A review by crown_of_blistering_stars
King of Battle and Blood by Scarlett St. Clair

adventurous dark sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I'm only giving this a 2 instead of a 1 because the prose was good and the main character was likeable, but good GOD. Every enemies to lovers must give you a horrible guy and then try to sell you a better version of him. This book's attempts to sell the better version of him to be felt like they were the inspiration for plot points. Entire characters made so I can have a "contrast" on how "better" he is.  Entire pages convincing me that his country isn't as bad as it seems because history is cut and dry, unless you were lied to. Obviously there is always a good side and a bad side. Grey? What's that?

I did not feel like they had chemistry. To the point that I was able to guess the plot twist
that she knew him from a past life. It was literally the only way to explain her attraction towards him and why he seemed to both care and not care about her consent. Because he last lover totally loved him which means he present version of her will just have to get with the program. Give me a break. 

If the author wanted to make THEIR romance actually believable she should have had him try to view her as a person and not a vessel for his past wife or something.


I will applaude the writer, however, for writing such a likeable female lead. She wasn't freshly 18 either, which led her to feeling like a mature and capable woman. We were not just told that she was a queen, we were showed. I was worried from the beginning that loving her people would be something that came up just for conflict with the romance. Q
I find it baffling that her choice to fuck her people's conquerer was framed as a "what more could they want from me?" UM A LOT??? NOT TO FUCK THE MAN WHO KILLED THEM WITH EASE,  DISCARDING HOW IT SEEMED TO THE PEOPLE WHO DEPENDED ON HER.
Nevertheless this trait was treated seriously and helped characterize her outside of her love interest.

I wanted to like this. I love vampires. I love enemies to lovers! But I think this story would have benefited a lot more from not being one.