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sashas_booknook 's review for:
The Rogue King
by Abigail Owen
This one was a fun, spicy and completely different read for me! It was my first ever dragon shifter romance and I don't think it will be my last as I'm definitely intrigued.
I adored Kasia. She was a complete badass and stood up for what she thought was right. Her strength, physical and mental, was admirable and I loved the sass and humour she brought to the novel. She was incredibly vulnerable, due to what she was, but she didn't let that stop her in getting what she wanted in the end. She went from a simple, unknown woman to a powerful mated phoenix and it was nice to see this journey unfold. This is where she had growth that showed the true nature of her character and her human side. She had that depth, in her backstory and with her powers, so that I could connect to her emotionally. The only thing I didn't really liked about her was that she was quite childish and immature. I understand she was young and fairly naive, but it just gave me the ick and turned me off her a little. I did still enjoy her for the most part and can't wait to see her connection with her sisters in the rest of the series. Brand was intense and brooding, whilst also powerful and possessive. I enjoyed the exploration of his background and the role his status had on the world and himself. This gave him so much depth, where I not only got that emotional connection, but it also added tension to the story. This political status, as well as his internal conflict over whether to pursue Kasia or not, added the heat and tension I loved. I loved how he was an asshole to everyone but her and I feel this showed the depth and breadth of how connection with and love for her. I loved seeing them get together and their connection deepening throughout the book. I also enjoyed seeing how the author set up the side characters for the rest of the novel and this definitely intrigued me.
I found the writing to be quite engaging. The worldbuilding was immersive and complex, but still simple and easy to understand. It was dispersed throughout the novel in order to not overwhelm the reader and I found this to really aid in my understanding of the novel. She also didn't reveal it all, which I think is great as it added to my intrigue and interest to continue the series. She definitely set up the premise for the rest of the series which has me interested and keen to read on. I think it also added to the action and conflict, rather than hindering it which can sometimes happen when there is too much lore. I think it was balanced quite well. The pace was also another aspect that was done well by the author. The pace intensified in key moments to give the reader that emotional impact, and slowed down in less impactful scenes. It was very much conflict and character driven and I think the writing was simple, but engaging so as not to stand in the way of the action. But, in saying that, I didn't think the action was that much for what they made it out to be. It just didn't happen for very long and was honestly underwhelming. Like, I was expecting way more for what they hyped it up to be and then was just disappointed. Most of the conflict came from the characters and the relationship and I just wanted more from the action to add more depth to the story.
Overall, I enjoyed this story for the most part but just needed something more from the storyline to engage with. I'm definitely intrigued to continue the series and see where it takes me!
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
I adored Kasia. She was a complete badass and stood up for what she thought was right. Her strength, physical and mental, was admirable and I loved the sass and humour she brought to the novel. She was incredibly vulnerable, due to what she was, but she didn't let that stop her in getting what she wanted in the end. She went from a simple, unknown woman to a powerful mated phoenix and it was nice to see this journey unfold. This is where she had growth that showed the true nature of her character and her human side. She had that depth, in her backstory and with her powers, so that I could connect to her emotionally. The only thing I didn't really liked about her was that she was quite childish and immature. I understand she was young and fairly naive, but it just gave me the ick and turned me off her a little. I did still enjoy her for the most part and can't wait to see her connection with her sisters in the rest of the series. Brand was intense and brooding, whilst also powerful and possessive. I enjoyed the exploration of his background and the role his status had on the world and himself. This gave him so much depth, where I not only got that emotional connection, but it also added tension to the story. This political status, as well as his internal conflict over whether to pursue Kasia or not, added the heat and tension I loved. I loved how he was an asshole to everyone but her and I feel this showed the depth and breadth of how connection with and love for her. I loved seeing them get together and their connection deepening throughout the book. I also enjoyed seeing how the author set up the side characters for the rest of the novel and this definitely intrigued me.
I found the writing to be quite engaging. The worldbuilding was immersive and complex, but still simple and easy to understand. It was dispersed throughout the novel in order to not overwhelm the reader and I found this to really aid in my understanding of the novel. She also didn't reveal it all, which I think is great as it added to my intrigue and interest to continue the series. She definitely set up the premise for the rest of the series which has me interested and keen to read on. I think it also added to the action and conflict, rather than hindering it which can sometimes happen when there is too much lore. I think it was balanced quite well. The pace was also another aspect that was done well by the author. The pace intensified in key moments to give the reader that emotional impact, and slowed down in less impactful scenes. It was very much conflict and character driven and I think the writing was simple, but engaging so as not to stand in the way of the action. But, in saying that, I didn't think the action was that much for what they made it out to be. It just didn't happen for very long and was honestly underwhelming. Like, I was expecting way more for what they hyped it up to be and then was just disappointed. Most of the conflict came from the characters and the relationship and I just wanted more from the action to add more depth to the story.
Overall, I enjoyed this story for the most part but just needed something more from the storyline to engage with. I'm definitely intrigued to continue the series and see where it takes me!
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5