Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

A Kingdom of Stars and Shadows by Holly Renee

9 reviews

natashareadsbooks's review

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adventurous dark fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

So, I have been in a huge book slump for weeks & I have been picking up and putting down books - and even DNFing books trying to find something to hold my attention. 
I was recommended A Kingdom of Stars and Shadows. 
It follows Adara who is star blessed. But she cannot help but feel it is a curse. Her whole life she had been promised to one man, all because of the markings on her skin from birth, and her blood that will supposedly strengthen the power of whoever has it. Betrothed to the Crowned Fae Prince. But that was never a life she wanted. 
And it didn't help that she had feelings for another. The Fae Prince's brother and Captain of the guard. 
Torn between her duty and her desires - she must decide what fate she may survive. And if she chooses wrong it's more than just the kingdom that will crumble - but her heart too. 
So this is a fantasy world of fae and magic. It is a short, quick read- that immediately throws you into this dark and magical world. It is not heavy on the world building, but does have strong, resilient characters. There is some plot that moves the story along - but it is mostly the characters & their desires. And there is definitely smut. 
I would have loved a little more info into the magic & fantasy world, but overall it was a good read. It was a quick read that left you wanting more - more of the characters & to find out what happens next. 
4⭐ out of 5⭐. 
4🌶️ out of 5🌶️ - sex in detail throughout the book & is part of the plot 

Tropes: 
→ fantasy romance /romantasy 
→ enemies to lovers 
→ forced Proximity 
→ arranged marriage 
→ forbidden romance
→ love triangle 
→ one horse
→ touch her & 💀
→ shadow daddy 

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elskede's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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ashlynndr's review

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Good book. The Cliff hanger made me mad. Read if you like ACOTAR.
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margaret_k30's review

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dark fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Don't bother reading this. Apart from finding several typos, this book was also not well written. The characters were contradicting themselves at each turn. There was barely any plot and no development of actually personalities. The treatment of the main character is literally just abusive and there are no redeeming qualities to her either. 
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crinkledmochi's review

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adventurous dark fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

The inspiration for this is very obvious but was also somewhat entertaining so I didn’t mind I guess. 
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taylorvalerie's review

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A Kingdom of Stars and Shadows is a captivating and enchanting tale that seamlessly weaves together fantasy, romance, and adventure, leaving readers utterly spellbound. With its rich world-building, complex characters, and a plot brimming with twists and turns, this novel is an absolute must-read for fans of the genre.
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samantha_ellen's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75


I’m not sure where to start with this book… my first impression was correct, it’s a shorter book so we won’t see huge world building or character growth - but I wasn’t expecting a plot eerily similar to FBAA (which made nothing a surprise) & that fact that if you took out the spice you would be lucky to get 50 pages of plot.  
Once I got to the 20% mark & realised this though, I settled in for the ride & enjoyed the book as a whole. 

The redeeming factor is the spice itself. While there are some personal ick words I found the spice to be different in every scene & well done. 
It was *almost* dark romance in feeling between the two MC’s… but it was also *almost* erotica… it was *almost* a lot of things but not quite one thing. 

What I struggled with probably the most would be the character’s motivations. They were flip flopping constantly - which felt to me like they were underdeveloped, but at the same time they shouted everything at us so there was no mystery about who was what and what they wanted. 
It made for a straightforward AND confusing read. 

I would still recommend this book to someone who enjoys shorter fantasy romance story’s heavy on the spice. It’s a quick read but I’m not sure if I will continue with the series
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kiwifay's review

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adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Short and quick read to get you out of a reading slump. I like the idea of the book and thought it had great potential I would have liked to see more plot development instead of just the same thing over and again.
I loved Evren at the beginning right up until he just stood there and watched Gavril feed from her and did nothing to stop him. And all the lies and secrets I get he’s just met Adara and doesn’t owe her anything but she feels like she can trust him and he just blatantly broke her trust. And then again when they were attacked by the blood court. He could have just told her I understand why he didn’t. I really hope he redeems himself in the next book he has so much potential for the morally grey bad boy we all love
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rosegoes3's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes

3.0

Reminds me of “King of Battle and Blood” meets “The Inheritance Games” love triangle. Plot is pretty basic and ends on a cliffhanger. I felt like there wasn’t much character development and I wasn’t really attached to the main character enough to root for her 
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