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azza_fageery's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Everything was written in perfect balance in this book.
The authors writing style is amazing, she did great world building throughout the book, perfect character development -specially for the protagonist- and what I loved the most was the balance between the fantasy and the romance.
Most romantic-fantasies are more romance and less fantasy these days. But the book in my opinion focused on the fantasy in a perfect way. The romance was introduced in perfect timing. Once the romance was introduced, we went from enemies to allies to friends and finally lovers and the pacing of Oraya & Raihn’s relationship was absolutely perfect.
Something I loved the most in this book was the father-daughter relationship. That fatherly love that most fathers don’t usually blatantly show with words but mainly with acts of service, Vincent was the perfect portrayal of that “dad”.
Although by the end of the book I became a bit skeptical about his motives.
I’d say this book was medium paced (for me) but others have finished it in one sitting which I understand and know is possible.
I’d give this book five stars if it wasn’t for the heart wrenching plot twist at the end of the book. I’m sad and pained and I’m just mad at Carissa for it.
Otherwise this book is a 5 star.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Violence, Torture, and Vomit
Minor: Rape and Slavery
asipofcozy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
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
4.5
My mind is absolutely blown. I went into this with very low expectations - as I do with all hyped books. I didn't want to get my hopes up in a book that had been advertised as a steamy fantasy romance. Which lately when you see those labels on books, it means very little to the plot and world building and more focus on the s*x and romance.
However, was VERY surprised. While the romance and tension was there this was a slow burn with world building and plot at the forefront. I really enjoyed the characters, the trials, and my god that ending blew me out of the water.
Book 2 here I come!
However, was VERY surprised. While the romance and tension was there this was a slow burn with world building and plot at the forefront. I really enjoyed the characters, the trials, and my god that ending blew me out of the water.
Book 2 here I come!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, Genocide, Child death, Rape, Sexual content, Animal death, Violence, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Murder, Self harm, Death of parent, Torture, War, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Death
kaelynbyers's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Being a human in a world full of vampires is not easy.
Being a human adopted by the ruler of the vampire world is even harder.
Oraya has to choose to fight for the power that she could inherit, but fighting isn't as easy as she imagined it would be.
She has to choose between a lift she thinks she understands and a future that could be better than she ever imagined, all while trying to convince herself to kill the one person she has allowed herself to grow close to.
---------------------------------
OH MY GOSH.
I was suggested this book since I am a fan of ACTOAR and IT DID NOT DISSAPOINT. Approaching this book, I was hesitant. I haven't loved books about vampires in the past (but I really haven't given them a second chance, so I suppose that is on me...) but this book is the perfect balance of fantasy and vampires. Not to mention that is has the perfect dash of a gothic feel and wonderful gore.
I think one of the best parts of this book is the balance between the fantasy details and the darkness of writing about vampires and wars between them. When I started this book, I worried that it could become too heavy or too gore focused for me to keep reading, but I thought it was perfectly written. The gore is a focus simply because the main character is a human living in a vampire world. It does not feel forced or cheesy or overdone, it simply ropes you into the perspective of the main character. And the fantasy details were wonderful. The idea of a magical castle that did whatever it wants to those inside of it while also setting the rules of the competition was so new and exciting for me. The darker take of a dystopian society was balanced out by the moments of humanity that we see in all of the main characters as they struggle to hold onto the softness that was forced into jagged edges in the world they live in.
10000/10 would recommend to anyone who great up a fan of The Hunger Games and Divergent and then fell in love with fantasy all over again as an adult!
Being a human adopted by the ruler of the vampire world is even harder.
Oraya has to choose to fight for the power that she could inherit, but fighting isn't as easy as she imagined it would be.
She has to choose between a lift she thinks she understands and a future that could be better than she ever imagined, all while trying to convince herself to kill the one person she has allowed herself to grow close to.
---------------------------------
OH MY GOSH.
I was suggested this book since I am a fan of ACTOAR and IT DID NOT DISSAPOINT. Approaching this book, I was hesitant. I haven't loved books about vampires in the past (but I really haven't given them a second chance, so I suppose that is on me...) but this book is the perfect balance of fantasy and vampires. Not to mention that is has the perfect dash of a gothic feel and wonderful gore.
I think one of the best parts of this book is the balance between the fantasy details and the darkness of writing about vampires and wars between them. When I started this book, I worried that it could become too heavy or too gore focused for me to keep reading, but I thought it was perfectly written. The gore is a focus simply because the main character is a human living in a vampire world. It does not feel forced or cheesy or overdone, it simply ropes you into the perspective of the main character. And the fantasy details were wonderful. The idea of a magical castle that did whatever it wants to those inside of it while also setting the rules of the competition was so new and exciting for me. The darker take of a dystopian society was balanced out by the moments of humanity that we see in all of the main characters as they struggle to hold onto the softness that was forced into jagged edges in the world they live in.
10000/10 would recommend to anyone who great up a fan of The Hunger Games and Divergent and then fell in love with fantasy all over again as an adult!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Sexual content, Violence, and War
Moderate: Torture, Slavery, Sexual assault, War, Violence, and Vomit
Minor: Slavery, Vomit, and Suicide
katvou's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Torture, Animal death, Alcohol, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual content, Death, Violence, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Moderate: Emotional abuse, War, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Medical content, and Gore
Minor: Vomit, Slavery, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Rape, Pregnancy, and Sexual violence
booshort's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
What the actual fuck.
Where was this book when I was in all of my previous fantasy book slumps?
