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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Thankyou to the NerdFam and the author Amy Patrick for allowing me early access to this ARC!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book so much!
The character development is brilliant, between the crown princes and their growing infatuation with Raewyn, a helpless human girl who is trying to get by to support her family.
Stellon is the first in line to the throne after his father, and Pharis is the overlooked second born.. both wish they could reject their duties, and live and love freely but know this could never happen.
And then they meet Raewyn, who inspires so many different values and feelings within them.
I can’t wait until this book is out so I can buy a copy just to have as a trophy.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book so much!
The character development is brilliant, between the crown princes and their growing infatuation with Raewyn, a helpless human girl who is trying to get by to support her family.
Stellon is the first in line to the throne after his father, and Pharis is the overlooked second born.. both wish they could reject their duties, and live and love freely but know this could never happen.
And then they meet Raewyn, who inspires so many different values and feelings within them.
I can’t wait until this book is out so I can buy a copy just to have as a trophy.
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Just because there’s no spice doesn’t mean there isn’t tension. This is very near a bottle episode of a novel, with the FMC being confined to one room for a majority of the time. These close quarters are responsible for some real forced proximity, demanding that our characters communicate - which leads to some great growth for both of them! The setup for the next book is fantastic, and left me excited to see our FMC in new circumstances outside her confinement.
adventurous
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
first of all, i would like to give my thank you to netgalley and xpresso book tours for the arc. i appreciate it a lot.
i just wish i had liked this book better. ultimately, it comes down to the book not aligning with what i’m normally interested in. on the surface, with the blurb and genre, it should have been my cup of tea. however, upon further reading, i found more and more things that i just did not particularly enjoy.
before i get to that, i would like to affirm that i did like this author’s writing style. it’s not too simple that you’d think the book was written by a wattpad author, but it’s also complex enough without being too flowery and unreadable.
unfortunately, that’s about it. i didn’t like that raewynn and stellon’s relationship started out as a deception. i also hated that stellon didn’t recognize raewynn in her false glamour. it made me feel like his interest for her was false. aside from that, i was shocked that raewynn made a deal with the witch doctor without knowing exactly what she would have to do in return. i would have preferred it if she was properly tricked—that would imply that she was at least incompetent, but no. she just didn’t care enough to find out. moreover, i was appalled that despite raewynn making a deal to save her family out of desperation, she didn’t think of her family even once when she was sequestered with stellon for days.
in terms of stellon and raewynn’s romantic relationship, all i could think about was how shallow and vain it all was. there was no depth, no substance to it. they just decided one day, that they liked each other. what was most disappointing was stellon. he started out okay, and i could find myself liking him, but then his blasé outlook on his father essentially sexually assaulting drugged women in his harem was horrifying to see. i just couldn’t see him as a hero anymore.
as i’ve said before, i do like this author’s writing style. so while i might not continue with this series, i would love to read her other works—with different setting, characters and plot.
i just wish i had liked this book better. ultimately, it comes down to the book not aligning with what i’m normally interested in. on the surface, with the blurb and genre, it should have been my cup of tea. however, upon further reading, i found more and more things that i just did not particularly enjoy.
before i get to that, i would like to affirm that i did like this author’s writing style. it’s not too simple that you’d think the book was written by a wattpad author, but it’s also complex enough without being too flowery and unreadable.
unfortunately, that’s about it. i didn’t like that raewynn and stellon’s relationship started out as a deception. i also hated that stellon didn’t recognize raewynn in her false glamour. it made me feel like his interest for her was false. aside from that, i was shocked that raewynn made a deal with the witch doctor without knowing exactly what she would have to do in return. i would have preferred it if she was properly tricked—that would imply that she was at least incompetent, but no. she just didn’t care enough to find out. moreover, i was appalled that despite raewynn making a deal to save her family out of desperation, she didn’t think of her family even once when she was sequestered with stellon for days.
in terms of stellon and raewynn’s romantic relationship, all i could think about was how shallow and vain it all was. there was no depth, no substance to it. they just decided one day, that they liked each other. what was most disappointing was stellon. he started out okay, and i could find myself liking him, but then his blasé outlook on his father essentially sexually assaulting drugged women in his harem was horrifying to see. i just couldn’t see him as a hero anymore.
as i’ve said before, i do like this author’s writing style. so while i might not continue with this series, i would love to read her other works—with different setting, characters and plot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment
adventurous
mysterious
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
Thank you to The Nerd Fam for the gifted eARC. #acourtbrightandbroken #thenerdfam @thenerdfam. Raewyn is a human living in a fae-ruled land. She is the sole support for her father and two younger sisters. She meets the fae Crown Prince while at a market and saves him from a gang of thieves. Desperate to provide for her family, Raewyn makes a deal with a local Earthwife and is soon embroiled in fae drama. A very fun story. I will absolutely read the next one.
adventurous
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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:
Yes
I loved this Cinderella inspired, High Fae filled story. I loved how the story started off differently than what I think most readers of this genre are used to, which is usually the story opening from the FMC's POV; in this case we are introduced to the MMC, Stellon, right away. The FMC, Raewryn, is soon introduced in a way you think she will be a typical damsel in distress, but quickly proves she can think on her feet and prove her metal when the situation calls for it.
