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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
2.5 stars rounded up because I think I could rightly be called a liar if I stuck with a book as brick-like as this one that I didn't at least like.
It was very pretty, and the middle bit in Skaldia had the tone I expected from the set up and hype of this book. Before that point it was a harlequin romance, and after that point it was the world's fastest summary of every skirmish between Norman and Saxon, Norman and Nordic raider, and Norman and close-Eastern tension made epic by how it all condensed into a single war.
I think this book would have been great if it was either told from multiple POVs so we didn't get the "I didn't see it, for I am just a servant of Naamah, but later I was told that..." summaries OR if it had been condensed and ended before TheFrench D'Angelines went to England Alba. You could tell the author ran out of steam somewhere around there; the craft of the story was nowhere near as tight, the language became repetitive rather than poetic, and it felt rushed, and unending. For example, I believe we spent as much time having Phedre explain that she was about to sacrifice herself (at various points) as we did listening to her explain why she didn't get herself off when she was studying to be a prostitute-priestess.
I did like that it was sex-positive (largely), had a bi main character, and had a much healthier take on BDSM than other books I've seen, even if it was still problematic at parts.
Things I could not get over:
-They're raping everybody up in here.
-But we're told it's totally cool? Either because the author just didn't want to freak everyone out with how much raping was happening, or because she didn't see it as a problem. I'm not sure which it was, and both felt weird.
-We're told that the person who bought her to have sex with other people and whom she needed to pay back in order to "be free" wasn't actually a pimp because he was kind to her.
-Way too much flirting with outright pedophilia.
-Lazy race stereotypes made more upsetting for how obvious they are. The dumb Northern savages. The shrewd but educated Jewish doctor and travelers.
-Everyone was bisexual, and all problems could be solved with sex or pain, which was cool because that's how this MC liked it, and therefore only rape lite.
-All the bad guys were best at being S&M tops/doms, but apparently no one else liked pain like Phedre did, so they came to be good at using very complicated tools either through natural bad guy proficiency or by learning on people who only...learn to like? Pretend to like? play. I don't buy it. There were waaaaay too many people who knew how to use manacles and whips and perform aftercare to not have had willing partners before.
-Why is the kink in every romance with a kink BDSM?
-Even if someone is aroused by being hurt or shamed, you don't get to do that to them outside of play. Slapping S&M subs/bottoms outside of sexy time is still a dick thing to do and not okay.
-I do wish that, as there is magic in this world (which was clumsy IMO) and there aren't armies of Naamah's bastard children, maybe there had been a quick throwaway line about how all these servants stay childless but not barren.
It was a pretty book, I did recommend it to one person I know has no qualms about reading sketchy things as long as it's well written. I will not be continuing the series, and I would not make that recommendation to most of my acquaintance.
It was very pretty, and the middle bit in Skaldia had the tone I expected from the set up and hype of this book. Before that point it was a harlequin romance, and after that point it was the world's fastest summary of every skirmish between Norman and Saxon, Norman and Nordic raider, and Norman and close-Eastern tension made epic by how it all condensed into a single war.
I think this book would have been great if it was either told from multiple POVs so we didn't get the "I didn't see it, for I am just a servant of Naamah, but later I was told that..." summaries OR if it had been condensed and ended before The
I did like that it was sex-positive (largely), had a bi main character, and had a much healthier take on BDSM than other books I've seen, even if it was still problematic at parts.
Things I could not get over:
-They're raping everybody up in here.
-But we're told it's totally cool? Either because the author just didn't want to freak everyone out with how much raping was happening, or because she didn't see it as a problem. I'm not sure which it was, and both felt weird.
-We're told that the person who bought her to have sex with other people and whom she needed to pay back in order to "be free" wasn't actually a pimp because he was kind to her.
-Way too much flirting with outright pedophilia.
-Lazy race stereotypes made more upsetting for how obvious they are. The dumb Northern savages. The shrewd but educated Jewish doctor and travelers.
-Everyone was bisexual, and all problems could be solved with sex or pain, which was cool because that's how this MC liked it, and therefore only rape lite.
-All the bad guys were best at being S&M tops/doms, but apparently no one else liked pain like Phedre did, so they came to be good at using very complicated tools either through natural bad guy proficiency or by learning on people who only...learn to like? Pretend to like? play. I don't buy it. There were waaaaay too many people who knew how to use manacles and whips and perform aftercare to not have had willing partners before.
-Why is the kink in every romance with a kink BDSM?
-Even if someone is aroused by being hurt or shamed, you don't get to do that to them outside of play. Slapping S&M subs/bottoms outside of sexy time is still a dick thing to do and not okay.
-I do wish that, as there is magic in this world (which was clumsy IMO) and there aren't armies of Naamah's bastard children, maybe there had been a quick throwaway line about how all these servants stay childless but not barren.
It was a pretty book, I did recommend it to one person I know has no qualms about reading sketchy things as long as it's well written. I will not be continuing the series, and I would not make that recommendation to most of my acquaintance.
adventurous
medium-paced
These books weave an interesting tale but this first book stands out the most. I feel like re-reading them only brings out more elements of the plot.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Slavery, War
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence
DNF 17%. 1.5 stars. Sexual abuse of teens/children sold as political intrigue really isn't what I wanted out of this read.
The foreshadowing is so heavy handed it's irritating and makes otherwise good writing look clumsy. The world building would have been interesting if done more carefully but the reader is either given not enough information or too much information, much of it difficult to contextualize no matter how much is given. Too much is expected of the reader and it's absolutely exhausting.
The foreshadowing is so heavy handed it's irritating and makes otherwise good writing look clumsy. The world building would have been interesting if done more carefully but the reader is either given not enough information or too much information, much of it difficult to contextualize no matter how much is given. Too much is expected of the reader and it's absolutely exhausting.
Lots of very long passages that are dense with minor character names and very little action making them extremely difficult to follow, especially so when they are aliases or noble titles not previously introduced. The book picks up well near the end as things reach a climax and the author is forced to reduce her name dropping in order to finish up the plot. It's surprising how well all the various pieces and obscure references do tie together for resolution. Unfortunately after that it turns worse than Peter Jackson's Return of the King with no less than 6 endings unnecessarily chained along as individual chapters.
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I projected too much on Joscelin and it bit me, as things do, but I love all the rest of this book too much to hold that against it.
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
The first time I read this book was over 20 years ago, and I went on to read and love the whole trilogy and it continues to be special to me. That said, I would hesitate to recommend it to most people especially after this most recent reread, given the ornate, portentous writing, the dense political plot, the sexualization of people from a young age, and similar issues/concerns.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes