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blurrypetals's review against another edition
3.0
I think I liked the idea of this book much more than I liked the book itself. It also didn't help that I began this shortly before I went on a weeklong trip to New York, where I got zero reading or listening done, so there was a rather large gap between the day I began and now, the day I've finished.
There were a lot of things here that were very fun and likable, but I wasn't the biggest fan of the writing style. It was awkward and wooden at its worst, unpolished and a bit vague at its best.
The romance was fun, probably the saving grace of the whole thing, but I was not a fan of Poet's narrator at all, so some of the romantic stuff got a little uncomfortable when it was from his POV, in my opinion.
Not a total failure, but definitely not the biggest win either!
There were a lot of things here that were very fun and likable, but I wasn't the biggest fan of the writing style. It was awkward and wooden at its worst, unpolished and a bit vague at its best.
The romance was fun, probably the saving grace of the whole thing, but I was not a fan of Poet's narrator at all, so some of the romantic stuff got a little uncomfortable when it was from his POV, in my opinion.
Not a total failure, but definitely not the biggest win either!
read_ingbooks1's review against another edition
4.0
I never thought a jester would be hot. But my god, poet is magnificent. Those words he be saying… mouth watering.
hellobookbird's review against another edition
2.0
"I’ll best you with words, for swords are the toys of knights..."
I went into this thinking of Jest from [b: Heartless|18584855|Heartless|Marissa Meyer|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1477740245l/18584855._SY75_.jpg|26322524]: he knows more than he lets on, he makes fun of himself as much as others, and is a prominent and yet mysterious character.
Poet is definitely anything but: completely in love with himself, egotistical, and arrogant.
The book isn't terribly written but seems to be all over the place on period (this is a time of dresses and doublets; kisses should be scandalous and yet the Kingdom of Spring seems to embrace being free with affections...all affections) and conversational tone (overall, it's current but throws in verily, withal, hence, and mayhaps to try and date it; I don't mind if tone doesn't match the period but please keep it consistent).
Other physical things occurred under my dress as well. Private things that horrified and…thrilled me.
I rolled my naked splendor deeper into the bed, my fingers wiggling toward the offensive sound. “Be gone, little one.”
Alas, just not my cup of tea. :(
jenessalikes's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
inspiring
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
eesh25's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 Stars
I came across this book about two years ago, maybe longer, and the synopsis intrigued me. Yet for some unknown reason, I didn't pick it up until a few days ago. Still, I had a feelings it would be good and I'm super happy to be proven right.
The book is set in the kingdom of Spring. There are four kingdoms: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. I don't think there's any other fantasy element, except that. The book is mostly romantic and political. The latter was unexpected. The story is about the Court Jester of Spring, Poet, falling for Princess Briar of Autumn.
Ordinary people aren't allowed to travel between kingdoms, much less migrate. Royals can only do it if there's a big reason, like, in this case, a peace talk. There's already peace between the kingdoms but they still get together to discuss matters.
Poet and Briar don't get off to the most amicable start. Poet is, of course, a jester so he's going to joke around and entertain. Briar is a very prickly sort of person. She's not tolerant of people kidding around with her, for personal reasons. She can also act quite superior, what with her being a princess and most people being "beneath" her. That's one of the things that bothered me about her, that she too often said that Poet was "lesser".
But as a whole, I liked her. Most of her behaviour can be attributed to her need to maintain the facade of the perfect, composed princess. You see, the society we see has many flaws. It's not sexist or homophobic at all, which is awesome but the social divide is extreme. It's not even acceptable for a princess to befriend a commoner.
Another issue, an infinitely worse one, is regarding the mentally challenged. They're called Born Fools. Anyone suffering form a mental disorder from birth, on discovery, is considered property of the Crown. Then they're used as slaves or locked up, if they're dangerous or too erratic. They're not even thought of as humans. And it's a major conflict in the novel, trying to change these inhuman laws and maybe change public perception.
That's why I said the novel was political. The world is very well-developed, as you might already be able to tell from everything I've mentioned, and I'm really glad there are more books set in it because I would love to explore the other kingdoms.
The romance is also great. Poet is so much fun. He's quite arrogant because of all his talents but he has soft sides. He also has quite the way with words. I also love that when he and Briar argue, which is often, and she says something really mean, he retaliates in the same way. I'm tired is seeing guys who just accept bitchiness and simply flirt back, because the book is usually being pandered to woman. It's annoying. And I loved seeing that it wasn't the case here.
Poet and Briar, despite their differences, come to see each other's true self, and I loved how much they cared about each other even though there could be no future for them. They were both realists, you see, and knew that being together in any capacity was pretty much an impossibility. Yet they always cared. It was beautiful; as was the writing.
