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4.48 AVERAGE
4.48 AVERAGE
adventurous
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
My Take:
If I were a tagger from Netflix tasked to describe this book, I'd chose "steamy thriller. sci-fi and fantasy and political drama." In Davenport's adult offerings, she has developed a FMC archetype: a lethally cunning dangerous woman with bouts of kindness and compassion and a lustful spirit. She will give you action scenes, steamy interludes and her stubbornness may make you want to shake her, but ultimately you root her and enjoy her journey. The MMC seem to vary, but they match their FMC well. If you enjoyed the synopsis and the Davenport FMC archetype, this book delivers. I would recommend it for a buddy read or a group setting where the drinks flow and the giggles can reign
If I were a tagger from Netflix tasked to describe this book, I'd chose "steamy thriller. sci-fi and fantasy and political drama." In Davenport's adult offerings, she has developed a FMC archetype: a lethally cunning dangerous woman with bouts of kindness and compassion and a lustful spirit. She will give you action scenes, steamy interludes and her stubbornness may make you want to shake her, but ultimately you root her and enjoy her journey. The MMC seem to vary, but they match their FMC well. If you enjoyed the synopsis and the Davenport FMC archetype, this book delivers. I would recommend it for a buddy read or a group setting where the drinks flow and the giggles can reign
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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:
Complicated
This was the Perfect fantasy romance! Featuring my favorite elements.
Enemies-to-lovers dynamics (Vicious Bonds, Legendborn)
Morally grey characters (Unbroken, The Good Lie),
Magic systems rooted in power struggles (Blood Over Bright Haven, Daughter of the Merciful Deep).
The political intrigue and fae courts add a fresh layer to themes I will never not love —grumpy/sunshine tension, forced alliances, and high-stakes emotional bonds.
Its apparent I tend to gravitate toward fast-paced "touch her and die" protectiveness (Cappadonna 3.5), this book’s focus on slow-burn, ok ain't nothin slow about this burn, and political maneuvering immediately gratifying action-forward romantasy.
10/10
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:
Complicated
I wish I could read this book for the first time OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN!!!!! Nia did her BIG ONE with this one! I absolutely loved this book and it filled my black fae heart over the brim. I love how it's a standalone because sometimes it can be tedious to read series especially ones that are unfinished but Nia did very well at world building and wrapping up the plot in this one installment. If she did want it to be a series I can definitely see the potential! As for the African American culture that was perfectly and effortlessly placed within this book....CHEF'S KISS!!!! I literally felt SAFE and SEEN within the Nimani realm! Our culture was portrayed so well within a fictional place, it's mind blowing. Don't let me forget about the spiciness that spanned over multiple chapters....YES PLEASE! The power and dominance that were at play was phenomenal, it was great seeing a FMC that wouldn't easily submit and made sure her intentions and needs were heard and met. To see a shadow daddy that abided by her every wish even if he didn't want to was really nice as well! Nia's way for describing the elemental magic, fae customs, and characters was great! Our Vicious Oaths is a 5 star read for me! It has pushed me to read Nia's other books. :D
Thank you Avon Books/Harper Voyager and Net Galley for my ARC! All opinions are my own.
Thank you Avon Books/Harper Voyager and Net Galley for my ARC! All opinions are my own.
adventurous
emotional
funny
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
NetGalley ARC
Miss Davenport really did her big one with Our Vicious Oaths!!! It is so exciting to see such an amazingly descriptive, uniquely magical and action-packed standalone romantasy by a Black author.
From start to finish I was on the edge of my seat, never fully accepting the truth of it all until the very end — much like Kadeesha. The intricate politics of the fae in this world kept me never quite knowing for sure if it was safe to left my guard down, which rendered me unable to put this book down for longer than 10 minutes.
While this book did have some common tropes and themes that you’d find in most romantasy set in fae realms, the customs and magic of the seven fae courts were extremely unique — from their magical connection to the elements to the donning of grillz for special occasions (one aspect I found extremely exciting).
