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fallingwings's review against another edition
4.0
So I used this book as my own personal test. You see, the past few months, I've believed I was in a reading slump. Given how fast I gobbled up this book, I've learned this is not the case. I now believe my problem lies in the fact I read mostly YA books and they have grown too repetitive to hold my interest (at least right now).
My only complaints:
- The first 8+ pages our MC spends internally flipping out over the weird tattoo on her arm. Look, I understand as someone who doesn't have any tattoos myself, how jarring that would be to suddenly have one pop up randomly. BUT. Would I throw bleach and other chemicals on it? No. Would I consider calling the cops or filing a report over it? No. It's a mark. If I couldn't get it off with basic soap and water, my next step would be maybe scheduling an appointment with a doctor just to make sure it wasn't something cancerous. You would think our MC would have a more logical way of thinking, considering her current profession and previous supposed experience in working with paramedics.
-Info dumps and too much detail in areas. It got to the point I would skim over paragraphs at times (at least in the beginning). They weren't horrible, I have seen worse, but I don't favor skimming over stuff because reading certain descriptions don't offer anything. Fortunately, this seemed to tamper off once we got beyond chapter seven.
-There are some...cringey things. For example, being an ace shot simply from playing video games. Uh, I'm pretty sure that's not how that works, especially if you've never had any lessons or experience with a gun beyond just carrying one around. I like my video games too, but that doesn't mean I would be a whizz at swinging a sword or using a bow and arrow from them alone.
-The "panic later" mantra got old real fast.
-The first 3-5 chapters were somewhat rocky for me, which -- again -- was where most of my problems lay with this book.
Other than that? I loved everything about this book~ Things got better once our MC and her friend ended up in Under. I love how many of these characters wear some type of mask and have certain tattoos. I loved every character we come across and am literally wanting to see more of all of them. I had already ordered book 2 when I was only half way through this one and now I eagerly wait to sink my teeth into it here in a few days.
My only complaints:
- The first 8+ pages our MC spends internally flipping out over the weird tattoo on her arm. Look, I understand as someone who doesn't have any tattoos myself, how jarring that would be to suddenly have one pop up randomly. BUT. Would I throw bleach and other chemicals on it? No. Would I consider calling the cops or filing a report over it? No. It's a mark. If I couldn't get it off with basic soap and water, my next step would be maybe scheduling an appointment with a doctor just to make sure it wasn't something cancerous. You would think our MC would have a more logical way of thinking, considering her current profession and previous supposed experience in working with paramedics.
-Info dumps and too much detail in areas. It got to the point I would skim over paragraphs at times (at least in the beginning). They weren't horrible, I have seen worse, but I don't favor skimming over stuff because reading certain descriptions don't offer anything. Fortunately, this seemed to tamper off once we got beyond chapter seven.
-There are some...cringey things. For example, being an ace shot simply from playing video games. Uh, I'm pretty sure that's not how that works, especially if you've never had any lessons or experience with a gun beyond just carrying one around. I like my video games too, but that doesn't mean I would be a whizz at swinging a sword or using a bow and arrow from them alone.
-The "panic later" mantra got old real fast.
-The first 3-5 chapters were somewhat rocky for me, which -- again -- was where most of my problems lay with this book.
Other than that? I loved everything about this book~ Things got better once our MC and her friend ended up in Under. I love how many of these characters wear some type of mask and have certain tattoos. I loved every character we come across and am literally wanting to see more of all of them. I had already ordered book 2 when I was only half way through this one and now I eagerly wait to sink my teeth into it here in a few days.
vassooo's review against another edition
5.0
One of my favourite series for 2020. The world building, the characters and the writing is perfect. The romance like the rest of the book was dark, usually not my thing but once I started i couldn't stop reading until the end.
vxdoo's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
knee's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
mimig312's review against another edition
3.0
3 Stars
Quick read, horror fantasy and first in a series by Kathryn Ann Kingsley. I decided to pick this one up as I’m a big fan of the Maze of Shadows and Dracula series by Kingsley. This series started well with slow world building and gruesome monsters. The but is the characters. They read a little flat. Especially the main character, Lydia. She was just … boring? The main villains were more interesting and there was a hit of potential villain romance sprinkled in (I suspect things heat up in the next book). Not sure if I’ll continue the series, this one may be a pass for me.
Quick read, horror fantasy and first in a series by Kathryn Ann Kingsley. I decided to pick this one up as I’m a big fan of the Maze of Shadows and Dracula series by Kingsley. This series started well with slow world building and gruesome monsters. The but is the characters. They read a little flat. Especially the main character, Lydia. She was just … boring? The main villains were more interesting and there was a hit of potential villain romance sprinkled in (I suspect things heat up in the next book). Not sure if I’ll continue the series, this one may be a pass for me.
gypsydawn's review against another edition
5.0
Twisted! 4.5 rounded up.
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from the blurb, but it wasn’t this gem that fell into my kindle! This is an urban fantasy delight, filled with danger, mystery and enough world building to whet your appetite for book 2. Lydia (when was the last time you saw a FMC with such a name??) is awesome, a but foolish and so very human she makes your soul bleed. Edu, on the other hand.... is not. It’s confusing, enticing and rather epic in scope. Love.
Pros:
- Lydia is brave without being super-powered.... it’s just her, and that makes her struggle all the more poignant.
- World building. Under is.... chilling.
- Concept narrative, wholly unique.
Cons:
- Watch the cliff!
