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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
The Court of Vipers is a first book in a new Fantasy Romance series by Jacqueline Pawl and
OMG this book is so good! I was hooked on it since the first page.
Riona is a niece of a king and must marry to secure a political alliance with a foreign country. The royal family invites three suitors from different countries to discuss treaties and so Riona can get to know her future husband. Auberon is a second prince and needs to help his brother secure Riona as his bride and bring peace to their country. But despite being enemies, since their first meeting Riona and Auberon feel attracted to each other and when it turns out there is a murderer on the loose they need to work together to prevent war between their two kingdoms.
At first I was a little confused because I didn’t realize there was a time jump to the past from the second chapter but it was such a great idea to see what happened to the characters to make them become who they are in the first chapter. Riona and Auberon stole my heart and the author did such a great job with the forbidden love trope, I could really feel their struggles and couldn’t help but ship them together. Also, the political maneuvering is top-notch, I usually don’t much care for it in books but here I was really invested into who will benefit most from the treaties and who the real villain is. And the ending was amazing, so much happened and I was so not expecting those plot twists, and that last chapter… I really can’t wait to see what happens next!
OMG this book is so good! I was hooked on it since the first page.
Riona is a niece of a king and must marry to secure a political alliance with a foreign country. The royal family invites three suitors from different countries to discuss treaties and so Riona can get to know her future husband. Auberon is a second prince and needs to help his brother secure Riona as his bride and bring peace to their country. But despite being enemies, since their first meeting Riona and Auberon feel attracted to each other and when it turns out there is a murderer on the loose they need to work together to prevent war between their two kingdoms.
At first I was a little confused because I didn’t realize there was a time jump to the past from the second chapter but it was such a great idea to see what happened to the characters to make them become who they are in the first chapter. Riona and Auberon stole my heart and the author did such a great job with the forbidden love trope, I could really feel their struggles and couldn’t help but ship them together. Also, the political maneuvering is top-notch, I usually don’t much care for it in books but here I was really invested into who will benefit most from the treaties and who the real villain is. And the ending was amazing, so much happened and I was so not expecting those plot twists, and that last chapter… I really can’t wait to see what happens next!
Okay wow. I knew I loved politics and court drama but I didn’t know I loved it this much.
I enjoyed the way the story starts present day, we have no clue who anyone is or what’s going on and then the FMC tells us her story. Which is the majority of the book, and then we’re thrown back into present day with even more shocking news. Very clever way to invest the readers in a series.
I did absolutely devour the court political drama. I love political scheming. Love a “silver tongued” noble woman who knows how to work the people in the courts.
I loved the mystery aspect, another way the author had me invested early on. A murder???? Well now you’ve got me hooked.
The romance was not spicy at all which is fine, not every fantasy romance needs it. But I still enjoyed the characters and their dynamic. I did not expect the revelation about our MMC, and i am still not sure how I feel about it. I feel like this is shaping up to be a star crossed enemies to lovers? Either way the author did a great job with this story and I’ll definitely be reading the next.
I enjoyed the way the story starts present day, we have no clue who anyone is or what’s going on and then the FMC tells us her story. Which is the majority of the book, and then we’re thrown back into present day with even more shocking news. Very clever way to invest the readers in a series.
I did absolutely devour the court political drama. I love political scheming. Love a “silver tongued” noble woman who knows how to work the people in the courts.
I loved the mystery aspect, another way the author had me invested early on. A murder???? Well now you’ve got me hooked.
The romance was not spicy at all which is fine, not every fantasy romance needs it. But I still enjoyed the characters and their dynamic. I did not expect the revelation about our MMC, and i am still not sure how I feel about it. I feel like this is shaping up to be a star crossed enemies to lovers? Either way the author did a great job with this story and I’ll definitely be reading the next.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
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:
Complicated
I desperately wanted to give this 5 stars because I adored the book but the way it begins and ends really confused me to the point where I felt like I had missed something important and had to go back.
Starting with the good: I loved the writing style, the overall plot and pacing, and the mystery and intrigue laced throughout. There were multiple twists and turns that I didn’t see coming, and I felt like the world was well established. As for the romance, although I would’ve loved more focus on it, there was slow burn, forbidden love, dual POV, and reluctant allies to lovers (I wouldn’t quite call it enemies to lovers as they were never super hostile toward one another). Also I have my fingers crossed there’ll be more steam in the series!
My only big problem was with the way the story was structured as a flashback as Riona tells a story to the emperor. Honestly, I didn’t even realize that it was going into a flashback, I just assumed that I was missing context from the other series’ that this one is based off of. I think the rest of the books in this series are supposed to fill in more gaps and continue with Riona telling her story to the Hyperion, but I guess I just didn’t understand the purpose of this structure for storytelling. I personally just found it confusing and think the book would’ve been stronger without it. In fact, I loved the rest of the book so much that I definitely would’ve given it 5 stars if it had just begun at Chapter 3 and ended at Chapter 75.
Starting with the good: I loved the writing style, the overall plot and pacing, and the mystery and intrigue laced throughout. There were multiple twists and turns that I didn’t see coming, and I felt like the world was well established. As for the romance, although I would’ve loved more focus on it, there was slow burn, forbidden love, dual POV, and reluctant allies to lovers (I wouldn’t quite call it enemies to lovers as they were never super hostile toward one another). Also I have my fingers crossed there’ll be more steam in the series!
My only big problem was with the way the story was structured as a flashback as Riona tells a story to the emperor. Honestly, I didn’t even realize that it was going into a flashback, I just assumed that I was missing context from the other series’ that this one is based off of. I think the rest of the books in this series are supposed to fill in more gaps and continue with Riona telling her story to the Hyperion, but I guess I just didn’t understand the purpose of this structure for storytelling. I personally just found it confusing and think the book would’ve been stronger without it. In fact, I loved the rest of the book so much that I definitely would’ve given it 5 stars if it had just begun at Chapter 3 and ended at Chapter 75.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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:
No
“I’m brooding. That’s what distant, devastatingly handsome, emotionally tormented princes do.”
“Let him think me vain. Let him think I can be taken in by a pretty face.”
This is a fantasy novel with a strong political plot and a little bit of romance involved. It is the first book in a new series that is set in the Born Assassin world. I was able to read this book without reading any of the other books from the other series.
Riona Nevis belongs to the court of her uncle's kingdom. He has decided to arrange a marriage alliance despite her just coming back from another kingdom where her life was almost taken. Another kingdom where she was married to a man she loved, but let him go so he could be with the woman he truly loved.
Throughout this book, Riona is trying her best to solve a mystery in order to not have to go through with a marriage. She meets one of the prospective brothers, Prince Auberon, and they work together, each having their own agendas.
I enjoyed the characters and how each one was a moving part in a much larger picture. The descriptions of the different kingdoms also adds depth to the story.
The plot was good and strong, with great writing. However, there were several times where the story dragged for me. I found myself getting a little bored in the middle of the book. It did pick up more towards the end.
This book was nothing like I was expecting. It borders on enemies to lovers/forbidden love. There is a lot more politics than I was expecting and not as much romance as I had hoped.
I thought the book was ok, however, I did NOT like how it ended. It was a bit of a cliffhanger but not a good one in my opinion.