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melrkernan's review
4.0
A storyline I've never heard!! It's giving forbidden love, totalitarian government, daddy (and mommy?) issues, drug addiction, sibling rivalry, independent female protagonist. We're here for it. What a debut from Pyne!! I want more people to hear about this book!! Can't wait for the second installment!
rosered_reading's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Didn't really care about or believe the romance in this, but all the family dynamics were really engaging. I enjoyed her interactions with Azaria way more than with Pyrrhus tbh.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Physical abuse, and Death
professorhelmkenreads's review
5.0
Favorite quote:
“Because I want to save you, Leda!” he said, and he looked disgusted with himself. “As if I’m a knight from a fairy tale and you’re a damsel in distress. I want to get you away from here, and cure your illness and keep you safe, away from Azaria and your father. But that is not how life works!” He let out a shuddering breath.”
In this story, the girl choses herself.
I absolutely adored this read, and am so thankful to BookSirens, the publisher, and the author for my advanced reader copy. I loved Leda and her character development throughout the book. This read could be a hidden gem but instead I'm going to shout from the rooftops about it to everyone who will listen. This is such a refreshing fantasy world that feels new and yet familiar and I'm hooked. When can I get my hands on the sequel?
“Because I want to save you, Leda!” he said, and he looked disgusted with himself. “As if I’m a knight from a fairy tale and you’re a damsel in distress. I want to get you away from here, and cure your illness and keep you safe, away from Azaria and your father. But that is not how life works!” He let out a shuddering breath.”
In this story, the girl choses herself.
I absolutely adored this read, and am so thankful to BookSirens, the publisher, and the author for my advanced reader copy. I loved Leda and her character development throughout the book. This read could be a hidden gem but instead I'm going to shout from the rooftops about it to everyone who will listen. This is such a refreshing fantasy world that feels new and yet familiar and I'm hooked. When can I get my hands on the sequel?
cpence2017's review
4.0
I received an advance review copy of this book for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This book shows so well how trauma can cause different reactions in different people. Leda is the daughter of one the king's mistress' and was paired with Azaria at birth, Azaria is the daughter of the king and queen.
Leda is Azaria's Counter Part, doomed to serve her half sister until Azaria become's the Kings favorite, at which time Azaria will kill Leda with the ceremonial axe, as all of the counterparts before her have.
Azaria has a mean streak, she is a cruel, even to her whole siblings when she is angry, no one is safe. Leda has been planning a means of escape and was secretly taught how to read which is banned for all counterparts.
Leda needs to learn who she can and cannot trust and how trusting and letting her siblings or other palace staff get close to her will either save her or doom her even more quickly.
This ends on a good cliff hanger that leaves you wanting to know what happens next, but without getting frustrated that you do have to wait until the next book comes out.
This was a fun read and I look forward to seeing how the next book comes.
You can buy your copy Here: https://www.amazon.com/Counterpart-Gemdark-Dynasty-Ella-Pyne/dp/B0BVF7CH4P/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_1?crid=3USDNTR6IGU4B&keywords=ella+payne+counterpart&qid=1677258525&sprefix=ella+payne+counterpart%2Caps%2C223&sr=8-1-fkmr2
This book shows so well how trauma can cause different reactions in different people. Leda is the daughter of one the king's mistress' and was paired with Azaria at birth, Azaria is the daughter of the king and queen.
Leda is Azaria's Counter Part, doomed to serve her half sister until Azaria become's the Kings favorite, at which time Azaria will kill Leda with the ceremonial axe, as all of the counterparts before her have.
Azaria has a mean streak, she is a cruel, even to her whole siblings when she is angry, no one is safe. Leda has been planning a means of escape and was secretly taught how to read which is banned for all counterparts.
Leda needs to learn who she can and cannot trust and how trusting and letting her siblings or other palace staff get close to her will either save her or doom her even more quickly.
This ends on a good cliff hanger that leaves you wanting to know what happens next, but without getting frustrated that you do have to wait until the next book comes out.
This was a fun read and I look forward to seeing how the next book comes.
You can buy your copy Here: https://www.amazon.com/Counterpart-Gemdark-Dynasty-Ella-Pyne/dp/B0BVF7CH4P/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_1?crid=3USDNTR6IGU4B&keywords=ella+payne+counterpart&qid=1677258525&sprefix=ella+payne+counterpart%2Caps%2C223&sr=8-1-fkmr2
facebehindabook's review
4.0
I really liked the twist in this book about how children of the kings mistress' were born to be counterparts to his wives children. Though the story is told through the view of one of these counterparts you learn so much about the other children, royal and counterpart alike.
The eye opening fact that being royal doesn't keep you safe is also a great storyline that you get snippets of as you continue reading.
The only thing I disliked was that justice, vengeance or revenge call it what you ike wasn't served on a bloody, torturous plate, lol.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The eye opening fact that being royal doesn't keep you safe is also a great storyline that you get snippets of as you continue reading.
The only thing I disliked was that justice, vengeance or revenge call it what you ike wasn't served on a bloody, torturous plate, lol.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
mxyski's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
sarahyjackson's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Really, really enjoyed this one! Hunger Games is comped a lot but this is the closest I have come to a HG-esque political commentary. I thought the relationships: political, familial, romantic were all very well rendered and interesting! Super eager for the next in the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Addiction, Death, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Animal cruelty
tiombaby's review
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I was able to receive an ARC copy of this amazing book from Booksprout.
And I CANNOT stress how amazing it was. I was drawn in from the very first page. We meet Leda, who is a bastard to the king and we learn of the tragic happenings of her past, and the looming happening of her future. She is going to die, for she is a Counterpart to her sister Azaria. Leda must be killed by her sister as a sacrifice to the Gods. But as anyone in their right mind, she does not want this to happen.
