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caszriel's review
3.0
Night Flower provides us with an account of Esladas and Kiya's first meeting and the meetings that transpired after. It's a tale of love despite what others claim and it hurts knowing the ending of Buried Heart then reading this.
chirson's review
3.0
Kate Elliott's writing is immensely readable and effortless, as usual. The story is well crafted and doesn't skirt the unpleasantness of the story - the beginning of Jessamy's parents is romantic, with flowers and language barrier, but it doesn't happen in vacuum but in a world that assumes that he will abuse her or that she is a prostitute, because that is what happens in such relationships and because he has power over her, regardless of how powerless he feels in general. And the way this develops in the actual novels is very thoughtful and clever (I just hope there's no happy ending and Esladas dies in one of the future books, I'm vindictive that way).
For me, the best thing was seeing the similarities between Kiya and her daughter. The worst - I just deeply, deeply dislike Esladas after reading Court of Fives. I don't care how much of a choice he did or didn't have, he abandoned and betrayed those who trusted him the most. I can't bring myself to care about his crush.
(And I can't help but notice the similarity between this story and the one in Black Wolves with regard to the "love-at-first-sight even though everyone says we shouldn't be together" aspect. And both guys being soldiers. Not a great way to buy me, apparently. Ugh, how I dislike that pairing in Black Wolves...)
For me, the best thing was seeing the similarities between Kiya and her daughter. The worst - I just deeply, deeply dislike Esladas after reading Court of Fives. I don't care how much of a choice he did or didn't have, he abandoned and betrayed those who trusted him the most. I can't bring myself to care about his crush.
(And I can't help but notice the similarity between this story and the one in Black Wolves with regard to the "love-at-first-sight even though everyone says we shouldn't be together" aspect. And both guys being soldiers. Not a great way to buy me, apparently. Ugh, how I dislike that pairing in Black Wolves...)
lphr3ads's review
5.0
Star-crossed first loves. the FEELS!
This novella was a nice addition to the Court of Fives universe. It was nice to see the world from Kiya and Esladas' POV. We see their first meeting and the beginnings of their relationship. It's sweet and genuine, but a cruel fist encircles my heart and squeezes because I know what is to become of them. *SPOILER ALERT* After reading Court of Fives, I had some doubts as to Esladas feelings towards Kiya. In a world where one is seen as a servant and the other, a master, it's hard to believe that they would last together. In this novella, it felt more like Esladas had a view of the world that danced to his tune. Arrogance of youth and the burning desire to rise o the top were some of the things I associate with Esladas. Despite knowing that an Efean woman and a Saorese man can never amount to anything in the eyes of the world, both Kiya and Esladas made the choice to be together. I would love to read more about their future trials as a couple in other novellas; if there are any. I'm going to go cry some more.
This novella was a nice addition to the Court of Fives universe. It was nice to see the world from Kiya and Esladas' POV. We see their first meeting and the beginnings of their relationship. It's sweet and genuine, but a cruel fist encircles my heart and squeezes because I know what is to become of them. *SPOILER ALERT* After reading Court of Fives, I had some doubts as to Esladas feelings towards Kiya. In a world where one is seen as a servant and the other, a master, it's hard to believe that they would last together. In this novella, it felt more like Esladas had a view of the world that danced to his tune. Arrogance of youth and the burning desire to rise o the top were some of the things I associate with Esladas. Despite knowing that an Efean woman and a Saorese man can never amount to anything in the eyes of the world, both Kiya and Esladas made the choice to be together. I would love to read more about their future trials as a couple in other novellas; if there are any. I'm going to go cry some more.
futurememory's review
4.0
Boy, does this make the events of Court of Fives even more bittersweet than I thought possible...
books_over_everything's review
4.0
I had the Court of Fives series sitting on my shelf at home for a while and I finally got around to reading the first book this week. If you've followed me for a while, you know I love a good companion novella and I love a villain backstory even more. Ok, Jess's father is not really a villain but he's definitely nobody's favorite. I really liked the idea of seeing a younger version of his character when he was idealistic and in love.
I thought this novella added a richness to the world Kate Elliott created and gave her a great vehicle to share more details about the world building. I also loved seeing a character that I didn't really like in a better light. I think it will help me view him differently in the subsequent sequels.
One thing I didn't love was the ending. If you've read the first book, you know how this story ends but I didn't like the vagueness of Night Flower's ending. I think a more hopeful ending would have been better.
I was already planning to keep reading but this novella sparked interest in a character that I wasn't crazy about. I am now even more excited to read the rest of the series to see how Jess's parent's story unfolds.
I thought this novella added a richness to the world Kate Elliott created and gave her a great vehicle to share more details about the world building. I also loved seeing a character that I didn't really like in a better light. I think it will help me view him differently in the subsequent sequels.
One thing I didn't love was the ending. If you've read the first book, you know how this story ends but I didn't like the vagueness of Night Flower's ending. I think a more hopeful ending would have been better.
I was already planning to keep reading but this novella sparked interest in a character that I wasn't crazy about. I am now even more excited to read the rest of the series to see how Jess's parent's story unfolds.
sideglancer's review
5.0
Star-crossed first loves. the FEELS!
This novella was a nice addition to the Court of Fives universe. It was nice to see the world from Kiya and Esladas' POV. We see their first meeting and the beginnings of their relationship. It's sweet and genuine, but a cruel fist encircles my heart and squeezes because I know what is to become of them. *SPOILER ALERT* After reading Court of Fives, I had some doubts as to Esladas feelings towards Kiya. In a world where one is seen as a servant and the other, a master, it's hard to believe that they would last together. In this novella, it felt more like Esladas had a view of the world that danced to his tune. Arrogance of youth and the burning desire to rise o the top were some of the things I associate with Esladas. Despite knowing that an Efean woman and a Saorese man can never amount to anything in the eyes of the world, both Kiya and Esladas made the choice to be together. I would love to read more about their future trials as a couple in other novellas; if there are any. I'm going to go cry some more.
This novella was a nice addition to the Court of Fives universe. It was nice to see the world from Kiya and Esladas' POV. We see their first meeting and the beginnings of their relationship. It's sweet and genuine, but a cruel fist encircles my heart and squeezes because I know what is to become of them. *SPOILER ALERT* After reading Court of Fives, I had some doubts as to Esladas feelings towards Kiya. In a world where one is seen as a servant and the other, a master, it's hard to believe that they would last together. In this novella, it felt more like Esladas had a view of the world that danced to his tune. Arrogance of youth and the burning desire to rise o the top were some of the things I associate with Esladas. Despite knowing that an Efean woman and a Saorese man can never amount to anything in the eyes of the world, both Kiya and Esladas made the choice to be together. I would love to read more about their future trials as a couple in other novellas; if there are any. I'm going to go cry some more.
jldyer's review
4.0
I like the idea of the story and the story itself, but the implementation, the writing, was a little clumsy.
tinkeringlibrarian's review
3.0
Weird, because the mom has no personality in Court of Fives, and then is suddenly an important revolutionary in Book 2. Elliott needs to pick one. Nice to see another side of Esladas though.
judith_reads's review
emotional
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0