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fallingwings's review against another edition
1.0
I got this book because it sounded like checked all the boxes of things I want to see in a story. Assassins, soldiers, royalty, wars, presumably a slow burn, etc. Unfortunately, those things are all surface level. Guess I'm in the minority here though.
Cons:
× No map. I have no idea where the places that get mentioned are or how close towns and cities are. Just that they're "this far" from a specific border -- and there are multiple borders. I've noticed more and more authors are starting to leave out maps concerning their fantasy books and it's driving me nuts. You're writing a fantasy world with traveling and waring places involved. GIVE ME A DAMN MAP SO I KNOW WHERE PLACES ARE IN THIS WORLD YOUVE CREATED.
× Someone tries to kill Niko shortly after he becomes the prince's slave and I'm just...confused as to why anyone would believe it's because he's the prince's slave? Niko has no connection with Vasili and Vasili doesn't seem to care about Niko on any level (which makes sense given how early this happens). Niko is also easily replaceable; you can't tell me there aren't other soldiers bitter from how the war turned out or other mercs out there looking for jobs. So again, there is no point in attempting to kill Niko just because he's the prince's slave.
× There's a lot of telling instead of showing.
× Things happen for plot convenience, without any real or logical explanation. For example, why was there a war? Idk, because...elves and humans hate each other, I guess. Are there any repercussions to forfeiting the war to their enemy? Nope. Why is Niko so oblivious? I have not a clue but it drove me bat crazy.
× Niko is the dumbest ex-soldier I've ever seen. Dear Lord, he has no common sense, he doesn't find anything suspicious, he doesn't question anything beyond his first guess, he's not tactical, and he can't see the million red flags waving around him involving the traitor.
× Vasili is...equally as dumb in many cases as well. It might have gotten a pass if he had been a sheltered boy growing up, but this isn't the case. He knows who the traitor is yet does absolutely nothing about it. You know, the traitor who is trying to kill him. The one he hires Niko to find and take care of? Yeah, he already knows who it is. That's how stupid this plot point, the one that is the whole reason he even bothers with Niko, is.
× I'm not sure what good terms like "slaves", "servants", "soldiers", or "royalty" are in this world, seeing as no one seems to care about them beyond the word itself. Slaves apparently have the freedom to just...run around as they please from what we see with Niko. No one stops him, no one is keeping an eye on him, no one is trying to control him, etc. No one respects or acknowledges Niko as a former soldier, you know, a person who risked his life for his Kingdom and its people. Instead, they treat him like some criminal and I'm not sure why. Vasili is a prince and next in line to inherit the throne, but...no one really seems to give a flying hoot about him. The King is apparently cruel and horrible yet his people...love and adore him? Just...what? What is happening? Why does none of this make sense??
× So many sentences start with "And" or "But". Quit. It. Please, my eyes are burning from how many authors do this nowadays. My reading is slowed down because my brain feels the need to autocorrect that crap.
× Yet another example of a book where we have a protagonist who is homosexual and literally every woman we hear about or meet is portrayed poorly. We have the former Queen, who had killed herself after having her third son. We have a woman who reminds Niko of a whore simply because of the glittery lipstick she wears. Finally, we have Lady Maria, who.
Pros:
- The last few chapters are the most exciting and have the most action overall.
- The writing is decent, despite the fact that there were some clunky sentences scattered around. Some of the descriptions were also nice.
- I liked the horses.
Honestly, I would have DNF this if I hadn't spent the last $17 of one of my paychecks on it. So I ended up finishing it due to spite.
Cons:
× No map. I have no idea where the places that get mentioned are or how close towns and cities are. Just that they're "this far" from a specific border -- and there are multiple borders. I've noticed more and more authors are starting to leave out maps concerning their fantasy books and it's driving me nuts. You're writing a fantasy world with traveling and waring places involved. GIVE ME A DAMN MAP SO I KNOW WHERE PLACES ARE IN THIS WORLD YOUVE CREATED.
× Someone tries to kill Niko shortly after he becomes the prince's slave and I'm just...confused as to why anyone would believe it's because he's the prince's slave? Niko has no connection with Vasili and Vasili doesn't seem to care about Niko on any level (which makes sense given how early this happens). Niko is also easily replaceable; you can't tell me there aren't other soldiers bitter from how the war turned out or other mercs out there looking for jobs. So again, there is no point in attempting to kill Niko just because he's the prince's slave.
× There's a lot of telling instead of showing.
× Things happen for plot convenience, without any real or logical explanation. For example, why was there a war? Idk, because...elves and humans hate each other, I guess. Are there any repercussions to forfeiting the war to their enemy? Nope. Why is Niko so oblivious? I have not a clue but it drove me bat crazy.
× Niko is the dumbest ex-soldier I've ever seen. Dear Lord, he has no common sense, he doesn't find anything suspicious, he doesn't question anything beyond his first guess, he's not tactical, and he can't see the million red flags waving around him involving the traitor.
