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4.22 AVERAGE
4.22 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Whoa this was a fun read. Still processing everything, I think some parts of the plot confuse me, but the story is similar but also different to anything I've read before that I'm willing to keep going. I know that sounds odd, but it's exactly what im thinking. Interested to see where this goes!
I'm not quite sure how to rate this. The performance by Christian Leatherman was excellent, but the story was all over the place with lots of inconsistencies and even my high tolerance for angst was calling for Saffron to stop getting beaten up, tortured, and just generally injured. The first half was a bit of a mystery - I'd expected more to be made of the book 1 cliffhanger - in which Taran imprisons Saffron in the attic and forces him to wear a silver collar that prevents him from speaking, and tells Cylvan Saffron had been executed. But it doesn't - for some reason I couldn't work out Taran instead tells Cylvan Saffron is alive but his memories have been wiped. It didn't make sense to me and I admit, I was lost for a fair bit of the first half.
But it picked up in the second and things started to make more sense! I'll probably get the next one if it comes put in audio because despite the inconsistencies and the fact that Cylvan desperately needs to be more fleshed out as a character (and honestly, what was with his allowing Taran and Kaelar to treat Saffron so badly all the time?), I'm intrigued by where the story is heading.
But it picked up in the second and things started to make more sense! I'll probably get the next one if it comes put in audio because despite the inconsistencies and the fact that Cylvan desperately needs to be more fleshed out as a character (and honestly, what was with his allowing Taran and Kaelar to treat Saffron so badly all the time?), I'm intrigued by where the story is heading.
adventurous
challenging
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
A gorgeous sequel! Once you find out the reason behind the title, it’ll terrify and elate you at the same time. I loved learning more about the world alongside Saffron. Even knowing how these stories go, I was gasping at the edge of my seat. Trials, true names, magic, deals- it has everything a fairytale romance could need. Oh, and steamy love making to top it off.
Completely caught off guard by how much this book gripped me. I think I read this in basically an entire sitting. I was invested.
In many ways, reading this reminds me of what it was like when I read Harry Potter for the first time. I remember as a young reader being surprised to read about so many different scenes that felt less important to plot, but more about creating a fully realized world with creatures that exist naturally in it, with characters that give the story a sense of being a living, breathing, entity. Like how Harry gets to enjoy small pockets of joy within his experience in Hogwarts like with Christmas and going to Quidditch matches, there are scenes and pockets within the story that feel like I just get to exist in the world. The fact that I feel like I could sit within Alfidel and have an idea of where I could travel within that world is a rare experience nowadays. And there isn't even a map that goes with this story! Yet, it's somehow more real to me than even books with maps (almost makes me wonder if maps are used more often as a crutch in worldbuilding, perhaps I'll study that later).
And the even more beautiful thing is upon looking back, none of those scenes felt like a waste, and in fact pay off by the end of the book (except perhaps the sex scenes, but we all know why those are there and so are also exempt from being considered a 'waste'). I loved how everything built to the final moments with such a dramatic and satisfying ending. It's so well done.
The other aspect of this fully realized world is the characters. I haven't loved characters this much in such a long time. Saffron and Cylvan's dynamic is so engaging and entertaining to read. Not only are they just funny when they are around each other, they're also incredibly well-matched for each other and also I still think create enough friction to be interesting. I think about the popular romantasy books that are trending across the internet and I really didn't feel the chemistry between the main couples, and I often find them to be insufferable, but for some reason this series is different, and I don't know that I can properly place why. Perhaps is the humor, they honestly have made me giggle more times in a day then I've done with any book in the last year. And I feel as if I can confidently look forward to the next installment of this series with the expectation that they will continue to be just as - if not, more - lovely together.
Now, once again, these books are self-published which means that these books don't appear to go through quite as rigorous of editing as others. There are frequent sentences that perhaps need to be revised for grammatical errors. There is the occasional spelling error and so on. However, disagree with me if you wish, but I really don't see those things as much of a big deal as maybe other people would. Growing up with sites like fanfiction.net and A03 has desensitized me from perhaps a less than perfectly polished piece of literature. And I really feel like if you understood what the author meant even if it wasn't grammatically correct, then who cares? It's really only an issue if these mistakes hinder actually comprehending the story, which in this case, it didn't, so I'm not going to let that aspect reduce my experience.
In many ways, reading this reminds me of what it was like when I read Harry Potter for the first time. I remember as a young reader being surprised to read about so many different scenes that felt less important to plot, but more about creating a fully realized world with creatures that exist naturally in it, with characters that give the story a sense of being a living, breathing, entity. Like how Harry gets to enjoy small pockets of joy within his experience in Hogwarts like with Christmas and going to Quidditch matches, there are scenes and pockets within the story that feel like I just get to exist in the world. The fact that I feel like I could sit within Alfidel and have an idea of where I could travel within that world is a rare experience nowadays. And there isn't even a map that goes with this story! Yet, it's somehow more real to me than even books with maps (almost makes me wonder if maps are used more often as a crutch in worldbuilding, perhaps I'll study that later).
