Reviews with content warning for Animal death - Three Kings

Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

booksthatburn's review

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

1.0

*I received a free review copy in exchange for an honest review of this book.

**My recommendation has been pulled based on issues with the author. The original text of the review remains below.

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Poignant and sensual by turns, THREE KINGS is the story of a fishing captain and a male witch who open their marriage to a selkie.

Ethan and Peter have been trying for a baby, but Ethan is worried he might be infertile as a result of the desperate magic he used to bring Peter back from the dead three years ago. When Peter brings home a dead seal, Ethan is convinced it’s actually a selkie and brings it back to life as well. It turns out Ethan was right, and as Nico recovers in their care, the three of them start bonding.

I enjoyed this! It’s fully able to stand alone, though I would be interested in more stories in this setting or with these characters. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I like it even though it deals with a topic (fertility) that I normally have zero interest in.

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birdieex's review against another edition

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fast-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

3.0

Magic and polyamory roped me in, but this story unfortunately just fell a little flat for me. There was a lot of smut, which isn't something I mind, but not what I ultimately expected picking up the book. I was hoping for a bit more build up. However, I understand it's only 150 pages.

The relationship happened in a matter of days which felt incredibly rushed for me.

The progression of monogamous to questioning opening the relationship to actually opening happening so quickly was jarring, especially considering it wasn't being thought about until they even met Nico.

Decisions like that typically aren't made on a whim. Also their first time being together

was when they were all accidentally drugged, which felt kind of yuck. None of them were in the right headspace to consider everything properly.

Nonetheless, the vibes of the town was indeed cozy, and I loved the atmosphere. I just couldn't get behind pacing.

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autumnwitch14's review against another edition

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hopeful 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

3.5

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beanaroni's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing fast-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

due to the evidence that has surfaced regarding freydis' abusive behavior and fraudulent identity, I do not recommend their work.

more information can be found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VDvDujeoisTBddhXYaWGi-8V0EUdFZ5Uc00f4tnWpSY/edit?pli=1

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shereadytoread's review

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emotional

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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anindistinctaccountant's review

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emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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wardenred's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

It was strange, sharing the silence with a man who’d always fit into his life like an organ, and a man who’d wandered into their home like a leak or a bear—capable of causing invisible damage or very real, very visible problems.

I very much loved the prose and the vibes here. In many ways, it's like the ultimate cozy/cottagecore book, with so many descriptions that really pulled me in. All the scenes involving cooking, gardening, just hanging out in the lighthouse during storms, going to town on errands, and such were so immersive and character-focused and didn't feel like fluff at all.

I also loved the witchiness that permeated every part of the story—even the ones that weren't centered around resurrection spells or healing salves. And speaking of those actual magic scenes, they were so well done! I particularly enjoyed how the beginning was at once all "yes, witchcraft and necromancy are absolutely real" and somewhat ambiguous. Ethan certainly brought the seal back to life, but is Ethan correct believing the resurrected seal is a selkie? Or is Peter correct in assuming it's merely an animal? Even with the blurb making it clear that yes, there's a selkie here, that ambiguity was still very strong and I loved what it added to the story.

Unfortunately, when it came to the romance—the thing I was reading for—I felt somewhat let down. I came in expecting a poly love story, and what I got didn't fully read like one. Before Nico even joined the narrative properly, there was so much focus on Ethan and Peter's "marriage in crisis" situation that I was already reading it as a "marriage in crisis" romance, rooting for them to figure things out and reaffirm their bond. And Nico, eventually, just felt like a tool they were using to bring back the spark, and not a full person of his own and a full participant of the relationship. Part of it came from this pacing issue I've mentioned, part of it, simply from how a lot of the early-ish interactions between of them were handled and how much everything was about Ethan and Peter and their family. I felt like the narrative tried to switch gears closer to the end, but it was too late in the story for me to truly buy it.

Still, loved the vibes, loved the trans rep, loved the little coastal town and all the tiny subplots about its residents. Definitely interested in checking out the author's other works!

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