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amandalachelle's review against another edition
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Animal cruelty, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Slavery, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Classism, Colonisation, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Torture, Violence, and Vomit
Moderate: Homophobia
livi_bunniesandbooks's review against another edition
slow-paced
3.0
I’m pretty sure this is gunna be a big review so buckle up
1) this book was hard to read for many reasons, the first being the writing. The writing was BEAUTIFUL, like ms Godwin has a way with words, but it was suuuuuuper wordy and while the pirate old time dialogue made the vibe of the book immaculate, it was also tedious and dense and yea very hard to read. Also it was a lot of internal dialogue and I’m more of a fast paced talking dialogue kinda gal, and it was also only 1 POV which I find frustrating as well.
2) holy fuck this book is DARK. Im torn between not liking the use of r*pe to move the story along but also it made the story way realistic cuz thats definitely what would have happened back then, ya know. I also didn’t like that while Bennett physical healing was discussed almost too much, the mental and emotional healing after living through almost three weeks of horrendous r*apes and torture wasn’t even discussed. How am I supposed to believe she went through what she went through and then just bounced back. No way.
3) this book was way too long in my opinion. The first 15% of the book was excellent and drew me in, the last 25% had me staying up all night trying to finish it, but HOLY COW the middle of that book took WWAAAAYYY too long. It was very slow, kinda confusing, and in no way did I believe the budding Romance between Ashley and Bennet (I wonder if that’s because it wasn’t dual POV and so I struggled with understanding Ashley’s character until near the end).
4) okay the last 25-30% of the book was WILD. Bennett could just not catch a break at all like oh my god. One bad thing after the next, and then just when you thought it was over, BOOM another hurt occurred like damnit.
5) I’m not sure I would call this book a spicy romance. In the order of what this book is it’s : pirates, dark, romance, spice, mmf. If that makes sense. And I know the king of libertines novella is where you get to understand the relationship between priest and Bennet but I think that kinda does a disservice to the rest of the book, because you don’t really get the undying unyielding love he has for her without reading that novella … idk kinda wild. And it’s definitely not smut, so please do not go into it thinking it is.
All in all I would say it’s a very unique book that yes I enjoyed the prirating of it all, even though the really dark aspects of the book were really fucked up and hard to read (I know that’s the point of dark romance, I’m not faulting the book for it, just saying) but I went in expecting more of a dark ROMANCE and was disappointed that a majority of the book was not that.
1) this book was hard to read for many reasons, the first being the writing. The writing was BEAUTIFUL, like ms Godwin has a way with words, but it was suuuuuuper wordy and while the pirate old time dialogue made the vibe of the book immaculate, it was also tedious and dense and yea very hard to read. Also it was a lot of internal dialogue and I’m more of a fast paced talking dialogue kinda gal, and it was also only 1 POV which I find frustrating as well.
2) holy fuck this book is DARK. Im torn between not liking the use of r*pe to move the story along but also it made the story way realistic cuz thats definitely what would have happened back then, ya know. I also didn’t like that while Bennett physical healing was discussed almost too much, the mental and emotional healing after living through almost three weeks of horrendous r*apes and torture wasn’t even discussed. How am I supposed to believe she went through what she went through and then just bounced back. No way.
3) this book was way too long in my opinion. The first 15% of the book was excellent and drew me in, the last 25% had me staying up all night trying to finish it, but HOLY COW the middle of that book took WWAAAAYYY too long. It was very slow, kinda confusing, and in no way did I believe the budding Romance between Ashley and Bennet (I wonder if that’s because it wasn’t dual POV and so I struggled with understanding Ashley’s character until near the end).
4) okay the last 25-30% of the book was WILD. Bennett could just not catch a break at all like oh my god. One bad thing after the next, and then just when you thought it was over, BOOM another hurt occurred like damnit.
5) I’m not sure I would call this book a spicy romance. In the order of what this book is it’s : pirates, dark, romance, spice, mmf. If that makes sense. And I know the king of libertines novella is where you get to understand the relationship between priest and Bennet but I think that kinda does a disservice to the rest of the book, because you don’t really get the undying unyielding love he has for her without reading that novella … idk kinda wild. And it’s definitely not smut, so please do not go into it thinking it is.
All in all I would say it’s a very unique book that yes I enjoyed the prirating of it all, even though the really dark aspects of the book were really fucked up and hard to read (I know that’s the point of dark romance, I’m not faulting the book for it, just saying) but I went in expecting more of a dark ROMANCE and was disappointed that a majority of the book was not that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Rape, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, and Violence
sophiesreadingjournal's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Rape, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Infidelity, Murder, and Slavery
Minor: Infertility and Homophobia
koistyfishy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-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? No
4.0
This was the first Adult Pirate Romance I have ever read and has been on my radar for quite a while. The only reason I had not yet picked it up was that I had heard that it was on the far side of Dark Romance and could be quite difficult to stomach for some readers. However, it remained niggling at the back of my mind, and since I have recently started exploring that avenue of romance I kept being drawn back to the whole "should I/shouldn't I" with regards to reading the book. My mind was almost made up for me when I saw Nenia Campbell was going to be doing a Buddy Read. It was almost like the stars aligned and the universe was screaming that I had to jump at the opportunity to join.
