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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
i really really liked this!
the balance between fantasy and romance was well executed; both elements feel just as important, making such a complex and well-written story.
will definitely be continuing the series ✨
the balance between fantasy and romance was well executed; both elements feel just as important, making such a complex and well-written story.
will definitely be continuing the series ✨
dark
tense
3.5 ⭐️
There were a lot of weird time jumps that just didn’t make sense in the story. I found it really hard to keep track. The progression of the romance felt a little clunky. I don’t know, I liked the world but the plot was extremely predictable.
There were a lot of weird time jumps that just didn’t make sense in the story. I found it really hard to keep track. The progression of the romance felt a little clunky. I don’t know, I liked the world but the plot was extremely predictable.
Man. I wanted to like this so much, I gave it so much leniency from the start and just rode the wave of "huh, that's an odd thing to say in a theoretically old world high fantasy setting" until I just couldn't anymore. I read the whole thing, no DNF here even though I most certainly will and absolutely have DNF'd books before, and I almost wish I had just quit about 2/3 of the way through!
Edit: I just wanted to emphasize that I was having so much fun for the first like, third of this book. So much promise, I thought it would get more fleshed out and that I would love this one. The premise is great! Execution? Well:
Let me get into some spoilers as to why I wish I hadn't read the ending, because good LORD the ending pissed me off, most of which have to do with not fulfilling ANY of the main driving forces of the story for our main characters:
- Leith's ENTIRE motivation was saving his family from starvation and poverty, and then like halfway through we find out they've just been dead this whole time and he's essentially been sending money to no one. And then when he finds out they were dead the whole time (like two fucking YEARS they have been dead, let me reiterate, he has been risking his life and sending money to NO ONE), he is upset very briefly, and then he gets over it!
That was his whole motivation! There's a section that's about him meeting with smugglers to bring them to the city! Wild to me that it would be such an important part of his story and his whole drive just for us to have the rug yanked and oops! They've been dead this whole tiiiiime! Zero fulfilling and emotional resolution to this. None.
- Maeve's main motivations were twofold: marry nobility so she can claim her crown, and then free her father. Okay, nice, awesome, except when both of these two things do finally happen, WE DON'T GET TO SEE THEM. We see not a millisecond of a wedding, or a coronation, or any sort of reunion with her only remaining father! Not a mote of it! I'm sorry, but when something is built to be the most important goal your FMC has and you don't follow through and give us more than just a passing mention of it coming to fruition, that is lazy. Purely lazy.
This is a trend in this book, telling us something has happened rather than letting us see that it happened. Some other instances:
- Grieving her entire dead household and destroyed home in an extremely under-described and passive way. Her entire family was slaughtered on page in some of the most descriptive and brutal ways, and we have to move on from that way too fast.
- Toso (my beloved) and the other estrellas who survived the attack! Maeve never is shown to reunite with them, even when we are told so many times that they were so important to her; and we see that Toso has somehow survived a brutal and violently described attack, and we're told he and the other surviving estrellas will be brought to the castle for healing, and yep! I guess we just assume they followed through and that Toso and the others lived? Because they are never mentioned again.
- Maeve and Leith's almost entire romance happened off page. We would just go to one of their POVs and get something like "we spent the most magical and world changing week together" and we don't see any of it, we just have to take their word for it. It makes the romance feel extremely flat and unfulfilled. I could not make myself care that they love each other.
Which I guess is my real gripe with this: I can forgive cringe writing to some degree, and weird pacing, and under-described settings and world building (to some degree!), but if I read this whole almost 500 page book and get to the end and want to chuck the book at the wall because nothing that was promised is resolved on page???
In the end, I'd rather have stopped about 2/3 of the way through, as I said, and just concocted my own ending.
The physical hardcover, for what it's worth, looks gorgeous on my shelf. I now consider it a trophy commemorating the time I was strong and didn't tear a book in half, and a stark reminder of why I tend to stay away from tiktok-algorithm-recommended romantasy.
This is the most measured review I could manage. The more I think on this the more angry I get. I finished this like a month ago, it took me that long to calm down even this much.
If you want to get in on this, go for it, I'm giving two stars because there were parts I did enjoy, setting aside some truly heinous dialogue and word choice. Had this been better fleshed out, I might love it. Alas. It remains just a shelf trophy.
