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cerviallacarica's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
scareads's review against another edition
5.0
I'm loving this series. While this one wasn't as action packed as book 2, it delved a lot deeper into the characters, specifically Malach who has been my favorite point of view character throughout the series. Needless to say, I loved that. Lezarius and Mikhail's stories were so much more complex, specifically Mikhail who had a lot more depth. To me, that made Alexei's character more relatable through their relationship.
Now, rarely is any book perfect, and this one did have a couple consistency errors that can be overlooked without the arc of the story being damaged. It did feel a shame that Nikola disappeared for a good third of the book. And that a couple minor plot points lacked the development that could have made them amazing. That said, I still believe it deserves a 5 ⭐ because at no point did I want to stop reading.
I'm looking forward to book 4!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Now, rarely is any book perfect, and this one did have a couple consistency errors that can be overlooked without the arc of the story being damaged. It did feel a shame that Nikola disappeared for a good third of the book. And that a couple minor plot points lacked the development that could have made them amazing. That said, I still believe it deserves a 5 ⭐ because at no point did I want to stop reading.
I'm looking forward to book 4!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
roxxie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
4.5
City of Keys (Nightmarked, #3) ♦ Kat Ross | Review
After City of Storms and City of Wolves, Kat Ross pulled me again in to her amazing Nightmarked series. It was fun meeting up again with Kasai, Alexei, Malach and Nikola.
City of Keys started kind of slow, which let the suspense of the whole plot grew piece by piece.
City of Keys ♦ Kat Ross
Opinion
I really would like to say a lot of great things about City of Keys, but I do not want to spoil anyone by giving away too much of the plot.
While all the characters follow their missions and while I was drawn into each of their paths Ross never gave me a chance to really be sure of who is the true antagonist or protagonist in this story. This kind of suspense and curiosity kept me glued to the pages. But nevertheless I kept guessing. There were a couple of moments in the plot, when I thought I am sure just to be tangled up in another twist. Magnificent.
Kat Ross‚ has a very artistic and scenic writing style, and her detailed described world rounds up the plot. Sometimes I felt a bit overwhelmed by all these words due to the fact that English is not my mother tongue. But her battle scenes are extremely spectacular, and they felt quite realistic. Her world building in the third installment isn’t as strong anymore as in the previous books. But that’s fine, because by now I kind of know my way around. But Ross‚ character development is strong and unique.
The flawed heroes, or villains, keep rising to their challenges were very fascinating. Kat Ross also gave a bit more clarity on the different magical systems like the Marks, the Cartomancy, the Alchemy, and the Lithomancy, but she never over explained and therefore ruined the plot. The political drama within the plot offered some twists and turns.
Conclusion
In the end I have to say, even though Ross provided more explanation on the magic of her world, I still feel a bit left in the dark. This did not diminish the joy I had reading City of Keys. Quite the opposite. Now I am very curious what the author will have in store for me in the next and final installment City of Dawn.
This review was first published at The Art of Reading.
fyreflifictionary's review against another edition
5.0
How does a story keep getting better and better, book after book? I don’t know but Kat Ross sure does. Let’s find out what’s happening to our motley crew.
Read if you like: Urban fantasy, dark fantasy, paranormal, dystopian, interesting magical systems, false utopia, government plots, mystery, multiple POV, searching for truth, slow burn, world-building, and complex characters.
All of our characters have been through so much and the close of City of Wolves leaves us with many paths to follow. Where will the ley guide them? How will they find the way back to each other? Because their destines have been shown in the cards… and everyone is needed in the coming war.
Balaur is on the run, surely somewhere he can keep his chaos spreading through the ley. Malach and Nikola are both imprisoned with no chance of escape. A new revelation drove a wedge between Kasia and Alexei. Time might be running out for Misha well as the rest of the Curia as The Black Sun rises to overthrow the church and install Balaur and his twisted rhetoric across the land. And across the sea, the witches sense that a time of great change is drawing near, if only everyone can continue to play their parts.
This book never had a dull moment. There was so much going on in terms of character development, relationships, plots, and more plots. We get to see more of this beautiful world and the history between the nations. We follow all our favorite characters and we get a few new faces joining the main cast. I’m so very happy with all the personal arcs. Whew, there was a lot to work through. And just when I thought everything was getting wrapped up and couldn’t possibly imagine what book 4 would be about… BAM! The rug gets pulled from under you and a million little things add up to big new problems. And I literally CAN NOT WAIT to see what happens next. There are going to be some forced dynamics that will no doubt be absolutely delicious. Drama buffet for one, please!
I will be stalking the ARC sites for City of Dawn… I can’t say enough about this series.
A HUGE, enormous thank you to Kat Ross and Booksirens for a free copy of this book for review.
Read if you like: Urban fantasy, dark fantasy, paranormal, dystopian, interesting magical systems, false utopia, government plots, mystery, multiple POV, searching for truth, slow burn, world-building, and complex characters.
All of our characters have been through so much and the close of City of Wolves leaves us with many paths to follow. Where will the ley guide them? How will they find the way back to each other? Because their destines have been shown in the cards… and everyone is needed in the coming war.
Balaur is on the run, surely somewhere he can keep his chaos spreading through the ley. Malach and Nikola are both imprisoned with no chance of escape. A new revelation drove a wedge between Kasia and Alexei. Time might be running out for Misha well as the rest of the Curia as The Black Sun rises to overthrow the church and install Balaur and his twisted rhetoric across the land. And across the sea, the witches sense that a time of great change is drawing near, if only everyone can continue to play their parts.
This book never had a dull moment. There was so much going on in terms of character development, relationships, plots, and more plots. We get to see more of this beautiful world and the history between the nations. We follow all our favorite characters and we get a few new faces joining the main cast. I’m so very happy with all the personal arcs. Whew, there was a lot to work through. And just when I thought everything was getting wrapped up and couldn’t possibly imagine what book 4 would be about… BAM! The rug gets pulled from under you and a million little things add up to big new problems. And I literally CAN NOT WAIT to see what happens next. There are going to be some forced dynamics that will no doubt be absolutely delicious. Drama buffet for one, please!
I will be stalking the ARC sites for City of Dawn… I can’t say enough about this series.
A HUGE, enormous thank you to Kat Ross and Booksirens for a free copy of this book for review.
bittersweetcritiques's review against another edition
5.0
*I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.*
Kat Ross never fails to surprise. Basically, at no point in this series have I known where we were headed. All of the main characters are wildly compelling, even when I can't stand them or their decisions. I found so much satisfaction in all the different paths finally merging. Book three is the perfect culmination of the past two books and setting the stage for the final installment. I absolutely cannot wait to see how it all ends and who will be the victor. Be prepared for bloodshed, tenuous alliances, endless twists, and constant betrayal in The Nightmarked Series.
Kat Ross never fails to surprise. Basically, at no point in this series have I known where we were headed. All of the main characters are wildly compelling, even when I can't stand them or their decisions. I found so much satisfaction in all the different paths finally merging. Book three is the perfect culmination of the past two books and setting the stage for the final installment. I absolutely cannot wait to see how it all ends and who will be the victor. Be prepared for bloodshed, tenuous alliances, endless twists, and constant betrayal in The Nightmarked Series.
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