Reviews

To Poison a King by S.G. Prince

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summerthunter's review

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

When an author dm’s you because they think their upcoming fantasy novel would be a good fit…you feel flattered. And then it’s also amazing read! Score!!! I found myself completely absorbed in the story from start to finish. The plot is full of suspense and intrigue, with unexpected twists and turns. Selene’s story is both fascinating and heartbreaking. You really root for her. Highly recommend!

Thank you @sgprince.books for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

ejshima's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious reflective medium-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

zias's review

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adventurous emotional tense

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

5.0

I was not prepared to be so taken by this book. I loved the POV of story and Selene’s development throughout. I loved the subtle magic system and the world building.

Content Warnings

samkat418's review

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3.0

This book was well written in my opinion, it felt like fairytale retelling. With that being said, I did not enjoy the story. It had nothing to do with it being a bad story, it just wasn’t my style. While it’s labeled fantasy, it’s a romance. I wouldn’t even classify it as a romantasy. There isn’t much world building or plot which is something I prefer in fantasy story. There was some magical aspects, but as a whole it was mostly just relationship building between the two main characters. Between the main characters social peculiarity and extensive herbal knowledge, it felt very similar to where the crawdads sing; but a Renaissance period piece version of it. I would definitely read something by this author again, this was just not my style story. Overall, I would give this a 3/5 and a .5/5 for spice. It’s very fades to black.

vynix's review

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4.0

3.75 rounded to 4 but could be 5 stars with a few tweaks. Plot was interesting that I could not stop reading and finished in a day.

Things that irked me:
-Gives YA vibes rather than adult if you just change the character's ages and was expecting more romance.
-ending a bit rushed and still have quite a few questions. Umm where is the wedding?? What happens to the relationships with Elias' mother after everything?

Spoiler

-Selene gets pushed in an icy river, beat up by Hobore, jumps into ocean to save Elias, bleeds for the potion and even after everything she's suffered because of Elias' decision to follow Persaphe, he never really apologizes at the end and doesn't says I love you back!

I get he does his little secret helpings but I think it's not enough for what she's dealt with. Sometimes feels like the guards love her more than Elias.

Spoiler

-Selene and Elias finally together only for the last 20ish pages out of 400??

-inconsistent contractions like "did not" vs "didn't" in dialogue which I think was trying to show formal and informal speech but it just interrupts the flow of reading

acatalani's review

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.0

_booktrovert_'s review

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4.0

Rounding up 3.75 to 4 as it had absolutely incredible angsty moments. Overall very good story with great characters and romance!

sinnitart's review

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2.0

I promise you this would’ve been much better without the weird age gap… FINE you can have an age gap but by god not with a minor .. PLEASE.

Lovely flowery writing. But cannot for the life of me overlook the fact she is a child.

The conclusion is so…. It’s very lacking. If you are reading this for romance this book’s purpose is not romance. Perhaps that is a mercy given the groomer vibes here.