Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

The Curse of Saints by Kate Dramis

5 reviews

aseel_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark 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

2.75

I liked the enemies to lover aspect and there were some nice plot twists but overall the plot was a bit broken and confusing at times
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mattiedancer's review against another edition

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

4.25

Writing: 4⭐️/5 
Alright, the writing is above adequate. At times, it really pushes the characters and plot in a nice, even beautiful, way. I think there were a few moments where the writing fell a bit flat, but overall, I had few issues with the writing.

Characters: 4.5⭐️/5
**Spoilers Below**
Kind of split on this one. On one hand, the characters were incredibly rich and interesting. On the other, it fell a bit into the trope of near-teens being incredibly powerful quickly. Both main characters hold head positions in the kingdom and, at times, act incredibly childish in spite of such prestigious positions. However, the three main characters we follow were fairly well-fleshed and fascinating, making their little immaturities a small issue that I was ready to ignore/accept. I liked the relationship between the characters and how slowly it grew – though maybe that also carried on a bit too long. I did like the fact that the enemies portion of the enemies-to-lovers trope felt real and raw. I really believed that these two people would not love each other. 

Plot: 4.5⭐️/5 
I want to give the plot a better mark, but the beginning was a lot of convenience in order to get our characters into another country. It was nice to see everyone in their element originally, but, plot-wise, it felt a bit weird where the novel started. I liked the second half of the book a lot more. The stakes increased, the drama unfolded, and our slow-burn romance finally ignited. I will also say there were some twists and turns I wasn’t expecting, or didn’t really think would happen, and I loved not knowing anyone’s next move.

Who Should Read This Book? 
  • Fans of romance-fantasy novels
  • Fans of ACOTAR, TOG, Fourth Wing
  • Those looking for plot-first books that still provide a bit of spice 🌶️

Content Warnings? 
  • Sexual content, blood, violence, murder, death, death of parent, war, torture, kidnapping, grief, vomit

Post-Reading Rating:  5⭐️/5
I am ready to watch this girl burn the world. 

Final Rating: 4.25⭐️/5
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bookedandbusy's review against another edition

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adventurous tense 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? No

4.5

I really enjoyed this one. I didn’t find the world building to be too complicated or hard to follow, and I really loved the characters! That being said, I do feel like the storyline jumped around at times which was a bit confusing. But!! Other than that, absolutely fantastic book and I’ll be reading the second one! 
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soniajoy98's review

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adventurous 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? Yes

2.0

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miraclesnow's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful reflective sad 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? Yes

3.75

This story was unexpectedly cute and almost naive with its messages and I’m surprised with what Kate went with in how she handled a first novel in a fantasy series. Now cute isn’t a bad thing, but with the marketing for this book I thought it would be a bit… darker? For example, some of the tropes used here felt like they fell a bit short for the expectations I have for an adult novel and I would feel safe calling this new adult or even YA for experienced teenaged readers. The romance scenes truly felt like the only thing that was explicitly written for adults. Scenes like the traveling chapters are way too short and I feel like the pace of the story was artificially sped up before and after the main arc at
Rinnia
. And unfortunately I was not surprised at all when the twists in the story finally occurred. 

You can def tell this is a debut author by how all of these things are handled as an author still coming into their own, as some things felt a little surface level that should have had a bit more depth. Honestly I think if I had been told to focus on other parts of the story instead of what the marketing had advertised I would have been even more pleased with this book, but as is it wasn’t what I expected.

But I really like Aya, and to an extent Will. I also have hope Kate will develop her style and flavor of fantasy a bit more, and since the story ended at a point where almost anything could happen next, I do think there’s a lot to have hope for in the sequel.
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