Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.23 AVERAGE
4.23 AVERAGE
5 stars (even if it didn't start out that way...)
The first 20% of the book was honestly a little boring and a little unnecessary for me...BUT as soon as all the characters arrived at Oden's Ford, I was hooked! I loved the romance between Raisa and Han, even though I wish he would just find out who she really is already!! It's getting so frustrating. Although it's not like he's 100% honest either especially about his lineage...which makes me wonder if their union would result in a "mending" of sorts to counteract the "breaking" their ancestors created.
I was also happy to see Amon and Han form an alliance of sorts at the end. I don't know if this is exactly a "love triangle", but I actually like all the characters and their relationships, even though I support Han/Raisa 100%.
I absolutely hate Micah Bayer and wonder if he was partially based on Draco Malfoy. I cannot wait to see what happens next. This series is COMPLETELY addicting which is something much needed right now.
The first 20% of the book was honestly a little boring and a little unnecessary for me...BUT as soon as all the characters arrived at Oden's Ford, I was hooked! I loved the romance between Raisa and Han, even though I wish he would just find out who she really is already!! It's getting so frustrating. Although it's not like he's 100% honest either especially about his lineage...which makes me wonder if their union would result in a "mending" of sorts to counteract the "breaking" their ancestors created.
I was also happy to see Amon and Han form an alliance of sorts at the end. I don't know if this is exactly a "love triangle", but I actually like all the characters and their relationships, even though I support Han/Raisa 100%.
I absolutely hate Micah Bayer and wonder if he was partially based on Draco Malfoy. I cannot wait to see what happens next. This series is COMPLETELY addicting which is something much needed right now.
Two people from two very different backgrounds unite to stop a common threat in this action-packed series.
As part of the Beat The Blacklist Challenge over at NovelKnight, I decided to read a series languishing on my TBR pile. I choose the Seven Realms series as it's complete and available at my local library. I’ll be writing an overview of the series rather than a review of each book, but I will attempt to be as spoiler free as possible.
I just don't know what to say about these books. It was good, but not great. It was fun, but not enthralling. It was action-packed, but not thrilling. It had so many elements I usually enjoy in a fantasy romance, and yet it never truly captured my attention.
I can't really pinpoint my disappointment. The characters are well-developed, particularly Raisa. She had the best character growth, although Han's character moments were not bad either. The world-building, plot, and secondary characters are all unique and interesting. The pacing at times felt too rushed or too slow, particularly in the first novel. However, I can usually overlook pacing issues if the characters and setting pull me into the story.
Perhaps I just wasn't in the mood for a fantasy romance when I read the novels. So while I didn't really connect to the series, I don't think it's necessarily the series fault. I lay the blame completely on me.
tl;dr While I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as I anticipated, others interested in action-packed narrative with well-developed characters should enjoy it.
As part of the Beat The Blacklist Challenge over at NovelKnight, I decided to read a series languishing on my TBR pile. I choose the Seven Realms series as it's complete and available at my local library. I’ll be writing an overview of the series rather than a review of each book, but I will attempt to be as spoiler free as possible.
I just don't know what to say about these books. It was good, but not great. It was fun, but not enthralling. It was action-packed, but not thrilling. It had so many elements I usually enjoy in a fantasy romance, and yet it never truly captured my attention.
I can't really pinpoint my disappointment. The characters are well-developed, particularly Raisa. She had the best character growth, although Han's character moments were not bad either. The world-building, plot, and secondary characters are all unique and interesting. The pacing at times felt too rushed or too slow, particularly in the first novel. However, I can usually overlook pacing issues if the characters and setting pull me into the story.
Perhaps I just wasn't in the mood for a fantasy romance when I read the novels. So while I didn't really connect to the series, I don't think it's necessarily the series fault. I lay the blame completely on me.
tl;dr While I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as I anticipated, others interested in action-packed narrative with well-developed characters should enjoy it.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-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
it got better! however, still plagued with the vague similes, comparing emotions or events to things the reader doesn't know about. I mean, we get the general idea from context, but it is still obnoxious.
