Lauren RobertsRecensioni

the other half had me kicking my feet and the cliffhanger will have me reading the next part.½

Basic, long romantasy with magic people vs rebel “mudblood ” people.
Love triangle with two prince brothers (not for me).

Ughhhh. I’m literally crying eyes out. I don’t know what does author want from me but all she got is tears. I cannot take this pain. I’m in right now. I think this other actually hates me. Because there is no way she wrote that book not to cry my eyes out. This book was actually everything. The betrayal I felt from this book is the worst thing I have ever felt. I love Kai so much so so so so much. And the end actually makes me wanna die. oh my God. Kai Did it ? why why why? This is actually breaking my heart. This is another level of pain. I literally have went through so many tissues. And I know Kai and Kurt is mad because she killed her father, but she had a great reason and just to find out kai killed her father? This was some next level bullshit writing crap. I honestly don’t know what to say about this book. Because it was so well written that I don’t know how to feel. And if this book put me in a swamp, I’m gonna cry. I literally couldn’t breathe from how hard I was. The ending was the worst part kitt doesn’t know how much KAI loves her. And Kai doesn’t know how much kitt told her and I actually just wanna crawl into a hole and never come out. But pae and Kai were honestly one of the best romantic people I have ever met in my entire life of reading. the way this man felt for her and cared for her is like no other. And the fact they never kissed. And the fact he doesn’t know he killed her father. Ughh I’m going to cry again goodbye. 4.8/5⭐️’s.

I really enjoyed this book so much. It was witty and fun, flirty and dramatic. I won’t give away any spoilers, but I was so shocked by the ending and can’t wait for the next one to come out so we can continue the saga of the spicy tango that is the life of these characters. Very rich character development and emotional attachment was achieved with me for sure! Looking forward to the next book! The first 5 star book review of the year that I haven’t t read before.

2.0⭐

So this was a very obvious mix of the Hunger Games and the Throne of Glass with few original ideas, although even those might have been taken from somewhere else. Maybe I have just not read the inspiration yet.

The tournament was uninspired, the trials boring, and I never really felt that our MC was in actual danger. It went so far in taking inspiration from Hunger Games that even in a historical setting we have magical recording and replaying of the trials. Not to mention that besides getting our characters together, what was the actual point of the tournament?

The setting and lore are again very lackluster. Just a bare minimum necessary for the story. Deadly desert right next to the city? The kingdom is so well described that I only know there is a palace and an alley where the poor people live and that those two places are somewhat far away from each other? The magic system was somewhat original, though. I just wish there was a bit more done with it.

The romance line was ok I suppose. It didn't make me feel much, but it also didn't make me annoyed much.

I was actually thinking of DNFing this a few times, especially every time something stupid happened.

The ending did make the book slightly more interesting to me. I didn't expect it would go that way. I might even be slightly interested in the sequel.

This book was one where I thought about it constantly when I wasn’t reading it! I really enjoyed it, I liked that it kind of gave hunger games/Harry Potter vibes. I want a Kai…

Representation: N/A?
Trigger warnings: Blood depiction, physical injury, assault and murder of a person, near-death experience
Score: Seven points out of ten.
This review can also be found on The StoryGraph.

First, whoa. The next book is next year? It better be as good as the first. With that out of the way, the library I got this from purchased it a few months back, and afterwards, I finally got my hands on it. When I finished it, I thought it was impressive for a debut author, because it's rare for authors to impress me on the first try. This author did. This novel feels like Red Queen and even Graceling, and it's clear that some elements felt like The Hunger Games (which didn't matter or dampen my enjoyment anyway.) It starts with the main character Paedyn Gray (or Paedyn for short), but here's the catch: she's Ordinary, ever since the Plague hit which gifted some (now called the Elite) with powers, while killing others. When I think about it it's strange and it's not clear where the Plague first started; maybe the second instalment can explain. Only after a few pages, Paedyn is called to participate in the 6th trials while forming an attraction with Prince Kai (Are they meant for each other? It's not clear, but they got along well.) The second half spoke for itself (it's so good I have no words to describe it.) Other than the fact that Paedyn won the trials and started a revolution. And a cliffhanger. I'm speechless.

It is reminiscent of Hunger Games. I like the two main characters: the girl from the slums and the prince who kills for the king. They are attracted to each other without immediately having sex, which, in fact, they don’t in this book.

I want to continue reading this series.½

Although it seemed to heavily draw inspiration from the Hunger Games & Harry Potter’s Triwizard Tournament, I couldn’t help but thoroughly enjoy this read. Paedyn & Kai are intoxicating. I cannot wait until the sequel comes out in July.

This is a slow-burn, low-spice, rivals-to-lovers romantic fantasy. The plot is simple. But the tension! The angst! The plot itself isn’t entirely original but it kept me interested enough to finish the book. Love the strong FMC.

What I don’t get is the Purging Trials. Why host a deadly competition where the kingdom’s most elite kill each other? Aren’t they supposed to treasure their most skilled and trained fighters?

She is the very thing he’s spent his whole life hunting.
He is the very thing she’s spent her whole life pretending to be.

Only the extraordinary belong in the kingdom of Ilya—the exceptional, the empowered, the Elites.

The powers these Elites have possessed for decades were graciously gifted to them by the Plague, though not all were fortunate enough to both survive the sickness and reap the reward. Those born Ordinary are just that—ordinary. And when the king decreed that all Ordinaries be banished in order to preserve his Elite society, lacking an ability suddenly became a crime—making Paedyn Gray a felon by fate and a thief by necessity.

Surviving in the slums as an Ordinary is no simple task, and Paedyn knows this better than most. Having been trained by her father to be overly observant since she was a child, Paedyn poses as a Psychic in the crowded city, blending in with the Elites as best she can in order to stay alive and out of trouble. Easier said than done.

When Paeydn unsuspectingly saves one of Ilyas princes, she finds herself thrown into the Purging Trials. The brutal competition exists to showcase the Elites’ powers—the very thing Paedyn lacks. If the Trials and the opponents within them don’t kill her, the prince she’s fighting feelings for certainly will if he discovers what she is—completely Ordinary.

Paedyn will remind many of Catniss, as will the games/trials, but there's a ton of originality in the story as well. Paedyn's spark-filled back and forth with Kai, from the moment she picks his pocket, all the way to the explosive events in the final trial, are addicting. This is a girl who thought she'd lost everything when her father was murdered, but the longer she survives, the tighter she's strapped to an emotional rollercoaster that involves trying to hide her lack of a power, stay alive in the trials, navigate her feelings for both princes, and keep her feelings hidden as she discovers just how corrupt the kingdom is. I challenge you to find a better cliffhanger ending than this one.

This was a great work of fantasy romance that many readers will relate with Hunger Games.

The author presented two sociates. After the Plague that killed thousands of Ilyas, some people possessed a special power. They were called Elites. The Ordinary people hadn't developed special abilities and being considered as carriers of undetectable diseases, they were banished from the kingdom.

The main plot focuses on the Trials where young people who possess a special ability, compete against each other to win. Paedyn doesn't have any special power; however, she was nominated to compete after she stole from Prince Kai and later saved his life. She's determined to win for the better life of the Ordinary people and for her father's revenge. She will fight against those who have special power and against prince Kai, the future Enforcer who was born to kill.

Cleverly crafted story filled with constant actions, violence, and tension. I never really found interest in any of the dramatic and brutal-fighting books, but this book was much more than that. I really enjoyed the humorous interactions between Paedyn and Kai. The ending was not what I expected and the Paedyn story will continue in a second book from this series which is coming in June 2024. Great debut novel that I think will be made into a movie.½