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Book Review: King of Battle and Blood, by Scarlett St. Clair

I borrowed an e-copy of Scarlett St. Clair‘s King of Battle and Blood from the library.

Their union is his revenge.

Isolde de Lara considers her wedding day to be her death day. To end a years-long war, she is to marry vampire king Adrian Aleksandr Vasiliev, and kill him.

But her assassination attempt is thwarted, and Adrian threatens that if Isolde tries to kill him again, he will raise her as the undead. Faced with the possibility of becoming the thing she hates most, Isolde seeks other ways to defy him and survive the brutal vampire court.

Except it isn’t the court she fears most—it’s Adrian. Despite their undeniable chemistry, she wonders why the king—fierce, savage, merciless—chose her as consort.

The answer will shatter her world.

This was entertaining enough. I wouldn’t call it overly original, but I enjoyed it. I liked that Isolde had a backbone and stood up for herself. Yes, she could come off as a petty bitch sometimes. But she was raised to be a queen. So, it felt appropriate. Adrian falls first and is a complete softy (only) for her. I liked that a lot.

I did find it overly long; the villain is a bit cliched, and the twist toward the end is predictable. Plus, it includes a plot device I dislike (but it’s a spoiler to say what). All in all, again, even if not original, it was a fun read.

Book Review: King of Battle and Blood by Scarlett St. Clair

Book Review: Fourth Wing, by Rebecca Yarros

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I borrowed a copy of Rebecca Yarros‘ Fourth Wing from the library.

Enter the brutal and elite world of a war college for dragon riders…

Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.

But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away…because dragons don’t bond to “fragile” humans. They incinerate them.

With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter—like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.

She’ll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise.

Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom’s protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret.

Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda—because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die.

I don’t really understand all the hype about this book. I mean, it’s a fine book. I enjoyed it and will be looking for book two. But other than some disability representation (which I appreciate), there’s not really anything special about it. I actually think it’s a bit tropey. I’ve read many, many books with very similar plotlines, worlds, characters, etc. So, while it’s fine, I don’t understand why people are so very, very ga-ga over it. To each their own, I suppose.

More specifically, I enjoyed the banter between the characters, especially with the dragons. I like the characters themselves. And the world is interesting, if a little ham-fisted. I did struggle to believe that even a school designed to weed out the weak wouldn’t nip a psychopath in the bud. That’s a weakness of a different sort, all by itself. So, that aspect felt contrived. And let’s be honest, it really does stretch credulity that the secret revealed at the end would actually stay a secret. All in all, however, I’m looking forward to continuing the series.