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thisbookishmom's review
5.0
Rating 4.5/5
I just love Renee’s writing and loved this book! Such a great start to the Curse of the Blessed Trilogy. Lots of great world building, explanations about the Blessed and their history—overall just a solid foundation.
Elynor is determined and feisty, wielding her grief into a weapon to obtain revenge and secure her birthright. I loved Elynor’s character growth throughout the book and how she starts to open her eyes more to the world around herself.
And SHAREK. Immediately fell in love with his character. He has so many layers and I am excited to keep learning more about him.
There are hints of romance and I am here for the slow burn! Renee always does romance so well.
I just love Renee’s writing and loved this book! Such a great start to the Curse of the Blessed Trilogy. Lots of great world building, explanations about the Blessed and their history—overall just a solid foundation.
Elynor is determined and feisty, wielding her grief into a weapon to obtain revenge and secure her birthright. I loved Elynor’s character growth throughout the book and how she starts to open her eyes more to the world around herself.
And SHAREK. Immediately fell in love with his character. He has so many layers and I am excited to keep learning more about him.
There are hints of romance and I am here for the slow burn! Renee always does romance so well.
thebookscript's review
4.0
I have been wanting to try Renee's books for some time..so I definitely jumped at the chance to read the first book in her The Curse of the Blessed series. AND. This Dark Alliance did not disappoint.
This book is on the smaller side for fantasy book but it was interesting right from the get go and held my attention throughout. I found myself interested in the story of revenge involving a soft hearted assassin and a woman with a lost legacy.
The large majority of this book focuses on the relationship between our two main POV's. An assassin and an heiress. They have a lot of obstacles to prevent their relationship from blossoming....station, power, religion, and not to mention its basically forbidden for them to be friends in the first place. This is not a romance plot yet BUT I can see it going there and i'm excited for it! They have a lot of overcome before moves can be made.
I liked that it wasn't so romance forward at first. This is a series so it gives us some time to set up a more solid foundation going forward.
I'm so interested to see where this story takes us. I believe this was a fabulous set up with characters I can't wait to see developed more. I fell for Sharek and can't wait to get more of SLY! I will be anxiously awaiting the next release and read more of Renee's books in the mean time.
*some moderate violence but no language or steam. (potential romance in the works?)
This book is on the smaller side for fantasy book but it was interesting right from the get go and held my attention throughout. I found myself interested in the story of revenge involving a soft hearted assassin and a woman with a lost legacy.
The large majority of this book focuses on the relationship between our two main POV's. An assassin and an heiress. They have a lot of obstacles to prevent their relationship from blossoming....station, power, religion, and not to mention its basically forbidden for them to be friends in the first place. This is not a romance plot yet BUT I can see it going there and i'm excited for it! They have a lot of overcome before moves can be made.
I liked that it wasn't so romance forward at first. This is a series so it gives us some time to set up a more solid foundation going forward.
I'm so interested to see where this story takes us. I believe this was a fabulous set up with characters I can't wait to see developed more. I fell for Sharek and can't wait to get more of SLY! I will be anxiously awaiting the next release and read more of Renee's books in the mean time.
*some moderate violence but no language or steam. (potential romance in the works?)
brittrichardsofficial's review
5.0
I loved this book! Renee Dugan has done it again with this new world. Elynor and Sharek's story captivated me from the very beginning, and I love all of the mysteries and secrets that slowly unfolded throughout the book. The basis of the Blessed is intriguing, and I can't wait to delve deeper into the storyline! Dugan has such a way with words that you feel as though you are right beside each character, feeling their emotions. I especially connected with Elynor, because she lost the parent she was closest to tragically. Her and I have a lot of the same emotions that come in waves, and we both have strong ties to the ocean. I can't wait to join her as she journeys to Orleth.
writehollydavis's review
5.0
Another winner from Renee!! The ebb and flow of Sharek and Elynor's dynamics were so intriguing and I loved reading things from an assassin's POV. There were so many mic drop plot twists I didn't see coming. Pair that with Renee's amazing prose and it makes for a fast and exciting read. Her worldbuilding is unparalleled! Onto the sequel!! *heart eyes*
koistyfishy's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This book's writing is absolutely phenomenal. If you are the type of person that adores a high fantasy, that has writing and descriptions, that are almost lyrical and prosaic, this is the book for you! As a result, it did take a little bit of time to get into as it can be quite metaphorical; but in my wildest dreams, this is the type of English I wish I could write!
This is a 3rd-person narrative book that follows Elynor and Sharek. Elynor is a wealthy heiress who has just lost her father as he was recently murdered. She wants vengeance for this murder, so she hires Sharek to help accomplish this task. Sharek is one of the "Blessed", which means that he has an innate, almost magical skill to complete certain tasks/actions. Sharek is "Blessed" with killing. Thrust together in trying to achieve retribution, the two of them uncover an even bigger plot filled with political secrets, betrayals, and possibly war.
This book has all the elements I love in Fantasy. There is a slight dusting of romance plot (that is pretty tame and on the YA level as there isn't much steam/spice - yet). There are elements of a journey, fantastic, and phenomenal world-building that is rich with history, lore and religion. You can clearly feel how much care and planning Renee Dugan did to piece all these aspects together. This story does however feel like the foundation and it was missing that extra oomph it needed to tip into AMAZING. I felt it ended too soon as not much happens really in the plot. I am not too upset with this though as it seems like this book's focus is to introduce us to Elynor and Sharek, as very much of the book is character development.
