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bookish_brittany 's review for:
A Court This Cruel & Lovely
by Stacia Stark
If you like Throne of Glass and Serpent and the Wings of Night, this is for you!
Right off the bat, I was drawn in. Prisca's power is unique and different than any of the fantasy books I've been reading lately. There are so many tropes that I love, but it never felt like it was doing too much at the same time. While I can't say that this book really broke away from my usual fantasy mold, it was the little things that I didn't see coming that made me enjoy the journey so much.
What to Expect
✨Enemies-to-lovers
✨Plot twists
✨Slow burn
✨Forced proximity
✨Found family
✨Morally grey MMC
✨Powerful FMC
✨Fae/Hybrids
Characters
Prisca is selfless and brave. She would willingly sacrifice herself if it means freeing hundreds of prisoners. She's full of anger for how the corrupt rulers have treated her people, which she uses to fuel her power. Because of these things, she reminds me SO much of Aelin in Throne of Glass. It was hard not to draw parallels between them.
Lorian is the best kind of fantasy man - mysterious, grumpy, controlling, protective, and of course sexy. He's aloof and pretends not to care, but is constantly pushing Prisca to be her best self, yes please. I'm still unsure how I feel about his nickname for Prisca, but I'll leave that up to you to decide for yourself.
"You weren't meant for a life of safety. A life of kisses on your cheek and mediocre fucking. A life of gossiping with villagers.... Your Thol would never have given you this.... Until you face up to the reality of your life, you will forever be a victim to it."
The Mercenaries were great and I loved all of their individual relationships with Prisca. It was adorable. I actually wish I got more of this, but I'm hopeful that this will continue in the next book.
Pacing/Plot
There are so many plot twists and reveals sprinkled throughout the book that it kept moving and re-engaging me as a reader. I'm in the middle of my re-read of the Throne of Glass series, so I apologize for comparing so much, but... I was beyond happy that you get all of these twists and turns in this book, rather than being spread across 3 or 4 books, like SJM does. TOG is so slow in comparison. Now, I'm not saying that these twists were surprising. They were fairly predictable when you've read as much fantasy as I have. I still enjoyed it and got wrapped up in the plot so much that I hardly noticed whether or not the writing was good. The reason I say this is because I usually highlight my favorite quotes, but I didn't have many in this book. The only strange thing was pacing at the end. SO much happened or was revealed in the last few pages. It felt a little rushed and it ended so abruptly. It does make me want to read the next book though!
Overall, I am happy to add this to my list in league with Serpent and the Wings of Night, Trial of the Sun Queen, and other amazing fantasy books that I have read this year and would highly recommend! On to A Kingdom This Cursed & Empty. I have to know what Lorian means when he says "I'd told her she was mine, but she hadn't truly accepted it. Soon, she would learn exactly what that meant."
Right off the bat, I was drawn in. Prisca's power is unique and different than any of the fantasy books I've been reading lately. There are so many tropes that I love, but it never felt like it was doing too much at the same time. While I can't say that this book really broke away from my usual fantasy mold, it was the little things that I didn't see coming that made me enjoy the journey so much.
What to Expect
✨Enemies-to-lovers
✨Plot twists
✨Slow burn
✨Forced proximity
✨Found family
✨Morally grey MMC
✨Powerful FMC
✨Fae/Hybrids
Characters
Prisca is selfless and brave. She would willingly sacrifice herself if it means freeing hundreds of prisoners. She's full of anger for how the corrupt rulers have treated her people, which she uses to fuel her power. Because of these things, she reminds me SO much of Aelin in Throne of Glass. It was hard not to draw parallels between them.
Lorian is the best kind of fantasy man - mysterious, grumpy, controlling, protective, and of course sexy. He's aloof and pretends not to care, but is constantly pushing Prisca to be her best self, yes please. I'm still unsure how I feel about his nickname for Prisca, but I'll leave that up to you to decide for yourself.
"You weren't meant for a life of safety. A life of kisses on your cheek and mediocre fucking. A life of gossiping with villagers.... Your Thol would never have given you this.... Until you face up to the reality of your life, you will forever be a victim to it."
The Mercenaries were great and I loved all of their individual relationships with Prisca. It was adorable. I actually wish I got more of this, but I'm hopeful that this will continue in the next book.
Pacing/Plot
There are so many plot twists and reveals sprinkled throughout the book that it kept moving and re-engaging me as a reader. I'm in the middle of my re-read of the Throne of Glass series, so I apologize for comparing so much, but... I was beyond happy that you get all of these twists and turns in this book, rather than being spread across 3 or 4 books, like SJM does. TOG is so slow in comparison. Now, I'm not saying that these twists were surprising. They were fairly predictable when you've read as much fantasy as I have. I still enjoyed it and got wrapped up in the plot so much that I hardly noticed whether or not the writing was good. The reason I say this is because I usually highlight my favorite quotes, but I didn't have many in this book. The only strange thing was pacing at the end. SO much happened or was revealed in the last few pages. It felt a little rushed and it ended so abruptly. It does make me want to read the next book though!
Overall, I am happy to add this to my list in league with Serpent and the Wings of Night, Trial of the Sun Queen, and other amazing fantasy books that I have read this year and would highly recommend! On to A Kingdom This Cursed & Empty. I have to know what Lorian means when he says "I'd told her she was mine, but she hadn't truly accepted it. Soon, she would learn exactly what that meant."