Edit: I just wanted to emphasize that I was having so much fun for the first like, third of this book. So much promise, I thought it would get more fleshed out and that I would love this one. The premise is great! Execution? Well:
Let me get into some spoilers as to why I wish I hadn't read the ending, because good LORD the ending pissed me off, most of which have to do with not fulfilling ANY of the main driving forces of the story for our main characters:
- Leith's ENTIRE motivation was saving his family from starvation and poverty, and then like halfway through we find out they've just been dead this whole time and he's essentially been sending money to no one. And then when he finds out they were dead the whole time (like two fucking YEARS they have been dead, let me reiterate, he has been risking his life and sending money to NO ONE), he is upset very briefly, and then he gets over it!
That was his whole motivation! There's a section that's about him meeting with smugglers to bring them to the city! Wild to me that it would be such an important part of his story and his whole drive just for us to have the rug yanked and oops! They've been dead this whole tiiiiime! Zero fulfilling and emotional resolution to this. None.
- Maeve's main motivations were twofold: marry nobility so she can claim her crown, and then free her father. Okay, nice, awesome, except when both of these two things do finally happen, WE DON'T GET TO SEE THEM. We see not a millisecond of a wedding, or a coronation, or any sort of reunion with her only remaining father! Not a mote of it! I'm sorry, but when something is built to be the most important goal your FMC has and you don't follow through and give us more than just a passing mention of it coming to fruition, that is lazy. Purely lazy.
This is a trend in this book, telling us something has happened rather than letting us see that it happened. Some other instances:
- Grieving her entire dead household and destroyed home in an extremely under-described and passive way. Her entire family was slaughtered on page in some of the most descriptive and brutal ways, and we have to move on from that way too fast.
- Toso (my beloved) and the other estrellas who survived the attack! Maeve never is shown to reunite with them, even when we are told so many times that they were so important to her; and we see that Toso has somehow survived a brutal and violently described attack, and we're told he and the other surviving estrellas will be brought to the castle for healing, and yep! I guess we just assume they followed through and that Toso and the others lived? Because they are never mentioned again.
- Maeve and Leith's almost entire romance happened off page. We would just go to one of their POVs and get something like "we spent the most magical and world changing week together" and we don't see any of it, we just have to take their word for it. It makes the romance feel extremely flat and unfulfilled. I could not make myself care that they love each other.
Which I guess is my real gripe with this: I can forgive cringe writing to some degree, and weird pacing, and under-described settings and world building (to some degree!), but if I read this whole almost 500 page book and get to the end and want to chuck the book at the wall because nothing that was promised is resolved on page???
In the end, I'd rather have stopped about 2/3 of the way through, as I said, and just concocted my own ending.
The physical hardcover, for what it's worth, looks gorgeous on my shelf. I now consider it a trophy commemorating the time I was strong and didn't tear a book in half, and a stark reminder of why I tend to stay away from tiktok-algorithm-recommended romantasy.
This is the most measured review I could manage. The more I think on this the more angry I get. I finished this like a month ago, it took me that long to calm down even this much.
If you want to get in on this, go for it, I'm giving two stars because there were parts I did enjoy, setting aside some truly heinous dialogue and word choice. Had this been better fleshed out, I might love it. Alas. It remains just a shelf trophy.
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
started out really enjoying the author's writing and some of the quirky insults but the story itself was sub-par. I feel like the main female character could have solved everything on her own? why did we need a man?
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I had to get past the first 100pgs to like the book. Instant love connection but also so many relationships thrown at you in the first 100 pages it was hard for me to follow who was who and what their relationship was with the MFC. However there is a good twist towards the end and I overall enjoyed this book.
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Definitely read alllll the content warnings, the story is bloody and so many people die. It’s got a romance , but is mostly about corrupt powerful institutions crushing its own population! And killing the earth while they don’t! There’s some strong parallels to the real world… so prepare to be triggered!
The gladiator arena scenes will be nail biters in an adaptation. I think there’s going to be a second book about different characters, but I was really annoyed that there was no real epilogue that showed the characters who had suffered SO MUCH be happy.
The gladiator arena scenes will be nail biters in an adaptation. I think there’s going to be a second book about different characters, but I was really annoyed that there was no real epilogue that showed the characters who had suffered SO MUCH be happy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail