Scan barcode
pagesofnay's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Death, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death of parent
mallorypen's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
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
5.0
This novel was a masterclass in a) writing anxiety in a way that felt authentic (to the point where the character’s anxiety was triggering my own!) b) showing actual character growth in a progression versus “I once thought this but now I think this” and c) showing diversity in a fantasy setting in a way that feels both very deliberate but also completely normal and part of the world building.
Characters: Kadou and Evermere are OTP for life. Kadou’s anxiety, like I mentioned, is written in a perfectly heartbreaking way that makes his behaviors and conflicts completely believable. The “fear monster” metaphor got a little overused, but overall I was captivated by this struggle and his perceived cowardice. Evermere is the embodiment of one of my favorite tropes - the hard rule-following, logical-sequential, painfully upright but unflinchingly morally upright … who then falls into EMOTIONAL TURMOIL in the most delicious way. His progression from disliking Kadou to loving him is written so perfectly; even knowing they were endgame didn’t take away from my enjoyment of Evermere’s fall into love and out of his repressive shell. I loved that his character growth wasn’t just because and for Kadou; his moment with the unburdening at the shrine was also for him and his own development in such a lovely way (and in-universe therapy without it feeling forced! We love to see it.) Tadek was such a fun character, both easy to dislike and love in turns with his actions. His delight in figuring out why Evermere was a secret prince made me laugh out loud. Zelia was amazing, the captain of the guard was amazing, and overall the supporting cast all felt fully fleshed out and interesting in their own right.
The Yearning™️ was literally perfect. I absolutely love a slow burn done well, and this was a slow burn done EXCEPTIONALLY. Evermere not recognizing his own feelings of jealousy or desire or admiration … Kadou getting in his own way thinking Evermere was only acting out of duty and obligation … their mutual concern for navigating the imbalance of power, the communication … makes a girl weak in the knees! Then, add the most amazingly trope-tastic plot points of “we were about to be spotted in the alley on a surveillance mission so we had to kiss” and “more surveillance, let’s canoodle” and finally “we’re about to be caught in a lie and marriage is the only way to save your life” UGGGGHHHHHH kill me now because a more perfect combo of tropes downs not exist. That, and the “prove your loyalty by cutting off your hand” and Evermere’s heart stopping obedience played into this amazing dynamic of respect and trust that had d/s undertones and all together spicy excellence.
I also loved the sociopolitical elements of the dynasty, the purity of their monetary system, and the idea of “body fathers” not having a claim on the child unless granted as such by the mother. The caiular as a protection force leading into the ministries was another interesting concept. The author did a great job establishing the significance of both the counterfeiting and the betrayal of the caiulars.
Characters: Kadou and Evermere are OTP for life. Kadou’s anxiety, like I mentioned, is written in a perfectly heartbreaking way that makes his behaviors and conflicts completely believable. The “fear monster” metaphor got a little overused, but overall I was captivated by this struggle and his perceived cowardice. Evermere is the embodiment of one of my favorite tropes - the hard rule-following, logical-sequential, painfully upright but unflinchingly morally upright … who then falls into EMOTIONAL TURMOIL in the most delicious way. His progression from disliking Kadou to loving him is written so perfectly; even knowing they were endgame didn’t take away from my enjoyment of Evermere’s fall into love and out of his repressive shell. I loved that his character growth wasn’t just because and for Kadou; his moment with the unburdening at the shrine was also for him and his own development in such a lovely way (and in-universe therapy without it feeling forced! We love to see it.) Tadek was such a fun character, both easy to dislike and love in turns with his actions. His delight in figuring out why Evermere was a secret prince made me laugh out loud. Zelia was amazing, the captain of the guard was amazing, and overall the supporting cast all felt fully fleshed out and interesting in their own right.
The Yearning™️ was literally perfect. I absolutely love a slow burn done well, and this was a slow burn done EXCEPTIONALLY. Evermere not recognizing his own feelings of jealousy or desire or admiration … Kadou getting in his own way thinking Evermere was only acting out of duty and obligation … their mutual concern for navigating the imbalance of power, the communication … makes a girl weak in the knees! Then, add the most amazingly trope-tastic plot points of “we were about to be spotted in the alley on a surveillance mission so we had to kiss” and “more surveillance, let’s canoodle” and finally “we’re about to be caught in a lie and marriage is the only way to save your life” UGGGGHHHHHH kill me now because a more perfect combo of tropes downs not exist. That, and the “prove your loyalty by cutting off your hand” and Evermere’s heart stopping obedience played into this amazing dynamic of respect and trust that had d/s undertones and all together spicy excellence.