If a book is supposed to be dual POV, I usually expect/typically see the alternating POVs in a 3-1 ratio, FMC-MMC respectively. I appreciated this book being a true dual POV where the chapters alternated between the FMC and MMC each chapter; because this is more of a character driven story, having the dual POVs one right after the other really got into their respective developments as the story progressed.
And the ending! Oh my heart just broke knowing what will have to happen and what Stellon and Raewryn will have to endure in the sequel. Praying for them! </3
If a book is supposed to be dual POV, I usually expect/typically see the alternating POVs in a 3-1 ratio, FMC-MMC respectively. I appreciated this book being a true dual POV where the chapters alternated between the FMC and MMC each chapter; because this is more of a character driven story, having the dual POVs one right after the other really got into their respective developments as the story progressed.
And the ending! Oh my heart just broke knowing what will have to happen and what Stellon and Raewryn will have to endure in the sequel. Praying for them! </3
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
~Thank you to The Nerd Fam for the gifted eARC~ #acourtbrightandbroken #thenerdfam
~ I will try to keep spoilers to a minimum ~
A wonderful reimagining of a classic fairytale. New twists and turns abound! Amy Patrick did a wonderful job taking the framework of Cinderella and transforming it into her own spectacular blend of magic and drama. I devoured this book across two long reading sessions. I enjoyed the character development of the main cast. It left me wanting to know more about the Fae and the world. I will be waiting impatiently for the next installment so I may continue the journey. That cliffhanger ending undid me.
The book will be available on February 14 2025!
8/10; recommended for readers of romance, fantasy, magic, character driven narratives, drama, and fairy tales.
~ I will try to keep spoilers to a minimum ~
A wonderful reimagining of a classic fairytale. New twists and turns abound! Amy Patrick did a wonderful job taking the framework of Cinderella and transforming it into her own spectacular blend of magic and drama. I devoured this book across two long reading sessions. I enjoyed the character development of the main cast. It left me wanting to know more about the Fae and the world. I will be waiting impatiently for the next installment so I may continue the journey. That cliffhanger ending undid me.
The book will be available on February 14 2025!
8/10; recommended for readers of romance, fantasy, magic, character driven narratives, drama, and fairy tales.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A Court of Bright and Broken is the newest romantasy novel to capture my interest and leave me wanting more.
This story has great characters, an intriguing plot, and world-building. Now, I'll be 100% honest, the beginning of the book was a little slow for me and it took me a while to really get into the story. But let me tell you, I am so glad I stuck with this book. Once it started going, I was hooked! A Court of Bright and Broken had a little bit of everything from hints of Cinderella to forbidden love, secrets, and betrayals. I was glued to the pages and could not wait to see how the story would unravel.
A Court of Bright and Broken is the first book in the Age of Fae Romantasy series and after that cliffhanger ending, I can't wait to get my hands on the next book.
*I was provided an ARC copy of this book via the publisher & NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review*
This story has great characters, an intriguing plot, and world-building. Now, I'll be 100% honest, the beginning of the book was a little slow for me and it took me a while to really get into the story. But let me tell you, I am so glad I stuck with this book. Once it started going, I was hooked! A Court of Bright and Broken had a little bit of everything from hints of Cinderella to forbidden love, secrets, and betrayals. I was glued to the pages and could not wait to see how the story would unravel.
A Court of Bright and Broken is the first book in the Age of Fae Romantasy series and after that cliffhanger ending, I can't wait to get my hands on the next book.
*I was provided an ARC copy of this book via the publisher & NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review*
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you NetGalley, Oxford South Press and the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review and opinion.
This book is a Cinderella retelling with Fae, witches and a kingdom ruled by a horrible leader. I really enjoyed the first half of the book. Unfortunately the second half is what lead to my lower rating. There was a lot of buildup in the beginning. The characters met in a fun way, the world was built in detail, I liked their back and forth banter.
But then the pace changed and it wasn't a smooth transition. After the first few chapters and setting up the plot, everything became a little wonky and too rushed. While I started liking the MMC, I was disgusted by his personality in the latter half of the book. He became flat, one dimensional and seemed to lack all common sense and personality, removing anything I liked about him in the beginning.
The ending of the book was action packed with a lot of fun elements leading into what will be the second book, but because of how much I ended up disliking the characters in the second half of the book, I won't be continuing with the series.
This book is a Cinderella retelling with Fae, witches and a kingdom ruled by a horrible leader. I really enjoyed the first half of the book. Unfortunately the second half is what lead to my lower rating. There was a lot of buildup in the beginning. The characters met in a fun way, the world was built in detail, I liked their back and forth banter.
But then the pace changed and it wasn't a smooth transition. After the first few chapters and setting up the plot, everything became a little wonky and too rushed. While I started liking the MMC, I was disgusted by his personality in the latter half of the book. He became flat, one dimensional and seemed to lack all common sense and personality, removing anything I liked about him in the beginning.
The ending of the book was action packed with a lot of fun elements leading into what will be the second book, but because of how much I ended up disliking the characters in the second half of the book, I won't be continuing with the series.
cinderella retelling - the pacing was a little funky, Stellons lack of common sense with the dual POV was frustrating at times, as was the really pushy almost sex scene that would have bonded them without her knowing. not my fav, but not bad