This book follows Bennett who has been raised by her mother to fit into the mold of a proper lady. We also find out pretty early on in the book that Bennett is the daughter of a very revered and famous Pirate. Bennett has a secret relationship with her father and absolutely adores him. She would do anything in the world for him and wants nothing more than to run away from her life and have adventures by his side. Unfortunately, Bennett's father is killed and her mother on the same day commits suicide; leaving a 14-year-old girl thrust into the pirate life, with nothing but a ship, a jade necklace, and a compass her father left her as her destiny.
I would describe the experience of reading this as "something"... I had a REALLY great time reading it, but it was also truly frustrating and agonizing but in a good way. Since this was a buddy read I couldn't read this in the manner I normally do - which is being solely dedicated to one book at a time, with no distractions, and no other side hustle books. BUT NOOOOOO - Nenia made me cheat, as to keep this buddy read fair for readers of various speeds - I could only read 50 AGONIZING pages a day. As luck would have it, those 50 pages would end ON EVERY "CLIFFHANGER" chapter imaginable.I am talking about when she was torturing Priest with oranges or when she was spying on a sexy naked commodore on balconies ...it was just mean!
I really enjoyed the setting of the book and how it felt really authentic to the history and culture of Pirates in the 1700s. I felt like I was on a ship right there with them and could tell this book was thoroughly researched by the descriptions, the terminology, the way illnesses and wounds are treated, and the general language and behavior of the pirates. Some parts of this history, culture and misogynistic treatment of women can be difficult to read. Pam Godwin did not shy away from making our girl Bennett suffer (in some cases I felt she might have suffered a little bit too much). But in some ways, it felt disgustingly raw and truthful, as the way she was treated is pretty much how I imagine bloodthirsty pirates to behave toward a beautiful half-naked woman.
I love Bennett, she is mostly everything you want to see in a FMC. She is fierce, strong-willed, a fighter, a survivor, and obviously godly beautiful. The way she is able to handle what comes at her is beyond admirable and is inspiring. She is a role model for her strength an willingness to survive all that is thrown at her. But she is also mildly annoying and insufferable at times. I still don't seem to understand why she ran from Priest just because he cheated on her. I get she was angry, but her reaction was childish and overly dramatic and I couldn't understand the motive or narrative behind why she was running (besides the whole needing it for the plot to actually happen I mean).
Ashley and Priest were both characters I absolutely loved. You need to fan a girl down when it comes to these two. Priest was smart, arrogant, cocky and a flirt of note. Ashley was poised, controlling, and commanding. I was rooting for both of them for Bennett as they both seemed to care for her, and would do anything for her - and in my mind, there was no way for this love triangle to resolve itself without one of them dying... Then the last 25% of the book happened and I docked a star for a few reasons.
Firstly I felt everything that had been built for Ashley's character was a lie. We went through quite a ride for the development of Ashley and Bennett's love to develop -but when he described the fact that he wanted her from the moment he saw her - the enemies-to-lovers part fizzled up and dried up and it went way too much into "disguised instalove" which is an instant turn off.
Secondly, the last 25% of the plot felt way way too convenient. I cannot count HOW MANY TIMES I rolled my eyes at the events in the end. The last bit also felt very drawn out, and it was almost like we got numerous epilogues that didn't need to be there. Ultimately I think the end could have wrapped up a lot quicker and a few of the scenes could have been removed.Bennett went from being raped on the Admiral's ship, to being captured and beaten to an inch of her life, and I believe the admiral part could have been removed whilst still having something quicker happen that could have brought our characters to the events of the Mutiny
Overall I would recommend this book if you like the following:
▹Love Triangles
▹Pirate Romance
▹Captor/Captive Romances
▹Dark Romance (in general)
BUT PLEASE PLEASE read the trigger warnings in this before you pick this up, because it does not glorify the life of a pirate and captive pirate at all
This book follows Bennett who has been raised by her mother to fit into the mold of a proper lady. We also find out pretty early on in the book that Bennett is the daughter of a very revered and famous Pirate. Bennett has a secret relationship with her father and absolutely adores him. She would do anything in the world for him and wants nothing more than to run away from her life and have adventures by his side. Unfortunately, Bennett's father is killed and her mother on the same day commits suicide; leaving a 14-year-old girl thrust into the pirate life, with nothing but a ship, a jade necklace, and a compass her father left her as her destiny.
