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okays1331's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.75
"Don't pity me. When I can, I take the blows meant for you. You are my queen and my life is yours. It has been since the day you were born."
Rielle is a very different heroine. She has a lot of darkness in her. She craves the love of the masses and to prove her power. And she is POWERFUL. I think this confidence in her bearing turned some people off these books, but honestly, it's refreshing. Get it girl. That's not to say she doesn't have a lot of self doubt and self hatred, but to the world, she shows only the person she needs to be to get what she wants. Corien was always a creep, her father doesn't deserve a redemption arc, and Taliesin is not her friend. All of these men are abusive in different ways, and she savors every little bit of affection she gets from each of them. In the very first chapter of the book, we see her go supernova as the Blood Queen, and it is not hard to figure out how she got there when we see all the authority figures in her life and the manipulation, emotional abuse, physical abuse, and gaslighting. She does however, have the best friends.
Audric is perfect. I love him so much. He's mischievious, good to his core, loyal to a fault, blessed with sun magic, sweet and kind, and also gorgeous. He is the knight in shining armor you want on your side. He never falters from Rielle's side for one moment. Girl stop hiding things from you! He won't stop loving you!
Ludivine is a different kind of girl friend. I was waiting for the cringe-y jealousy and competition between women, but it never came. She is supportive through and through. Though of course, she's actually a centuries old angel who isn't actually interested in marrying the prince, and views Rielle and Aldric as her precious charges.
Rielle must complete a series of trials to prove her power and more importantly her control and become the Sun Queen, the long prophesied savior of the world. Or fail, and mark herself the Blood Queen, the downfall of humanity.
Cut to the other half of the story:
Eliana, who should be the heartless one in the story being trained from a young age to be an assassin and all, is actually full of love and loyalty for her family. And, despite how often she denies it and shoves it down, she is also full of love and compassion for the innocent and helpless. She feels no loyalty to home and country and has seen way too much to have much faith in anyone but herself.
Navi is again such a good friend. I hope we get more depth on her, but for now, she's a person to trust for Eliana and a maternal figure for Remmy (who is viewed by Eliana as a child to be protected, but I think he will surprise her with his own capabilities).
Finally, Simon! Gruff, sarcastic, stoic, dangerous, and troubled. Yep he's my favorite. He's constantly getting under Eliana's skin by pretending to flirt with her. Well, maybe not pretending. He's got a cause to fight for, and he will do literally anything for that cause.
Simon and Eliana are assassins/spies operating on opposite sides of the war. Simon working for the rebels and Eliana working for the Empire turning in rebels to be executed. But Eliana agrees to team up with Simon on a secret mission when her mother goes missing along with girls all over the country.
-------------------------------------------------
I had some issues at the beginning because I am so bad with names, so I was not making the connections between the characters that I should have. Hopefully this review will help me keep them straight when I read book two!
Rielle is a very different heroine. She has a lot of darkness in her. She craves the love of the masses and to prove her power. And she is POWERFUL. I think this confidence in her bearing turned some people off these books, but honestly, it's refreshing. Get it girl. That's not to say she doesn't have a lot of self doubt and self hatred, but to the world, she shows only the person she needs to be to get what she wants. Corien was always a creep, her father doesn't deserve a redemption arc, and Taliesin is not her friend. All of these men are abusive in different ways, and she savors every little bit of affection she gets from each of them. In the very first chapter of the book, we see her go supernova as the Blood Queen, and it is not hard to figure out how she got there when we see all the authority figures in her life and the manipulation, emotional abuse, physical abuse, and gaslighting. She does however, have the best friends.
Audric is perfect. I love him so much. He's mischievious, good to his core, loyal to a fault, blessed with sun magic, sweet and kind, and also gorgeous. He is the knight in shining armor you want on your side. He never falters from Rielle's side for one moment. Girl stop hiding things from you! He won't stop loving you!
Ludivine is a different kind of girl friend. I was waiting for the cringe-y jealousy and competition between women, but it never came. She is supportive through and through. Though of course,
Rielle must complete a series of trials to prove her power and more importantly her control and become the Sun Queen, the long prophesied savior of the world. Or fail, and mark herself the Blood Queen, the downfall of humanity.
Cut to the other half of the story:
Eliana, who should be the heartless one in the story being trained from a young age to be an assassin and all, is actually full of love and loyalty for her family. And, despite how often she denies it and shoves it down, she is also full of love and compassion for the innocent and helpless. She feels no loyalty to home and country and has seen way too much to have much faith in anyone but herself.
Navi is again such a good friend. I hope we get more depth on her, but for now, she's a person to trust for Eliana and a maternal figure for Remmy (who is viewed by Eliana as a child to be protected, but I think he will surprise her with his own capabilities).
Finally, Simon! Gruff, sarcastic, stoic, dangerous, and troubled. Yep he's my favorite. He's constantly getting under Eliana's skin by pretending to flirt with her. Well, maybe not pretending. He's got a cause to fight for, and he will do literally anything for that cause.
Simon and Eliana are assassins/spies operating on opposite sides of the war. Simon working for the rebels and Eliana working for the Empire turning in rebels to be executed. But Eliana agrees to team up with Simon on a secret mission when her mother goes missing along with girls all over the country.
-------------------------------------------------
I had some issues at the beginning because I am so bad with names, so I was not making the connections between the characters that I should have. Hopefully this review will help me keep them straight when I read book two!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Sexual assault
Moderate: Violence, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse
stormywolf's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is one helluva ride. Switching between the perspectives of two formidable women, it was never easy to put this book down, and I loved it.
Read my full review at The Wolf's Den
I wouldn't call the ending a major cliffhanger, but there's definitely a lot still left to resolve. Rielle's story hasn't yet caught up to the prologue (and I assume not everything is as it seems), and there's a war on the horizon. And Eliana's story is veering off in a new direction entirely. If I didn't already love this book, I'd be pissed at it pulling me into another incomplete series. I eagerly await Ms. Legrand's next installment.
Read my full review at The Wolf's Den
I wouldn't call the ending a major cliffhanger, but there's definitely a lot still left to resolve. Rielle's story hasn't yet caught up to the prologue (and I assume not everything is as it seems), and there's a war on the horizon. And Eliana's story is veering off in a new direction entirely. If I didn't already love this book, I'd be pissed at it pulling me into another incomplete series. I eagerly await Ms. Legrand's next installment.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Stalking, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Violence, Animal death, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content
Moderate: Kidnapping, Torture, Child death, and Trafficking
Minor: Infidelity, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Vomit, and Grief
There is an arranged marriage set to take place between first-cousins (royalty), but it doesn't happen in this book
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