Take a photo of a barcode or cover
lullabyex 's review for:
Blood & Steel
by Helen Scheuerer
I've had this series on my TBR for a while and I've finally gotten to it! I've done an immersive read, thanks to a mix of KU's ebook, Libby's audiobook and my gifted physical copy (from a friend, of course, I'm not nowhere near being a book influencer to receive free physical books lol).
So this I think is a solid 3.75 ⭐ book for me: it was entertaining, it was written well enough and I will be going back for the rest of the books.
The thing with romantasy in general for me lately is that it's all starting to blend together. While I enjoy it, I've been struggling to find truly innovative plots that grip me, with writing that changes me. Blood & Steel fits this bill - it's fun but it doesn't do much more for me at this point.
I thought the writing was good enough for what it was and the plot was okay! I enjoyed Thea's journey through proving she was worthy of the shieldbearers through her perseverance and unique range of skills.
I almost wished that Wilder's character was written slightly broodier - the fact that he falls for her almost solely based on moments of duress makes it slightly hard to believe it's real enough. It's a bit of insta lust with denial, and I wish it had been played a bit longer?
I'm hoping that book 2 comes to really dig into their relationship and put them through it in order to get to a deeper connection with layers and texture. Essentially, I'm hoping it makes the whole thing a bit more real.
Will be picking it up afterwards!
So this I think is a solid 3.75 ⭐ book for me: it was entertaining, it was written well enough and I will be going back for the rest of the books.
The thing with romantasy in general for me lately is that it's all starting to blend together. While I enjoy it, I've been struggling to find truly innovative plots that grip me, with writing that changes me. Blood & Steel fits this bill - it's fun but it doesn't do much more for me at this point.
I thought the writing was good enough for what it was and the plot was okay! I enjoyed Thea's journey through proving she was worthy of the shieldbearers through her perseverance and unique range of skills.
I almost wished that Wilder's character was written slightly broodier - the fact that he falls for her almost solely based on moments of duress makes it slightly hard to believe it's real enough. It's a bit of insta lust with denial, and I wish it had been played a bit longer?
I'm hoping that book 2 comes to really dig into their relationship and put them through it in order to get to a deeper connection with layers and texture. Essentially, I'm hoping it makes the whole thing a bit more real.
Will be picking it up afterwards!