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breemanderson's review against another edition
5.0
holy cow. i get it now. i truly get the obsessiveness that everyone was showing over this book. i don’t even have words. 10 out of 5 stars.
i don’t even have a quote to put in this review bc there were just far too many. i made nearly 60 highlights throughout this book. kai and your witty way of words. man had me shook to my core, kicking my legs every time he spoke. the way this man loves is so intensely and full of purpose. he does everything with a reason, protects those he cares for to the best of his abilities. we need more book men like mister kai azer.
out girl paegyn, wow talk about resilient and an fmc with an attitude. sign me up everytime. i can’t say much about this girl without spoiling everything i read, just know she is badass, and so kind and fragile and i carry so much love, hate, and pity towards her.
if you love banter THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU.. THE BANTER WAS BANTERING. i ate this book up. im stuffed. full to the brim without the amount of conversation between our mmc and fmc. i think i could read this book another 50 and never get sick of it. holy cow it was undeniably amazing. i feel as though i went through the trials myself whilst reading this. i have my own proof of blood sweat and tears to show for trauma i just endured.
i don’t even have a quote to put in this review bc there were just far too many. i made nearly 60 highlights throughout this book. kai and your witty way of words. man had me shook to my core, kicking my legs every time he spoke. the way this man loves is so intensely and full of purpose. he does everything with a reason, protects those he cares for to the best of his abilities. we need more book men like mister kai azer.
out girl paegyn, wow talk about resilient and an fmc with an attitude. sign me up everytime. i can’t say much about this girl without spoiling everything i read, just know she is badass, and so kind and fragile and i carry so much love, hate, and pity towards her.
if you love banter THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU.. THE BANTER WAS BANTERING. i ate this book up. im stuffed. full to the brim without the amount of conversation between our mmc and fmc. i think i could read this book another 50 and never get sick of it. holy cow it was undeniably amazing. i feel as though i went through the trials myself whilst reading this. i have my own proof of blood sweat and tears to show for trauma i just endured.
gracehhicks's review against another edition
4.0
not gonna lie I stopped really reading at 300 and skimmed the rest. that’s what fable is for. sorry not sorry. putting in dnf pile but I did in fact finish it. the ending brought it to 4 stars for me. solid finale in my eyes.
readwithkhadidjah's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
kroffe's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Rating rounded up from 2.5.
With how highly this book is rated, I was surprised with how disappointed I am. This is pretty much a copy and paste of the hunger games but with a heavier focus on romance. There were way too many similarities between this and the hunger games so it made it extremely difficult to weigh this on its own.
The female main character is painfully helpless despite being described as strong and independent.
The romance feels so forced. It’s as though the author was trying too hard to make it seem angsty.
The word “darling” was used WAY too many times in an attempt to make the male main character seem like Mr. Tall dark and handsome. It did not translate well.
Between the similar plot to the hunger games and cringey characters, I just couldn’t get into this one. It felt very slow paced and unnecessarily 500 pages.
Despite the main plot being about these “trials” the characters have to go through, so little of the book is actually spent on those trials. Instead, it’s focused on a love triangle that doesn’t really feel like it has a foundation to be a romance at all.
With how highly this book is rated, I was surprised with how disappointed I am. This is pretty much a copy and paste of the hunger games but with a heavier focus on romance. There were way too many similarities between this and the hunger games so it made it extremely difficult to weigh this on its own.
The female main character is painfully helpless despite being described as strong and independent.
The romance feels so forced. It’s as though the author was trying too hard to make it seem angsty.
The word “darling” was used WAY too many times in an attempt to make the male main character seem like Mr. Tall dark and handsome. It did not translate well.
Between the similar plot to the hunger games and cringey characters, I just couldn’t get into this one. It felt very slow paced and unnecessarily 500 pages.
