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Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated To Kill a Kingdom in Books
Jun 8, 2018
I really enjoy books that take mermaids (or sirens, in this case, as mermaids exist but are something different in this world) and turn them back to their murderous roots. Adding in Cthulhu-esque horror made Into the Drowning Deep especially fascinating. To Kill A Kingdom didn't have much horror - it took the fantasy adventure/quest route instead.
The book alternates between the viewpoints of Princess Lira, the siren known as the Prince's Bane, and Prince Elian. Their name is at the start of each chapter that is written from their viewpoint, but it's small and easily missed. I wish it was in a larger, more obvious font, because I kept having to flip back a few pages to figure out who I was reading.
I loved seeing the character growth of Lira as she comes to know the humans, and realizes there is another possibility besides just following her mother's brutal orders. She learns, watching Elian's people follow him, that there is a way to inspire loyalty rather than compel it by magic and brutality.
Lira definitely shows more character growth than Elian does, and the book never really explains how Elian gets past the fact that she's killed so many princes.
The beginning of the book was also a little slow - I actually set it aside for a couple of weeks while reading other things and worried a little that I was never going to pick it up again. Worried because I don't usually not finish books unless they're terrible, not because I actually wanted to find out what happened. I didn't get invested in the characters until probably about halfway through the book. Books usually catch me far before that point.
So - it was okay. If you want predatory mermaids, I would recommend Into the Drowning Deep long before this one. Though if you want more fantasy with a touch of romance, and less horror, then this is probably the book you want. Just be warned it takes some time to hit its stride.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
The book alternates between the viewpoints of Princess Lira, the siren known as the Prince's Bane, and Prince Elian. Their name is at the start of each chapter that is written from their viewpoint, but it's small and easily missed. I wish it was in a larger, more obvious font, because I kept having to flip back a few pages to figure out who I was reading.
I loved seeing the character growth of Lira as she comes to know the humans, and realizes there is another possibility besides just following her mother's brutal orders. She learns, watching Elian's people follow him, that there is a way to inspire loyalty rather than compel it by magic and brutality.
Lira definitely shows more character growth than Elian does, and the book never really explains how Elian gets past the fact that she's killed so many princes.
The beginning of the book was also a little slow - I actually set it aside for a couple of weeks while reading other things and worried a little that I was never going to pick it up again. Worried because I don't usually not finish books unless they're terrible, not because I actually wanted to find out what happened. I didn't get invested in the characters until probably about halfway through the book. Books usually catch me far before that point.
So - it was okay. If you want predatory mermaids, I would recommend Into the Drowning Deep long before this one. Though if you want more fantasy with a touch of romance, and less horror, then this is probably the book you want. Just be warned it takes some time to hit its stride.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
Hazel (1853 KP) rated Elora of Stone (Legend of Rhyme, #1) in Books
Dec 17, 2018
<i>This eBook was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Elora of Stone</i> is the first in an exciting fantasy series, <i>Legend of Rhyme</i>, for young readers. Set in a magical kingdom, an evil magician steals one child of every pair of twins born. In order to protect their children, Asher and Ariana’s parents move to live near Elora – a good witch turned to stone by the sorcerer. Despite the protection, four-year-old Asher goes missing. The night of her thirteenth birthday Ariana learns of Asher’s whereabouts but only has until midnight to save him.
Full of magical creatures such as witches, fairies, pixies and goblins, <i>Elora of Stone</i> is the start of a sensational story for eight to twelve year olds. Heart stopping moments will urge the young readers to see the book through to the end to discover whether the twins succeed in being reunited and learn the truth about who is good and who is evil.
Although Asher and Ariana are the main characters of the series, they are not born until exactly half way through the book. As <i>Elora of Stone</i> is only one hundred pages, there are a bit too many chapters focused on setting the scene, resulting in the main story line and climax becoming rather rushed and crammed together.
Now that the preliminary introductions to characters and settings have been made, the following books in the series will hopefully flow better. <i>Legend of Rhyme</i> promises to be a unique fairytale to enthrall pre-teens of all reading levels. The narrative is clear and easy to follow with a limit on tricky words. To break up the text there is the occasional beautiful illustration depicting the author’s visual impressions of a handful of characters.
Ending on a slight cliffhanger, <i>Elora of Stone</i> will leave readers wanting more, thus making the <i>Legend of Rhyme</i> series a great set of books to collect; a wonderful start to your own personal library.
Elora of Stone</i> is the first in an exciting fantasy series, <i>Legend of Rhyme</i>, for young readers. Set in a magical kingdom, an evil magician steals one child of every pair of twins born. In order to protect their children, Asher and Ariana’s parents move to live near Elora – a good witch turned to stone by the sorcerer. Despite the protection, four-year-old Asher goes missing. The night of her thirteenth birthday Ariana learns of Asher’s whereabouts but only has until midnight to save him.