The first ~7 chapters were fine enough, it felt like any other fantasy read, really. Jumping in to a new world, learning terms, and just sort of accepting things as they come up. Oh there’s vampires with different types of wings? Ya sure. This big mega vamp wants this rando human child as a pseudo child of his own? Go wild. But once you’re securely in the trials that take place in this book, *you get hooked*. The world is simple but still feels so real with the way Broadbent describes it. It was almost a theme while I was reading; expecting something shallow due to how little this book/author has been talked about in the mainstream until now (thank you booktok), but then being utterly surprised when proven wrong. Each chapter just revealed more and more strings and important details and connections and and and. I am thoroughly amazed.
I know many people are comparing Broadbent’s series and their respective tones to Sarah J Maas’ books, but there really is no better parallel. I’ve yet to read any other books by Broadbent, but there is no doubt I will collect as many as I can get my hands on.
Seriously though, if you are a fan of SJ Maas, give this author a go.
Where was this book when I was in all of my previous fantasy book slumps?
The first ~7 chapters were fine enough, it felt like any other fantasy read, really. Jumping in to a new world, learning terms, and just sort of accepting things as they come up. Oh there’s vampires with different types of wings? Ya sure. This big mega vamp wants this rando human child as a pseudo child of his own? Go wild. But once you’re securely in the trials that take place in this book, *you get hooked*. The world is simple but still feels so real with the way Broadbent describes it. It was almost a theme while I was reading; expecting something shallow due to how little this book/author has been talked about in the mainstream until now (thank you booktok), but then being utterly surprised when proven wrong. Each chapter just revealed more and more strings and important details and connections and and and. I am thoroughly amazed.
I know many people are comparing Broadbent’s series and their respective tones to Sarah J Maas’ books, but there really is no better parallel. I’ve yet to read any other books by Broadbent, but there is no doubt I will collect as many as I can get my hands on.
Seriously though, if you are a fan of SJ Maas, give this author a go.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Grief, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Rape, Death, Blood, Sexual content, Gaslighting, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Cursing
Moderate: Torture, Child abuse, Murder, Sexual violence, Classism, Genocide, Confinement, Death of parent, and Vomit
Minor: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Toxic relationship, Animal death, Alcohol, Vomit, and War
rachelsimmet's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, Blood, Sexual content, War, Murder, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Vomit, Confinement, Toxic relationship, Slavery, and Xenophobia
Minor: Sexual violence
damacyroll's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was a nice refresh after reading so many New Adults fantasies that really aren't that great.
I appreciated that Oraya was in her early twenties, which felt appropriate to the story.
Although there were still moments of some gender essentialism, I also appreciated that the author didn't fall back on letting Oraya and Raihn's relationship fall into the badass YA women and Alphahole get together trope that seems so popular these days. Oraya definitely falls into that vengeful female protag trope, but Raihn really stood out as a refreshing characterization. We get more development to actually flesh out Raihn's personality, so that I actually cared about him.
I also liked that the book went at a pretty good pace, it didn't feel like things were getting dragged out. This book didn't feel like it was wasting time or any longer than it had to be.
The twists were fun, if a little predictable, and the one at the end was a little frustrating, but I'm looking forward to the second book!
I appreciated that Oraya was in her early twenties, which felt appropriate to the story.
Although there were still moments of some gender essentialism, I also appreciated that the author didn't fall back on letting Oraya and Raihn's relationship fall into the badass YA women and Alphahole get together trope that seems so popular these days. Oraya definitely falls into that vengeful female protag trope, but Raihn really stood out as a refreshing characterization. We get more development to actually flesh out Raihn's personality, so that I actually cared about him.
I also liked that the book went at a pretty good pace, it didn't feel like things were getting dragged out. This book didn't feel like it was wasting time or any longer than it had to be.
The twists were fun, if a little predictable, and the one at the end was a little frustrating, but I'm looking forward to the second book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, War, and Blood
Moderate: Vomit and Torture
sam_gartley91's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Wow was that a rollercoaster! Definitely loved the world and can’t wait to explore more of it. Another take on vampires which was nice. I did not see that ending coming. I knew something would happen as there is another book but that was crazy! This whole world is so morally grey but with a lot of dark grey near black. Loved the character and how you loved them then hated them then loved them again and could feel their struggles. I’m excited to find out more about the past and how characters got to where they are now. Always love a long haired red head with wings! Although there was love there was a lot of violence and trauma that just seemed like everyone in this world had a ton to deal with and really needed to process and work through. Just seems inherent in this society. Overall very addictive and couldn’t put it down but definitely read the trigger warnings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Blood
Moderate: Classism, Rape, and Murder
Minor: War, Torture, Slavery, and Vomit
finnickdeservedbetter's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Imagine The Hunger Games but if Katniss was raised by Snow, they were all vampires besides her, and all the tributes were Careers. Also set in a fantasy world with lots of magic.
For readers who like:
• vampires
• enemies to lovers
• battle to the death
• hidden powers
• secret identity
For readers who like:
• vampires
• enemies to lovers
• battle to the death
• secret identity
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Death, Gore, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Torture, Sexual violence, War, and Rape
Minor: Death of parent, Vomit, Xenophobia, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
rileybeez's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
I heard about this on BookTok and it absolutely lives up to the hype. It doesn’t end on an unsatisfying cliffhanger and the writing is So. Damn. Good.
I don’t give out 5 star reviews unless there is nothing about this book I would change if given the chance. This book absolutely deserves it.
I don’t give out 5 star reviews unless there is nothing about this book I would change if given the chance. This book absolutely deserves it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Grief, Murder, Racism, and Blood
Minor: Vomit, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Genocide, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Self harm, and War