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dianareadsalot's review
4.0
My rating of the book is a four star, and I really enjoyed reading it. However, despite the fact that the pacing was pretty slow, I never once thought "omg, I have to finish the book". I was pretty eager to read it and get to know the characters and see where the story was going to go. The last 100 pages were super easy for me to read as I thought the pace picked up , bit I'm sure I just became more invested in the story.
If you are okay with a slow but steady pace with some possible romance I fully recommend this book.
I plan on reading the next book in the series as soon as it's delivered.
If you are okay with a slow but steady pace with some possible romance I fully recommend this book.
I plan on reading the next book in the series as soon as it's delivered.
shelfportrait's review
4.0
The prologue got me hooked to the story. We get introduced to Rielle in such a vulnerable moment. We see it in a child's perspective of the kind of deeds she has done. Birth and Death in one scene. A brave escape.
The dual POVs were driving me insane by the 2nd half of the book. Just when things were going good, the POV switches. It's like having multiple cliffhangers. I was not a fan of the trials as it a tad overdone.
I liked Rielle more as a character in this book. Though I do think that will change in book 2. The Dread of Orline was pretty much dreadful in this book. She did redeem herself by the end of the book. However, in the first half it was clear that she had the choice to do the right thing. But she refused to take it. The way she justified herself was repetitive and annoying.
I do think it was quite strong as a first book with enough premise to keep me intrigued for the next one. While it was slow, each character seemed to have their own backstory and mystery which I can't wait to discover.
The dual POVs were driving me insane by the 2nd half of the book. Just when things were going good, the POV switches. It's like having multiple cliffhangers. I was not a fan of the trials as it a tad overdone.
I liked Rielle more as a character in this book. Though I do think that will change in book 2. The Dread of Orline was pretty much dreadful in this book. She did redeem herself by the end of the book. However, in the first half it was clear that she had the choice to do the right thing. But she refused to take it. The way she justified herself was repetitive and annoying.
I do think it was quite strong as a first book with enough premise to keep me intrigued for the next one. While it was slow, each character seemed to have their own backstory and mystery which I can't wait to discover.
christinahrdz's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
booksandprosecco's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
bookish_j_'s review
adventurous
dark
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? Yes
3.75
briars_books's review
2.0
Ughhhh this book frustrated me so much I can’t even begin to explain it to you. First of all, I started it way back in the beginning of June, so it took me the better part of four months to finish it. I was just so confused the whole time. It felt like we were given so much information, but I didn’t know what to do with it or how to connect it all together. I absolutely preferred Eliana’s chapters over Rielle’s. Tbh the only reason I’m not giving this 1⭐️ is because of Eliana and Simon. I loved the chemistry and I loved the banter and ughhh *chefs kiss*. The plot is okay, the world building is okay, I was just bored. I felt like Rielle’s trials were stupid, didn’t like that. I was confused the whole time whether we liked Corien or not. I just felt like so much happened, and yet I just didn’t care. There was nothing that gripped me and made me want to continue reading and devour the book in one sitting. Genuinely was about to DNF but only finished for the sake of Simon and Eliana. I’ll definitely read the rest of the series, just not anytime soon.
rays_reads's review against another edition
4.25
When I first started this book I knew almost nothing about it but man did it start off with a bang. You're telling me this books starts and ends with a war? AND IT HAS TWO FMCS?! Count me in! While the dual POVs could be somewhat confusing as the worlds they lived in were completely different it meant that I wasn't bored for too long. Some dual POVs really struggle to keep me interested as being set in the same world more often than not means I'm being fed the same info twice but seeing as our two FMCs are in different millenniums that means different characters, different scenarios, and different worlds so I loved the dual POVs.
I will say that Rielle's POV is a lot better than Eliana as its a bit more action packed but knowing where she'll end up makes me sad. Seeing a few reviews I came to know just how morally grey both FMCs will be and seeing Rielle getting turned into a villain makes me wonder just what happens to her to make her turn from the man and kingdom she desperately hoped to gain love from. Seeing her backstory it's not hard to see why she could turn out to be a villain but throughout the story you could see her trying so hard to be good and she's often very scared. Not of her powers, but of the people around her as she seems to be very insecure about peoples feeling (which is understandable considering her backstory again) and seems to think that people who love her could one day change their minds and completely hate her. And I don't think she's wrong in that fear as it could be applied to todays modern world in comparison to cancel culture... now while most public figures wouldn't cause a harm to the general public (I hope), people can go from loving them one day to absolutely despising them the next.
Then theirs Eliana's character. I kinda found her to be annoying at times... It felt like she was super inconsistent, killing people one minute then trying to save others in the next but I think that's the point. Not much went on in her POV (at least imo) at least in terms of getting stuff done but her POV was more of a self-discovery journey as we saw how often she had to fight against what she wanted to do with what she was trained to do. Towards the end of the book the author shows us how much she's grown by loss and the introduction of new characters as she begins to accept herself and finally get to the point of wanting to do something for the people and the country.
I loved this book and it was a whirlwind of emotions. Not to mention that spice scene was CRAZY... author is mad bold for putting that in. 😂😂😂
Overall rating: 4.25
P.S. I feel like this is book that would've thrived if the New Adult genre was official. This is perfect for older teens and young adults under 25.
I will say that Rielle's POV is a lot better than Eliana as its a bit more action packed but knowing where she'll end up makes me sad. Seeing a few reviews I came to know just how morally grey both FMCs will be and seeing Rielle getting turned into a villain makes me wonder just what happens to her to make her turn from the man and kingdom she desperately hoped to gain love from. Seeing her backstory it's not hard to see why she could turn out to be a villain but throughout the story you could see her trying so hard to be good and she's often very scared. Not of her powers, but of the people around her as she seems to be very insecure about peoples feeling (which is understandable considering her backstory again) and seems to think that people who love her could one day change their minds and completely hate her. And I don't think she's wrong in that fear as it could be applied to todays modern world in comparison to cancel culture... now while most public figures wouldn't cause a harm to the general public (I hope), people can go from loving them one day to absolutely despising them the next.
Then theirs Eliana's character. I kinda found her to be annoying at times... It felt like she was super inconsistent, killing people one minute then trying to save others in the next but I think that's the point. Not much went on in her POV (at least imo) at least in terms of getting stuff done but her POV was more of a self-discovery journey as we saw how often she had to fight against what she wanted to do with what she was trained to do. Towards the end of the book the author shows us how much she's grown by loss and the introduction of new characters as she begins to accept herself and finally get to the point of wanting to do something for the people and the country.
I loved this book and it was a whirlwind of emotions. Not to mention that spice scene was CRAZY... author is mad bold for putting that in. 😂😂😂
Overall rating: 4.25
P.S. I feel like this is book that would've thrived if the New Adult genre was official. This is perfect for older teens and young adults under 25.