Full of magical creatures such as witches, fairies, pixies and goblins, <i>Elora of Stone</i> is the start of a sensational story for eight to twelve year olds. Heart stopping moments will urge the young readers to see the book through to the end to discover whether the twins succeed in being reunited and learn the truth about who is good and who is evil.
Although Asher and Ariana are the main characters of the series, they are not born until exactly half way through the book. As <i>Elora of Stone</i> is only one hundred pages, there are a bit too many chapters focused on setting the scene, resulting in the main story line and climax becoming rather rushed and crammed together.
Now that the preliminary introductions to characters and settings have been made, the following books in the series will hopefully flow better. <i>Legend of Rhyme</i> promises to be a unique fairytale to enthrall pre-teens of all reading levels. The narrative is clear and easy to follow with a limit on tricky words. To break up the text there is the occasional beautiful illustration depicting the author’s visual impressions of a handful of characters.
Ending on a slight cliffhanger, <i>Elora of Stone</i> will leave readers wanting more, thus making the <i>Legend of Rhyme</i> series a great set of books to collect; a wonderful start to your own personal library.
Merissa (13398 KP) rated Claimed by a Demon King (Eternal Mates, #2) in Books
Dec 17, 2018
I received an ARC edition of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
As the title says, this is book 2 in the Eternal Mates series and as such I recommend reading Kissed by a Dark Prince first, although this is not altogether necessary.
A lunar month has passed since the end of Book 1 and during that time Sable has been dreaming of King Thorne but keeps telling herself that she isn't interested. She is aiming to be Commander in Archangel and is determined to make the mission to help King Thorne a success - but only for career options, of course! Thorne has also been dreaming of Sable and knows that she is his fated female but is at a loss on how to proceed. During which time he is also trying to find a way to stop his kingdom from being overrun and how to improve his subjects' lives (if they survive the coming battle).
Felicity Heaton has written another fantastic series that you can lose yourself in. There are aspects of most characters that you can either relate to or admire... and trust me, I did a lot of admiring of Thorne! But with elves, werewolves, dragons and vampires there is someone there to interest everyone. And I just have to say that I love how the Vampire Erotique Theatre makes a show (another fantastic series if you haven't read it yet).
This book has everything from shapeshifters, vampires, demons (obviously) to war, battles, portals and angels. It is a book to immerse yourself in and not come up for air until you've finished it. Claimed by a Demon King is smoking hot and if Thorne is inexperienced, then all the angels in heaven won't be able to help Sable once he gets some experience under his belt! A perfect blend of innocence and pure, unadulterated male who has found his match in Sable. May the gods help Hell, because with this pair, anything is possible.
Highly recommended for all fans of Paranormal Romance and Felicity Heaton.
http://archaeolibrarianologist.blogspot.de/2014/02/claimed-by-demon-king-eternal-mates-2.html
As the title says, this is book 2 in the Eternal Mates series and as such I recommend reading Kissed by a Dark Prince first, although this is not altogether necessary.
A lunar month has passed since the end of Book 1 and during that time Sable has been dreaming of King Thorne but keeps telling herself that she isn't interested. She is aiming to be Commander in Archangel and is determined to make the mission to help King Thorne a success - but only for career options, of course! Thorne has also been dreaming of Sable and knows that she is his fated female but is at a loss on how to proceed. During which time he is also trying to find a way to stop his kingdom from being overrun and how to improve his subjects' lives (if they survive the coming battle).
Felicity Heaton has written another fantastic series that you can lose yourself in. There are aspects of most characters that you can either relate to or admire... and trust me, I did a lot of admiring of Thorne! But with elves, werewolves, dragons and vampires there is someone there to interest everyone. And I just have to say that I love how the Vampire Erotique Theatre makes a show (another fantastic series if you haven't read it yet).
This book has everything from shapeshifters, vampires, demons (obviously) to war, battles, portals and angels. It is a book to immerse yourself in and not come up for air until you've finished it. Claimed by a Demon King is smoking hot and if Thorne is inexperienced, then all the angels in heaven won't be able to help Sable once he gets some experience under his belt! A perfect blend of innocence and pure, unadulterated male who has found his match in Sable. May the gods help Hell, because with this pair, anything is possible.
Highly recommended for all fans of Paranormal Romance and Felicity Heaton.
http://archaeolibrarianologist.blogspot.de/2014/02/claimed-by-demon-king-eternal-mates-2.html
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated King of Thorns in Books
Nov 18, 2019
It won't be a surprise that in this book we find Jorg installed as king in his own right. It is also his wedding day. Rather inconventiently his castle is also about to be attacked by a huge army and he just doesn't have the troops to stop them.
