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carolibrary's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent
elntastic's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The world building was amazing, the characters were very different from all the other books in this category that I‘ve read. I really love Dina. The story is rather slow but tense nonetheless. I couldn’t put it down. There were times where I was very sad and others where I smiled. All in all a great book and I‘ve already downloaded the second one. Oh and btw, there‘s no spice, for those that need it. I usually enjoy readying spicy books but with this one I just didn’t feel like it fit the story and the characters, so the slow-burn was just perfect and it still managed to grip my heart!
One thing that personally really angers me is Von and his actions. I know he is a slave and is only doing what he has to but that’s not an excuse for me. He could‘ve saved Dyna and everyone by not telling Tarn of her but he chose!! not to! I get that it is important for the story and it makes it much more interesting but the excuses he constantly makes angered me very much. I feel like he should be seen as a good person but I really hate him and when Lucenna attacked him I really hoped that that would’ve been the end for him. I also don’t understand how a woman like Yavi could love him!? He literally captured her and is the reason why she is a slave and now he wants to free her? That just doesn’t add up to me.
One thing that personally really angers me is Von and his actions. I know he is a slave and is only doing what he has to but that’s not an excuse for me. He could‘ve saved Dyna and everyone by not telling Tarn of her but he chose!! not to! I get that it is important for the story and it makes it much more interesting but the excuses he constantly makes angered me very much. I feel like he should be seen as a good person but I really hate him and when Lucenna attacked him I really hoped that that would’ve been the end for him. I also don’t understand how a woman like Yavi could love him!? He literally captured her and is the reason why she is a slave and now he wants to free her? That just doesn’t add up to me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Death, Gore, Grief, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Bullying, Child death, and Sexual harassment
koistyfishy's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
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
4.0
I am going to be totally honest and say I should pay more attention to the genres of books because when I started this, this felt more epic fantasy to me than paranormal. So I was a little confused at the first appearance of ANGELS *ahem - celestials*. (This might also be because most of the paranormal fantasy I have read is urban). However genre surprises aside, I really enjoyed this and adored that feeling of epic whilst still having the paranormal magical creatures such as werewolves, lycans, mages, and of course angels present in the world.
This multi-POV story is a unique blend comprising one main story arc while still having various smaller arcs blended into the mix. We are thrown pretty quickly into the story with an epic prologue, where our main female protagonist Dyna (Dynalya) loses her parents and baby brother to the "Shadow". This demon is known to appear every 10 years, so Dyna has made it her mission to destroy the monster before his next appearance. To do so she embarks on a quest for a hidden island that is known to be the safe haven of a weapon that can vanquish shadow. Along the way she meets Cassiel, a "Celestial" half-breed Prince with black wings, who after saving her life (numerous times) joins her journey as he has his own mysterious reason for finding the Island. They are shortly joined by Zev, Dyna's lycan cousin and their treacherous journey, filled with murder, bloodshed, prophecy and magic truly begins!
The world-building in this is phenomenal and it can really be seen how much care was taken to create such a rich, intricate and complex world. The descriptions of the world, people, creatures and magic are elaborate, without being overwhelming purple prose. There is also an amazing foundation of lore and history which has driven the character and race politics and this is slowly presented to the reader throughout the book, without it feeling info-dumpy in any way!
The writing was also really good as it had a flair of being easy to read whilst still being able to balance the plot, character development and descriptions in a way that made everything feel equal and important without overshadowing one aspect in particular. However, whilst being easy to read, this book DEFINITELY increased my vocabulary as I learnt a fair few words I didn't know! To me this was absolutely delightful, as a girl who carries around a little blue-book-self-made dictionary of new words I learn in books, this felt like a treat.
