A review by elntastic
A Court This Cruel and Lovely by Stacia Stark

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

The story was very gripping and entertaining, maintaining quite a fast pace throughout the story. I really liked the FMC. The MC is definitely a dark/grey character with questionable morals, but he didn’t cross any lines for me (yet).  I also loved the dynamic and slow burn between the FMC and the MC. 
However; the story was definitely nothing new. Everything that happened was more or less foreseeable. The world-building wasn’t very detailed.
The seemingly „good“ king who saved his people turns out to be an evil man who uses his folk? Heard that before. The MC is not who she thought he was? Read that before. She has to make a bargain with him after learning the truth about him? Def read that before. She has powers that were somehow hidden from her her entire life? Read that many many times. So all in all, nothing in this book felt new to me.  
It’s definitely a good story but if you’re looking for something new/different, you won’t find it here. This book feels like a lot of other books I have read before. There were so many parts where I saw direct similarities to other stories. If you’re looking for something different and new I’d suggest reading Carissa Broadbents books or Beck Michael’s „Guardians if the Maiden“ series. 
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