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xerlynz_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I didn’t expect much from this but considering I finished it in one sitting I guess I did enjoy it more than I thought.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Child abuse, and Physical abuse
jamby4546's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, Torture, Slavery, Physical abuse, Trafficking, Murder, Sexual assault, Rape, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, and Sexual violence
maevebillings's review
adventurous
dark
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Violence, Physical abuse, Murder, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, and Vomit
Minor: Child abuse, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Blood, and Transphobia
_gabi_starry_paperback_'s review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Yelena had been sentenced to death for murdering the son of a very powerful man. She's awaiting her execution in a cell when Valek - the head of intelligence for the Commander of Ixia and the famous assassin who took the life of the last King, gives her a choice: die for her crime or become the Commader's taster and risk her life checking the ruler's food for poison. Yelena, wanting to live, chooses the latter.
I absolutely adored this book. One of the best books I've read this year!
I haven't read a protagonist as good as Yelena in a while! This girl just stole the book for me. Yelena is an incredibly complex character, one whose layers are being peeled off as the story progresses. She goes from a total mystery (why is a 19/20-year-old charged for murder?) to one of the most heartbreaking characters I have ever read to a fierce young woman. She's incredibly intelligent and resourceful which makes her a force to be reckoned with but she never comes off as a "mary-sue" type of character. Her journey in this book is just stunning.
She's supported by a wide range of characters each better the last most notable Valek. He is just a treat, a total scene-stealer that you cannot resist. Their romance is just *chef's kisses*. A slow burn of all slow burn! But, boi is it worth it. This book made me literally giddy with excitement for them.
The worldbuilding was well done. So far the world didn't blew me away but I'm certainly intrigued by it. I wish there was more history and details in the book, but since this takes place mostly in one place I can forgive not developing the entire country and lore for now.
This is definitely a character-driven story so the plot isn't anything out of this world, but the mystery plotline that runs alongside Yelena's development kept me guessing and ultimately concluded in a very satisfying way. I enjoyed how this world and its politics are not so black-and-white and how that is reflected in the characters' behavior, their choices, and the plot. I also enjoyed how daring some of it was. There were themes implemented and choices made by the author that I don't see often in modern YA. It felt like a breath of fresh air in that way.
A final note I would like to make is that despite it being YA, this book doesn't pull its punches. There are a lot of hard-hitting scenes and themes that made me wonder whether this shouldn't be considered NA or even Adult. Ultimately, I still think this is YA, albeit for older teens, but I would recommend checking out trigger warnings if you're affected by themes of assault, violence against children, and rape.
I absolutely adored this book. One of the best books I've read this year!
I haven't read a protagonist as good as Yelena in a while! This girl just stole the book for me. Yelena is an incredibly complex character, one whose layers are being peeled off as the story progresses. She goes from a total mystery (why is a 19/20-year-old charged for murder?) to one of the most heartbreaking characters I have ever read to a fierce young woman. She's incredibly intelligent and resourceful which makes her a force to be reckoned with but she never comes off as a "mary-sue" type of character. Her journey in this book is just stunning.
She's supported by a wide range of characters each better the last most notable Valek. He is just a treat, a total scene-stealer that you cannot resist. Their romance is just *chef's kisses*. A slow burn of all slow burn! But, boi is it worth it. This book made me literally giddy with excitement for them.
The worldbuilding was well done. So far the world didn't blew me away but I'm certainly intrigued by it. I wish there was more history and details in the book, but since this takes place mostly in one place I can forgive not developing the entire country and lore for now.
This is definitely a character-driven story so the plot isn't anything out of this world, but the mystery plotline that runs alongside Yelena's development kept me guessing and ultimately concluded in a very satisfying way. I enjoyed how this world and its politics are not so black-and-white and how that is reflected in the characters' behavior, their choices, and the plot. I also enjoyed how daring some of it was. There were themes implemented and choices made by the author that I don't see often in modern YA. It felt like a breath of fresh air in that way.
