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A review by fallingwings
King of the Dark by Ariana Nash
1.0
I got this book because it sounded like checked all the boxes of things I want to see in a story. Assassins, soldiers, royalty, wars, presumably a slow burn, etc. Unfortunately, those things are all surface level. Guess I'm in the minority here though.
Cons:
× No map. I have no idea where the places that get mentioned are or how close towns and cities are. Just that they're "this far" from a specific border -- and there are multiple borders. I've noticed more and more authors are starting to leave out maps concerning their fantasy books and it's driving me nuts. You're writing a fantasy world with traveling and waring places involved. GIVE ME A DAMN MAP SO I KNOW WHERE PLACES ARE IN THIS WORLD YOUVE CREATED.
× Someone tries to kill Niko shortly after he becomes the prince's slave and I'm just...confused as to why anyone would believe it's because he's the prince's slave? Niko has no connection with Vasili and Vasili doesn't seem to care about Niko on any level (which makes sense given how early this happens). Niko is also easily replaceable; you can't tell me there aren't other soldiers bitter from how the war turned out or other mercs out there looking for jobs. So again, there is no point in attempting to kill Niko just because he's the prince's slave.
× There's a lot of telling instead of showing.
× Things happen for plot convenience, without any real or logical explanation. For example, why was there a war? Idk, because...elves and humans hate each other, I guess. Are there any repercussions to forfeiting the war to their enemy? Nope. Why is Niko so oblivious? I have not a clue but it drove me bat crazy.
× Niko is the dumbest ex-soldier I've ever seen. Dear Lord, he has no common sense, he doesn't find anything suspicious, he doesn't question anything beyond his first guess, he's not tactical, and he can't see the million red flags waving around him involving the traitor.
× Vasili is...equally as dumb in many cases as well. It might have gotten a pass if he had been a sheltered boy growing up, but this isn't the case. He knows who the traitor is yet does absolutely nothing about it. You know, the traitor who is trying to kill him. The one he hires Niko to find and take care of? Yeah, he already knows who it is. That's how stupid this plot point, the one that is the whole reason he even bothers with Niko, is.
× I'm not sure what good terms like "slaves", "servants", "soldiers", or "royalty" are in this world, seeing as no one seems to care about them beyond the word itself. Slaves apparently have the freedom to just...run around as they please from what we see with Niko. No one stops him, no one is keeping an eye on him, no one is trying to control him, etc. No one respects or acknowledges Niko as a former soldier, you know, a person who risked his life for his Kingdom and its people. Instead, they treat him like some criminal and I'm not sure why. Vasili is a prince and next in line to inherit the throne, but...no one really seems to give a flying hoot about him. The King is apparently cruel and horrible yet his people...love and adore him? Just...what? What is happening? Why does none of this make sense??
× So many sentences start with "And" or "But". Quit. It. Please, my eyes are burning from how many authors do this nowadays. My reading is slowed down because my brain feels the need to autocorrect that crap.
× Yet another example of a book where we have a protagonist who is homosexual and literally every woman we hear about or meet is portrayed poorly. We have the former Queen, who had killed herself after having her third son. We have a woman who reminds Niko of a whore simply because of the glittery lipstick she wears. Finally, we have Lady Maria, who.
Pros:
- The last few chapters are the most exciting and have the most action overall.
- The writing is decent, despite the fact that there were some clunky sentences scattered around. Some of the descriptions were also nice.
- I liked the horses.
Honestly, I would have DNF this if I hadn't spent the last $17 of one of my paychecks on it. So I ended up finishing it due to spite.
Cons:
× No map. I have no idea where the places that get mentioned are or how close towns and cities are. Just that they're "this far" from a specific border -- and there are multiple borders. I've noticed more and more authors are starting to leave out maps concerning their fantasy books and it's driving me nuts. You're writing a fantasy world with traveling and waring places involved. GIVE ME A DAMN MAP SO I KNOW WHERE PLACES ARE IN THIS WORLD YOUVE CREATED.
× Someone tries to kill Niko shortly after he becomes the prince's slave and I'm just...confused as to why anyone would believe it's because he's the prince's slave? Niko has no connection with Vasili and Vasili doesn't seem to care about Niko on any level (which makes sense given how early this happens). Niko is also easily replaceable; you can't tell me there aren't other soldiers bitter from how the war turned out or other mercs out there looking for jobs. So again, there is no point in attempting to kill Niko just because he's the prince's slave.
× There's a lot of telling instead of showing.
× Things happen for plot convenience, without any real or logical explanation. For example, why was there a war? Idk, because...elves and humans hate each other, I guess. Are there any repercussions to forfeiting the war to their enemy? Nope. Why is Niko so oblivious? I have not a clue but it drove me bat crazy.
× Niko is the dumbest ex-soldier I've ever seen. Dear Lord, he has no common sense, he doesn't find anything suspicious, he doesn't question anything beyond his first guess, he's not tactical, and he can't see the million red flags waving around him involving the traitor.
Spoiler
You could argue "but he was blinded by love!" In which I would argue, "honey, that wasn't love. That was just him being horny af and thinking with his dick instead of his brain."× Vasili is...equally as dumb in many cases as well. It might have gotten a pass if he had been a sheltered boy growing up, but this isn't the case. He knows who the traitor is yet does absolutely nothing about it. You know, the traitor who is trying to kill him. The one he hires Niko to find and take care of? Yeah, he already knows who it is. That's how stupid this plot point, the one that is the whole reason he even bothers with Niko, is.
× I'm not sure what good terms like "slaves", "servants", "soldiers", or "royalty" are in this world, seeing as no one seems to care about them beyond the word itself. Slaves apparently have the freedom to just...run around as they please from what we see with Niko. No one stops him, no one is keeping an eye on him, no one is trying to control him, etc. No one respects or acknowledges Niko as a former soldier, you know, a person who risked his life for his Kingdom and its people. Instead, they treat him like some criminal and I'm not sure why. Vasili is a prince and next in line to inherit the throne, but...no one really seems to give a flying hoot about him. The King is apparently cruel and horrible yet his people...love and adore him? Just...what? What is happening? Why does none of this make sense??
× So many sentences start with "And" or "But". Quit. It. Please, my eyes are burning from how many authors do this nowadays. My reading is slowed down because my brain feels the need to autocorrect that crap.
× Yet another example of a book where we have a protagonist who is homosexual and literally every woman we hear about or meet is portrayed poorly. We have the former Queen, who had killed herself after having her third son. We have a woman who reminds Niko of a whore simply because of the glittery lipstick she wears. Finally, we have Lady Maria, who
Spoiler
backstabs Niko and Vasili when they decide to trust herPros:
- The last few chapters are the most exciting and have the most action overall.
- The writing is decent, despite the fact that there were some clunky sentences scattered around. Some of the descriptions were also nice.
- I liked the horses.
Honestly, I would have DNF this if I hadn't spent the last $17 of one of my paychecks on it. So I ended up finishing it due to spite.