Spoiler
You could argue "but he was blinded by love!" In which I would argue, "honey, that wasn't love. That was just him being horny af and thinking with his dick instead of his brain."× Vasili is...equally as dumb in many cases as well. It might have gotten a pass if he had been a sheltered boy growing up, but this isn't the case. He knows who the traitor is yet does absolutely nothing about it. You know, the traitor who is trying to kill him. The one he hires Niko to find and take care of? Yeah, he already knows who it is. That's how stupid this plot point, the one that is the whole reason he even bothers with Niko, is.
× I'm not sure what good terms like "slaves", "servants", "soldiers", or "royalty" are in this world, seeing as no one seems to care about them beyond the word itself. Slaves apparently have the freedom to just...run around as they please from what we see with Niko. No one stops him, no one is keeping an eye on him, no one is trying to control him, etc. No one respects or acknowledges Niko as a former soldier, you know, a person who risked his life for his Kingdom and its people. Instead, they treat him like some criminal and I'm not sure why. Vasili is a prince and next in line to inherit the throne, but...no one really seems to give a flying hoot about him. The King is apparently cruel and horrible yet his people...love and adore him? Just...what? What is happening? Why does none of this make sense??
× So many sentences start with "And" or "But". Quit. It. Please, my eyes are burning from how many authors do this nowadays. My reading is slowed down because my brain feels the need to autocorrect that crap.
× Yet another example of a book where we have a protagonist who is homosexual and literally every woman we hear about or meet is portrayed poorly. We have the former Queen, who had killed herself after having her third son. We have a woman who reminds Niko of a whore simply because of the glittery lipstick she wears. Finally, we have Lady Maria, who
Spoiler
backstabs Niko and Vasili when they decide to trust herPros:
- The last few chapters are the most exciting and have the most action overall.
- The writing is decent, despite the fact that there were some clunky sentences scattered around. Some of the descriptions were also nice.
- I liked the horses.
Honestly, I would have DNF this if I hadn't spent the last $17 of one of my paychecks on it. So I ended up finishing it due to spite.
pilgrimgossip's review against another edition
5.0
Is this series just another"Captive Prince" clone?
Ok, I noticed a few similarities to captive prince, mostly between the actual princes of both books. On the surface, they both come across as treacherous and cruel. Both prince's are almost asexual on the surface, especially compared to those around them. There's the rumor going around that neither one of them have dicks. They are both cold fuckers. Icey cold. And I believe they may share similar physical characteristics. I could go on, but really it doesn't matter. This book is awesome and it's unlike "Captive Prince" in every other way. Plus with " King of the Dark" you don't have to wait a couple of books before things start to get spicy.
If you are thinking about reading this stop reading other reviews now and just do it or you are going to get spoilers that will take away from some jaw dropping revelations that make this such a great read. The entire climax was giving me everything I needed. In fact the last 20% of this book are so good I would recommend reading just for that.
Ok, I noticed a few similarities to captive prince, mostly between the actual princes of both books. On the surface, they both come across as treacherous and cruel. Both prince's are almost asexual on the surface, especially compared to those around them. There's the rumor going around that neither one of them have dicks. They are both cold fuckers. Icey cold. And I believe they may share similar physical characteristics. I could go on, but really it doesn't matter. This book is awesome and it's unlike "Captive Prince" in every other way. Plus with " King of the Dark" you don't have to wait a couple of books before things start to get spicy.
If you are thinking about reading this stop reading other reviews now and just do it or you are going to get spoilers that will take away from some jaw dropping revelations that make this such a great read. The entire climax was giving me everything I needed. In fact the last 20% of this book are so good I would recommend reading just for that.
rowan111's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
meggkey08's review against another edition
3.0
Very slow burn m/m male romance. Spoiler.... one of the love interests spends the book in love with another character so the slow burn spans over the series.
This gives off vibes of The Captive Prince Series.
TRIGGER WARNINGS:
- Slavery
-Violence (Whipping)
-Attempted Sexual Assult
-Torture
This gives off vibes of The Captive Prince Series.
TRIGGER WARNINGS:
- Slavery
-Violence (Whipping)
-Attempted Sexual Assult
-Torture
rayarriz's review
2.0
The first part was a mess. I couldn't figure out why Niko was talking so crazy to Vasili. Like, this guy is a prince. I don't think you would break a prince's wrist, or say whatever you wanted to him. But the good part about this story was that I just had to see where it was going to end, at least for this first book, and so I kept reading.
Turns out there were some amazing plot twists. One of them I guessed early on, but the other two were really great and made me definitely like the book more.
On a final note. Some of the writing got a little heavy. There was a lot of over explaining character emotions both in dialogue and scenes. I think that could have been much lighter with more reliance on subtext. And some of the characters behave in an over the top dramatic way (ahem, Amir, you were disgusting) but then again I guess I can get behind it.
Great plot twists, mostly decently everything else.
Turns out there were some amazing plot twists. One of them I guessed early on, but the other two were really great and made me definitely like the book more.
On a final note. Some of the writing got a little heavy. There was a lot of over explaining character emotions both in dialogue and scenes. I think that could have been much lighter with more reliance on subtext. And some of the characters behave in an over the top dramatic way (ahem, Amir, you were disgusting) but then again I guess I can get behind it.