This is very similar to the first one, but better. It takes a bit for the two main stories to cross paths, and I feel like that works for this series when there’s so much going on in their lives separately.
The school setting was interesting, and it was a good change of pace from the first book. It felt like important things were always happening and I wasn’t just waiting for the story to start. I thought we’d be at the school for the whole book, but the journey to get there wasn’t glossed over. That was a good chunk of the beginning, and I thought it was done well. The training each character goes through felt believable too, and I liked that.
Raisa is still my favorite character, and I think she’s written with a lot of respect. She has so much potential to be a good queen that I can’t not root for her. She’s a good speaker, and her honesty and bravery win a lot of people over. She’s not left to be a damsel in distress, but her flaws and weaknesses aren’t ignored. She’s romantic but realistic, and she has understandable opinions on who she wants to be with vs. who she can marry. This sets up pretty good tension for the romance plot line because there are valid things keeping all of them from being together.
Cat still has a lot of prejudice maybe not against Dancer specifically but definitely against his people, and I wish we got a little more growth there. With the way it is, their friendship doesn’t feel great to me. That’s something I hope to see change in book three.
Dancer has more page space this time, and I like Dancer a lot now. I think he’s a great friend, he’s very reasonable, and I feel bad for him when crazy stuff happens. The only thing I don’t love about Dancer in this book is his romance because it all happens in the background, and if I’m gonna root for it, I wanna see that development.
The love triangle aspect is done well. I don’t feel like either guy is villainized, and both options are good for different reasons. Every character is shades of grey. I understand Amon’s perspective and his reactions are pretty fair. If I were Amon, and I didn’t know much about Han, I’d also be worried and upset. But I like that his behavior could be taken as justified or an indication that he’s not right for Raisa, depending on what side you’re on.
Micah is a good antagonist, and I dislike him very much. He’s not pure evil, and you get why he’s the way that he is, but he’s still bad. I think he tones it down around certain people so they (mostly Raisa) will sympathize with him more. I continue to hope he gets in trouble for that fire in the first book.
I thought we were going to get more answers about the mystery in Han’s story, but that was kinda silly to expect when we’re only halfway through the series and the mystery was just introduced. It’s interesting, and I like Han’s journey in this book.
There’s a scene with attempted sexual assault, and I don’t fully know how I feel about the aftermath of that. I don’t think it’s bad because things work out okay, but it’s not fresh in my mind anymore, so I can’t say for sure what I would’ve preferred.
Everything is sociopolitical but not boring. The ways magic and the relationships between countries, ethnic groups, and genders are portrayed are fully realized. I admire the world building in this series because it feels like the author knows this place so well, and she writes it realistically and diversely.
The school setting was interesting, and it was a good change of pace from the first book. It felt like important things were always happening and I wasn’t just waiting for the story to start. I thought we’d be at the school for the whole book, but the journey to get there wasn’t glossed over. That was a good chunk of the beginning, and I thought it was done well. The training each character goes through felt believable too, and I liked that.
Raisa is still my favorite character, and I think she’s written with a lot of respect. She has so much potential to be a good queen that I can’t not root for her. She’s a good speaker, and her honesty and bravery win a lot of people over. She’s not left to be a damsel in distress, but her flaws and weaknesses aren’t ignored. She’s romantic but realistic, and she has understandable opinions on who she wants to be with vs. who she can marry. This sets up pretty good tension for the romance plot line because there are valid things keeping all of them from being together.
Cat still has a lot of prejudice maybe not against Dancer specifically but definitely against his people, and I wish we got a little more growth there. With the way it is, their friendship doesn’t feel great to me. That’s something I hope to see change in book three.
Dancer has more page space this time, and I like Dancer a lot now. I think he’s a great friend, he’s very reasonable, and I feel bad for him when crazy stuff happens. The only thing I don’t love about Dancer in this book is his romance because it all happens in the background, and if I’m gonna root for it, I wanna see that development.
The love triangle aspect is done well. I don’t feel like either guy is villainized, and both options are good for different reasons. Every character is shades of grey. I understand Amon’s perspective and his reactions are pretty fair. If I were Amon, and I didn’t know much about Han, I’d also be worried and upset. But I like that his behavior could be taken as justified or an indication that he’s not right for Raisa, depending on what side you’re on.
Micah is a good antagonist, and I dislike him very much. He’s not pure evil, and you get why he’s the way that he is, but he’s still bad. I think he tones it down around certain people so they (mostly Raisa) will sympathize with him more. I continue to hope he gets in trouble for that fire in the first book.
I thought we were going to get more answers about the mystery in Han’s story, but that was kinda silly to expect when we’re only halfway through the series and the mystery was just introduced. It’s interesting, and I like Han’s journey in this book.
There’s a scene with attempted sexual assault, and I don’t fully know how I feel about the aftermath of that. I don’t think it’s bad because things work out okay, but it’s not fresh in my mind anymore, so I can’t say for sure what I would’ve preferred.
Everything is sociopolitical but not boring. The ways magic and the relationships between countries, ethnic groups, and genders are portrayed are fully realized. I admire the world building in this series because it feels like the author knows this place so well, and she writes it realistically and diversely.
Yaaaaaaaas
I'm so glad I decided to continue on with this series because, while The Demon King was kind of slow and info-dumpy, TEQ is where things go nuts. I loved wizard college a lot, I have a lot of feelings about a LOT OF PAIRINGS, everyone is making out and it's glorious. Han is the ultimate Mary Sue character but who cares I love him (even though he is an idiot.) Cat Tyburn for president and #RAISATHEROOF.
I'm so glad I decided to continue on with this series because, while The Demon King was kind of slow and info-dumpy, TEQ is where things go nuts. I loved wizard college a lot, I have a lot of feelings about a LOT OF PAIRINGS, everyone is making out and it's glorious. Han is the ultimate Mary Sue character but who cares I love him (even though he is an idiot.) Cat Tyburn for president and #RAISATHEROOF.
adventurous
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:
Complicated
Let's be real, okay? If I didn’t have to get up in 5 hours, I would dive in [b:The Gray Wolf Throne|9409469|The Gray Wolf Throne (Seven Realms, #3)|Cinda Williams Chima|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1312142235l/9409469._SY75_.jpg|14293500] RIGHT NOW.
“You couldn’t keep your mouth shut? I’m calling you Glitterhair from now on. Or Talksalot.”
I don’t know what is it with these books that keep me captivated and compelled to read more and more and more. The characters' growth is fantastic, my boy Han fascinating, the plot way more surprising but it still contains several tropes that I usually don't like - including an heroine who "loves" several boys, BUT for once in a way that I can accept and understand, and without the constant change of mind that drives me nuts. Also, is this really love? She's confused and unsure, and that makes her more believable than ever. Raisa might be flawed, but she keeps going whatever happens and doesn't let heartbreak go in her way. The girl has goals, and boys aren't going to change them.
Don't be afraid, though : the story does NOT focus on the romance at all, and the characters have responsibilities way more important than falling in love. Think betrayals, clans, wizard's rivalries, old charms... What's not to love?
Moreover, the secondary characters are fleshed-out and their actions do have impact on the story - Dancer, Kat, Micah, Fiona, Amon - they all add something interesting and none of them is wasted. Also, HAN. Just give me a break, okay? The guy is wicked and adorable at the same time, how can I resist? Torn between his thirst for power and revenge and the deals he made, our Han Alister evolves into someone I loved to follow. But above everything else, I love that none of the characters is either good or bad. GREY EVERYWHERE, I tell you.
The plot keeps thickening and promises a hell lot of action in the next two books, with all the threads linking together and the menace on all the characters' heads more and more present.
Anyway, off to bed I go, after these ramblings that may or may not be morphed into a real review tomorrow depending on my ability to restrain myself from reading book 3 (= closed to none). Oh hell. I'm addicted.
For more of my reviews, please visit:
adventurous
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