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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
this book overall just felt very slow. i do like our characters for the most part and i enjoyed the relationship dynamics but i didn’t feel very connected to any of them. this + the fact there was very minimal plot and I wasn’t in love with the world building either made this a meh kinda read for me
Notes to self: Really good! 4.5 stars. Should have been longer. Great communication between the couple. Talking solves issues, novel concept in romances but this one is legit. Possibly worth reading the other books on the series, does seem it’ll be more pure fantasy going forward but worth checking out later.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
dark
emotional
funny
fast-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:
Yes
*3.5 Stars. This truly did have spots of greatness but the pacing seemed a little off to me.
(3.5) the romance was one of the sweetest and most intimate i’ve ever read, like brishen is top 10 fantasy men now he was perfect. even when he found her v ugly he was so respectful and caring to ildiko. which ik is basic human decency but it’s unheard of with men ok! their relationship CARRIED this book (as it should lol, the story definitely lacked plot + conflict). we’re really just following them around in their daily lives which got boring sometimes and that’s super weird for a fantasy! i won’t b reading the sequel just bc i feel like this story should’ve been left as a stand-alone with everything that went down. the world building was so-so, but the writing was pretty good; it felt as if the author put sm attention to every word and phrase - i had google on standby w the amount of words i didn’t know but it was cool, the language felt intentional to the world. so anyways yes! i liked this as a romance but not as a fantasy. oh and the smut?? girl i’m not even a smut reader fr but this is definitely the best i’ve read, like i was blushing and giggling and kicking my feet
“You find me ugly, don’t you?
Hideous, he said. A hag of a woman.
And you? You don't think me a handsome man?
Had you crawled out from under my bed when I was a child, I would have bludgeoned you to death with my father's mace.”
Ildiko, niece of the Gauri king and a human, is set into an arranged marriage with Brishen Khaskem, prince of the Kai and definitely not human, as a way to secure a trade alliance between the two kingdoms. This starts with a chance meeting before their wedding in the palace garden where the above dialogue occurs. I don't think I have read a story like this. An arranged marriage between two good people from different kingdoms who begin a wonderful friendship that slowly develops into more and has its challenges but is absent of the typical romantasy cliches and tropes.
“The Kai weren’t even human. An ancient, insular people who shunned the sun and swallowed the spirits of their dead, they were nothing like the Gauri or any other peoples Ildiko had ever encountered at court.”
“I will not shame you with my fear, Brishen,” she whispered against his neck. He sighed into her hair. “But I might shame you with mine, wife.”
This is a heavily character driven story set against a backdrop in a world on the brink of war. When they are first together there is no physical attraction and so the reader gets to explore and watch Ildiko and Brishen's hilarious teasing and banter with each other, their close kinship to protecting each other in this corrupt world, and an eventual companionship that turns romantic not due to lust but compatibility. Color me shocked because I didn't know this kind of relationship existed in fantasy any longer.
“The void is vast, like the sea at night and no land in sight. I’ll be the beacon.”
“She made him strong; she made him weak, and in that moment, she nearly put him on his knees.”
My only gripes, which are minimal, are that a few times we saw situations summarized and time jumps occur where I would have liked more time spent but it also did keep the book pace nice so maybe this was better. I also would have preferred more world exploration and plot building. We got tid bits and hints but I am in the camp of I prefer to get a chunk of it at the beginning to build a base and then it continues to be sprinkled within the remainder of the story. Based on how this book ended I think we will be getting a ton of that in the next book.
“We were unimportant, you and I. We weren’t supposed to mean anything to anyone.”
Hideous, he said. A hag of a woman.
And you? You don't think me a handsome man?
Had you crawled out from under my bed when I was a child, I would have bludgeoned you to death with my father's mace.”
Ildiko, niece of the Gauri king and a human, is set into an arranged marriage with Brishen Khaskem, prince of the Kai and definitely not human, as a way to secure a trade alliance between the two kingdoms. This starts with a chance meeting before their wedding in the palace garden where the above dialogue occurs. I don't think I have read a story like this. An arranged marriage between two good people from different kingdoms who begin a wonderful friendship that slowly develops into more and has its challenges but is absent of the typical romantasy cliches and tropes.
“The Kai weren’t even human. An ancient, insular people who shunned the sun and swallowed the spirits of their dead, they were nothing like the Gauri or any other peoples Ildiko had ever encountered at court.”
“I will not shame you with my fear, Brishen,” she whispered against his neck. He sighed into her hair. “But I might shame you with mine, wife.”
This is a heavily character driven story set against a backdrop in a world on the brink of war. When they are first together there is no physical attraction and so the reader gets to explore and watch Ildiko and Brishen's hilarious teasing and banter with each other, their close kinship to protecting each other in this corrupt world, and an eventual companionship that turns romantic not due to lust but compatibility. Color me shocked because I didn't know this kind of relationship existed in fantasy any longer.
“The void is vast, like the sea at night and no land in sight. I’ll be the beacon.”
“She made him strong; she made him weak, and in that moment, she nearly put him on his knees.”
My only gripes, which are minimal, are that a few times we saw situations summarized and time jumps occur where I would have liked more time spent but it also did keep the book pace nice so maybe this was better. I also would have preferred more world exploration and plot building. We got tid bits and hints but I am in the camp of I prefer to get a chunk of it at the beginning to build a base and then it continues to be sprinkled within the remainder of the story. Based on how this book ended I think we will be getting a ton of that in the next book.
“We were unimportant, you and I. We weren’t supposed to mean anything to anyone.”
Oh, my God! I don't even know what to say. I started this book thinking it would be a great little read, but it turned out to be so much more. I actually devoured it and I'm not ashamed of it.
I just loved the relationship building, the intensity, and the interaction between the two main characters. What can I say? I'm off to book number 2 :)
I just loved the relationship building, the intensity, and the interaction between the two main characters. What can I say? I'm off to book number 2 :)
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
I loved Ildiko and Brishen. Their straightforward and honest approach to building their relationship even though it was arranged, was lovely. And their physical repulsion to each other’s appearance growing into love and attraction was wholesome, and times hilarious.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
medium-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
A fun read, with reasonable, rational characters