If you have been following me at all, either on here or on Youtube (LFSeitzBooks), you know I do reviews on both of these platforms. I once said in one of my youtube videos that I would not be doing blog reviews on the same books that I did youtube reviews. it felt redundant and honestly, I didn't want to have to do the extra work when I am already struggling with keeping up with the rest of my platforms. However, I do not like not having posts on here merely because I don't want to do a review two times. That being said I think slowly I am going to be transferring all my youtube reviews via blog because not everyone likes to watch videos and not everyone likes to read blogs- so.
On to the actual review.
This is the third Independent author I have reviewed and so far this is my favorite. This Duology was AMAZING (might be a trilogy), and I do have a youtube review on it, so if you would rather watch the review than checking that out.
"A warrior princess trained in isolation, Lara is driven by two certainties. The first is that King Aren of the Bridge Kingdom is her enemy. And the second is that she'll be the one to bring him to his knees. The only route through a storm-ravaged world, the Bridge Kingdom enriches itself and deprives its rivals, including Lara's homeland. So when she's sent as a bride under the guise of peace, Lara is prepared to do whatever it takes to fracture its impenetrable defenses. And the defenses of its king. Yet as she infiltrates her new home and gains a deeper understanding of the war to possess the bridge, Lara begins to question whether she's the hero or the villain. And as her feelings for Aren transform from frosty hostility to fierce passion, Lara must choose which kingdom she'll save... and which kingdom she'll destroy." -Amazon page blurb
**The gates to spoilerville have been opened, my friend.
What I liked:
I like the quick twists Danielle gives us at the beginning of the book. It sucks you in because one moment you think something horrific has happened and the next it's quietly explained and you are left wanting more. There are plenty of moments like that in this book and I thoroughly enjoyed them.
The Bridge kingdom is so interesting and now all I want is to see actual pictures of it ( would try to draw it but that would be a mistake). It was fascinating the structure itself as well as the kingdom and what they did.
The switch between Lara POV and Aren's was good. I usually don't care for that kind of thing, but it was good, especially since in the second book they are apart a good chunk of time.
I like the second book as well and how things flush out from the first one. I enjoyed how the relationship between Lara (MC) and her husband Aren slowly found their way back to each other through it. Danielle created good tension in both books which made their relationship more real and build enough tension that you were just begging for things to happen.
I liked Danielle's ability to summarise in between important parts without giving us too much filler or useless information. There would be starts of chapters that talked about a voyage or clean us after certain events and I like that they weren't some long ordeal that was meant to add filler to the book. It makes me more confident in doing that in my books.
The Sex scenes did not disappoint. I have read better, but I was NOT expecting these in the first place, and man, I loved them. They were good.
What I didn't:
Lara reminds me of another assassin character from a different book (Throne of glass) and it bothered me a little. Maybe it's because these are the only two assassin books I've read and the characters are both slim, blonde, and have blue eyes and I want more representation.
The second book felt too short to me and I feel there was more that could have been explained. Both books are basically the same size, but toward the end, I felt like things were kind of rushed, which in certain aspects I don't mind, but after the battles and when things are still tense I would have liked a little more.
(This isn't really a dislike but more of an opinion) I wish one of her sisters would have stayed with her, she deserved to have someone at her back who believed in her when no one else did. With the amount of hate she has endured in the last book it would have been nice to have someone threaten those people for her sake. When her sisters were around earlier in the book they threaten people who are rude to her, but they have to leave and it makes me sad.
Overall mouthfeel (Brooklyn 99 reference):
I wasn't expecting to love these books but I really do. They were an interesting store with a good setting and background story. The characters are flawed and that to me is realistic and better, making me enjoy the story even more. The storyline is solid and easy to follow, which made it easier to enjoy the little details Danielle gives us throughout the story. I recommend it and give it five stars.
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