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A review by inktreader
The Councillor by E.J. Beaton
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
1.5
This book sticks out in my mind as a visceral memory of a book that I think I absolutely despised the further I read. I remember reading the synopsis and thinking I was going to get something with significant political intrigue with some sprinkles of romance here and there. It felt more like the actual politics was a sidepiece to the prose describing the attractiveness of the other characters that Lysande meets.
Speaking of the romance, the only ideas we get of Lysande's bisexual relationships occurred before the story starts, and most of what happens in the story seems to revolve around how she is drawn to Luca and his pale skin..so it's mostly heterosexual. I can't recall how many pages of his descriptions I had to read and it felt like the plot was going nowhere. Like, your Queen/Friend was poisoned at the beginning and we're about to have a political conflict but hey--can we PLEASE focus on this instead of doing drugs or banging? Everyone was just incredibly horny. The characters and the world itself felt as deep as cardboard cutouts, and that they were simply backdrops for sex. I almost straight-up DNF'd at 95% because it felt like dragging myself across a bed of nails to get through the last part. There's nothing wrong with the book having smut, but then I think it should've been marketed differently.
Speaking of the romance, the only ideas we get of Lysande's bisexual relationships occurred before the story starts, and most of what happens in the story seems to revolve around how she is drawn to Luca and his pale skin..so it's mostly heterosexual. I can't recall how many pages of his descriptions I had to read and it felt like the plot was going nowhere. Like, your Queen/Friend was poisoned at the beginning and we're about to have a political conflict but hey--can we PLEASE focus on this instead of doing drugs or banging? Everyone was just incredibly horny. The characters and the world itself felt as deep as cardboard cutouts, and that they were simply backdrops for sex. I almost straight-up DNF'd at 95% because it felt like dragging myself across a bed of nails to get through the last part. There's nothing wrong with the book having smut, but then I think it should've been marketed differently.