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emmaloho's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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
I couldn't tell you if this book was objectively good because it was so subjectively my taste I feel like I did drugs. I started lightly recommending it to people when I was maybe 20% through while making small talk about what we were all reading and by the time I got to about 75% plot was making me cry and I was wishing I could take it back because anyone who reads it now knows too much about me. irl friends if you're reading this please don't psychoanalyze me, my besties already read me to filth. It just really hits all those fantasies about someone good getting power, you know? Just a sad little guy but also everyone loves him bc he's actually a good person and therefore everything will work out in a way that was earnest enough to make me ache but not so obnoxious to ever make me cringe, although that threshold is of course different for everyone, and comes down to personal taste. For every emotional confrontation and conversation I was so right there along with the main character and his decisions, whereas normally I'm all but screaming at a book for someone to be say something else. Again, probably that's just me, or maybe Addison is just that good at writing compelling characters, but I'm the wrong person to ascertain the difference. The book was long but not dense, the narration captured my attention easily every time I picked it up, and the pacing never slouched, it never felt like a slog to get through a chapter and on to something more exciting. my only less emotional review was that all the names and titles were very hard to remember even with a good memory, so reading it on the ebook was great because I could search the characters name to see not only their blurb in the list of characters, but also where they've come up previously in the plot. 5/5 stars and I'm going back to therapy.
jrpgirlie's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
twistedneurotix's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
ladypants's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
4.0
Really lovely. Honestly a wonderful world of cort politics and a great fully flushed setting. So many names, but somehow it worked. My main complaint is that I wanted more of a story or a sequel. I just want more!
jordyfrombookclub's review against another edition
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I had fun listening to this book. I did find myself wishing for more plot about the world and fantasy elements, but that’s more preference than flaw. The only true flaw for me was that the climax did not sufficiently build. But this will be a great read for fans of political drama!
thehardcoverhabit's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
librarianryan's review against another edition
This book is a soft DNF. On a day when I couldn’t find an audiobook that fit this one did. This is an extremely long audiobook over 20 hours, and I did listen to approximately three. This story is about the offspring of a king, who has no chance of ever sitting on the throne and has been in isolation on the outskirts of the kingdom. They receive news that their father and all the older brothers have died which means they are now the monarch. All of that was very interesting and kept my attention. However, in listening to this audiobook the number of times they repeat the word “serenity” is annoying. I gather that this is a greeting both in welcoming and in leaving kind of like aloha, but it’s just odd. I can’t tell if this is a mistake, or purposeful. It is done so often it could almost become a drinking game. I was at the stage of the story when the main character is told they must take a wife to keep their nephews and younger siblings from killing them to take over the throne, that I stopped the audiobook and never went back. I was thoroughly enjoying this book, that I will probably read it in print because the story was good, but the narration was annoying.
bendomolena's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
It was fun to delve into such a thoroughly developed world. However, it was confusing keping track of who was who and at one point I gave up trying to make sense of every name and title. I do wish there was more plot as I really enjoyed the court intrigue. My gripes were sometimes it became long winded and ultimately the ending seemed lackluster. Would love more in this world though.
clairemar's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25