I would describe the experience of reading this as "something"... I had a REALLY great time reading it, but it was also truly frustrating and agonizing but in a good way. Since this was a buddy read I couldn't read this in the manner I normally do - which is being solely dedicated to one book at a time, with no distractions, and no other side hustle books. BUT NOOOOOO - Nenia made me cheat, as to keep this buddy read fair for readers of various speeds - I could only read 50 AGONIZING pages a day. As luck would have it, those 50 pages would end ON EVERY "CLIFFHANGER" chapter imaginable.
I really enjoyed the setting of the book and how it felt really authentic to the history and culture of Pirates in the 1700s. I felt like I was on a ship right there with them and could tell this book was thoroughly researched by the descriptions, the terminology, the way illnesses and wounds are treated, and the general language and behavior of the pirates. Some parts of this history, culture and misogynistic treatment of women can be difficult to read. Pam Godwin did not shy away from making our girl Bennett suffer (in some cases I felt she might have suffered a little bit too much). But in some ways, it felt disgustingly raw and truthful, as the way she was treated is pretty much how I imagine bloodthirsty pirates to behave toward a beautiful half-naked woman.
I love Bennett, she is mostly everything you want to see in a FMC. She is fierce, strong-willed, a fighter, a survivor, and obviously godly beautiful. The way she is able to handle what comes at her is beyond admirable and is inspiring. She is a role model for her strength an willingness to survive all that is thrown at her. But she is also mildly annoying and insufferable at times. I still don't seem to understand why she ran from Priest just because he cheated on her. I get she was angry, but her reaction was childish and overly dramatic and I couldn't understand the motive or narrative behind why she was running (besides the whole needing it for the plot to actually happen I mean).
Ashley and Priest were both characters I absolutely loved. You need to fan a girl down when it comes to these two. Priest was smart, arrogant, cocky and a flirt of note. Ashley was poised, controlling, and commanding. I was rooting for both of them for Bennett as they both seemed to care for her, and would do anything for her - and in my mind, there was no way for this love triangle to resolve itself without one of them dying... Then the last 25% of the book happened and I docked a star for a few reasons.
Firstly I felt everything that had been built for Ashley's character was a lie. We went through quite a ride for the development of Ashley and Bennett's love to develop -
Secondly, the last 25% of the plot felt way way too convenient. I cannot count HOW MANY TIMES I rolled my eyes at the events in the end. The last bit also felt very drawn out, and it was almost like we got numerous epilogues that didn't need to be there. Ultimately I think the end could have wrapped up a lot quicker and a few of the scenes could have been removed.
Overall I would recommend this book if you like the following:
▹Love Triangles
▹Pirate Romance
▹Captor/Captive Romances
▹Dark Romance (in general)
BUT PLEASE PLEASE read the trigger warnings in this before you pick this up, because it does not glorify the life of a pirate and captive pirate at all
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Physical abuse, Confinement, Rape, Sexual violence, Death of parent, Violence, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Murder, Sexual content, Death, Torture, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Homophobia
macthekat's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Infidelity, Body horror, Homophobia, Rape, Murder, Sexual assault, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Slavery
Minor: Suicide attempt
prologues_epilogues's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
slow-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
Literally the worst book ever written, don't waste your time reading something marketed as some cool pirate adventure story when it's just some disgusting r-pe fantasy, and the fetishization of queer men. No one in this book actually likes each other, they just like power and power dynamics.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Slavery, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Pedophilia, Death of parent, Confinement, Rape, Torture, Sexual assault, Suicide, Physical abuse, and Violence
lea_talisa's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
I love this so much.
Historical fiction isn’t something I read a lot but let me tell you it was just that good. This is like Pirates of the Caribbean with kind of a love triangle and way more explicit scenes (sexual as well as torturing ones). So please check the trigger warnings on this one !
At 8% of the story (attempted) rape made me reconsider continuing but I pushed through and I was absolutely captured by the book.
After the first half I was very very conflicted about this story. I love the setting and everything. But it hurt my heart to read some of those sex or rather rape scenes.
As problematic as this is for me, the story was still captivating and fortunately I continued reading.
I like Bennett’s character. She’s a strong and intelligent but savage female main character. She earned her respect and has everything it takes to lead but she also has a vulnerable side.
Some quotes:
I couldn’t put this book down. Some parts made my heart ache and my stomach sick but it just felt so real and then there were the happy scenes full of hope, trust and love. This book broke my heart quite a few times but never failed to put it back together.
At about 75% I knew this book is going to be a highlight of mine. I just didn’t want this story to end and loved everything about it.
This book isn’t for the lighthearted or for those who are triggered by mostly rape but a lot of other points to. So this time really check the trigger warnings and be sure going into the book that it isn’t going to be pretty.