A final note I would like to make is that despite it being YA, this book doesn't pull its punches. There are a lot of hard-hitting scenes and themes that made me wonder whether this shouldn't be considered NA or even Adult. Ultimately, I still think this is YA, albeit for older teens, but I would recommend checking out trigger warnings if you're affected by themes of assault, violence against children, and rape.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Child abuse
stephaniemcuervo's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Vomit, Murder, Excrement, and Death
Moderate: Physical abuse, Outing, Rape, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Kidnapping
Minor: Addiction and Suicidal thoughts
zia_c's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
1.75
The story had its moments of intrigue, but I couldn't fully enjoy it because of the YA writing style and the closed-door romance. It just didn't click with my personal preferences, you know? But hey, I'm sure there's a whole bunch of readers out there who absolutely love that kind of writing and will devour this book.
So if you're into that vibe, go ahead and give it a shot. It might be exactly what you're looking for!
Characters - Yelena | Valek | Commander Ambrose | Jenco | Ari | Irys | Mogkan | Brazzel
So if you're into that vibe, go ahead and give it a shot. It might be exactly what you're looking for!
Characters - Yelena | Valek | Commander Ambrose | Jenco | Ari | Irys | Mogkan | Brazzel
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Physical abuse, and Torture
Moderate: Sexual assault
kesbooks's review against another edition
4.5
When I first started this book, I didn’t expect to give it a high rating but by the end it was closer to a 5 star than any fantasy this year.
The Story follows Yelena, a woman set to hang for murder, receive an offer she can’t refuse. Die or become the food taster for the Commander and leader of Ixia. She takes the deal but there is a catch. She must take a poison every day to insure she doesn’t attempt to escape with the only antidote being in the hands of a trained assassin and head of security for the Commander.
Yelena is a character you will root for. Healing. Found family. Love. This book was so good! It's been so long since I have felt generally sad for a book to end. The second book can’t get here fast enough!
*Please look up TW if needed. This book is dark. *
The Story follows Yelena, a woman set to hang for murder, receive an offer she can’t refuse. Die or become the food taster for the Commander and leader of Ixia. She takes the deal but there is a catch. She must take a poison every day to insure she doesn’t attempt to escape with the only antidote being in the hands of a trained assassin and head of security for the Commander.
Yelena is a character you will root for. Healing. Found family. Love. This book was so good! It's been so long since I have felt generally sad for a book to end. The second book can’t get here fast enough!
*Please look up TW if needed. This book is dark. *
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
owlishbookish's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
I could have sworn I had already reviewed this book, but I guess I was wrong. This is another book that I've read many times over and I always come back to it. Yelena and Valek are my very favorite pairing out of all the literary couples I've read. Is it because they both speak fluent sarcasm and thus speak my language? Maybe. In any case, this story never fails to enthrall me. I was supposed to be (re)reading this for a book club, but before I knew it I was on the last chapter, well ahead of the book club's schedule. Whoops. To say that I highly recommend it should be fairly obvious by now. The audiobook is phenomenal, as well, so you really can't go wrong no matter what format you read it in.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
lupin92's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Torture
Minor: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit
Rape:ayah_reads's review
medium-paced
3.0
This book was the epitome of "go girl give me nothing" yet tell me why I blew through it?? Wanted to keep reading?? Enjoyed it???