Overall I’d say this is the perfect book for you to pick up if you love fae, high-stakes politics and two main characters who will do anything for those they love! N.E. Davenport has quickly become an auto-buy author for me.
Miss Davenport really did her big one with Our Vicious Oaths!!! It is so exciting to see such an amazingly descriptive, uniquely magical and action-packed standalone romantasy by a Black author.
From start to finish I was on the edge of my seat, never fully accepting the truth of it all until the very end — much like Kadeesha. The intricate politics of the fae in this world kept me never quite knowing for sure if it was safe to left my guard down, which rendered me unable to put this book down for longer than 10 minutes.
While this book did have some common tropes and themes that you’d find in most romantasy set in fae realms, the customs and magic of the seven fae courts were extremely unique — from their magical connection to the elements to the donning of grillz for special occasions (one aspect I found extremely exciting).
Overall I’d say this is the perfect book for you to pick up if you love fae, high-stakes politics and two main characters who will do anything for those they love! N.E. Davenport has quickly become an auto-buy author for me.
A thoroughly enjoyable romantasy standalone with morally grey characters, well-written spice, and entertaining personalities. With one of my favorite tropes, I flew through it and thoroughly enjoyed every page.
✦ 𝓞𝓾𝓻 𝓥𝓲𝓬𝓲𝓸𝓾𝓼 𝓞𝓪𝓽𝓱𝓼 ✦
𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿: N.E. Davenport
𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀: Standalone
𝗣𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀: 528
𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: adult dark romantasy
𝓥𝓘𝓑𝓔𝓢
✦ powerful magic
✦ enemies-to-lovers
✦ political intrigue
✦ fmc is a warrior-princess
✦ mmc is a vengeful king
𝓣𝓗𝓞𝓤𝓖𝓗𝓣𝓢
In the mood for a captivating fae story with a spicy romantic plot that is a standalone? This dark romantasy has everything: prophecy, shadow daddy, banter, political/court intrigue, magic, and an epic battle scene at the end. You will find 𝓚𝓪𝓭𝓮𝓮𝓼𝓱𝓪 is ruthless, cunning and kind. You will find 𝓜𝓪𝓵𝓪𝓬𝓱𝓲 is powerful, funny and loyal. I cringed for a second because the story had a surprise pregnancy which is not my favorite trope BUT it was done well and turned out well. Dark romantasy lovers, if you’re looking for a well-crafted absorbing read, then add this one to your tbr today!!
𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿: N.E. Davenport
𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀: Standalone
𝗣𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀: 528
𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: adult dark romantasy
𝓥𝓘𝓑𝓔𝓢
✦ powerful magic
✦ enemies-to-lovers
✦ political intrigue
✦ fmc is a warrior-princess
✦ mmc is a vengeful king
𝓣𝓗𝓞𝓤𝓖𝓗𝓣𝓢
In the mood for a captivating fae story with a spicy romantic plot that is a standalone? This dark romantasy has everything: prophecy, shadow daddy, banter, political/court intrigue, magic, and an epic battle scene at the end. You will find 𝓚𝓪𝓭𝓮𝓮𝓼𝓱𝓪 is ruthless, cunning and kind. You will find 𝓜𝓪𝓵𝓪𝓬𝓱𝓲 is powerful, funny and loyal. I cringed for a second because the story had a surprise pregnancy which is not my favorite trope BUT it was done well and turned out well. Dark romantasy lovers, if you’re looking for a well-crafted absorbing read, then add this one to your tbr today!!
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an ARC of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily and all thoughts are my own.
What a fun read! I really enjoyed this book and especially all the court politics and maneuvering. It was done really well and it was so interesting to read. I also (for the most part - I'll get back to that) liked our main characters and thought they complemented each other nicely and had a lot of good interactions throughout. Many of the spicy scenes for example were really fun even though they were mostly very carnal and lust-driven instead of romantic. I don't mind that, but I will say that one of my favorite scenes was actually when they were finally a bit more intimate and vulnerable with each other(the bathing chamber scene aah!) and you could at last feel a slight change in their dynamic.
I did have a small issue with something though... For all his talk of consent, I do think Malachi pushes it a little bit with Kadeesha on a few occasions. Yes, he knows that she wants him but she still expresses that she doesn't want to give him her orgasm, and yet he says it doesn't matter and continues. Now I understand that it's also about the power play and how she doesn't want to give into him and so on. I totally get that. But as someone who cares deeply about consent and is very attentive of it in spicy books, the vibe just felt a little... off. Especially since he just spoke about only taking willing and enthusiastic lovers. I'm just not the biggest fan of the "she says no but because he knows she wants him, and because apparently she wants to be dominated even though she specifically says she doesn't, he doesn't listen"-trope. Consent needs to be clear, and the reason for her wanting to stop is irrelevant - it doesn't matter that she is horny. If she for any reason (any reason at all) indicates she doesn't want to continue, that's it. It was only a few scenes where I got the ick a little bit, and luckily most of the time they were just hot and fun. But it's still something that didn't completely sit right with me.
The vast majority of the book felt nicely paced and very natural, but there were just a few scenes near the end where it felt like something was missing a little bit.I feel like we were missing a scene before or in the war room where they let everyone know of the pregnancy, because nobody seemed surprised. If they didn't know beforehand, we should have gotten to read their reaction on page - and if they did already know, we should have been informed of this as well. It's such a huge thing they share and decide to move forward with, and I couldn't help but feel like it was all a little rushed. And then suddenly they are getting married, and we haven't really gotten a chance to read that much about their individual thoughts on the whole thing yet. It was so sudden.
But then it evened out again, and the ending was just so good!The fight scenes were great and I loved finally getting to see her use her magic more. I'm so happy she was the one to kill Rishaud - it was such a cool battle and both her and Malachi were amazing. So all in all an enjoyable read!
What a fun read! I really enjoyed this book and especially all the court politics and maneuvering. It was done really well and it was so interesting to read. I also (for the most part - I'll get back to that) liked our main characters and thought they complemented each other nicely and had a lot of good interactions throughout. Many of the spicy scenes for example were really fun even though they were mostly very carnal and lust-driven instead of romantic. I don't mind that, but I will say that one of my favorite scenes was actually when they were finally a bit more intimate and vulnerable with each other
I did have a small issue with something though... For all his talk of consent, I do think Malachi pushes it a little bit with Kadeesha on a few occasions. Yes, he knows that she wants him but she still expresses that she doesn't want to give him her orgasm, and yet he says it doesn't matter and continues. Now I understand that it's also about the power play and how she doesn't want to give into him and so on. I totally get that. But as someone who cares deeply about consent and is very attentive of it in spicy books, the vibe just felt a little... off. Especially since he just spoke about only taking willing and enthusiastic lovers. I'm just not the biggest fan of the "she says no but because he knows she wants him, and because apparently she wants to be dominated even though she specifically says she doesn't, he doesn't listen"-trope. Consent needs to be clear, and the reason for her wanting to stop is irrelevant - it doesn't matter that she is horny. If she for any reason (any reason at all) indicates she doesn't want to continue, that's it. It was only a few scenes where I got the ick a little bit, and luckily most of the time they were just hot and fun. But it's still something that didn't completely sit right with me.
The vast majority of the book felt nicely paced and very natural, but there were just a few scenes near the end where it felt like something was missing a little bit.
But then it evened out again, and the ending was just so good!
Thank you to HarperVoyager and Netgalley for the early copy. All opinions are my own
Apollyon King Malachi has sworn revenge against all who had a hand in the destruction and killing of his kingdom and people.
