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taylormshipley's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Sexual content and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual assault and Torture
booksalacarte's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Rule Of the Aurora King- 3.75⭐️ 2.75🌶️
New Adult
High Romantasy
Romantic Fantasy
Multi POV
Bipoc
Flashbacks
Fae Courts
Magic
Politics
Feuding Kingdoms
Secrets
Slow Burn
🏳️🌈 Side Character Rep
Reluctant Allies to Lovers
Open Door Spicy Scenes
This was a great second book. I am so glad that the plot was so definitively different from the first book. There wasn’t any confusing first romance and second. Thankfully the FMC was fighting herself enough to know that she was growing from the person she was in the first book.
However, the pace did slow down quite a bit, and the stakes came down a peg or two. While not bad, it allowed the plot to get some breathing room that I feel was really necessary for the character arcs of the MC’s. But the hot and cold pendulum between the MC’s also got old really fast.
The world building was nice with the addition to the flashbacks, bringing a new POV into the fold. However, I didn’t find myself liking the characters in the flashback…
The magic system was laid out a little more, but I’m still at a loss as to what ANY of the high face’s powers actually are or how they manifest.
As far as individual character development goes, the blatant rage from the FMC died down, giving us a better look at Lor when she isn’t starving or afraid she is going to die. That’s probably really important. Nasir felt a bit too much like a doormat, which I can’t imagine anyone likes… I’ll be interested to see his continuing character arc in the next book now that he is a bit freer, in the same way Lor did in this book.
I didn’t love “Inmate” as a sexy nickname… especially since she told him many time to not call her that. They weren’t very good at keeping anything secret or under wraps… their fake dating was in fact terrible cover for their true purpose because there wasn’t a fake name or anything that they used. What kind of spy’s are they?!… bad ones.
But I still enjoyed myself and was drawn in, so I will be reading the next book in the series.
Thank you NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for an Advanced eReader Copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
amanda_reads13's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Lor is taken to The Aurora and if forced to team up with The Aurora Prince to locate her crown.
After reading the first one, I wasn't sure I wanted to continue this series. I still feel like the author was trying to incorporate every possible trope in these books while mashing together the plot from a dozen popular books. Compared to the other fantasy books out there, this series felt kind of bland. The characters are flat and not well developed. The world building just isn't there. The dialogue is incredibly corny at points and the writing just feels like its lacking.
Lor and Nadir's relationship was giving me whiplash. She has trust issues and he is overly possessive. WE. GET. IT. It is thrown in our face every few pages. We know they are fated mates, that has been made pretty obvious. The fact that they have yet to figure that out is very frustrating. The inmate nickname is giving me the ick.
Lor became incredibly immature and made so many poor decisions. In the first book, she was obviously motivated by her desperation to save her siblings. In this one, her inner monologue was incredibly annoying.
I did like the new POV added. I feel like Serce was a pretty interesting and ruthless character. I would be more interested in her book.
Tropes: fated mates, enemies to lovers, one bed, forbidden, fantasy, age gap, touch her/you die, slow burn, found family, fake dating, hidden identity, kidnapper/captive, he falls first
After reading the first one, I wasn't sure I wanted to continue this series. I still feel like the author was trying to incorporate every possible trope in these books while mashing together the plot from a dozen popular books. Compared to the other fantasy books out there, this series felt kind of bland. The characters are flat and not well developed. The world building just isn't there. The dialogue is incredibly corny at points and the writing just feels like its lacking.
Lor and Nadir's relationship was giving me whiplash. She has trust issues and he is overly possessive. WE. GET. IT. It is thrown in our face every few pages. We know they are fated mates, that has been made pretty obvious. The fact that they have yet to figure that out is very frustrating. The inmate nickname is giving me the ick.
Lor became incredibly immature and made so many poor decisions. In the first book, she was obviously motivated by her desperation to save her siblings. In this one, her inner monologue was incredibly annoying.
I did like the new POV added. I feel like Serce was a pretty interesting and ruthless character. I would be more interested in her book.
Tropes: fated mates, enemies to lovers, one bed, forbidden, fantasy, age gap, touch her/you die, slow burn, found family, fake dating, hidden identity, kidnapper/captive, he falls first
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Misogyny, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
hbae's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Grief
bzliz's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Lor’s adventure continues as she finds herself locked away yet again, this time by the Aurora Prince Nadir and his companions. He wants information from her so he can bring down his evil father but she won’t share anything until her “friends” aka her siblings are safe from Nostraza. Nadir’s companions make it happen and Lor reluctantly admits she’s the heir to the destroyed land of Heart. She and Nadir team up to find the missing Heart crown and unlock her magic to claim her rightful place, but the Aurora King is never far behind.
