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dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
If this meeting could've been an email - was a book...
This book had so much potential but unfortunately didn't live up to any of it.
First of all, there are no content trigger warnings for the master/slave dynamic, the implied SA, attempted SA & DubCon. There is a tiny blurb added as an afterthought to the bottom of the Goodreads synopsis and that's it.
The world building could have been amazing but the author seemingly just relied on the fact that it's set in Ancient Rome and was like, BAM! add dragons and there ya go! That's all you need to know! There's minimal political intrigue IN ANCIENT ROME. So many trips to the forum and discussions about the senate but not actually getting to witness any of it? That's a travesty. All we get to witness is some behind closed doors plotting and it's secondary to the romance, which is also lacking.
The romance is love/lust at first sight. There's no yearning or pining. No tension. Just insta-lust. The majority of the book is the 2 main characters talking and it's painfully obvious what happening between them. The spice was also disappointing. To say I was bored is an understatement because NOTHING HAPPENS until like 90% into the book. None of the reveals or "twists" were shocking, the few action scenes are so short and underdeveloped they resolve within a few pages. I understand that this book is majorly setting up all the action to take place in the next book but this does not leave me needing to know what's happening next. Just left feeling unsatisfied at all the loose ends.
The master/slave dynamic was also not it for me. I get that he's a dragon but the amount of times he says "mine" is crazy. Especially since she's his slave... It just feels icky. Then there's the dubcon scene (dubious consent). It's one thing to be between the MCs and there's an established trust and understanding between them but for it to be between the villain and another character as a show of power was gross.
Malina was the only saving grace of this book. It was refreshing to have a FMC who was strong and confident and not whiny.
This book had so much potential but unfortunately didn't live up to any of it.
First of all, there are no content trigger warnings for the master/slave dynamic, the implied SA, attempted SA & DubCon. There is a tiny blurb added as an afterthought to the bottom of the Goodreads synopsis and that's it.
The world building could have been amazing but the author seemingly just relied on the fact that it's set in Ancient Rome and was like, BAM! add dragons and there ya go! That's all you need to know! There's minimal political intrigue IN ANCIENT ROME. So many trips to the forum and discussions about the senate but not actually getting to witness any of it? That's a travesty. All we get to witness is some behind closed doors plotting and it's secondary to the romance, which is also lacking.
The romance is love/lust at first sight. There's no yearning or pining. No tension. Just insta-lust. The majority of the book is the 2 main characters talking and it's painfully obvious what happening between them. The spice was also disappointing. To say I was bored is an understatement because NOTHING HAPPENS until like 90% into the book. None of the reveals or "twists" were shocking, the few action scenes are so short and underdeveloped they resolve within a few pages. I understand that this book is majorly setting up all the action to take place in the next book but this does not leave me needing to know what's happening next. Just left feeling unsatisfied at all the loose ends.
The master/slave dynamic was also not it for me. I get that he's a dragon but the amount of times he says "mine" is crazy. Especially since she's his slave... It just feels icky. Then there's the dubcon scene (dubious consent). It's one thing to be between the MCs and there's an established trust and understanding between them but for it to be between the villain and another character as a show of power was gross.
Malina was the only saving grace of this book. It was refreshing to have a FMC who was strong and confident and not whiny.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Violence