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tortilla_lea's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
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
Slow burn. Incredible character development for both main leads. Enjoyed pretty much every bit of it.
bambinochance's review against another edition
4.0
I like Grace Draven's romances. This was a good slow burn captor/captive done right IMO. I like that the hero doesn't find the heroine attractive in the beginning and grows to see her beauty.
It's not 5 stars for me because I thought the plot was lacking. It all just seemed to go too easy for them. I thought when the hero faced the cousin who betrayed him (I'm avoiding their names because I can't spell any of them lol), there would be some twist - like the cousin poisoned the dagger and she would have to do some illusion to save him. But it was just an honest fight. And then I thought oh maybe the cousin alerted the queen and she would be ready for their attack. But they were able to execute their plan perfectly and no one important died.
I'm excited for the next couple - I liked the heroine we were introduced to in this book.
It's not 5 stars for me because I thought the plot was lacking. It all just seemed to go too easy for them. I thought when the hero faced the cousin who betrayed him (I'm avoiding their names because I can't spell any of them lol), there would be some twist - like the cousin poisoned the dagger and she would have to do some illusion to save him. But it was just an honest fight. And then I thought oh maybe the cousin alerted the queen and she would be ready for their attack. But they were able to execute their plan perfectly and no one important died.
I'm excited for the next couple - I liked the heroine we were introduced to in this book.
rachelrozet's review
dark
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
katie_rose81's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
lila_laune's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
gabbyo's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Characters and events felt very real/mature and the writing was engaging. World building could have been better, but overall really good read.
majabwds's review against another edition
2.0
I have meh feelings about this book. And I am disappointed because I enjoyed everything I've read by this author. She can write better than this! The romance was so lackluster and the fantasy plot basic. The entire book is so mediocre and forgettable.
svenja98's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
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
5.0
yodamom's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars
This book hit all my book loving boxes. Life struggle, check. Hard earned, slowly developed romance, check. Difficultly with abilities (not a star right off page one), check. A fight for the greater good, check. Well developed characters with realistic backgrounds, check. I didn't want it to end, check.
Even the pacing was spot on. I stayed up way too late several nights, I just couldn't put it down. Seriously, why haven't I ever read this author's work before ?
The story is about a man who was sold into slavery by a despicable, greedy toad of a man. He was a slave/gladiator for 10 years. There he was tortured in all the hideous ways possible. His life changes when he uncovers a woman who has magical abilities and blackmails her into helping him escape. She too is suffering, she sacrifices herself every year to save her people. Blackmail is not the best way to start a relationship and it gets worse. There is a great deal of mistrust, anger and hate, yeh realistic. Respect was hard earned and slow developing, so well done, when a closeness started it felt amazing. They are both on missions, both have much to learn, much to lose and so much more to give. What an adventure. I can't wait to see where book 2 goes.
This book hit all my book loving boxes. Life struggle, check. Hard earned, slowly developed romance, check. Difficultly with abilities (not a star right off page one), check. A fight for the greater good, check. Well developed characters with realistic backgrounds, check. I didn't want it to end, check.
Even the pacing was spot on. I stayed up way too late several nights, I just couldn't put it down. Seriously, why haven't I ever read this author's work before ?
The story is about a man who was sold into slavery by a despicable, greedy toad of a man. He was a slave/gladiator for 10 years. There he was tortured in all the hideous ways possible. His life changes when he uncovers a woman who has magical abilities and blackmails her into helping him escape. She too is suffering, she sacrifices herself every year to save her people. Blackmail is not the best way to start a relationship and it gets worse. There is a great deal of mistrust, anger and hate, yeh realistic. Respect was hard earned and slow developing, so well done, when a closeness started it felt amazing. They are both on missions, both have much to learn, much to lose and so much more to give. What an adventure. I can't wait to see where book 2 goes.