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monkeysbecausewhynot's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
slow-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
4.5
golem's review against another edition
4.75
I loved this! Even though these are fictionalized late antique cultures, the historical details are so good.
penguinsquack's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
ultrashawn's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
beulah_devaney's review against another edition
4.0
I'm continuing to power through A.J. Demas historical alternative-Mediterranian novels. The world she builds are simultaenously rooted in reality enough to engage someone with the most basic knowledge of history, while also having enough clever quirks and twists to make it feel completely original.
xiaxia's review against another edition
4.0
A wonderful BR with my friends Cristina, Ele, Linda, Moony, Rosa and Teal.
4 stars. An enjoyable historical AU romance, which I wish I could have loved as much as my friends. I've added the reasons why this was not a 5 stars for me in the spoiler tag.
1. The worldbuilding is presented via exposition and quite a lot of dialogue. Customs, philosophy, history, mythology are experienced almost entirely via dialogue. Because of this I couldn't get immersed in the worldbuilding. When it comes to new worlds, I prefer to learn about them via the characters' reactions to the world surrounding them, not via the characters talking about it. Towards the end of the book this improves but you have to read around 70% of the book to get to that point.
2. Adares couldn't keep his mouth shut from spilling secrets and that was quite annoying for me because it affected his credibility as a character with a military background who also had an interesting position. Yes, one was a lie, but everything else was true.
3. Instalove - 3 days, just saying. It took only 3 days for these two men to fall madly in love, and for one of them to want to sacrifice his life for the other and betray his people. I believe in love at first sight yet this was a bit stretched.
4. Around chapter 20 I started skimming to get to the ending. I can't explain the reason I skimmed, except that I was getting bored. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!
4 stars. An enjoyable historical AU romance, which I wish I could have loved as much as my friends. I've added the reasons why this was not a 5 stars for me in the spoiler tag.
1. The worldbuilding is presented via exposition and quite a lot of dialogue. Customs, philosophy, history, mythology are experienced almost entirely via dialogue. Because of this I couldn't get immersed in the worldbuilding. When it comes to new worlds, I prefer to learn about them via the characters' reactions to the world surrounding them, not via the characters talking about it. Towards the end of the book this improves but you have to read around 70% of the book to get to that point.
2. Adares couldn't keep his mouth shut from spilling secrets and that was quite annoying for me because it affected his credibility as a character with a military background who also had an interesting position. Yes, one was a lie, but everything else was true.
3. Instalove - 3 days, just saying. It took only 3 days for these two men to fall madly in love, and for one of them to want to sacrifice his life for the other and betray his people. I believe in love at first sight yet this was a bit stretched.
4. Around chapter 20 I started skimming to get to the ending. I can't explain the reason I skimmed, except that I was getting bored. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!
idris's review against another edition
4.0
Sehr schöne gay romance eingebettet in eine Art alternatives Römisches Reich vs Germanen-Setting mit happy end und tollem World Building.
ruthh's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
5.0