Dyna as a character was one I really enjoyed but also found the most irritating when in her POV. I couldn't wait for the story to move back to her POV (mainly because her arc does follow the main storyline) however her character is the reason this feels very YA. She is determined and stubborn to pursue her goals with almost blind stupidity to the world. She does come from a small town so hasn't had as much exposure to the "real world" so her naivety and stupid choices (most of which almost kill her) can be irritating and she does experience a lot of "firsts". However I do feel this is almost a conscious choice by the author to show her character progression as the story moves on, so I have pushed my frustrations down and will wait and see.
Cassiel definitely felt more mature as a character, as he is quite intelligent but also slightly damaged. He has to deal with the trauma of the hardship and brutality of his people as well as his insecurity of himself. These play a huge factor in making him perceive himself as not worthy. He can be grumpy; but towards Dyna, he is compassionate, caring, generous and kind. In the words of My Darling Penguin "It's official. I have a thing for winged dudes, no matter the subgenre" AND I couldn't agree more!
My heart truly broke for Zev and everything that he has gone through. Whilst on the outside he can appear to be a puppy instead of a wolf, the trauma of his past is heart-wrenchingly sad and being a half-breed has also brought on the extra stress and hardship of being ostracised from everyone except Dyna. I want to protect him with all my heart!
I am going to put Von, Rawn and Lucenna in the same boat. These are all intriguing, compelling and complex characters but I am not yet sure what the mystery and driving forces are behind their motives and ideals. I don't yet know if I can develop trust for them or open my heart to love them. What has been presented however has lain an awesome foundation for the next books.
The reason for me why this isn't a 5-star is down to my own personal preference. There are 5 POV's and I normally stick to dual (or at the most 3). The problem with so many POV's is that it can damage the plot progression as you are constantly stopping and starting as you move on to new characters and it makes the main plot arc drag longer. The other aspect is it doesn't allow as strong characterisation to occur as you are only given small snippets of each character in the chapters. It is why I am so apprehensive of Von and Lucenna, as although they are POV characters, we don't spend too much time in their heads for me to feel like I know them enough.
The second is to do with the relationship between Dyna and Cassiel. Whilst generally I felt like he was the more "mature" one in the relationship, a lot of the relationship conflict and tension is pretty juvenile because of miscommunication or lack of communication - which I typically see in YA Romances. I do know this a YA book but for myself, I prefer to have the conflict be "external" to the characters vs the inability for characters to JUST TALK AND HAVE A CONVERSATION! ALSO They haven't even kissed yet 😭
All in all, I would recommend this book because whilst I had personal gripes it really was a fantastic complex book that gave me almost everything I look for in a Fantasy Romance.
⊱------------------------------⊰
WORDS I LEARNT WHILE READING THIS BOOK
▸Geld - castrate (a male animal).
▸Rube - a country bumpkin.
▸Daub - carelessly coat or smear (a surface) with a thick or sticky substance. I had always thought this was *dab* - she *dabbed* some perfume on her neck, vs she *daubed* some....
▸ Pillock - a stupid person.
▸ Pish - 1. used to express annoyance, impatience, or disgust. 2. Urine
▸ Rill - a brook or stream; rivulet
▸ Sobriquet - is a nickname, sometimes assumed. It is typically a familiar name used in place of a real name
▸ Kirtle - a woman's gown or outer petticoat. A common garment worn in the middle ages
▸ Panoply - 1. an extensive or impressive collection. 2. a splendid display.
▸ Redingote - a woman's long coat with a cutaway or contrasting front.
▸ Sozzled - very drunk.
▸ Keening - the action of wailing in grief for a dead person.
How many did you know????
This multi-POV story is a unique blend comprising one main story arc while still having various smaller arcs blended into the mix. We are thrown pretty quickly into the story with an epic prologue, where our main female protagonist Dyna (Dynalya) loses her parents and baby brother to the "Shadow". This demon is known to appear every 10 years, so Dyna has made it her mission to destroy the monster before his next appearance. To do so she embarks on a quest for a hidden island that is known to be the safe haven of a weapon that can vanquish shadow. Along the way she meets Cassiel, a "Celestial" half-breed Prince with black wings, who after saving her life (numerous times) joins her journey as he has his own mysterious reason for finding the Island. They are shortly joined by Zev, Dyna's lycan cousin and their treacherous journey, filled with murder, bloodshed, prophecy and magic truly begins!