This books is somewhere between good enough and so bad it's good. The characters have no character, I don't even feel like I had a solid description of their physicality let alone their personality (Valek suddenly had black curls three quarters of the way through??), the writing is so basic, even bad at times, literally repeating what's already been told before, the plot is pretty easy to pierce together, many points had obvious connections and YET I still had a fun time???? IDK WHY. This is the first book I've finished in over a month since spending a semester reading Austen and I think it's what I needed - something so bad that I can't in anyway compare it to Austen and can therefore actually read it in peace 🤣
I think a drive that kept me reading was to see the development of Valek and Yelena. It really had me until the last 50 page being like maybe... we're getting...a slow burn??? Even though all the reviews said otherwise 🤣 It's an insta love that you don't think is gonna be an insta love until basically the ending which is a very odd thing and I don't think I've read an insta love like that before?? Insta loves tend happen halfway through so you're very aware it's an insta love. I don't get why authors are so scared to have their mains confess their love in book 3, like give me a slow burn, three book arc, I'll read for the slow burn, I won't loose interest if you develop it well. With Yelena and Valek it was also odd cos they had a decent amount of time together, solid amount of interactions i.e. page time, but there was still no real romantic implication or development in that sense?? Which is why I really thought we were gonna get a "I don't want you to die and I will save you and protect you but idk pssh what are feelings" (think Kaz "I protect my investments" Brekker) and that's what we got for most of the book (from Valek especially), with Yelena feeling a bit more which I'll give it to her cos he really was saving her life left right and centre, Yelena could not catch a break, everyone wanted to kill her 🤣🤣 But we had to have a love confession come from nowhere and ruin the potential 😭😭😭 The ending has me 👀👀 and it would have worked so well with the above slow burn but now it's like...do I...even...care to see it through??
In speaking of them tho, I cannot not mention the age gap !!! Gahhhh WHY. Honestly this whole story could have been aged out of YA and be adult. Yelena goes through terrible, horrific, traumatic experiences, and it would have just made sense to have her older, with the bonus of balancing the age gap. Or Valek could have been younger and the plot shifted a little but gahhhhh I pretended not to see it so I could continue 😬😭
One thing that did surprise me was Yelena being (ambiguously) a person of colour, and considering this is veryyyy earlier YA, I was impressed.
Overall, not a great book but I had a great time! 😂 Now to continue with the second book or read an actually good book is the question....
This books is somewhere between good enough and so bad it's good. The characters have no character, I don't even feel like I had a solid description of their physicality let alone their personality (Valek suddenly had black curls three quarters of the way through??), the writing is so basic, even bad at times, literally repeating what's already been told before, the plot is pretty easy to pierce together, many points had obvious connections and YET I still had a fun time???? IDK WHY. This is the first book I've finished in over a month since spending a semester reading Austen and I think it's what I needed - something so bad that I can't in anyway compare it to Austen and can therefore actually read it in peace 🤣
I think a drive that kept me reading was to see the development of Valek and Yelena. It really had me until the last 50 page being like maybe... we're getting...a slow burn??? Even though all the reviews said otherwise 🤣 It's an insta love that you don't think is gonna be an insta love until basically the ending which is a very odd thing and I don't think I've read an insta love like that before?? Insta loves tend happen halfway through so you're very aware it's an insta love. I don't get why authors are so scared to have their mains confess their love in book 3, like give me a slow burn, three book arc, I'll read for the slow burn, I won't loose interest if you develop it well. With Yelena and Valek it was also odd cos they had a decent amount of time together, solid amount of interactions i.e. page time, but there was still no real romantic implication or development in that sense?? Which is why I really thought we were gonna get a "I don't want you to die and I will save you and protect you but idk pssh what are feelings" (think Kaz "I protect my investments" Brekker) and that's what we got for most of the book (from Valek especially), with Yelena feeling a bit more which I'll give it to her cos he really was saving her life left right and centre, Yelena could not catch a break, everyone wanted to kill her 🤣🤣 But we had to have a love confession come from nowhere and ruin the potential 😭😭😭 The ending has me 👀👀 and it would have worked so well with the above slow burn but now it's like...do I...even...care to see it through??
In speaking of them tho, I cannot not mention the age gap !!! Gahhhh WHY. Honestly this whole story could have been aged out of YA and be adult. Yelena goes through terrible, horrific, traumatic experiences, and it would have just made sense to have her older, with the bonus of balancing the age gap. Or Valek could have been younger and the plot shifted a little but gahhhhh I pretended not to see it so I could continue 😬😭
One thing that did surprise me was Yelena being (ambiguously) a person of colour, and considering this is veryyyy earlier YA, I was impressed.
Overall, not a great book but I had a great time! 😂 Now to continue with the second book or read an actually good book is the question....
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Sexual assault, Violence, Vomit, Blood, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, and Gore
Minor: Transphobia