I also loved the sociopolitical elements of the dynasty, the purity of their monetary system, and the idea of “body fathers” not having a claim on the child unless granted as such by the mother. The caiular as a protection force leading into the ministries was another interesting concept. The author did a great job establishing the significance of both the counterfeiting and the betrayal of the caiulars.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Kidnapping
Minor: Death of parent
btwnprintedpgs's review
funny
mysterious
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Alcohol, Blood, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Gaslighting
Minor: Death of parent, Pregnancy, Cursing, and Torture
sydapel's review
adventurous
emotional
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? It's complicated
5.0
An absolutely decadent slow burn of a story that would make an excellent starting point for anyone looking to get into the adult fantasy genre (and doesn't care to read about millennia old fae marrying 18 year old women). The plot is simple yet compelling and the characters are immediately so loveable. I could talk for ages about the themes of duty, fealty and strength in this book, but I won't lie, the main appeal is the rich love story between Kadou and Evermer. It's unclear at this point whether there will be a sequel, but I want one so badly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Death, Alcohol, Violence, and Alcoholism
Minor: Death of parent
aceofknives's review
adventurous
emotional
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Death of parent
illogical's review
adventurous
mysterious
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and Mental illness
Moderate: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Death
Minor: Death of parent
purrson's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
So very enjoyable, such a good slow burn.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Death of parent and Kidnapping
smasson13's review
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
It wasn't bad. But it wasn't good either.
This story felt like a hundred threads being picked up at the authors convinience. As though nothing was quite fully explained, drawn out, or developed.
A few things that I struggled with (potential spoilers head):
1. What was the world building in this?? Did I miss a map that should have been there? Why was nothing ever explained?
I'm still so confused about why they had weird powers in their world at all, none of that seemed to be helpful really. And because it wasn't developed well, the cute part with their door hinge bracelets just felt randomly added??
2. Lack of character development. Ooofff. This was rough. I felt like I didn't know anything about these characters, no deep back story, no emption, no depth. Like there was what, 2 sentences?? between Evermer and his mother? Even Melek got like stabbed and kidnapped but I know nothing about their character?
3. This plot was all over the place. The first 250 pages was slow! Then we had a good 100 page chunk that was interesting as they investigated. But the moment Evermer and Kadou hooked up, the plot magically got wrapped up with barely any effort or difficulty. Like just send the horse and capture the criminals, have a trial and be done. All within a few pages. Do we even know their sentence??
4. Sudden powerful and angry kink? What?
I read it all, will not reread, but I did manage to get through it?
This story felt like a hundred threads being picked up at the authors convinience. As though nothing was quite fully explained, drawn out, or developed.
A few things that I struggled with (potential spoilers head):
1. What was the world building in this?? Did I miss a map that should have been there? Why was nothing ever explained?
I'm still so confused about why they had weird powers in their world at all, none of that seemed to be helpful really. And because it wasn't developed well, the cute part with their door hinge bracelets just felt randomly added??
2. Lack of character development. Ooofff. This was rough. I felt like I didn't know anything about these characters, no deep back story, no emption, no depth. Like there was what, 2 sentences?? between Evermer and his mother? Even Melek got like stabbed and kidnapped but I know nothing about their character?
3. This plot was all over the place. The first 250 pages was slow! Then we had a good 100 page chunk that was interesting as they investigated. But the moment Evermer and Kadou hooked up, the plot magically got wrapped up with barely any effort or difficulty. Like just send the horse and capture the criminals, have a trial and be done. All within a few pages. Do we even know their sentence??
4. Sudden powerful and angry kink? What?
I read it all, will not reread, but I did manage to get through it?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, and Mental illness
Moderate: Alcohol, Confinement, and Sexual content
Minor: Drug use, Cursing, and Death of parent
robin_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and I hate to say that I simply barely enjoyed it. It had so much potential and had wonderful moments but..
As someone with Turkish background, it just threw me every time there was a Turkish word/name anything in there. I don't need those in my life. That's mostly on me but also I don't quite think it added anything into the story. Without a pronounication guide or at least a dictionary somewhere, I can't imagine how people will understand some of it. Yes, Google is right there but let's face it, not a lot of people will actually look things up.
Some of the words and terms simply weren't correct. Again, this is something someone with Turkish language knowledge will notice but no one else but still. At least look things up? I don't know..
My next big thing is the anxiety representation. When there are books like "Winter's Orbit" out there (which is one of my favorite reads of all time and a book I think about frequently) it just can't hold up to it.
If you want an easy read that isn't that high stakes or action-packed, this might be for you.
As someone with Turkish background, it just threw me every time there was a Turkish word/name anything in there. I don't need those in my life. That's mostly on me but also I don't quite think it added anything into the story. Without a pronounication guide or at least a dictionary somewhere, I can't imagine how people will understand some of it. Yes, Google is right there but let's face it, not a lot of people will actually look things up.
Some of the words and terms simply weren't correct. Again, this is something someone with Turkish language knowledge will notice but no one else but still. At least look things up? I don't know..
My next big thing is the anxiety representation. When there are books like "Winter's Orbit" out there (which is one of my favorite reads of all time and a book I think about frequently) it just can't hold up to it.
If you want an easy read that isn't that high stakes or action-packed, this might be for you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Death
Moderate: Death of parent
jjjreads's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Bullying, Ableism, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Confinement, Death, Blood, Self harm, Classism, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing, Animal death, and Animal cruelty
Minor: Child abuse, Deportation, Medical content, and Death of parent