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chirin_reads 's review for:
Blade of Secrets
by Tricia Levenseller
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Cons: The chemistry felt inorganic for the first 3/4 of the book. Kellyn seemed flat to me at times. Ziva’s vocabulary use bothered me occasionally— almost as if that was the only way the author could think of to give her a “unique voice.” Just a personal preference, but this made some conversions frustrating. Conflict resolution felt forced for most of the book. Kymora was a standard villain. Biggest concern was that the representation/cast diversity read as token— a subtle sentence here and there or a one-chapter side character. If you’re going to make the cast diverse, commit!!
Pros: THOROUGHLY enjoyed the last 1/4 of the book, not just because of the sudden chemistry, but mostly because it seemed like Kellyn had a real personality outside his macho bravado. Maybe this was intentional, but I would have liked to see more of a gradual build. Temra and Petrick were excellent. Hopefully even more of them in book 2. The world building was interesting! Classically medieval, fun fairytale references. Ziva’s anxiety makes her a unique main character; I also would have liked a more gradual development of this as well. Looking forward to seeing the cast again in book 2!
Pros: THOROUGHLY enjoyed the last 1/4 of the book, not just because of the sudden chemistry, but mostly because it seemed like Kellyn had a real personality outside his macho bravado. Maybe this was intentional, but I would have liked to see more of a gradual build. Temra and Petrick were excellent. Hopefully even more of them in book 2. The world building was interesting! Classically medieval, fun fairytale references. Ziva’s anxiety makes her a unique main character; I also would have liked a more gradual development of this as well. Looking forward to seeing the cast again in book 2!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry