved these two characters a lot that i let it slide. i think that in Jem's position i would have done the same soo i can't blame him for making cador work for his trust.
with that i think that cador did redeem himself, more than, in my opinion since he was protecting Jem throughout the book to prove himself.
Even with all the groveling, it didn't feel as repetitive as other books i have read when the characters are groveling, which is another reason why i enjoyed this story!
i will miss these two and will definitely have to come back to them soon..
Michael Ferraiuolo did an amazing job with the narrations as always!
ps, the candle again... i hope that they use some sturdy wax because ouch haha.
shinysue's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Jew drew the groveling out way too much. It got a bit annoying by the end. But I guess the book didn't need much character growth, so this was an attempt to balance out the plot. I will say that the woodcutter scene was so smutty and angsty and beautifully written. I really felt for Cador.
The plot was interesting. Typical fantasy plot where the good guys aren't as good. Though the plot isn't as intricate as some other series. It all had to wrap up in one book, so it is dense for what it is. Very good story line.
The plot was interesting. Typical fantasy plot where the good guys aren't as good. Though the plot isn't as intricate as some other series. It all had to wrap up in one book, so it is dense for what it is. Very good story line.
maybreads's review
medium-paced
3.5
Enjoyable read but suffers from not having a clear villain imo.
How do you bring in colonialism like that to then leave it unresolved?
Content Warnings
Moderate: Colonisation
rellimreads's review
5.0
9/22/2023 - Updated for audio
This is book 2 in the Barbarian Duet by Keira Andrews. This is not a stand alone and is intended to be listened to after book 1, Wed to the Barbarian. As such, this review contains spoilers to book 1.
Whew! After the ending to book 1, I had serious doubts that Andrews could redeem Cador, but she did. The best part was that their reconciliation was hard work and took up a significant portion of the book while keeping the pacing engaging. Jem wasn’t a doormat and both had to come to terms with their assumptions and biases regarding the other and their respective countries.
Lots of twists and turns to keep my suspense loving heart happy. And while they were trying to figure things out - Cador and Jem didn't stop with the sexy times. I enjoyed the balance between all the story elements.
I love epilogues and this one was sweet and detailed not just Jem and Cador but wrapped up plot points and gave HEAs for several of the other characters as well.
Narration:
Michael Ferraiuolo was awesome again. There are so many characters with a variety of voices, accents, mannerisms plus all the emotions. It was so easy to get lost in the story with his wonderful performance.
This is book 2 in the Barbarian Duet by Keira Andrews. This is not a stand alone and is intended to be listened to after book 1, Wed to the Barbarian. As such, this review contains spoilers to book 1.
Whew! After the ending to book 1, I had serious doubts that Andrews could redeem Cador, but she did. The best part was that their reconciliation was hard work and took up a significant portion of the book while keeping the pacing engaging. Jem wasn’t a doormat and both had to come to terms with their assumptions and biases regarding the other and their respective countries.
Lots of twists and turns to keep my suspense loving heart happy. And while they were trying to figure things out - Cador and Jem didn't stop with the sexy times. I enjoyed the balance between all the story elements.
I love epilogues and this one was sweet and detailed not just Jem and Cador but wrapped up plot points and gave HEAs for several of the other characters as well.
Narration:
Michael Ferraiuolo was awesome again. There are so many characters with a variety of voices, accents, mannerisms plus all the emotions. It was so easy to get lost in the story with his wonderful performance.
shaney233's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
theoguinto's review
4.0
I liked the first book better, though this was a good finish to the fantasy story.
I really enjoyed the parts where Cador tried to apologize to Jem, and I completely understand Jem's refusal to accept the apologies for the betrayal in the last book.
You could really see the internal conflict in Jem's mind of wanting to trust and love Cador, but being scared and traumatized by what he'd done to him.
Similarly, Cador's groveling was sad to read but necessary to prove his love to Jem.
I kind of wish the book focused more on Jem and Cador's reconciliation (not that it wasn't the main focus, it just felt like their reconciliation was tied to the timeline of trying to fix the issue with political climate as opposed to having the romance dictate the pacing)
I also didn't really like how it was sex that eventually made Jem realize he was ready to forgive Cador. I wish that it was a different act (like Cador saving Jem's life or the otherway around) since having sex be the thing makes it feel shallow and superficial.
I really enjoyed the parts where Cador tried to apologize to Jem, and I completely understand Jem's refusal to accept the apologies for the betrayal in the last book.
You could really see the internal conflict in Jem's mind of wanting to trust and love Cador, but being scared and traumatized by what he'd done to him.
Similarly, Cador's groveling was sad to read but necessary to prove his love to Jem.
I kind of wish the book focused more on Jem and Cador's reconciliation (not that it wasn't the main focus, it just felt like their reconciliation was tied to the timeline of trying to fix the issue with political climate as opposed to having the romance dictate the pacing)
I also didn't really like how it was sex that eventually made Jem realize he was ready to forgive Cador. I wish that it was a different act (like Cador saving Jem's life or the otherway around) since having sex be the thing makes it feel shallow and superficial.