Aether Princess Kadeesha never wanted her arranged marriage to High King Richaud but bound to duty she had no choice but to stay the course. During the wedding ceremony truths were exposed that sent Richaud on a war path.
Now Malachi and Kadeesha must work together to take down Richaud
The banter between Malachi and Kadeesha was perfection 🤌🏾✨. Their back and forth had me rolling my eyes and kicking my feet 🙄🤣
Those two are so well balanced they don’t even realize how perfect they are for one another. He’s her outlet for darkness and she reins in his rage ☯️. I actually think, had their upbringings and life experiences been different they would be the same person.
Did I just unlock a mini trope 🤔 I love to see women taking over negotiations 💗. Girl boss moment for Kadeesha and Auntie Nychelle 💪🏾 💅🏾
Speaking of Auntie Nychelle. She is EVERYTHING 👑 ❤️. From raising Malachi to being a force to be reckoned with. Her name is known no matter what kingdom you’re from. Feared and respected? She’s THAT girl…uh Fae. She’s That Fae.
The steam besties 🥵 the steam. I was squirming! I may have read a couple scenes more than once 👀. New book boyfriend 😻
*cries in to do list* This book was so good I literally accomplished nothing while I was reading. The author crafted an expansive world, with detailed imagery.
I will definitely be doing a reread to see things in a new light and pick up on things I didn’t catch the first time ⏪️
I have sooo much more I want to say but this was a great read. A definite recommendation
adventurous
dark
funny
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I needed this read. It was a true escape for me and don’t know if I have the words to do it justice.
Our Vicious Oaths is a steamy romantasy novel set in a realm of warring Fae. The chemistry between the FMC and MMC,Kadeesha and Malachi, is electric from the moment their paths cross. I think that is why it makes it the perfect enemies to lovers set up. Like you get the hate but you are really rooting for them to collide one way or another.
The world building was fantastic and I felt as though I was transported while reading the story. This is a standalone book, but as with all good books, they’re never long enough for me. I was left wanting more. Not because there were any loose ends, but because I had fallen in love with the realm and the characters.
The spice level was off the charts. The combat was intense. The pacing was never slowed or dull. Definite five star read.
Our Vicious Oaths is a steamy romantasy novel set in a realm of warring Fae. The chemistry between the FMC and MMC,Kadeesha and Malachi, is electric from the moment their paths cross. I think that is why it makes it the perfect enemies to lovers set up. Like you get the hate but you are really rooting for them to collide one way or another.
The world building was fantastic and I felt as though I was transported while reading the story. This is a standalone book, but as with all good books, they’re never long enough for me. I was left wanting more. Not because there were any loose ends, but because I had fallen in love with the realm and the characters.
The spice level was off the charts. The combat was intense. The pacing was never slowed or dull. Definite five star read.
I am absolutely obsessed with this book. It was so much fun! I am so impressed with the depth of world building and character development that Davenport managed to fit into this standalone novel.
This story had all the great elements of an enemies-to-lovers romantasy while still feeling very unique.The chemistry between Kadeesha and Malachi was so good! This book is definitely spicy but not at the expense of the story. It felt very well balanced. Kadeesha's struggles to overcome the misogyny of the Southern fae culture to be the leader and warrior she knew she could be were well done and relatable.
I would highly recommend this book to all lovers of romantasy!
Thanks to NetGalley, Harper Voyager, and N.E. Davenport for the ARC!
This story had all the great elements of an enemies-to-lovers romantasy while still feeling very unique.The chemistry between Kadeesha and Malachi was so good! This book is definitely spicy but not at the expense of the story. It felt very well balanced. Kadeesha's struggles to overcome the misogyny of the Southern fae culture to be the leader and warrior she knew she could be were well done and relatable.
I would highly recommend this book to all lovers of romantasy!
Thanks to NetGalley, Harper Voyager, and N.E. Davenport for the ARC!