I'll be honest, though. This wasn't my preferred type of prose. I prefer simpler stuff and this was very lyrical. Lots of metaphors. It gave me a limerick-like feel. I know there are lots of people who would eat all this up and while I liked it as well, it was still a bit too lyrical for my taste. That, and the bit I mentioned about Briar's meanness, are my only two complaints with the novel. I loved the book, especially for the well-rounded world, and I highly recommend reading it. Seriously, the e-book is less than a dollar on Amazon, you gotta give it a shot.
I came across this book about two years ago, maybe longer, and the synopsis intrigued me. Yet for some unknown reason, I didn't pick it up until a few days ago. Still, I had a feelings it would be good and I'm super happy to be proven right.
The book is set in the kingdom of Spring. There are four kingdoms: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. I don't think there's any other fantasy element, except that. The book is mostly romantic and political. The latter was unexpected. The story is about the Court Jester of Spring, Poet, falling for Princess Briar of Autumn.
Ordinary people aren't allowed to travel between kingdoms, much less migrate. Royals can only do it if there's a big reason, like, in this case, a peace talk. There's already peace between the kingdoms but they still get together to discuss matters.
Poet and Briar don't get off to the most amicable start. Poet is, of course, a jester so he's going to joke around and entertain. Briar is a very prickly sort of person. She's not tolerant of people kidding around with her, for personal reasons. She can also act quite superior, what with her being a princess and most people being "beneath" her. That's one of the things that bothered me about her, that she too often said that Poet was "lesser".
But as a whole, I liked her. Most of her behaviour can be attributed to her need to maintain the facade of the perfect, composed princess. You see, the society we see has many flaws. It's not sexist or homophobic at all, which is awesome but the social divide is extreme. It's not even acceptable for a princess to befriend a commoner.
Another issue, an infinitely worse one, is regarding the mentally challenged. They're called Born Fools. Anyone suffering form a mental disorder from birth, on discovery, is considered property of the Crown. Then they're used as slaves or locked up, if they're dangerous or too erratic. They're not even thought of as humans. And it's a major conflict in the novel, trying to change these inhuman laws and maybe change public perception.
That's why I said the novel was political. The world is very well-developed, as you might already be able to tell from everything I've mentioned, and I'm really glad there are more books set in it because I would love to explore the other kingdoms.
The romance is also great. Poet is so much fun. He's quite arrogant because of all his talents but he has soft sides. He also has quite the way with words. I also love that when he and Briar argue, which is often, and she says something really mean, he retaliates in the same way. I'm tired is seeing guys who just accept bitchiness and simply flirt back, because the book is usually being pandered to woman. It's annoying. And I loved seeing that it wasn't the case here.
Poet and Briar, despite their differences, come to see each other's true self, and I loved how much they cared about each other even though there could be no future for them. They were both realists, you see, and knew that being together in any capacity was pretty much an impossibility. Yet they always cared. It was beautiful; as was the writing.
I'll be honest, though. This wasn't my preferred type of prose. I prefer simpler stuff and this was very lyrical. Lots of metaphors. It gave me a limerick-like feel. I know there are lots of people who would eat all this up and while I liked it as well, it was still a bit too lyrical for my taste. That, and the bit I mentioned about Briar's meanness, are my only two complaints with the novel. I loved the book, especially for the well-rounded world, and I highly recommend reading it. Seriously, the e-book is less than a dollar on Amazon, you gotta give it a shot.
lskywalker918's review against another edition
3.0
The premise of forbidden love was intriguing. The chase between the jester and the princess made me overlook the purple prose making up the spicy scenes. While others would find it annoying, I did not mind it at first as it was different. However, it got excessive around the halfway point (after Poet and Briar returned from the forest). Nothing was literally happening except for the two fooling around without going all the way. I lost interest and almost DNF. We all know the issues of the fools will have to be resolved somehow, so stop your runting and get to it already!
Thankfully, I trudged on and the story picked up again when Nicu was taken. The scene when they confessed their love for each other as if they were heading to the execution block was beautiful (spoiler alert, they didn't get executed). Briar's reconciliation with her mother was emotional.
The love scene when Poet and Briar finally did it was actually beautiful. It wasn't overly done (unlike the previous purple prose smut earlier in the book). Perhaps all that purple prose was added in the later more smutty edition. If possible, please remove them.
Spice scale (as defined by Mysterious Galaxy):
Thankfully, I trudged on and the story picked up again when Nicu was taken. The scene when they confessed their love for each other as if they were heading to the execution block was beautiful (spoiler alert, they didn't get executed). Briar's reconciliation with her mother was emotional.
The love scene when Poet and Briar finally did it was actually beautiful. It wasn't overly done (unlike the previous purple prose smut earlier in the book). Perhaps all that purple prose was added in the later more smutty edition. If possible, please remove them.
Spice scale (as defined by Mysterious Galaxy):
wdhake's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
4.75
krln's review against another edition
4.0
amazing book, i wouldve given it 5 stars but it dragged in the middle. other than that i really loved it
e_unterseher's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0