This books had some really great spicy scenes if you like a lot of banter and reluctant attraction between two people who don’t understand why the other gets under their skin so much. There’s also a bonus chapter you can read if you sign up for the author’s newsletter of one of the spicy scenes told from Nadir’s perspective instead but honestly, you can skip it. It was really repetitive of the actual scene and didn’t give any further insight into his character.
Like this first book, we get chapters in Lor and Nadir’s perspectives- written in first person- but now we get Serce’s perspective almost 300 years in the past, written in third person and giving a glimpse into how Heart came to be destroyed. Serce and Wolf are pretty terrible people so it makes sense that Lor and Nadir would be their mirrors in the present day.
There are some references back to what the Mirror told Lor at the end of the Sun Queen trials but I really needed the reminders of what exactly it said. This is something I find frustrating about fantasy books; I can’t remember the exact words of this inanimate object to see how it lines up with what the characters are doing now! I also have to dock some points for the section at the Keep because all these two dummies had to do to avoid being found out was to give Lor a fake name. That section also had little to contribute plot-wise and served more as spicy fan service than anything of substance.
Despite my criticisms, I did really enjoy this and I’m excited for the third one when it comes out.
This books had some really great spicy scenes if you like a lot of banter and reluctant attraction between two people who don’t understand why the other gets under their skin so much. There’s also a bonus chapter you can read if you sign up for the author’s newsletter of one of the spicy scenes told from Nadir’s perspective instead but honestly, you can skip it. It was really repetitive of the actual scene and didn’t give any further insight into his character.
Like this first book, we get chapters in Lor and Nadir’s perspectives- written in first person- but now we get Serce’s perspective almost 300 years in the past, written in third person and giving a glimpse into how Heart came to be destroyed. Serce and Wolf are pretty terrible people so it makes sense that Lor and Nadir would be their mirrors in the present day.
There are some references back to what the Mirror told Lor at the end of the Sun Queen trials but I really needed the reminders of what exactly it said. This is something I find frustrating about fantasy books; I can’t remember the exact words of this inanimate object to see how it lines up with what the characters are doing now! I also have to dock some points for the section at the Keep because all these two dummies had to do to avoid being found out was to give Lor a fake name. That section also had little to contribute plot-wise and served more as spicy fan service than anything of substance.
Despite my criticisms, I did really enjoy this and I’m excited for the third one when it comes out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault, Torture, and Pregnancy
tspice24's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Torture and Kidnapping
readsbyrach's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Really not that great… continues to borrow from other series and some terrible dialogue. The main character is kinda annoying too and keeps repeating the same thoughts over and over. Started skimming towards the end. Shocked by the high reviews.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
asmokeybear's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
kayceeisbookish's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
thecajunbookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
*Thank you to Nisha Tuli for an ARC, here is my honest review*
This was SUCH a great continuation of the first book! I’m one of those people who love political intrigue in my fantasy books and this one absolutely delivered that and more!
Lor has survived the Sun Trials and now has to survive being in the clutches of the Aurora Prince. They hate each other but are inexplicably drawn to each other.
Lor know she’s needs to find the Heart Kingdom artefact in order to secure her destiny.
I loved the dual pov and really liked the flashbacks as well! It helped to understand what exactly happened in Heart. I felt so many strong emotions reading the story and when that happens it’s definitely a special one.
Lor setting her boundaries and sticking to them was also a breath of fresh air! And I will say that Nadir is a consent king! The slow burn is *chef’s kiss*.
I cannot wait for the next installment!
This was SUCH a great continuation of the first book! I’m one of those people who love political intrigue in my fantasy books and this one absolutely delivered that and more!
Lor has survived the Sun Trials and now has to survive being in the clutches of the Aurora Prince. They hate each other but are inexplicably drawn to each other.
Lor know she’s needs to find the Heart Kingdom artefact in order to secure her destiny.
I loved the dual pov and really liked the flashbacks as well! It helped to understand what exactly happened in Heart. I felt so many strong emotions reading the story and when that happens it’s definitely a special one.
Lor setting her boundaries and sticking to them was also a breath of fresh air! And I will say that Nadir is a consent king! The slow burn is *chef’s kiss*.
I cannot wait for the next installment!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Torture, Violence, and Death of parent
Moderate: Vomit
Minor: Rape