And so we follow Leda as she plots and schemes to free herself from her death.
But what kept me hooked and helped me finish this book in less than 24 hours is Leda, her wit, the tragic tail of her siblings, and of course Pyrrhus. But also the writing style. It was so easy to fall into this world. Leda is an amazing heroine, Pyrrhus a smart yet swoon-worthy love interest, and I find myself liking Azaria a lot despite her violent whims.
The concept was so interest and executed beautifully. The story didn’t drag and kept a steady balance of building relationships and tension. The story was dark, but balanced the humor it threw in their very well.
I would happily spend another weekend devouring the book and will be desperately awaiting the second book.
Now, to close with my favorite line of the book: “They absolutely could not have this conversation while he was shirtless, because how dare he sit at a desk for most of every day and still have muscles like that?”
And I CANNOT stress how amazing it was. I was drawn in from the very first page. We meet Leda, who is a bastard to the king and we learn of the tragic happenings of her past, and the looming happening of her future. She is going to die, for she is a Counterpart to her sister Azaria. Leda must be killed by her sister as a sacrifice to the Gods. But as anyone in their right mind, she does not want this to happen.
And so we follow Leda as she plots and schemes to free herself from her death.
But what kept me hooked and helped me finish this book in less than 24 hours is Leda, her wit, the tragic tail of her siblings, and of course Pyrrhus. But also the writing style. It was so easy to fall into this world. Leda is an amazing heroine, Pyrrhus a smart yet swoon-worthy love interest, and I find myself liking Azaria a lot despite her violent whims.
The concept was so interest and executed beautifully. The story didn’t drag and kept a steady balance of building relationships and tension. The story was dark, but balanced the humor it threw in their very well.
I would happily spend another weekend devouring the book and will be desperately awaiting the second book.
Now, to close with my favorite line of the book: “They absolutely could not have this conversation while he was shirtless, because how dare he sit at a desk for most of every day and still have muscles like that?”
liafiles's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
3.5
counterpart has certainly helped me get out of my reading slump, the premise of it is quite intriguing and kept me on my toes. leda, the main character, is strong-willed to have the freedom she deserves til the end. the familial relationship between everyone was quite… something indeed (of course in a good way). azaria as an example, i never understood her properly. she’s aloof and never, ever showed her emotions, other than rage. although the worldbuilding, at least to me, is still in the works as the entire setting of which where the story is placed in, is in a palace. hopefully in future books it will be explored even more.
with how many characters there were, i only cared for only three of them: leda, azaria, and pyrrhus. i didn’t have any attachments to the other characters, only because they didn’t have much time in the story. i almost had an attachment to eber, but his dialogue with leda towards the end made me skeptical of him. i do admire elina though. for ambrose… no comment.
overall, the book is something i would definitely recommend. praise to the author for the well-written book, i’ll be waiting for the second installment.
prisoner_of_books's review
adventurous
challenging
tense
medium-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
4.25
"This man, with the most extensive vocabulary she'd ever heard, was struggling to form a sentence as he looked at her."
Read the blurb and tell me this doesn't sound so intriguing! I can tell you that it was exactly that! For a debut novel this author has done spectacularly well to deliver complex and morally grey characters like no other I've read about, combine that with some amazing slow burn forbidden love and a completely original and entertaining plot you've got yourself a really great read!
I finished this book in one day. It was so good! So original! I've never read anything like it before and found myself constantly wanting to learn more about the world, politics and characters.
I loved the plot! I am that type of person who loves a bit of trauma in characters and boy did the author provide that! Each character had their own backstory and corruption that shaped who they were. It left you guessing and was so hard to judge them because of how complex they were. I really did love each character even though they all had their flaws! I would definitely say that they were all morally grey. I was especially interested in Azaria! her character was so amazing and crazy that I just couldn't help but love her! Our FMC Leda was a strong character and I love how the circumstances she was in shaped her personality, and her interactions with Pyrrhus (forbidden love anyone?) I do wish we delved a little more into his character because I felt it was brushed over a little but I did love his personality.
The ending was actually perfect! It was bittersweet and left a lot of things to be fleshed out in the next book. It really made me realise how good bittersweet endings can be! I cannot wait for the next book and am excited to see where the author takes Leda's story next!
I received an advance review copy for free through BookSirens but I am leaving this review voluntarily and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read the blurb and tell me this doesn't sound so intriguing! I can tell you that it was exactly that! For a debut novel this author has done spectacularly well to deliver complex and morally grey characters like no other I've read about, combine that with some amazing slow burn forbidden love and a completely original and entertaining plot you've got yourself a really great read!
I finished this book in one day. It was so good! So original! I've never read anything like it before and found myself constantly wanting to learn more about the world, politics and characters.
I loved the plot! I am that type of person who loves a bit of trauma in characters and boy did the author provide that! Each character had their own backstory and corruption that shaped who they were. It left you guessing and was so hard to judge them because of how complex they were. I really did love each character even though they all had their flaws! I would definitely say that they were all morally grey. I was especially interested in Azaria! her character was so amazing and crazy that I just couldn't help but love her! Our FMC Leda was a strong character and I love how the circumstances she was in shaped her personality, and her interactions with Pyrrhus (forbidden love anyone?) I do wish we delved a little more into his character because I felt it was brushed over a little but I did love his personality.
The ending was actually perfect! It was bittersweet and left a lot of things to be fleshed out in the next book. It really made me realise how good bittersweet endings can be! I cannot wait for the next book and am excited to see where the author takes Leda's story next!
I received an advance review copy for free through BookSirens but I am leaving this review voluntarily and all thoughts and opinions are my own.