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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
Rated 3.5/5 stars
I found the first 160 pages of this book rather slow but thankfully it picked up a lot in the last half.
So glad I own the last book especially after that cliffhanger at the end of the book.
I found the first 160 pages of this book rather slow but thankfully it picked up a lot in the last half.
So glad I own the last book especially after that cliffhanger at the end of the book.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Wow.
I didn't know what I was expecting but consider my expectations met.
This is it! We have another case of Before the Devil Breaks You here!
I'm aware of all the stuff I threw out in my review of Furyborn or if you're too lazy to read that: I kinda hated it.
But wow I can't even recall what I found so infuriating about the first book because this book is amazing.
The pacing is kind of slower in some parts but it was exciting nonetheless. It's the kind of plot that doesn't really go super fast but there's always something exciting going on. Though I do think some parts could be cut out or just deleted, I still think it's very wonderfully written. The way Claire Legrand brings the plot to places I never would've thought about surprised me so much! Whenever I think the stakes couldn't be higher, it did. It also takes a lot of willpower out of me too since it's 600 pages but am I grateful I decided to read this after the experience I had with Furyborn? Hell yes.
ELIANA! I didn't like her that much in the first book. I felt that her character wasn't that solid in the first book and I had difficulties determining just how she ticked. The author herself said that Eliana is one of the most challenging characters she had to write about so I get it. But she brought Eliana's character to another level in this book. I love Eliana now. Her relationship with Simon? Chef's Kiss.
By far, Rielle is the only bad thing to come out of this book. I am not kidding. I haven't hated a main character so much until today. I don't understand her character and I don't understand the shitshow happening between her, Audric and Corien. How can she be so willing to throw herself into Corien's arms without thinking at the slightest that Corien is an angel and he literally is using her to break down the Gate? I don't fucking understand? Why is she so willing to do whatever Corien asks her to do just because she got turned on by him??? She's a protagonist-turned-antagonist and believe me, it could've been interesting! Take Adelina Amouteru from [b:The Young Elites|20821111|The Young Elites (The Young Elites, #1)|Marie Lu|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1407318399l/20821111._SY75_.jpg|25217978] for example: she has enough motivation to turn evil. While Rielle has her own motivations, but it's not a... solid motivation for me and I'm just convinced she was born with evil in her blood.
The plot twists in this book got me at the edge of my seat. While I had an idea about what's going to go down, what happened in the end literally threw all of my ideas and I'm going into [b:Lightbringer|36253143|Lightbringer (Empirium, #3)|Claire Legrand|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1582754675l/36253143._SY75_.jpg|57902330] with zero ideas about how our characters are going to sort this mess. I guess we'll see though. I can't wait!
I didn't know what I was expecting but consider my expectations met.
This is it! We have another case of Before the Devil Breaks You here!
I'm aware of all the stuff I threw out in my review of Furyborn or if you're too lazy to read that: I kinda hated it.
But wow I can't even recall what I found so infuriating about the first book because this book is amazing.
The pacing is kind of slower in some parts but it was exciting nonetheless. It's the kind of plot that doesn't really go super fast but there's always something exciting going on. Though I do think some parts could be cut out or just deleted, I still think it's very wonderfully written. The way Claire Legrand brings the plot to places I never would've thought about surprised me so much! Whenever I think the stakes couldn't be higher, it did. It also takes a lot of willpower out of me too since it's 600 pages but am I grateful I decided to read this after the experience I had with Furyborn? Hell yes.
ELIANA! I didn't like her that much in the first book. I felt that her character wasn't that solid in the first book and I had difficulties determining just how she ticked. The author herself said that Eliana is one of the most challenging characters she had to write about so I get it. But she brought Eliana's character to another level in this book. I love Eliana now. Her relationship with Simon? Chef's Kiss.
By far, Rielle is the only bad thing to come out of this book. I am not kidding. I haven't hated a main character so much until today. I don't understand her character and I don't understand the shitshow happening between her, Audric and Corien. How can she be so willing to throw herself into Corien's arms without thinking at the slightest that Corien is an angel and he literally is using her to break down the Gate? I don't fucking understand? Why is she so willing to do whatever Corien asks her to do just because she got turned on by him??? She's a protagonist-turned-antagonist and believe me, it could've been interesting! Take Adelina Amouteru from [b:The Young Elites|20821111|The Young Elites (The Young Elites, #1)|Marie Lu|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1407318399l/20821111._SY75_.jpg|25217978] for example: she has enough motivation to turn evil. While Rielle has her own motivations, but it's not a... solid motivation for me and I'm just convinced she was born with evil in her blood.
The plot twists in this book got me at the edge of my seat. While I had an idea about what's going to go down, what happened in the end literally threw all of my ideas and I'm going into [b:Lightbringer|36253143|Lightbringer (Empirium, #3)|Claire Legrand|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1582754675l/36253143._SY75_.jpg|57902330] with zero ideas about how our characters are going to sort this mess. I guess we'll see though. I can't wait!
