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katieinca's review
2.0
I read it because comparisons were drawn to [a:Lois McMaster Bujold|16094|Lois McMaster Bujold|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1623465132p2/16094.jpg], who I absolutely love. And okay sure, this is a fantasy novel with limited magic, more politics. But I didn't find it very compelling, and often a bit of a slog. Most of the characters were a little flat, and you end up with two who apparently fall madly in love with each other and that just seemed to kind of spontaneously happen in a way that felt unearned. Also, Bujold does the thing where she or a character will be talking about something that's relevant to that moment of the plot but actually you want to pause and highlight it because it's A Poignant True Statement About Life and this didn't have anything like that sparkle.
gabalodon's review against another edition
4.0
Tight and satisfying political resistance story. It tends to drag (both emotionally and plot-wise), especially in the middle, though I thought the struggle made the payoff at the end a richer experience. The POV set-up was very well-executed and the politics were really well-structured. I found myself engaged chapter to chapter and wanting to know what happened next, it just took awhile for good things to start happening. Recommend reading in as few sittings as possible to keep up momentum.
sarahi04's review against another edition
3.75
It was enjoyable, but it would've been so much better had it all been from Mirantha's POV I didn't really care much for Anza. The two princes and their relationships with the king and power were far more interesting.
lottie1803's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, War, Violence, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Blood, Infidelity, Murder, Death of parent, and Torture
miiyyaa's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
anigoose's review against another edition
not the fault of the book - cognitive capacity is low and the book is essentially too complicatedfor me to follow rn
whatsmacksaid's review against another edition
4.0
The first quarter or so was kind of slow, but it picked up after that and became quite compelling. I really liked the ending and how everything tied up neatly, but not *too* neatly.
Thanks to the publisher for sending me an arc. This is an honest review, etc.
Thanks to the publisher for sending me an arc. This is an honest review, etc.
samanthabooks19's review against another edition
3.0
I was really highly anticipating this book, but sadly, it fell flat. I don’t have any definite feelings about this book. I don’t think there was necessarily anything majorly wrong with this book, it’s just that my overall enjoyment of the story was middle of the road. It could be just me, but I felt that the plot was not too exciting or engaging. My connection with the characters was also lacking. They didn’t intrigue me, and I felt that I didn’t care most of the time. Normally, I am a very active reader, so if something happens, I have a very outward expression of some type of emotion. There were very few times where this happened with this book. However, one thing that I did really enjoy was the twist. I didn’t see it coming at all.
Again, it’s not that I think this book is bad by any means; it was just very mediocre in most aspects.
Again, it’s not that I think this book is bad by any means; it was just very mediocre in most aspects.
alliethegator's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Her stillness had a patient strength to it that was not supplication. She wasn't expecting anyone to help her, not even the gods. He envied the calm.
We follow two main POVs: Anza, a member of the resistance, and Esvar, the younger son of the king.
There is a third minor one, mostly her entries are from a journal possessed by Anza. Her name is Mirantha.
Karegg is already on the brink of war, between the ever growing resistance and the succession being so fragile. If the sickly king dies, war will surely destroy the country. While the resistance itself would gladly see the king dead, Esvar knows that his brother, the heir, will suffer for it. Anza is part of the resistance, due to the execution of her father by the king.
I found myself super surprised by the slew of negative reviews on this book, because I quite liked it. The prose was extremely well-written, even if the story is one that's been told in this genre before. The glaring flaw was primarily the pacing, both in story and romance. The characters, while interesting, were somewhat flat.
brandypainter's review against another edition
3.0
This was entertaining and engrossing in its way. The world building is excellent, but the characters left a lot to be desired for me. [a:Megan Whalen Turner|22542|Megan Whalen Turner|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1489507023p2/22542.jpg] and [a:Naomi Novik|8730|Naomi Novik|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1206646770p2/8730.jpg] are my personal standard for political intrigue fantasy, and this didn't quite make that mark. It was good thought, and I will definitely read more from this author.