MINOR SPOILERS
I enjoyed this book! I was entranced by nearly every word. It wasn't perfect (because no book is) but I still found it entertaining enough to binge read it in a few days and still think about it the next day. That is a behemoth of a book. I didn't realize it at first. haha I think this is a comp between The Hunger Games, The Bachelorette, in the Roman Empire times or at least that's how it felt to me.
I liked the characters, I did have problems figuring out who was who at first and what they looked like but the quick dwindling of the cast helped. lol You'll be able to pick out the more notable characters really quick. I liked how different each character was and how diverse they were and found it fun to look back at Moreci's Character Portraits (On her website) to help identify what they looked like as well. Might just be me but I liked Tobias, Leila, Orion, and Delphi the best. OMG Flynn and Kaleo, are interesting by being the most volatile characters.
I liked how Tobias struggles with being in the tournament and the fights in the tournament. I am a bit surprised at how good he is at it considering he hasn't had much experience before and gets a lot of help but I am glad because I like Tobias and rooted for him even though he didn't quite seem like he'd get that far, especially without help. It was easy to like him considering his terrible competition as he's the only one with manners and a conscious. lol I like how is grew from his experience from the beginning and how his situation changed the way he turned out.
I really liked Leila but I wasn't sure how she got to be the way she is without mentor-ship or guidance from anyone other than her sisters who are also in the same boat...I don't understand how she because so independent and free thinking when raised in the isolation of the courts instead of being selfish and a brat which I expected. I definitely like her but I didn't find it believable that she became that way out of her current circumstance. Either way, I like her independence and her way of thinking but maybe not her assumptions. lol That is a flaw I noticed which is perfectly acceptable in my opinion. I didn't really see much grow in Leila from the beginning and I wish I were able to see more from her.
The story continued at a good pace and kept me interested in learning more. There were quick scenes and them some that allowed rest but not always for too long which I found Moreci did well. I did figure out the plot twist about 50-60% of the way, I wasn't sure until later and I was happy with the twist even though I kind of predicted it. I was confused that they call the underground passage the Labyrinth when it was really a tunnel which they do say but I can accept that Labyrinth is probably more menacing. lol I did get confused about The Savior's reputation, about how they said she was supposed to have violet eyes or some variation of it but I don't know if that is a mistake or a clue to throw readers off because that didn't happen. haha
The ending is good but not quite as satisfactory as I had hoped it would be in terms of wrapping up loose ends but there is a sequel to this book. From what I know of it, it's a retelling of this book from Leila's POV which isn't quite what I would want in a sequel but I don't know the story or how the author intends to write it so I'll just sit over here waiting for the sequel. :)
Overall, I enjoyed the book and recommend it if you like a bloody, violent, Bachelorette show. I'm not really into any of those regularly but still found myself entertained by it all. I wasn't sure how much I would enjoy diving into this book since I've been watching her Youtube channel and hadn't read her first book but I was happy to see that I got into the book easily.
That said, I enjoyed this book considering the language and violence. Perhaps my tolerance for those are higher than I expected which is funny as I usually avoid it but I knew it going into the book so maybe that prepared me for it. lol But if you're not a fan of cussing or violence, this book is probably not for you. Anyways, it's still a good story that I had a fun time reading and if you like the comps above you'll likely enjoy this story.
4.2 out of 5 for me!
1 comment:
Thank you so much for the detailed article
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