For everybody who can handle all the featured triggers you’re in for a ride and I hope with my whole heart that you will love this book as much as I did by the end.
Some more quotes:
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Child abuse, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Suicide, Death of parent, Rape, and Sexual content
Moderate: Confinement, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Slavery, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Suicide attempt, Trafficking, and Vomit
Minor: Pregnancy
my_corner_of_the_library's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
After my read of To Kill A Kingdom I found myself really craving a sexy, magical pirate story. I wanted Pirates of the Caribbean meets smut…that’s how I found this book, and oh boy…I DEVOURED EVERY PAGE.
Is this my favorite book of all time with absolutely no criticism? Not at all. But, did I love every page and did it fill my need for such a book? YES.
So what did I love? A strong, sassy, MC who is fierce and not afraid to be the badass she is. A tall dark and handsome love interest that is smooth talking with eyes for only our MC and will slay the world to get her back. A loyal crew that is more like friends that stand by our MC through the worst of times without question. A second love interest that is poised and beautiful that falls apart for no one else.
What didn’t I love? Well…
I hate talking bad about this book, but there were things I wasn’t a fan of. The biggest one would be Bennet’s time on the HMS Blitz. I was so looking forward to watching how Bennet navigated being part of ship that wasn’t hers and had such a different culture, but instead we spent literally the entire time in the bedroom obsessing over sex. Now I am as horny as the next smut reader, but it just seemed like too much and really started to feel repetitive and like I was missing out on any plot during that time.
Also…I understand this was a smutty book, and I went into it with the expectations of there being a lot…but the entire plot revolved around sex, and by the end it started to feel like too much. How is it possible that throughout the entire time of this book and every situation Bennet found herself in the one and only focus and solution to any problem was sex?
Need information? Seduce, repeatedly.
Get captured? Immediate SA attempt.
Saved from SA attempt and need an escape plan? Seduce
Taken to another ship? Repeatedly assaulted.
Saved from ship? Reward with sex.
Need another escape plan? Sex.
And that’s like…only half the book. I just felt that there could have been some other focus in the book instead of everything revolving around sex.
Is this my favorite book of all time with absolutely no criticism? Not at all. But, did I love every page and did it fill my need for such a book? YES.
So what did I love? A strong, sassy, MC who is fierce and not afraid to be the badass she is. A tall dark and handsome love interest that is smooth talking with eyes for only our MC and will slay the world to get her back. A loyal crew that is more like friends that stand by our MC through the worst of times without question. A second love interest that is poised and beautiful that falls apart for no one else.
What didn’t I love? Well…
I hate talking bad about this book, but there were things I wasn’t a fan of. The biggest one would be Bennet’s time on the HMS Blitz. I was so looking forward to watching how Bennet navigated being part of ship that wasn’t hers and had such a different culture, but instead we spent literally the entire time in the bedroom obsessing over sex. Now I am as horny as the next smut reader, but it just seemed like too much and really started to feel repetitive and like I was missing out on any plot during that time.
Also…I understand this was a smutty book, and I went into it with the expectations of there being a lot…but the entire plot revolved around sex, and by the end it started to feel like too much. How is it possible that throughout the entire time of this book and every situation Bennet found herself in the one and only focus and solution to any problem was sex?
Need information? Seduce, repeatedly.
Get captured? Immediate SA attempt.
Saved from SA attempt and need an escape plan? Seduce
Taken to another ship? Repeatedly assaulted.
Saved from ship? Reward with sex.
Need another escape plan? Sex.
And that’s like…only half the book. I just felt that there could have been some other focus in the book instead of everything revolving around sex.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Death, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Blood, Rape, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Homophobia, and Trafficking
readyourbookshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Slavery, Homophobia, Violence, and Torture
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, and Suicide attempt
sniderbeebooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-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
** Changed from 4.0 to 5.0 stars for the unforgettable aspects of this incredible story.
The best thing about Sea of Ruin is the writing. Hands down. Pam Godwin's craft is simply breathtaking, especially the way her use of language changes based on the material she's writing, in this case, a historical romance.
I wish though, that the story contained more swoon-worthy, belly-melting goodness. There was some, however, the great majority of the book is about dark tribulations and obstacles, or about heartbreak.
This book is heavy, but it's so beautiful. It's not a story you read to enjoy or to be entertained. It is a story you read to have the experience.
The best thing about Sea of Ruin is the writing. Hands down. Pam Godwin's craft is simply breathtaking, especially the way her use of language changes based on the material she's writing, in this case, a historical romance.
I wish though, that the story contained more swoon-worthy, belly-melting goodness. There was some, however, the great majority of the book is about dark tribulations and obstacles, or about heartbreak.
This book is heavy, but it's so beautiful. It's not a story you read to enjoy or to be entertained. It is a story you read to have the experience.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, and Death of parent
Moderate: Homophobia and Infertility