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Loved being back in this world with my favourite unlikable bisexual protagonists
This is easily the most disappointing read of the year for me.
I will be discussing some spoilers. And content warning for sexual assault and incest.
There three major issues I have with this book:
1. The sex.
I am not a prude - I enjoy a good steamy scene in a book. But my fucking god every Rielle chapter had to have some kind of sex scene, as if trying to force the idea home that Rielle and Audric are really super in love. It's aggravating because their sexual encounters often steam from negative emotions, trauma, or as a means to justify feelings. It gives the impression that sex is the be all end of of relationships and that gets very old, very fast.
This is also a major issue when Audric, in a grief-induced rage, effectively rapes Rielle. This comes out of nowhere for his character, and Rielle not only seems to forgive this, but is shown to enjoy it and then it's as if the whole thing was just an off day. It was so jarring to have a loving character forcing himself onto his partner all the while framing it in the lens of 'I do this because I love you'. Gross. Gross gross gross.
2. The plot
What even is the plot. Eliana's plot is such a mess, the character motivations are unclear 90% of the time, and most of the book is literally just 'we went here, then here, then there, then back here' and it serves little to no purpose. You could cut out over half of this boo and that's still too much. I was so bored. I had to download the audiobook to try to force myself through it but even the amazing narrator couldn't salvage the slog this was to get through.
Rielle's story was... okay? I guess? The entire story gets crammed into the last 100 pages and the whole time I just wanted Corien to win because anyone who might end this miserable story is a plus in my books.
3. The author.
Learning that Legrand openly supports sibling incest made me deeply question how she's written these characters. Rielle/Ludivine/Audric are shown to be childhood friends but often read as siblings and I can't help but feel this might have been deliberate. And Simon's obsession with wanting to be with Eliana sexually and romantically even though he knew her as a newborn also reads a bit creepy. I find the fact she's chosen not to address being called out for her open support of incest to be a problem and really tainted my experience with this book.
Overall, Kingsbane was just... not good. It's second book syndrome at its finest - boring, confusing, and mostly not needed. If Legrand chooses not to address her behaviour I can't see myself finishing this series.
It gets 2 stars because at least Corien is a shameless asshole who might save the plot.
I will be discussing some spoilers. And content warning for sexual assault and incest.
There three major issues I have with this book:
1. The sex.
I am not a prude - I enjoy a good steamy scene in a book. But my fucking god every Rielle chapter had to have some kind of sex scene, as if trying to force the idea home that Rielle and Audric are really super in love. It's aggravating because their sexual encounters often steam from negative emotions, trauma, or as a means to justify feelings. It gives the impression that sex is the be all end of of relationships and that gets very old, very fast.
This is also a major issue when Audric, in a grief-induced rage, effectively rapes Rielle. This comes out of nowhere for his character, and Rielle not only seems to forgive this, but is shown to enjoy it and then it's as if the whole thing was just an off day. It was so jarring to have a loving character forcing himself onto his partner all the while framing it in the lens of 'I do this because I love you'. Gross. Gross gross gross.
2. The plot
What even is the plot. Eliana's plot is such a mess, the character motivations are unclear 90% of the time, and most of the book is literally just 'we went here, then here, then there, then back here' and it serves little to no purpose. You could cut out over half of this boo and that's still too much. I was so bored. I had to download the audiobook to try to force myself through it but even the amazing narrator couldn't salvage the slog this was to get through.
Rielle's story was... okay? I guess? The entire story gets crammed into the last 100 pages and the whole time I just wanted Corien to win because anyone who might end this miserable story is a plus in my books.
3. The author.
Learning that Legrand openly supports sibling incest made me deeply question how she's written these characters. Rielle/Ludivine/Audric are shown to be childhood friends but often read as siblings and I can't help but feel this might have been deliberate. And Simon's obsession with wanting to be with Eliana sexually and romantically even though he knew her as a newborn also reads a bit creepy. I find the fact she's chosen not to address being called out for her open support of incest to be a problem and really tainted my experience with this book.
Overall, Kingsbane was just... not good. It's second book syndrome at its finest - boring, confusing, and mostly not needed. If Legrand chooses not to address her behaviour I can't see myself finishing this series.
It gets 2 stars because at least Corien is a shameless asshole who might save the plot.
Sigh, the cliffhanger? No thanks. And I'm still only interested in Rielle's pov lol.
not as good as the first book. really slow start. for a good majority of the book, i was really only interested in one of the girls' stories. but the cliffhanger! i almost want to pick up book 3 right now and start it.
I wasn’t prepared for the turn of events. My heart was ripped and I audibly gasped. Thankfully the third book was available for me to read immediately.
Eliana keeps discovering who she is alongside of many different people. While Rielle is still figuring out who she wants to be.
Eliana keeps discovering who she is alongside of many different people. While Rielle is still figuring out who she wants to be.