The main story thread takes place over the day of the wedding and the battle to save his castle and kingdom. Any worries that Jorg has become soft in the years since the first book are swifly put aside as it's clear that with a proper army he can simply cause mayhem on a larger scale.
Like the first book there is also a 'flashback' story, again taking place four years previously, a year after he declared himself king. In this his journey takes him to other parts of the broken empire, showing more variety than the first book. There is also more use of arcane powers - for good and evil - and other adversaries join the story.
I thought the first book was excellent, if a little light on plot. This follow up is another notch up on the scale. The battle scenes are tenser, the plans even more desperate. The plot is now in full swing and moves nicely between the two story threads, events from four years previously having direct impact on the present.
We also find out more about The Builders and the world that Jorg inhabits, all of it totally fascinating, and once again Jorg is not above using the 'ancient' technology to further his ends.
The characterisation is better in this book, simply because more time is taken to flesh them out, but not at the expense of the speed of the story. Lawrence really is a natural story teller.
The plot twists and turns, and the reader is left guessing at each turn of the battle at what Jorg is going to do next and how he is going to win through the insurmountable odds stacked against him.
This really is an amazing book. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
The main story thread takes place over the day of the wedding and the battle to save his castle and kingdom. Any worries that Jorg has become soft in the years since the first book are swifly put aside as it's clear that with a proper army he can simply cause mayhem on a larger scale.
Like the first book there is also a 'flashback' story, again taking place four years previously, a year after he declared himself king. In this his journey takes him to other parts of the broken empire, showing more variety than the first book. There is also more use of arcane powers - for good and evil - and other adversaries join the story.
I thought the first book was excellent, if a little light on plot. This follow up is another notch up on the scale. The battle scenes are tenser, the plans even more desperate. The plot is now in full swing and moves nicely between the two story threads, events from four years previously having direct impact on the present.
We also find out more about The Builders and the world that Jorg inhabits, all of it totally fascinating, and once again Jorg is not above using the 'ancient' technology to further his ends.
The characterisation is better in this book, simply because more time is taken to flesh them out, but not at the expense of the speed of the story. Lawrence really is a natural story teller.
The plot twists and turns, and the reader is left guessing at each turn of the battle at what Jorg is going to do next and how he is going to win through the insurmountable odds stacked against him.
This really is an amazing book. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated The City of Veils (Princess Vigilante, #1) in Books
Jan 23, 2020
I am complete trash for novels involving princesses that hide under the guise of anonymity so they can protect their kingdom (bonus points for not wanting to rule), and The City of Veils by S. Usher Evans is no exception to this. While Brynna is working on bringing down a prominent businessman known for scamming civilians, she is taken in by the captain of the king’s guard and finds out both her father and brother have been murdered in less than a month. The murders leave behind a mystery and also force her to step in as the rightful queen of Forcadel. However, staying away from the castle for years to escape an arranged marriage comes with a cost: not only is she not aware of the court politics that have been happening in the castle, but she’s not sure who she could trust. Despite having no particular desire to rule, she definitely doesn’t want to be the next dead royal.
Despite being advised against it, Brynna finds herself negotiating with Felix, the captain of the king’s guard, to continue working as a vigilante at night while working on her royal duties during the day. This begins an amusing back and forth between the two throughout the novel as they butt heads constantly and try to negotiate with each other. I loved seeing their relationship develop, along with Brynna’s relationship with the other characters, including Katarine, the other guards, and others who will likely be playing a major role in later books.
The first novel in Evans’ newest series, Princess Vigilante, was a fun ride from beginning to end. The overall pacing of the story was perfect, although there are parts I felt were slow or a little rushed. The story was engaging and entertaining, and I was constantly kept on my toes as Brynna tries to navigate her life as a masked vigilante and a queen while trying to stay wary of potential dangers.
<a href="http://theartsstl.com/s-usher-evans-the-city-of-veils-suns-golden-ray-publishing/">This review is originally posted on The Arts STL</a>
Despite being advised against it, Brynna finds herself negotiating with Felix, the captain of the king’s guard, to continue working as a vigilante at night while working on her royal duties during the day. This begins an amusing back and forth between the two throughout the novel as they butt heads constantly and try to negotiate with each other. I loved seeing their relationship develop, along with Brynna’s relationship with the other characters, including Katarine, the other guards, and others who will likely be playing a major role in later books.
The first novel in Evans’ newest series, Princess Vigilante, was a fun ride from beginning to end. The overall pacing of the story was perfect, although there are parts I felt were slow or a little rushed. The story was engaging and entertaining, and I was constantly kept on my toes as Brynna tries to navigate her life as a masked vigilante and a queen while trying to stay wary of potential dangers.
<a href="http://theartsstl.com/s-usher-evans-the-city-of-veils-suns-golden-ray-publishing/">This review is originally posted on The Arts STL</a>
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