Joined in 2023 
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like missing sentences, random jumps between chapters/events, characters showing up in a scene when its never mentioned that they are present, information presented in a way that assumes the reader is already aware of it, and just inconsistent pacing. Dark and vivid, this YA Fantasy retelling of Beauty and the Beast was everything I was hoping for and didn't know I needed. The world building I think needs the most help, this is supposed to have Vikings in it and I’m not getting that at all from this. There isn't too much repeating but there was a time or 2 where I did pause from reading but I still read the book in A-day and a 1/2.
My last peeve with the writing was the fact that all the other characters could be referred to by their first name ALONE. In addition to the strange fascination with war, Elise is portrayed as being somehow better than her fellow Timorans for believing that Ettans should be equal.While I do have minor issues with lack of clarity on certain plot points and poor world building and development of ideas, there is one glaring issue that I would much rather talk about - the way this book deals with race. I will say that with the book series having 7 books and this book being 350 pages it can be a lot and there are parts that are somewhat slow in the book but I don't think the book needs to be Shorter or any parts taken out becauyes there's so much back story going on that each part of the book is taking a step towards telling the story and I think it's needed. The FMC is besties with her serfs, prefers being in the slums to her fancy royal life, and thinks everyone is equal because she treats them equally. The second half of the book moved VERY fast as it was so action packed it jumbled and mixed together that following along (especially at the end) was a little confusing, but I stuck with it and hoped things would clear up (and they did).
I thought the character building was decent, but the book fell really flat for me and I blame the lack of world building and writing for it. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. New Places, New names for each Class, New Characters/ their family tree and New words in their dialect, like ‘Herr’ and ‘Hen’.Due to her fathers health he cannot do the negotiations and the King does not have time to do it either, so he assigns the task to the incredibly gorgeous and mysterious Legion Grey… Legion has secrets (and unknown to her but known to the reader he is cursed) and after events unfold Elise finds herself needing to make an impossible choice that could save Legion but comes with a great sacrifice. I didn't love the racism aspect of the book but it was handled well and I'm looking forward to seeing where the plot goes. El romance también me gustó bastante, aunque confieso que no me encantó, ya que quizás fue un pelín precipitado hacia el final de la novela. While there are already indications, the heroine nor the reader knows the extent of the hero's hidden agenda until over halfway into the book, so I hate how much the blurb gives it away.
Of course, with me having read the spin-off first, the big plot twist came as no surprise to me but I tried to not let it influence my judgement. And while this story is interesting (and the audio good enough), I’m not yet sold on this series nor the author’s talent of storytelling. I still don’t think I fully understand how the Fae and their magic tie into the story or how their magic works.Filled with luscious world building, banter-filled romance, and epic battles, this first book in the Broken Kingdoms series is part Viking, part fairy tale. Right off the bat, obsessions with a warrior past are not exactly a great marker - especially when coupled with the clear viking inspiration for the Timoran (Elise’s) culture.
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