The world-building in this is phenomenal and it can really be seen how much care was taken to create such a rich, intricate and complex world. The descriptions of the world, people, creatures and magic are elaborate, without being overwhelming purple prose. There is also an amazing foundation of lore and history which has driven the character and race politics and this is slowly presented to the reader throughout the book, without it feeling info-dumpy in any way!
The writing was also really good as it had a flair of being easy to read whilst still being able to balance the plot, character development and descriptions in a way that made everything feel equal and important without overshadowing one aspect in particular. However, whilst being easy to read, this book DEFINITELY increased my vocabulary as I learnt a fair few words I didn't know! To me this was absolutely delightful, as a girl who carries around a little blue-book-self-made dictionary of new words I learn in books, this felt like a treat.
Dyna as a character was one I really enjoyed but also found the most irritating when in her POV. I couldn't wait for the story to move back to her POV (mainly because her arc does follow the main storyline) however her character is the reason this feels very YA. She is determined and stubborn to pursue her goals with almost blind stupidity to the world. She does come from a small town so hasn't had as much exposure to the "real world" so her naivety and stupid choices (most of which almost kill her) can be irritating and she does experience a lot of "firsts". However I do feel this is almost a conscious choice by the author to show her character progression as the story moves on, so I have pushed my frustrations down and will wait and see.
Cassiel definitely felt more mature as a character, as he is quite intelligent but also slightly damaged. He has to deal with the trauma of the hardship and brutality of his people as well as his insecurity of himself. These play a huge factor in making him perceive himself as not worthy. He can be grumpy; but towards Dyna, he is compassionate, caring, generous and kind. In the words of My Darling Penguin "It's official. I have a thing for winged dudes, no matter the subgenre" AND I couldn't agree more!
My heart truly broke for Zev and everything that he has gone through. Whilst on the outside he can appear to be a puppy instead of a wolf, the trauma of his past is heart-wrenchingly sad and being a half-breed has also brought on the extra stress and hardship of being ostracised from everyone except Dyna. I want to protect him with all my heart!
I am going to put Von, Rawn and Lucenna in the same boat. These are all intriguing, compelling and complex characters but I am not yet sure what the mystery and driving forces are behind their motives and ideals. I don't yet know if I can develop trust for them or open my heart to love them. What has been presented however has lain an awesome foundation for the next books.
The reason for me why this isn't a 5-star is down to my own personal preference. There are 5 POV's and I normally stick to dual (or at the most 3). The problem with so many POV's is that it can damage the plot progression as you are constantly stopping and starting as you move on to new characters and it makes the main plot arc drag longer. The other aspect is it doesn't allow as strong characterisation to occur as you are only given small snippets of each character in the chapters. It is why I am so apprehensive of Von and Lucenna, as although they are POV characters, we don't spend too much time in their heads for me to feel like I know them enough.
The second is to do with the relationship between Dyna and Cassiel. Whilst generally I felt like he was the more "mature" one in the relationship, a lot of the relationship conflict and tension is pretty juvenile because of miscommunication or lack of communication - which I typically see in YA Romances. I do know this a YA book but for myself, I prefer to have the conflict be "external" to the characters vs the inability for characters to JUST TALK AND HAVE A CONVERSATION! ALSO They haven't even kissed yet 😭
All in all, I would recommend this book because whilst I had personal gripes it really was a fantastic complex book that gave me almost everything I look for in a Fantasy Romance.
⊱------------------------------⊰
WORDS I LEARNT WHILE READING THIS BOOK
▸Geld - castrate (a male animal).
▸Rube - a country bumpkin.
▸Daub - carelessly coat or smear (a surface) with a thick or sticky substance. I had always thought this was *dab* - she *dabbed* some perfume on her neck, vs she *daubed* some....
▸ Pillock - a stupid person.
▸ Pish - 1. used to express annoyance, impatience, or disgust. 2. Urine
▸ Rill - a brook or stream; rivulet
▸ Sobriquet - is a nickname, sometimes assumed. It is typically a familiar name used in place of a real name
▸ Kirtle - a woman's gown or outer petticoat. A common garment worn in the middle ages
▸ Panoply - 1. an extensive or impressive collection. 2. a splendid display.
▸ Redingote - a woman's long coat with a cutaway or contrasting front.
▸ Sozzled - very drunk.
▸ Keening - the action of wailing in grief for a dead person.
How many did you know????
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Torture
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, and Slavery
Minor: Kidnapping
nightgoesblack's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
Minor: Kidnapping
pagebypaigereviews's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Did I grab this book for the cover alone? Yes.
Was I disappointed? ABSOLUTELY NOT.
"Seek the Maiden with emeralds for sight and tresses of fire... Beware the guardians who come to shield her..."
--Divine Blood
In a hidden village, a terrifying shadow demon returns every ten years to hunt the children who live there. Each decade, someone from Dynalya's family has managed to temporarily send it away at the cost of their life. The time is coming again and Dynalya knows it is her turn to stop it. She seeks a treasure that will bring an end to the demon once and for all, but it is hidden on an island full of treasures that was believed to be a fairy-tale. Dynalya's journey attracts others, companions and enemies alike. Will the hunt for Mount Ida reward them with what they each desire?
I got this book because I loved the cover, and even though I had never heard of it, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it is a real gem. Divine Blood is a high-fantasy novel told from an increasing amount of perspectives as the book progresses. The world is beautiful and rich with history, the world-building is perfect for my tastes. The love interest is dark, broody, and fiercely protective. The book contains so many of my favorite book tropes and the writing was so smooth. It contains several witty one-liners that had me squealing with delight.
At first, I just wanted the book to be from the perspectives of the love interests, but let me tell you, the other characters really grew on me! They are so endearing that they have wedged their way into my heart already, leaving me so excited to read more about them in the next books.
I highly recommend this read! I gave it 4.5/5 stars and recommend it to fans of slow-burn romance, magical bonds, high-fantasy, traveling through the woods, and the only one bed trope. Perfect for fans of Throne of Glass and Lord of the Rings.
Was I disappointed? ABSOLUTELY NOT.
"Seek the Maiden with emeralds for sight and tresses of fire... Beware the guardians who come to shield her..."
--Divine Blood
In a hidden village, a terrifying shadow demon returns every ten years to hunt the children who live there. Each decade, someone from Dynalya's family has managed to temporarily send it away at the cost of their life. The time is coming again and Dynalya knows it is her turn to stop it. She seeks a treasure that will bring an end to the demon once and for all, but it is hidden on an island full of treasures that was believed to be a fairy-tale. Dynalya's journey attracts others, companions and enemies alike. Will the hunt for Mount Ida reward them with what they each desire?
I got this book because I loved the cover, and even though I had never heard of it, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it is a real gem. Divine Blood is a high-fantasy novel told from an increasing amount of perspectives as the book progresses. The world is beautiful and rich with history, the world-building is perfect for my tastes. The love interest is dark, broody, and fiercely protective. The book contains so many of my favorite book tropes and the writing was so smooth. It contains several witty one-liners that had me squealing with delight.
At first, I just wanted the book to be from the perspectives of the love interests, but let me tell you, the other characters really grew on me! They are so endearing that they have wedged their way into my heart already, leaving me so excited to read more about them in the next books.
I highly recommend this read! I gave it 4.5/5 stars and recommend it to fans of slow-burn romance, magical bonds, high-fantasy, traveling through the woods, and the only one bed trope. Perfect for fans of Throne of Glass and Lord of the Rings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Kidnapping, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, and Alcohol
Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, Suicide, Sexual harassment, Grief, and Blood
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