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arkenst0ne's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Police brutality, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Body horror, Blood, and Rape
ohkmurr's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I'd seen this series all over BookTok, so deciding to add it to my reading list was an easy decision—and I'm so glad I did. This story is so gripping; I could not put this book down and finished it in two days. The story is so fascinating and so high-stakes, and it had me on the end of my seat (and audibly reacting) the entire time.
I can't count the number of times this book blue-balled me with its slow burn romance. I said aloud multiple times: "Oh, come on!" But I still can't wait to see where the slow burn goes, because I know it's going to feel so satisfying when they finally get together.
Plus, two love triangles?! More like a sexy Venn diagram! I'm such a sucker for a will-they-won't-they, and this book gave me three of those at once. I was LIVING for it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, and Violence
The violence is best described as "Game of Thrones Lite," so take that as you will. Attempted/intended sexual assault.sincerelyabiblio's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Death, Murder, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Slavery, and Violence
Minor: Abortion, Suicide, and Child death
aseaoftomes's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I absolutely loved this.
This book follows our two main protagonists Laia, a slave and Elias a soldier at a prestigious academy as they both fight for freedom and saving their loved ones in different ways. All the while realizing that their lives are intertwined.
The writing was really immersive and sucks you in. It's incredibly vivid and gorgeous.
The plot was interesting. It dealt a lot with figuring out how far a person would go to save someone and for freedom. As I briefly mentioned above, Laia is a slave. The book starts with her watching several of her family members get killed and her brother kidnapped which makes Laia want to do everything possible to get him back. Elias is a soldier at a prestigious academy who just wants to be free. He hates everything he's made to do and is fighting a battle for freedom while also trying to live up to the expectations to those around him.
The world building was great as well. This takes place in an Ancient Roman like society and it was done in such a wonderful way. I love it when I read a book with this setting that actually focuses on what Roman culture was like rather than the things they did. But this also had a tribe aspect to it that I also loved. For a book of this size, the world building was rich, yet not bogged down. And I loved it.
Finally, the characters. Overall, I loved the characters, but there were times they all irritated me for different reasons. I loved Laia and her journey with the expectations to be like her family and ultimately finding her own way. I loved Elias' kind and loving nature. I loved watching his struggles unfold. And I loved the side characters, particularly Izzi, Cook and Helene. They were all great and I can't wait to see how their stories unfold more as the series goes on.
All in all, I loved this book and I can't wait to read book 2!
This book follows our two main protagonists Laia, a slave and Elias a soldier at a prestigious academy as they both fight for freedom and saving their loved ones in different ways. All the while realizing that their lives are intertwined.
The writing was really immersive and sucks you in. It's incredibly vivid and gorgeous.
The plot was interesting. It dealt a lot with figuring out how far a person would go to save someone and for freedom. As I briefly mentioned above, Laia is a slave. The book starts with her watching several of her family members get killed and her brother kidnapped which makes Laia want to do everything possible to get him back. Elias is a soldier at a prestigious academy who just wants to be free. He hates everything he's made to do and is fighting a battle for freedom while also trying to live up to the expectations to those around him.
The world building was great as well. This takes place in an Ancient Roman like society and it was done in such a wonderful way. I love it when I read a book with this setting that actually focuses on what Roman culture was like rather than the things they did. But this also had a tribe aspect to it that I also loved. For a book of this size, the world building was rich, yet not bogged down. And I loved it.
Finally, the characters. Overall, I loved the characters, but there were times they all irritated me for different reasons. I loved Laia and her journey with the expectations to be like her family and ultimately finding her own way. I loved Elias' kind and loving nature. I loved watching his struggles unfold. And I loved the side characters, particularly Izzi, Cook and Helene. They were all great and I can't wait to see how their stories unfold more as the series goes on.
All in all, I loved this book and I can't wait to read book 2!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Death, Grief, Sexual assault, and Torture
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