Both of them are dealing with quite a lot of internal trauma that has brought them to the situation where they are now. Elynor is distraught, desperate and on her last resort. She doesn't know what she wants to do except punish the person who took the only person in her life away from her. She deals with the grief and the death of her father throughout the entire book. You can see that she's just a girl that's been pushed into this situation that she's not necessarily ready for. She is sometimes selfish, sometimes even irrational. She's quick to anger, but through contemplation and reflection on her actions, she does grow and shows promise. The development of how she starts to where she was at the end of the book was really beautiful.
Sharek is at the end of his rope. He is tired of being used and abused as nothing but a tool to death. He is tired of being shrouded by death. He feels almost cursed by his innate ability to kill, and he does struggle quite a lot with his internal mental health and what it would mean if he just ended it all. He is a man of very few words, but I think this is because no one has ever really taken the time to know him and treat him as a person, except for Elynor. With her, he is cute, compassionate, and considerate. This is the slowest of slow burns as we haven't yet seen the payoff but we know this is the direction they are heading.
I am going to pick up the second book when this comes out purely because of how beautiful the writing is. I think that Renee Dugan has done a fantastic job and written an elegantly captivating story.
I would recommend this book if you like:
▶ Beautiful Writing
▶ Strong Worldbuilding
▶ Mostly Character Driven Story
▶ Elements of a Journey
This is a 3rd-person narrative book that follows Elynor and Sharek. Elynor is a wealthy heiress who has just lost her father as he was recently murdered. She wants vengeance for this murder, so she hires Sharek to help accomplish this task. Sharek is one of the "Blessed", which means that he has an innate, almost magical skill to complete certain tasks/actions. Sharek is "Blessed" with killing. Thrust together in trying to achieve retribution, the two of them uncover an even bigger plot filled with political secrets, betrayals, and possibly war.
This book has all the elements I love in Fantasy. There is a slight dusting of romance plot (that is pretty tame and on the YA level as there isn't much steam/spice - yet). There are elements of a journey, fantastic, and phenomenal world-building that is rich with history, lore and religion. You can clearly feel how much care and planning Renee Dugan did to piece all these aspects together. This story does however feel like the foundation and it was missing that extra oomph it needed to tip into AMAZING. I felt it ended too soon as not much happens really in the plot. I am not too upset with this though as it seems like this book's focus is to introduce us to Elynor and Sharek, as very much of the book is character development.
Both of them are dealing with quite a lot of internal trauma that has brought them to the situation where they are now. Elynor is distraught, desperate and on her last resort. She doesn't know what she wants to do except punish the person who took the only person in her life away from her. She deals with the grief and the death of her father throughout the entire book. You can see that she's just a girl that's been pushed into this situation that she's not necessarily ready for. She is sometimes selfish, sometimes even irrational. She's quick to anger, but through contemplation and reflection on her actions, she does grow and shows promise. The development of how she starts to where she was at the end of the book was really beautiful.
Sharek is at the end of his rope. He is tired of being used and abused as nothing but a tool to death. He is tired of being shrouded by death. He feels almost cursed by his innate ability to kill, and he does struggle quite a lot with his internal mental health and what it would mean if he just ended it all. He is a man of very few words, but I think this is because no one has ever really taken the time to know him and treat him as a person, except for Elynor. With her, he is cute, compassionate, and considerate. This is the slowest of slow burns as we haven't yet seen the payoff but we know this is the direction they are heading.
I am going to pick up the second book when this comes out purely because of how beautiful the writing is. I think that Renee Dugan has done a fantastic job and written an elegantly captivating story.
I would recommend this book if you like:
▶ Beautiful Writing
▶ Strong Worldbuilding
▶ Mostly Character Driven Story
▶ Elements of a Journey
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Death of parent, Grief, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Slavery and Violence
Minor: War and Child death
kristinwritesanovel's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Slavery, Death, and Death of parent
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Child death
sbnita's review
adventurous
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
It was a fun light read for a fantasy. As usual, Renee's writing style blows my mind at times and it's very ebjoyable. The characters were easy enough to love and the premise was interesting.
It reminded me both if Fabel by Adrienne Young and Graceling by Kristin Cashore.
I missed what I've had with other books by Dugan I think, that love at first sight feel when I start reading her other stories, but I think lighthearted fantasy is a hard genre to come across and fitted perfectly there and in the easy to read category, too, so I'd recommend it :)
It reminded me both if Fabel by Adrienne Young and Graceling by Kristin Cashore.
I missed what I've had with other books by Dugan I think, that love at first sight feel when I start reading her other stories, but I think lighthearted fantasy is a hard genre to come across and fitted perfectly there and in the easy to read category, too, so I'd recommend it :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death of parent, Blood, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, and Violence
Minor: War and Slavery
asapadventuresbooks's review
adventurous
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Another amazing book by Renee Dugan. This one is in a very different setting but the world and idea of the magic and talents of people is astounding. I still cannot understand how she sets up such a rich and detailed world with such ease. Renee's books are perfectly paced and have characters you fall in love with. Elynor and Sharek have such an exciting adventure to continue and I cannot wait to devour these books as they come out. When this book is released make sure you read it!!!