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eventyrlys's review against another edition
I don't know if this book picks up, but at a quarter of the way through and having to fight to care about either of these characters, this just isn't it for me. Maybe they get better, I don't know. I kept waiting for the plot to actually start instead of just being set-up and it's taking WAY too long. I'm also not wild about the premise of both people lying about their identities. I just have a hard time with that as a trope in general, and it's not working for me here. It's also not clear to what extent this is supposed to be fictional England? The 14th century in England is a wild time to set a book without mentioning the Black Death at all (or at least not so far), considering it kinda shaped the entire century. Anyway, probably won't pick this up again.
kahime's review against another edition
5.0
I couldn’t decide on whether to rate this 4 or 4.5 but ultimately decided on the higher rating and rounding up as it just made me happy.
When I read the date that this book takes place in, I was curious how these two characters would travel since The Plague had just rampaged through their country a few years prior. Oddly though, there was no mention of it so I guess we’re leaning into a more fantasy version of the times as almost every place they visited seemed flourishing and happy, which is totally fine! I just needed to suspend belief and went with it. There were a few historical errors, and no one really seemed to care that the sister and brother were both seemingly somewhere on the LGBT+ spectrum, but again, WE ARE RUNNING WITH IT. Raff said he’s slept with both men and women, whereas the sister seems to be partial to women. No labels are given so I won’t assume and give them one either.
It started off a bit slow to be honest and took me a moment to connect to these two, but ultimately I fell in like with them. Something was a bit off, which led to my 4-4.5 rating, so it wasn’t love and complete adoration, but I enjoyed them.
I truly enjoyed the jealousy Raff feels at seeing his brother scrapple with Penn; I thought that was super cute and I love when one of the characters realize “oh! I’m jealous! NOW WHY IS THAT?” It makes me happy.
Seeing Penn take charge at the end and become the perfect courtier, working the room and the Lords and Ladies, was amazing. I truly enjoyed seeing him grow into a stronger person, determined to save Raff, and doing whatever he could to cause discourse and doubt, it was chefs kiss and beautifully done.
Again, there was a few HMM parts but ultimately this gets a higher rating because, again, I enjoyed it and it made me smile.
When I read the date that this book takes place in, I was curious how these two characters would travel since The Plague had just rampaged through their country a few years prior. Oddly though, there was no mention of it so I guess we’re leaning into a more fantasy version of the times as almost every place they visited seemed flourishing and happy, which is totally fine! I just needed to suspend belief and went with it. There were a few historical errors, and no one really seemed to care that the sister and brother were both seemingly somewhere on the LGBT+ spectrum, but again, WE ARE RUNNING WITH IT. Raff said he’s slept with both men and women, whereas the sister seems to be partial to women. No labels are given so I won’t assume and give them one either.
It started off a bit slow to be honest and took me a moment to connect to these two, but ultimately I fell in like with them. Something was a bit off, which led to my 4-4.5 rating, so it wasn’t love and complete adoration, but I enjoyed them.
I truly enjoyed the jealousy Raff feels at seeing his brother scrapple with Penn; I thought that was super cute and I love when one of the characters realize “oh! I’m jealous! NOW WHY IS THAT?” It makes me happy.
Seeing Penn take charge at the end and become the perfect courtier, working the room and the Lords and Ladies, was amazing. I truly enjoyed seeing him grow into a stronger person, determined to save Raff, and doing whatever he could to cause discourse and doubt, it was chefs kiss and beautifully done.
Again, there was a few HMM parts but ultimately this gets a higher rating because, again, I enjoyed it and it made me smile.
erinmichele_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
nisaiah1's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
gsaliare's review against another edition
emotional
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
5.0
lukevirgo's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I might have found some new emotional suport twinks™️. The mistaken/hidden identity went on a little too long for me but I understand the choice for Penn to stay hidden. It was a hard decision to continue to lie to Raff. I lived for them cuddling for warmth on their journey north. And their training sessions were so cute. I'd fight for them especially if it's Penn's father. It would be on sight. 👊🏻
lauren_honey's review against another edition
So bored + really dislike Penn's character.
livvposey's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
somturtle's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5