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ashurq's review against another edition
2.0
Right off the bat, I’m super aggravated by the way that Andreus’ curse is dangled in front of our faces. They literally never explain what his “curse” is and it sounds like he just as asthma maybe? Which doesn’t actually seem like a big deal…but maybe I’m wrong because, again, THEY NEVER EXPLAIN. Overall, Andreus was such an annoying character. He was just so stupid and I literally don’t think he made a single good choice. Carys was better, but both she and Andreus mentioned how Carys is really good at making deductions and seeing things that others wouldn’t, but we never really see that happen either. Lastly, I would think that the bond between twins is stronger than it’s made out to be in this book. Carys obviously still cares about her twin, but Andreus drops her as soon as humanly possible once the competition starts. Again, he is so stupid. 2/5
leximainville's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
eldritchreader's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to love this book.
I really really liked the concept, while a little done-before/cliche, and I'll admit I was completely suckered in by the cover. I freaking adore this cover.
But I honestly just found the book underwhelming.
The blurb for this book tells you that the MCs, Carys and Andreus, must participate in the Trial of Succession in order to gain the title to the throne. And yet it wasn't until 4 hours into the audiobook that story actually got to the Trials.
Now if everything up until this point had been world-building and character developing I may have been okay with this. And yet it wasn't.
Despite all the time it took to get to the main plot line, at this point I knew two things.
A) there was a war but who it really was with (there seemed to be more than a few names mentioned) and what the actual status of the war was (are they in mortal peril? are they winning?) wasn't really known.
And B) the MC's were twins that stuck their necks out for each other, however this fell apart pretty quickly despite how much it was emphasized. Also, there was some vague dark, eerie stuff happening but not really elaborated on. And there was a youngun' slave boy who kept popping up.
Not much else.
The actual grisly bits of the story all seemed pretty flat and dull. Again, I was underwhelmed.
And the ending seemed a bit out of nowhere. I felt as though there was next to nothing as far as foreshadowing. Or perhaps I was bored by this point and had missed something important.
A lot of people seem to have enjoyed this book, but it just didn't give me anything that I haven't read in a much better and more engaging style elsewhere.
I really really liked the concept, while a little done-before/cliche, and I'll admit I was completely suckered in by the cover. I freaking adore this cover.
But I honestly just found the book underwhelming.
The blurb for this book tells you that the MCs, Carys and Andreus, must participate in the Trial of Succession in order to gain the title to the throne. And yet it wasn't until 4 hours into the audiobook that story actually got to the Trials.
Now if everything up until this point had been world-building and character developing I may have been okay with this. And yet it wasn't.
Despite all the time it took to get to the main plot line, at this point I knew two things.
A) there was a war but who it really was with (there seemed to be more than a few names mentioned) and what the actual status of the war was (are they in mortal peril? are they winning?) wasn't really known.
And B) the MC's were twins that stuck their necks out for each other, however this fell apart pretty quickly despite how much it was emphasized. Also, there was some vague dark, eerie stuff happening but not really elaborated on. And there was a youngun' slave boy who kept popping up.
Not much else.
The actual grisly bits of the story all seemed pretty flat and dull. Again, I was underwhelmed.
And the ending seemed a bit out of nowhere. I felt as though there was next to nothing as far as foreshadowing. Or perhaps I was bored by this point and had missed something important.
A lot of people seem to have enjoyed this book, but it just didn't give me anything that I haven't read in a much better and more engaging style elsewhere.
faith_a_writes's review
4.0
3.75 stars
It was pretty slow until the middle. And there are many things that frustrate me. But I’m excited to see where the sequel takes it.
It was pretty slow until the middle. And there are many things that frustrate me. But I’m excited to see where the sequel takes it.
avidbooknerd2028's review
3.0
This book drove me crazy for parts but wasn't as bad as I initially thought. I went into this book knowing only what previous reviews had told me. It was a decently written story.
It follows royal twins fighting for the crown. There is actually a lot of background which is explained in the beginning. I loved that fact, that they narrarted it almost like it was lore. My main issue though was it was sometimes a bit difficult to continue reading.
Some of the issues the characters go through are very frustrating. You silently pray they make the right choice. Whether they do or not its sometimes a common sense issue.
I loved the characters and their bond as well as how the sibling relationship was under pressure. All the characters had their pros and cons. Some were more favorable then others. I loved the good vs bad aspect as well.
There were parts I didn't like such as some betrayals. Or a character popping in for a bit to be labelled "crazy" with no real explanation as to what happened or why it happened.
I did still thoroughly enjoy this book, just not as much as I though I would. I give this book 3/5 stars. I'm not sure it will be a reread and some of the conflicts were infuriating. This is the reason for the 2 star lose.
It follows royal twins fighting for the crown. There is actually a lot of background which is explained in the beginning. I loved that fact, that they narrarted it almost like it was lore. My main issue though was it was sometimes a bit difficult to continue reading.
Some of the issues the characters go through are very frustrating. You silently pray they make the right choice. Whether they do or not its sometimes a common sense issue.
I loved the characters and their bond as well as how the sibling relationship was under pressure. All the characters had their pros and cons. Some were more favorable then others. I loved the good vs bad aspect as well.
There were parts I didn't like such as some betrayals. Or a character popping in for a bit to be labelled "crazy" with no real explanation as to what happened or why it happened.
I did still thoroughly enjoy this book, just not as much as I though I would. I give this book 3/5 stars. I'm not sure it will be a reread and some of the conflicts were infuriating. This is the reason for the 2 star lose.
lucygwrites's review
5.0
A captivating and twisty read! I really enjoyed it. Imogen reminded me heavily of Ianthe from ACOTAR and it was interesting having a character like that creating tension.
justjeanettelee's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this story. I like the premise and the history and just - I liked it.
My only criticism would be that it World dumps way too much way too quickly, and some things aren’t explained as efficiently or as quickly as they should be.
And that ending? Ok I definitely didn’t see it coming. Very interesting indeed.
My only criticism would be that it World dumps way too much way too quickly, and some things aren’t explained as efficiently or as quickly as they should be.
And that ending? Ok I definitely didn’t see it coming. Very interesting indeed.
shannonkirk's review
4.0
At the beginning of this book, I found the writing style to be quite confusing and choppy. It took many chapters to make sense of the world building.
However,
As this book progressed, I liked it more. The characters were developed extremely well, with several levels of depth. Plus, the world building was better as the book continued - once I made sense of the world they lived in, the world seemed artfully created. Joelle Charbonneau did, in my opinion, an excellent job of balancing the aspects of giving the reader a clear picture and leaving it open to the reader’s imagination. I could almost imagine the story playing out in a movie. (If a movie ever comes out, I doubt it will live up to my expectations..I have high expectations.) Anyways, one element I really didn’t like was the choppy style of writing, that made me have to reread paragraphs or even whole chapters at times (chapter 19 anyone?). But writing style aside, I really enjoyed the storyline, characters, and world. Of course, similar to most fantasy books I’ve read, I fell in love with the world and now wish to visit the world... the dreams of every book nerd, am I right?
I can’t wait until the sequel in June!!!
However,
As this book progressed, I liked it more. The characters were developed extremely well, with several levels of depth. Plus, the world building was better as the book continued - once I made sense of the world they lived in, the world seemed artfully created. Joelle Charbonneau did, in my opinion, an excellent job of balancing the aspects of giving the reader a clear picture and leaving it open to the reader’s imagination. I could almost imagine the story playing out in a movie. (If a movie ever comes out, I doubt it will live up to my expectations..I have high expectations.) Anyways, one element I really didn’t like was the choppy style of writing, that made me have to reread paragraphs or even whole chapters at times (chapter 19 anyone?). But writing style aside, I really enjoyed the storyline, characters, and world. Of course, similar to most fantasy books I’ve read, I fell in love with the world and now wish to visit the world... the dreams of every book nerd, am I right?
I can’t wait until the sequel in June!!!