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head_in_the_books23's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
kokechii's review
2.0
As I have not read Blood and Steel first, the world this is set in is what drew me in. I wanted to know more about the shadow wraiths, I wanted to find the grand solution... and I wanted a bigger story.
Loved Tal as a character, much more than Drue, despite everything we learned about her I think he was the more interesting character. Loved certain side characters also.
But my main problem was the writing I guess. The plot seemed choppy at times and it suffered from "and then..." moments to propel the plot forward. Also the smut was not it for me and certain character thoughts and actions bothered me.
Loved Tal as a character, much more than Drue, despite everything we learned about her I think he was the more interesting character. Loved certain side characters also.
But my main problem was the writing I guess. The plot seemed choppy at times and it suffered from "and then..." moments to propel the plot forward. Also the smut was not it for me and certain character thoughts and actions bothered me.
bibliobeccas_bookshelf's review
fast-paced
3.0
I binged this in a day. I really loved the concept and devoured it. It had a good balance of spice and plot but I feel that the enemies to lovers trope moved to quickly, more conflict could've really built the tension before they got to jumping each other's bones. The book was pretty short, so there was definitely room for more world building and more descriptive writing, since it was so short there was also a lot of unanswered questions. Helen Scheuerer really has a way of sucking you into the world and I've already ordered the next 3 books in the Fate & Furies series.
nicholle91's review
4.0
3.5 ✨ definitely read this book in between #2 and #3 of legends of Thezzmar for best understanding. I really enjoyed learning about Talemir and how he met and came to love his wife, Drue. It was also great to learn about the other characters briefly mentioned in book #2 - Terrence and Dratos. It’ll be interesting to see how they tie into the final third book!
I didn’t feel compelled to rate the book higher as there seemed to be some smut for the sake of smut and it got a little tiring/distracting from the story line.
I didn’t feel compelled to rate the book higher as there seemed to be some smut for the sake of smut and it got a little tiring/distracting from the story line.
covetedbooks's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
“𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙧, 𝙄 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙣? 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙖 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙢 𝙤𝙛 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙧 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙨. 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙥𝙪𝙡𝙡 𝙢𝙚 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙩𝙤𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩.”
Y’all. I was not ready for this book. It was a fantastic read, and the world building was amazing. I adored Talemir and Drue so much, and they were such a kickass duo. Not to mention that the side characters were also written really well. It is a new adult romantasy book, and the spice was well written and wasn’t overly cringey like most spice scenes. The spice didn’t take away from the intriguing plot either. I’m glad I started 2024 off with this gem of a book. I’ll post the synopsis + trope list in the comment section.
Y’all. I was not ready for this book. It was a fantastic read, and the world building was amazing. I adored Talemir and Drue so much, and they were such a kickass duo. Not to mention that the side characters were also written really well. It is a new adult romantasy book, and the spice was well written and wasn’t overly cringey like most spice scenes. The spice didn’t take away from the intriguing plot either. I’m glad I started 2024 off with this gem of a book. I’ll post the synopsis + trope list in the comment section.
nyxesss's review
4.0
Characters 8
writing 9
plot 6.5
entertainment 8
7.9★
The writing is so fun because through easter eggs we learn that the book takes place in the same world as another book she wrote because there are the same enemies and some characters in common. the MMC in this book was the mentor of the MMC in the other book and we also see him when he was younger in this book. We also hear about the owner of a network of bars in the world, in this book he was just mentioned but in the other we meet him.
And we learn that MMC is reading about people that exist in another trilogy of hers and that's how we learn that the books are probably in the same universe. Then we learn that they drank wine from the same people from his book that exists in this trilogy. And the MMC said that the wine came from 'Valia, in the Upper Realm'.
So what we learn from all of this is:
1. that the book Slaying the Shadow Prince and the book Blood & Steel are in happening in the same world but Blood & Steel happened after Slaying the Shadow Prince
2. The world of these two books is parallel / separated by the mist or the vail(?) from the world of the Oremere Chronicles trilogy and that people crossed between the worlds because how else there would be storys about the The Valian Kindred, and their wine would be brought to anther world?
And I loved that his favorite book is Beauty and the Beast
writing 9
plot 6.5
entertainment 8
7.9★
The writing is so fun because through easter eggs we learn that the book takes place in the same world as another book she wrote because there are the same enemies and some characters in common. the MMC in this book was the mentor of the MMC in the other book and we also see him when he was younger in this book. We also hear about the owner of a network of bars in the world, in this book he was just mentioned but in the other we meet him.
And we learn that MMC is reading about people that exist in another trilogy of hers and that's how we learn that the books are probably in the same universe. Then we learn that they drank wine from the same people from his book that exists in this trilogy. And the MMC said that the wine came from 'Valia, in the Upper Realm'.
So what we learn from all of this is:
1. that the book Slaying the Shadow Prince and the book Blood & Steel are in happening in the same world but Blood & Steel happened after Slaying the Shadow Prince
2. The world of these two books is parallel / separated by the mist or the vail(?) from the world of the Oremere Chronicles trilogy and that people crossed between the worlds because how else there would be storys about the The Valian Kindred, and their wine would be brought to anther world?
And I loved that his favorite book is Beauty and the Beast
klaudia_g's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-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? It's complicated
4.5
I actually really enjoyed this book. Great to read as a stand alone if you need a quick little fantasy. Loved the romance and the spice. Loved the banter. Quite fast paced but still really had a good time with this one.
abigailhall's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0