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blogan27's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
mahaliathenerd's review against another edition
5.0
Dark elf romance
An arranged marriage can be a political thing, a lousy Situation, and a lovely idea! A dark elf is marrying a princess who is wild and passionate( both beauty and beast)! Through differences, there is love and peace! You won’t be disappointed if you pick this up.
An arranged marriage can be a political thing, a lousy Situation, and a lovely idea! A dark elf is marrying a princess who is wild and passionate( both beauty and beast)! Through differences, there is love and peace! You won’t be disappointed if you pick this up.
bluealliecat's review against another edition
5.0
I haven't enjoyed a book this much in awhile. It was everything I wanted in a fantasy-romance. Loveable characters, engaging plot, and a sweet romance that didn't feel "cheesy". I love the author's writing style as well. Looking forward to the next one!
bee_interrupted's review against another edition
Kept falling asleep while listening to the audiobook; will keep listening to it as a bedtime story but wouldn’t count this as actually reading so dnf
el_rincon_de_lena's review against another edition
I got bored around 70% of the book. The couple was doing fine and it felt too much like an insta love. Not for me.
jess_enriquez's review against another edition
2.0
I picked this up for a quick read, but it wasn’t great. I do agree with other reviewers that it’s a lot like Radiance by Grace Draven but not as well written.
poose72's review
adventurous
dark
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
4.25
vinifiedvictoria's review against another edition
3.0
World Building: 2/5
Situated in a 'magic returns' world, the story ends with a lot of unanswered questions for me. It often references this "Sundering", but never tells us why magical beings disappeared in the first place, why the dark-elves spent "two thousand years of stone slumber" (p. 85, though on p. 39 we are told its 2,372 years), or why these Immortals were awoken. I'm not even sure if its truly a 'magic returns' world, as human mages who presumably have been able to use their skills throughout this period are referenced a few times. The first mention on page 38 had me believing that the dark-elf prince, Veron, used mage as a euphemism for hard laborers because he doesn't know any better, and that is simply the word he would use for them in his own magical home. "Human mages shaped this sky realm with magic like the Stone Singers shaped the Deep with song, spelling buildings and roads like the Stone Singers sang stalagmites, stalactites, columns, and pillars." By the time human mages are referenced again at nearly page 300, I had completely forgotten about their existence and spent most of the book assuming humans had spent the roughly 2,000 years in total ignorance of magic.
Characters: 3/5
I felt the characters evolved nicely throughout the story, if a little abruptly at times. I always want to immediately dismiss the idea of characters promised to marry one another without having met before and then quickly falling in love as cheesy and convenient, but Honfleur presented it in a way that... I didn't hate. Some of the world's forgotten magic and a little foreshadowing helped a little here. Also, the arranged marriage is presented as necessary for the peaceful survival of the two races, which allows me to forgive the characters moving so quickly a little bit, for who wouldn't prefer to fall madly in love with someone you have no choice in marrying? One could almost forget that the book titled "No Man Can Tame" opens with Aless being the "Beast-Princess" who scares away all of her suitors. Speaking of, this nickname is never well explained except for a few mentions of her now healed spine and perhaps as an allusion to her temperament, which is quite tame to be known as a 'Beast'. Her motivations seem to be a stickler for other readers, but I find they fit her naive, nobility character type well enough.
Plot: 3/5
The story chugs along nicely up to the climax, before wrapping up the remainder of the main characters's motivations like a present. Its the kind of nice, clean ending I don't prefer honestly. I could have happily stopped reading before the epilogue, which didn't add any value. Overall, while the romance between Veron and the human Aless was nicely packaged and tied up at the end with a pretty bow, I was left wanting for a more complete idea and understanding of their world.
Situated in a 'magic returns' world, the story ends with a lot of unanswered questions for me. It often references this "Sundering", but never tells us why magical beings disappeared in the first place, why the dark-elves spent "two thousand years of stone slumber" (p. 85, though on p. 39 we are told its 2,372 years), or why these Immortals were awoken. I'm not even sure if its truly a 'magic returns' world, as human mages who presumably have been able to use their skills throughout this period are referenced a few times. The first mention on page 38 had me believing that the dark-elf prince, Veron, used mage as a euphemism for hard laborers because he doesn't know any better, and that is simply the word he would use for them in his own magical home. "Human mages shaped this sky realm with magic like the Stone Singers shaped the Deep with song, spelling buildings and roads like the Stone Singers sang stalagmites, stalactites, columns, and pillars." By the time human mages are referenced again at nearly page 300, I had completely forgotten about their existence and spent most of the book assuming humans had spent the roughly 2,000 years in total ignorance of magic.
Characters: 3/5
I felt the characters evolved nicely throughout the story, if a little abruptly at times. I always want to immediately dismiss the idea of characters promised to marry one another without having met before and then quickly falling in love as cheesy and convenient, but Honfleur presented it in a way that... I didn't hate. Some of the world's forgotten magic and a little foreshadowing helped a little here. Also, the arranged marriage is presented as necessary for the peaceful survival of the two races, which allows me to forgive the characters moving so quickly a little bit, for who wouldn't prefer to fall madly in love with someone you have no choice in marrying? One could almost forget that the book titled "No Man Can Tame" opens with Aless being the "Beast-Princess" who scares away all of her suitors. Speaking of, this nickname is never well explained except for a few mentions of her now healed spine and perhaps as an allusion to her temperament, which is quite tame to be known as a 'Beast'. Her motivations seem to be a stickler for other readers, but I find they fit her naive, nobility character type well enough.
Plot: 3/5
The story chugs along nicely up to the climax, before wrapping up the remainder of the main characters's motivations like a present. Its the kind of nice, clean ending I don't prefer honestly. I could have happily stopped reading before the epilogue, which didn't add any value. Overall, while the romance between Veron and the human Aless was nicely packaged and tied up at the end with a pretty bow, I was left wanting for a more complete idea and understanding of their world.
alexperc_92's review against another edition
4.0
I have to admit that it reminded me enough of the book Radiance by Grace Draven. But the setting was very well written and the characters were interesting.