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A review by thea_rem
King of Battle and Blood by Scarlett St. Clair
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
What did I expect from this book? I expected a smutty fantasy romance.
This book delivered on the smutty part. On the romance part, not so much. I didn’t really see anything beyond sexual attraction between these characters but then they declare love for each other? Did I miss anything?
I liked the idea of an enemies-to-lovers romance but they were never really enemies. She’s just shipped of to his kingdom and has to adjust.
But I enjoyed her attitude. She knows who she is, a princess who rules not only with words and compliments but with her fists and weapons as well. She’s badass. She takes no shit from anyone. Not even from citizens form a foreign kingdom she’s now supposed to rule. No, she stands her ground like a real queen. For anyone else it would have seems unnatural but she has been a princess for her whole life and was supposed to follow her father on the throne.
The book reminded me of From Blood and Ash from time to time. The vampires, walled of villages, a protagonist who doesn’t know the truth, the absence of any explanation from other characters…
At least Poppy asked question after question. Isolde just accepts that nobody tells her shit.
And than the sexual tension. It was there from the beginning and I get that. They are attracted to each other. What I didn’t appreciate was how Isolde never wanted to act on it but did anyway? Girl, you don’t have to if you don’t want to!
Also, Adrian can read minds, so he knows what she’s thinking and he DOESN‘T stop?! Ever hear about consent? The mind reading really bothered me, because it was never really explained, too. Who can do it? Why does no one try to teach the new QUEEN how she can avoid her mind being read? Isn’t that something her husband would want? Especially now, that there’s a traitor among their most trusted friends?
This book delivered on the smutty part. On the romance part, not so much. I didn’t really see anything beyond sexual attraction between these characters but then they declare love for each other? Did I miss anything?
I liked the idea of an enemies-to-lovers romance but they were never really enemies. She’s just shipped of to his kingdom and has to adjust.
But I enjoyed her attitude. She knows who she is, a princess who rules not only with words and compliments but with her fists and weapons as well. She’s badass. She takes no shit from anyone. Not even from citizens form a foreign kingdom she’s now supposed to rule. No, she stands her ground like a real queen. For anyone else it would have seems unnatural but she has been a princess for her whole life and was supposed to follow her father on the throne.
The book reminded me of From Blood and Ash from time to time. The vampires, walled of villages, a protagonist who doesn’t know the truth, the absence of any explanation from other characters…
At least Poppy asked question after question. Isolde just accepts that nobody tells her shit.
And than the sexual tension. It was there from the beginning and I get that. They are attracted to each other. What I didn’t appreciate was how Isolde never wanted to act on it but did anyway? Girl, you don’t have to if you don’t want to!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Sexual content, and Murder
Moderate: War
Minor: Alcohol