And the even more beautiful thing is upon looking back, none of those scenes felt like a waste, and in fact pay off by the end of the book (except perhaps the sex scenes, but we all know why those are there and so are also exempt from being considered a 'waste'). I loved how everything built to the final moments with such a dramatic and satisfying ending. It's so well done.
The other aspect of this fully realized world is the characters. I haven't loved characters this much in such a long time. Saffron and Cylvan's dynamic is so engaging and entertaining to read. Not only are they just funny when they are around each other, they're also incredibly well-matched for each other and also I still think create enough friction to be interesting. I think about the popular romantasy books that are trending across the internet and I really didn't feel the chemistry between the main couples, and I often find them to be insufferable, but for some reason this series is different, and I don't know that I can properly place why. Perhaps is the humor, they honestly have made me giggle more times in a day then I've done with any book in the last year. And I feel as if I can confidently look forward to the next installment of this series with the expectation that they will continue to be just as - if not, more - lovely together.
Now, once again, these books are self-published which means that these books don't appear to go through quite as rigorous of editing as others. There are frequent sentences that perhaps need to be revised for grammatical errors. There is the occasional spelling error and so on. However, disagree with me if you wish, but I really don't see those things as much of a big deal as maybe other people would. Growing up with sites like fanfiction.net and A03 has desensitized me from perhaps a less than perfectly polished piece of literature. And I really feel like if you understood what the author meant even if it wasn't grammatically correct, then who cares? It's really only an issue if these mistakes hinder actually comprehending the story, which in this case, it didn't, so I'm not going to let that aspect reduce my experience.
This was my first time ever getting an ARC, thank you so much Kellen Graves!
This story never had a dull moment.
Saffron continues to worm his way into my heart where Cylvan already lives.
These two characters have such an insane grip on me, I love them so much— The depth and dimension, the connection they have with one another, they’re written so well.
And the plot? The twists?
The everything?
*chefs kiss*
What a fantastic book!
This story never had a dull moment.
Saffron continues to worm his way into my heart where Cylvan already lives.
These two characters have such an insane grip on me, I love them so much— The depth and dimension, the connection they have with one another, they’re written so well.
And the plot? The twists?
The everything?
*chefs kiss*
What a fantastic book!
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Murder, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Blood
Moderate: Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Vomit
3.5/5
Hmmmm. I have mixed feelings on this one.
Let’s start with what I liked. I was really excited to return to the world of Saffron and Cylvan because I adored their love in the first book. We see some of that pining and want in the second book, but I guess I wanted more of it. Next, the smutty scene…. Damn does the author know how to write them. There’s only one in this book and honestly I need more. I also liked the development of our antagonists and the more interactions we get with them. It helped to round out the story entirely and I felt a smidge of sympathy for them.
Now my dislikes. Overall plot wise, I thought the continuation and the evolution of the story was done very well. There were times where I thought the pacing was just so slow though and had to drag myself through it. When I got to the last 75 pages of the book I started skimming because it became repetitive in terms of Saffrons thoughts and there was a lot of, what I found to be, unnecessary detail. Lastly, I feel like we kind of lost sight of Cylvan as a character from the first to the second book. The one thing I love about Cylvan is he is an ass to everyone else except for Saffron, and even at times he can be one to Saffron too. I wanted to see more of that.
Overall, I’m intrigued to see what happens with the new character introduced at the end of the book and what trials and challenges Saffron and Cylvan face in the third installment. It’s kind of giving ACOTAR vibes and I am excited to see where the author takes this story.
Hmmmm. I have mixed feelings on this one.
Let’s start with what I liked. I was really excited to return to the world of Saffron and Cylvan because I adored their love in the first book. We see some of that pining and want in the second book, but I guess I wanted more of it. Next, the smutty scene…. Damn does the author know how to write them. There’s only one in this book and honestly I need more. I also liked the development of our antagonists and the more interactions we get with them. It helped to round out the story entirely and I felt a smidge of sympathy for them.
Now my dislikes. Overall plot wise, I thought the continuation and the evolution of the story was done very well. There were times where I thought the pacing was just so slow though and had to drag myself through it. When I got to the last 75 pages of the book I started skimming because it became repetitive in terms of Saffrons thoughts and there was a lot of, what I found to be, unnecessary detail. Lastly, I feel like we kind of lost sight of Cylvan as a character from the first to the second book. The one thing I love about Cylvan is he is an ass to everyone else except for Saffron, and even at times he can be one to Saffron too. I wanted to see more of that.
Overall, I’m intrigued to see what happens with the new character introduced at the end of the book and what trials and challenges Saffron and Cylvan face in the third installment. It’s kind of giving ACOTAR vibes and I am excited to see where the author takes this story.