Great plot twists, mostly decently everything else.
lifeinthebooklane's review against another edition
4.0
In the red corner we have Niko, in the blue corner we have Vasili and in the rainbow corner we have Julian.
I have to admit to being as gullible as Niko, believing in the lies, fooled by the smoke and mirrors and devastated by the betrayals. This is such a twisty story, that sometimes it was difficult to know which way was up. Whilst this isn't truly a love triangle, it is one heck of a complicated situation. It also goes to show that there is a very fine line between love and hate. Niko's scenes with... well you'll have to read and find out.. they were in parts tender and sweet, but also scorching hot and passionate. So unexpected from such a reserved and aloof man.
The story is written entirely from Niko's point of view, and whilst I would have liked at least one other point of view, it was necessary to retain some mystery and an element of the unknown. Strangely enough, I felt as though I knew Julian and Vasili better than I did Niko, even though I'd only seen them through his eyes. It also turned out that both of them managed to surprise me more than once! I'm not sure why I struggled to connect with and understand Niko for a chunk of the book, though I suspect it was partly because he was so adrift and didn't really know himself anymore.
There's a part of me thinks Niko should just stay at his smithy, but that man is a soldier through and through. Loyal to his country, if not the crown, and determined to honour his fallen comrades. Just thinking through that last scene at the castle and it made me realise that Vasili has a long way to go before I like him. We can see throughout that he is a slippery fish, but he was prepared to I have a feeling there is a lot more to learn about our erstwhile heroes, not to mention a lot more deceit, manipulation and heartache. Role on Reign of Darkness.
I have to admit to being as gullible as Niko, believing in the lies, fooled by the smoke and mirrors and devastated by the betrayals. This is such a twisty story, that sometimes it was difficult to know which way was up. Whilst this isn't truly a love triangle, it is one heck of a complicated situation. It also goes to show that there is a very fine line between love and hate. Niko's scenes with... well you'll have to read and find out.. they were in parts tender and sweet, but also scorching hot and passionate. So unexpected from such a reserved and aloof man.
The story is written entirely from Niko's point of view, and whilst I would have liked at least one other point of view, it was necessary to retain some mystery and an element of the unknown. Strangely enough, I felt as though I knew Julian and Vasili better than I did Niko, even though I'd only seen them through his eyes. It also turned out that both of them managed to surprise me more than once! I'm not sure why I struggled to connect with and understand Niko for a chunk of the book, though I suspect it was partly because he was so adrift and didn't really know himself anymore.
There's a part of me thinks Niko should just stay at his smithy, but that man is a soldier through and through. Loyal to his country, if not the crown, and determined to honour his fallen comrades. Just thinking through that last scene at the castle and it made me realise that Vasili has a long way to go before I like him. We can see throughout that he is a slippery fish, but he was prepared to
Spoiler
sacrifice Niko to Amir, he couldn't know that Julian would give him an opportunity to escape his captivity, or that he would even survive it. So however much of a tortured hero he is, he has a long way to go to gain both my, and Niko's, trust or care.paz_books's review against another edition
5.0
I'm not too sure how to word what I want to say about this book. The world building is absolutely immaculate; I love how high fantasy and intense it is. I am really intrigued about our main guy Niko as his past is so interesting- and even more so fascinating is the way he thinks. Its cool to me as I feel like he thinks so utterly different than myself, he perceives everything differently and thus reacts differently- and even though it is a little odd, it also makes perfect sense why he thinks/says/does some things.
As spoiler free as I can say this... I had already read a spoiler, but the betrayal in this still absolutely hurt- from the spoiler I read, I assumed a certain someone just died, but no... it was worse. There are, without a doubt, some gruesome and horrible scenes in this book so please read the full trigger warnings if you're interested. I have seen a lot of comparison to Captive Prince, and it is a very logical comparison, so if you liked that series then 100% check this one out.
In all, I adored seeing how unique these main characters were, I adored the plot, the secrets, the politics, the world, the writing and honestly everything about this. it was so well structured and emotionally driven. I'm starting the second one straight away.
As spoiler free as I can say this... I had already read a spoiler, but the betrayal in this still absolutely hurt- from the spoiler I read, I assumed a certain someone just died, but no... it was worse. There are, without a doubt, some gruesome and horrible scenes in this book so please read the full trigger warnings if you're interested. I have seen a lot of comparison to Captive Prince, and it is a very logical comparison, so if you liked that series then 100% check this one out.
In all, I adored seeing how unique these main characters were, I adored the plot, the secrets, the politics, the world, the writing and honestly everything about this. it was so well structured and emotionally driven. I'm starting the second one straight away.
petrainkeri's review
1.5
It pains me to see some people compare this to Captive Prince. These two should not be mentioned together.
The story was kinda ok, but the writing was bad and things just happened too fast. I didn't care for the characters or feel the feelings they were supposed to have for each other because we didn't have time to get into the feelings.
The story was kinda ok, but the writing was bad and things just happened too fast. I didn't care for the characters or feel the feelings they were supposed to have for each other because we didn't have time to get into the feelings.
kylek's review against another edition
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The scheming and fkd up-ness was top notch.
amriccio's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5