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lauraowen's review against another edition
challenging
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? Yes
4.0
j0nes's review against another edition
God, it just kept going. I really did start out enjoying the series, but there’s only so much beating up of the main characters I can take. These two will never catch a break. I think I’ve reached a point where i can no longer stomach a multi book romance, dark and tortured or otherwise. The twisty turny faerie stuff was fun. The agonizing will-they-won’t-they-will-they-die-will-they-live-will-they-decide-they-aren’t-good-for-each-other-then-get-together-anyway just really doesn’t do it for me anymore. Call me old fashioned, but if a character is going to suffer I need it too make more sense to the plot. First couple of books were great though. I think if you have more emotional stamina than me, you’ll love the series.
abrattebo's review against another edition
4.0
This book was everything I needed, but also want more.
Things I loved: I loved the continuing developing relationships of all the characters. I also feel that a lot of the emotions and thoughts Fortuna goes through are realistic in the way that if you stepped outside of the book and placed yourself in the same situation, you absolutely would have some of the same thoughts and feelings, which then makes her human and relatable. Personally, I’ve always been a big Laurie fan, so seeing more of him, learning about him, seeing the Seelie Court and it’s peoples, I was there for it! I loved seeing how Laurie went from being this weird invisible apparition looking over Collith, to truly and actively involved in Fortuna’s circle of loved ones. And then becoming more. I loved their struggle, still loving it. As a character he has so much depth and there’s still so much that hasn’t even been explored. I felt like this book’s plot was a bit more streamlines than the last few. And what I mean by that, is that oftentimes I felt pulled in too many directions during one book and it felt too confusing. I felt like this book is probably the first of the series where it seemed to stay more on target/track.
Things I didn’t love: I still feel like there’s some error with the timing of things. An example of this is when Belanor dies and Laurie is about to become King again, Mab shows up and whisks him off to his destiny, but before she does, she says that the counsels have already met, everything has already been planned, that Belanor’s death and the rumor of how it happened has already thoroughly spread thru the court… BUT HOW? It was a matter of the event taking place, and Fortuna walks upstairs to the porch for a few moments, and then everything is happening. What I was getting from that was that somehow in 10 minutes everything had happened? Even if it was 30 minutes, not all of that could have taken place. It was such a weird strong disconnect for me. These instance happen throughout all the books and I just wish the author was a bit more specific or mindful about her timelines/time frames.
Also, i do feel like oftentimes there are scenes that are just fluff that could be cutout to make the books a tad more streamlined. Or particular descriptions that make a chapter or a scene feel very wordy and make the experience of reading a little like trudging through the mud to get to the good stuff. With this series I do feel like I’m constantly persevering through the issues it does have just to get to the GOOD things, like seeing the characters on their journey.
For those who have read Zodiac Academy, the feeling is similar in the sense that there’s grammar and spelling mistakes, timeline issues, unnecessary scenes/descriptions, etc. BUT you keep reading because the overall story is intriguing and the characters are addicting.
Overall, will absolutely be continuing, and recommending to friends who aren’t picky about the above issues and just want to get lost in a story.
Things I loved: I loved the continuing developing relationships of all the characters. I also feel that a lot of the emotions and thoughts Fortuna goes through are realistic in the way that if you stepped outside of the book and placed yourself in the same situation, you absolutely would have some of the same thoughts and feelings, which then makes her human and relatable. Personally, I’ve always been a big Laurie fan, so seeing more of him, learning about him, seeing the Seelie Court and it’s peoples, I was there for it! I loved seeing how Laurie went from being this weird invisible apparition looking over Collith, to truly and actively involved in Fortuna’s circle of loved ones. And then becoming more. I loved their struggle, still loving it. As a character he has so much depth and there’s still so much that hasn’t even been explored. I felt like this book’s plot was a bit more streamlines than the last few. And what I mean by that, is that oftentimes I felt pulled in too many directions during one book and it felt too confusing. I felt like this book is probably the first of the series where it seemed to stay more on target/track.
Things I didn’t love: I still feel like there’s some error with the timing of things. An example of this is when Belanor dies and Laurie is about to become King again, Mab shows up and whisks him off to his destiny, but before she does, she says that the counsels have already met, everything has already been planned, that Belanor’s death and the rumor of how it happened has already thoroughly spread thru the court… BUT HOW? It was a matter of the event taking place, and Fortuna walks upstairs to the porch for a few moments, and then everything is happening. What I was getting from that was that somehow in 10 minutes everything had happened? Even if it was 30 minutes, not all of that could have taken place. It was such a weird strong disconnect for me. These instance happen throughout all the books and I just wish the author was a bit more specific or mindful about her timelines/time frames.
Also, i do feel like oftentimes there are scenes that are just fluff that could be cutout to make the books a tad more streamlined. Or particular descriptions that make a chapter or a scene feel very wordy and make the experience of reading a little like trudging through the mud to get to the good stuff. With this series I do feel like I’m constantly persevering through the issues it does have just to get to the GOOD things, like seeing the characters on their journey.
For those who have read Zodiac Academy, the feeling is similar in the sense that there’s grammar and spelling mistakes, timeline issues, unnecessary scenes/descriptions, etc. BUT you keep reading because the overall story is intriguing and the characters are addicting.
Overall, will absolutely be continuing, and recommending to friends who aren’t picky about the above issues and just want to get lost in a story.
meganmreads's review against another edition
4.0
I love this series so much. This book was quite the wild ride. It was long, but it was a good thing, at least in my opinion.
In this genre, I love that it’s not just a romance. Fortuna had to get herself out of trouble, make connections and friendships, and I feel like she has created a makeshift family for herself.
I have so many theories about how this will all end and I honestly don’t know how it will turn out, but I have been suspicious of just about every characters. Especially Ollie.. like.. who is that guy? What does that whole part of the book MEAN?!
Personally, as fun as I find Laurie to be, I’ve never been on his team. I prefer Collith for her because he balances her out and would choose her over everything in the end. (But personally, I find Laurie to be too much of a show off and I’m naturally skeptical of people like that.) I’m fully invested in figuring out who will win Fortuna’s heart in the end.
I absolutely love this story and I can’t wait to see how It all unfolds. The end was insane, but I felt like it was a much less heart wrenching cliffhanger than the previous books, which is good since the rest of the books aren’t out yet.
In this genre, I love that it’s not just a romance. Fortuna had to get herself out of trouble, make connections and friendships, and I feel like she has created a makeshift family for herself.
I have so many theories about how this will all end and I honestly don’t know how it will turn out, but I have been suspicious of just about every characters. Especially Ollie.. like.. who is that guy? What does that whole part of the book MEAN?!
Personally, as fun as I find Laurie to be, I’ve never been on his team. I prefer Collith for her because he balances her out and would choose her over everything in the end. (But personally, I find Laurie to be too much of a show off and I’m naturally skeptical of people like that.) I’m fully invested in figuring out who will win Fortuna’s heart in the end.
I absolutely love this story and I can’t wait to see how It all unfolds. The end was insane, but I felt like it was a much less heart wrenching cliffhanger than the previous books, which is good since the rest of the books aren’t out yet.
liadanblue's review against another edition
2.0
Look, I love this world. I love these characters, I really do. I just have such a love/ hate relationship with this series because I just cannot stand Fortuna. Any hope I had for her went out the window in this book. However; I did get some back the very last chapter. Literally the last chapter. If there’s ever a wrong decision or thought to make, you can bet your every penny she will make it. This entire book was just a woe is me sob fest for her. All the side characters we love so much are barely a blip in the book. I missed them.
I will get a lot of hate for saying this but I’m a Colith Stan for life. I do also love Laurie, though. In my perfect world, Fortuna must sacrifice herself for something and Colith and Laurie ride off into the sunset together (maybe even combine courts).
The only reason I keep coming back to this series is to see what happens to the rest of the supportive characters. I am intrigued to see how things play out with that cliffhanger…
I will get a lot of hate for saying this but I’m a Colith Stan for life. I do also love Laurie, though. In my perfect world, Fortuna must sacrifice herself for something and Colith and Laurie ride off into the sunset together (maybe even combine courts).
The only reason I keep coming back to this series is to see what happens to the rest of the supportive characters. I am intrigued to see how things play out with that cliffhanger…
lucypkeen's review against another edition
4.0
I really really love the Fortuna Sworn series. I am so glad to have a new fantasy romance series. This book (Book4) was SO GOOD. I would give it 4.5/5 stars. It is my favorite so far in the series. I did a ton of theory spiraling about it and had a great time. We learn SO MUCH in this story. I also found myself getting very frustrated a Fortuna and really wanting her to have a moment of reflection on her actions. She really is a morally grey character. We get to visit the Seelie court and learn about that, then spend a lot more time in the dreamscape battling Greek mythological monsters who are guarding Fortuna’s childhood memories. Also, Ollie steps up to be even more of a hero (but I am biased since I am team Oliver). Laurie (who I also love) and Fortuna finally have a relationship. Collith has some redemption. Then a new contender enters the chat and the book ends! This story was so dense. I really had to keep my thinking cap on and it never slowed down. I love that Kelsey is so good at keeping us guessing WHO the love interest will be. And we don’t know. I also really enjoyed how much lore was in this story. Kelsey has created a unique world that ties together various mythologies and lore and some original ideas too. Strongly recommend this series if you like fantasy romance stories.
jzeringue's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
3.75