Reviews

His Sacred Incantations by Scarlett Gale

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heabooknerd's review against another edition

3.0

HIS SACRED INCANTATIONS was a fun follow up to the previous book and what I loved most about it was getting to read more about Glory and Lucían. I really liked their relationship and how much they take care of each other. They understand each other, they communicate, and they listen to what the other person wants. The previous book gave us a lot of pining on Lucían’s part but this time around all that pining has paid off with some very sexy scenes, especially once Lucían works up the nerve to tell Glory what he really wants in the bedroom.

For me, the overall plot of hunting down the last sacred book and defeating the necromancer didn’t really engage me and that’s why my rating isn’t higher. I got a little bored with them traveling to find the necromancer and the actual battle was one incredibly loooong chapter. I’ve never been a big fan of drawn out travel sequences in fantasy books so take my lack of engagement with a grain of salt. That being said if you like found family, buff cinnamon roll heroines, blushing smol heroes, and magic then you’ll probably enjoy this one (though read the previous book first).

Content Warning: Lucían has been raised in a monastery that uses abusive practices to punish the monks; graphic violence

nonesensed's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

4.75

Lucían and Glory aka the She-Wolf, are closing in on the final book that was stolen in transit from Lucían's old monastery. Its theft has caused a plague of undead to terrorize the countryside and Lucían feels more than a little guilty about it; he was the one to complete that tome, after all. Luckily his ever deepening relationship with Glory and his newfound friendships with other warriors, as well as rekindling of old friendships, is a great support to lean on while preparing to face the unknown.

This book is a great romance with lots of wonderfully hot sex scenes! If that's what you're looking for, get this book! I've been invested in Glory and Lucían falling in love and Lucían accepting his own desires and kinks since chapter one of book one. In short, great romance, great erotica, highly recommend!

The one thing that slowed this read for me (other than me having made the mistake of picking this up as an ebook because I keep forgetting I have ebooks on my phone - yes, I know, silly problem to have, but that's apparently how my brain works :/) was the disconnect between the main plot aka Glory and Lucían's developing relationship, and the whole necromancer rising to power plot. The villain who's pulling undead from the ground is thematically linked to Lucían, but that comes up only at the end of the book. For the rest of these two books, the necromancer is a background event happening "over there", so it feels like a bit of a break in the 'actual' plot when the group goes off on a quest to try and stop him. Would have liked more build-up for that.

Really enjoyed this duology and will be checking out more from this author! It just would have been an even better book if I'd been made as invested in defeating the necromancer as I was in the Lucían/Glory romance and getting back to fix things at Lucíans awful monastery.

doahdancer's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

If you're looking to visit a magical world where people believe love is love, personal struggles are treated with kindness and acceptance, and most of society is wholesome and good... look no further.

This series is chock full of body positivity, self love, caring, sharing, and a wonderfully strong dose of just saying no to toxic masculinity. So, be ready for strong social commentary through a world that makes you yearn for humanity to be so gentle.

Overall, this duology is wonderful. I think the first book delivered more of what I really wanted with the tension and yearning between the demure monk and his she-warrior, while the second book struggled to build any tension because the characters are all accepting and kind and Lucian has already done the lion's share of the work to accept himself. This book peaks in the middle when they seek the Grimoire, and then slowly wraps up the reader's honey-do list in the last 1/3 of the book.

All that to say, it dragged a little bit for me. The number of sex scenes didn't help. A couple were really good but some felt like throw aways that dragged the story out instead of contributing to it. I am very pro-spice, but it's preferable that there is contribution to the growth of the relationship in those scenes.

But hey, this is a book for people who want the relief of spending some time in the beautiful, loving world we've been dreaming of. I like the tea just a little bit too much to fully appreciate the gift.

Still, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this to any of my friends who yearn for acceptance, love, and affordable fucking healthcare, sandwiched in-between the delicious wafers of a shy monk and she-viking romance.

To Glory and the Flame.

Content Warnings

matson's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted mysterious slow-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

A lovely sweet book with a very talented narrator. Martin Martinez really did an amazing job with the narration.

tig_'s review

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adventurous funny hopeful inspiring mysterious 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? No

5.0

nico_asteri's review

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I liked the first one but this one just...didn't hold my interest. I liked the tension between Lucian and Glory in the first one so after they got together the rest of the world and characters just fell flat. Lucian became supremely irritating by having the same freakout every chapter "Oh no if only I knew I could have done more, somehow all this is my fault even though it obviously isn't!" WE GET IT! YOU'RE SO AWESOME AND SELFLESS! The Knife might be one of the most annoying characters in any book I've ever read, and there was such a sameness with the way they all talked that no one really stands out.