- Ended on a breathless note, but still felt short(ish).
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from the blurb, but it wasn’t this gem that fell into my kindle! This is an urban fantasy delight, filled with danger, mystery and enough world building to whet your appetite for book 2. Lydia (when was the last time you saw a FMC with such a name??) is awesome, a but foolish and so very human she makes your soul bleed. Edu, on the other hand.... is not. It’s confusing, enticing and rather epic in scope. Love.
Pros:
- Lydia is brave without being super-powered.... it’s just her, and that makes her struggle all the more poignant.
- World building. Under is.... chilling.
- Concept narrative, wholly unique.
Cons:
- Watch the cliff!
- Ended on a breathless note, but still felt short(ish).
kate_and_books's review against another edition
3.0
Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore.
I have read a lot of fantasy, urban fantasy and paranormal romance in my life some has been fantastic, others have been bloody awful, and King of Flames is somewhere in the middle for me or upper scale.
I didn’t know what to expect and it was difficult to get into the book at the beginning, but this book is unique, and with the author’s idea she has truly put her book in a league of her own. I find her writing similar to but that was the vibe I was getting here. The good was I had no clue where we were going to go with this book and that is exactly what I needed there was also zilch in love interest and sex which is refreshing so you had to focus on the plot and there was no room for error here but the author did a fantastic job and I can’t really pinpoint why I can’t give it 5 stars or even 4 stars and quite frankly that irks me a lot. I fekt that the author could have maybe given more in fleshing out the world of under? It was like we just touched the surface but take my review here with a pinch of salt.
What do you do when you wake up with a tattoo you didn’t have the night before?
Well that happens to Lydia and whereas she is a bit of an oddball what happens to her is even out of her realm of possibility. Until her and a bunch of people throughout the world are teleported to under. Where every so often the worlds between earth and under align and where no souls are born in under the realm still needs to keep living.
The Fallen with the help of the ancients decides who becomes what. Be it a monster or something else completely.
Turns out I’m not immune to everything. Someone pulling off their skin? Yeah not my thing, kind of made me want to puke
Kings, Flames, Shadows, Elders and Ancients is worth a read.
I have read a lot of fantasy, urban fantasy and paranormal romance in my life some has been fantastic, others have been bloody awful, and King of Flames is somewhere in the middle for me or upper scale.
I didn’t know what to expect and it was difficult to get into the book at the beginning, but this book is unique, and with the author’s idea she has truly put her book in a league of her own. I find her writing similar to
Spoiler
S.L. JenningsWhat do you do when you wake up with a tattoo you didn’t have the night before?
Well that happens to Lydia and whereas she is a bit of an oddball what happens to her is even out of her realm of possibility. Until her and a bunch of people throughout the world are teleported to under. Where every so often the worlds between earth and under align and where no souls are born in under the realm still needs to keep living.
The Fallen with the help of the ancients decides who becomes what. Be it a monster or something else completely.
Turns out I’m not immune to everything. Someone pulling off their skin? Yeah not my thing, kind of made me want to puke
Kings, Flames, Shadows, Elders and Ancients is worth a read.
curls's review against another edition
4.0
It’s a bad day for Lydia when she wakes up with a tattoo she doesn’t remember getting and then the cadaver she was working on comes back to life and attacks her.
She’s rightfully spooked.
After defending herself and running away, and shooting a second attacker point blank in the head, she is captured and taken to the land of Under.
Under is a dying place, where Earth intersects with it every few years, and the people of under claim (kidnap) their new citizens from earth.
There’s a ceremony, and the newcomers are thrown into the lake of the Ancients and are transformed into their new selves. They are then claimed by different houses - some are shifters, vampires, witches, warriors, etc. But when Lydia is thrown in, she is rejected by the ancients and stays human. This abnormality causes the current king Edu to fear her, but also draws the attention of the sleeping king Aon.
Looking back, there’s a lot of character development and world building but not a lot of plot. It’s paced very well. The author has done a great job building a unique world. It’s a spooky world, it reminded me a little of The Call. Lydia is a strong main character, and I really liked her friend Nick. I would like to note this is not a YA fantasy- the main character is in her late twenties.
If you are looking for a unique and slightly unsettling fantasy with a strong heroine and the hints of enemies to lovers romance to come, you may want to give this book a try.
I received this arc in exchange for a honest review. This book is already released and free on kindle unlimited.
She’s rightfully spooked.
After defending herself and running away, and shooting a second attacker point blank in the head, she is captured and taken to the land of Under.
Under is a dying place, where Earth intersects with it every few years, and the people of under claim (kidnap) their new citizens from earth.
There’s a ceremony, and the newcomers are thrown into the lake of the Ancients and are transformed into their new selves. They are then claimed by different houses - some are shifters, vampires, witches, warriors, etc. But when Lydia is thrown in, she is rejected by the ancients and stays human. This abnormality causes the current king Edu to fear her, but also draws the attention of the sleeping king Aon.
Looking back, there’s a lot of character development and world building but not a lot of plot. It’s paced very well. The author has done a great job building a unique world. It’s a spooky world, it reminded me a little of The Call. Lydia is a strong main character, and I really liked her friend Nick. I would like to note this is not a YA fantasy- the main character is in her late twenties.
If you are looking for a unique and slightly unsettling fantasy with a strong heroine and the hints of enemies to lovers romance to come, you may want to give this book a try.
I received this arc in exchange for a honest review. This book is already released and free on kindle unlimited.