Despite the main plot being about these “trials” the characters have to go through, so little of the book is actually spent on those trials. Instead, it’s focused on a love triangle that doesn’t really feel like it has a foundation to be a romance at all.
nikimorr's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
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? No
4.0
Book Tok sold me on this book as it has many others. I love romantasy, but I am not normally interested in YA books. Adults far and wide said it’s worth it, and in many ways it is, but it is still very much YA in writing and story, often lacking in detail and maturity. However, the plot ends up making it worth it.
This story is set in a world where a disease (the Plague) led to some people getting powers/heightened senses, while others remained unchanged. It is told from multiple POVs - Paedyn is an “Ordinary,” homeless and living on the streets, barely surviving and hiding who she is (and her lack of power) while living in a world that has purged anyone that lacks powers. Kai is a Prince with the unique ability to use the powers of anyone around him, and who happens to hunt and kill those that are Ordinary. Their two worlds collide when they are thrown together for the Trials - a bloody set of tests on teenagers in honor of the purge that eradicated most of those that are Ordinary.
I almost fell disappointed. By the end of the first half of the book, I was struggling to want to pick it up. Although Paedyn and Kai had all the romantic tension and banter, I just was not sold on them as a couple or even as individuals. However, once the Trials actually started, I really began to enjoy the book. It is very reminiscent of The Hunger Games with youth fighting to the death for the entertainment of others. In many other ways, however, this book is unique, and I was drawn in to the plot, wanting to know what is next. I also began to cheer for Paedyn and Kai, buying into their romance more and more as they endured the Trials together. If you love forbidden romances and “touch her and die,” these tropes are heavy in this book.
Despite me initial disappointment, once the plot picked up, it is well worth the finish, and now I am excited to pick up the sequel.
I loved the ending, especially now that Kai is hunting Paedyn. Both have killed the other’s father, so you know there is a lot of conflict to come (although we all know that they will not be able to resist each other). There is so much potential to come!
This story is set in a world where a disease (the Plague) led to some people getting powers/heightened senses, while others remained unchanged. It is told from multiple POVs - Paedyn is an “Ordinary,” homeless and living on the streets, barely surviving and hiding who she is (and her lack of power) while living in a world that has purged anyone that lacks powers. Kai is a Prince with the unique ability to use the powers of anyone around him, and who happens to hunt and kill those that are Ordinary. Their two worlds collide when they are thrown together for the Trials - a bloody set of tests on teenagers in honor of the purge that eradicated most of those that are Ordinary.
I almost fell disappointed. By the end of the first half of the book, I was struggling to want to pick it up. Although Paedyn and Kai had all the romantic tension and banter, I just was not sold on them as a couple or even as individuals. However, once the Trials actually started, I really began to enjoy the book. It is very reminiscent of The Hunger Games with youth fighting to the death for the entertainment of others. In many other ways, however, this book is unique, and I was drawn in to the plot, wanting to know what is next. I also began to cheer for Paedyn and Kai, buying into their romance more and more as they endured the Trials together. If you love forbidden romances and “touch her and die,” these tropes are heavy in this book.
Despite me initial disappointment, once the plot picked up, it is well worth the finish, and now I am excited to pick up the sequel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, and Police brutality
jess1147's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
solblc's review
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
teresa_moon's review against another edition
4.0
Was this a literary masterpiece? No. Was it predictable? Yes. Did I enjoy every second? Yes… yes I did.
It’s an easy, enjoyable fantasy romance. I listened on audio and finished it in two days.
The plot is obvious hunger games vibes. The romance is flirty and sarcastic. The writing is very young and simple, but i actually liked that it was so easy to get through. Going to dive straight into Reckless now.
It’s an easy, enjoyable fantasy romance. I listened on audio and finished it in two days.
The plot is obvious hunger games vibes. The romance is flirty and sarcastic. The writing is very young and simple, but i actually liked that it was so easy to get through. Going to dive straight into Reckless now.
madelinemccoy's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
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
5.0
moppriecht's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
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? No
5.0