In a world consumed by oppression and cruelty, one woman dares to defy the norm. Sindari has survived years under the iron fist of the Dominion, mastering the art of survival by choosing her battles wisely. But her fate takes a drastic turn when she's thrust into the hands of Lord Devin, known for his brutality. As Sindari navigates this new and dangerous landscape, she discovers a glimmer of hope amidst the darkness. Lord Devin harbors a secret–he's been silently resisting the empire for years, rallying a clandestine group of rebels who refuse to surrender to tyranny. With their support, Sindari learns that she possesses a remarkable gift – the ability to harness the power of the storm itself. United by their shared desire for freedom, Sindari and her newfound allies embark on a perilous journey to challenge the empire's dominance. But as they plot in the shadows, they must tread carefully to evade detection, for the consequences of discovery are dire. Together, they face insurmountable odds, fighting for justice and liberation in a world where hope is a scarce commodity. Elements of Rebellion is more than just a story–it's a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the transformative power of love in the face of adversity. Join Sindari and her companions as they defy the odds, igniting a revolution that will shake the foundations of their world. Dare to dream, dare to resist–for in the darkest of times, even the smallest spark of rebellion can ignite a revolution.
Coral Alejandra Moore writes character driven stories of connection and triumph. All of her books are kissing books.
Currently she lives in the beautiful state of Washington with the love of her life where she rides motorcycles, raises chickens, and drinks all the coffee.
I would say it’s ⭐️⭐️ (maybe 2.5) and let me tell you why I rounded down.
Summary: (No spoilers). Sindari has been working at a brothel and was recently sold by her owner to the slave market. This is where Lord Devin picks her up, who has a reputation of extreme cruelty. She then is forced to accompany him through his political navigation, all whilst, balancing her feelings, and past as she navigates this new adventure. Lord Devin did not expect someone like Sindari and he quickly succumbs to her wild personality and resilience. They both end up finding a common goal they can fight for to take their vengeance.
Plot: the plot started out really strong in my opinion, but by 30% it quickly deflated. And what I mean by that is somehow everything went from 0 to 100 in just a few chapters. I really wanted to see the political progression and Ari and Devin’s relationship progression on a slower scale. The plot felt like it was jumping around a lot and couldn’t get a solid ground on what was truly the main course of action and what should be focused on. The book is a complete adventure, travel book. So if you aren’t into books where all they do is travel from place to place, and that is the whole entire story, this book is not for you. I honestly don’t mind those types of books so it wasn’t something that put me off but I figured I should put it in a warning for anybody who does not like that sort of trope.
Romance: I will probably be repeating myself here, but the romance was the strongest in the beginning of the book and then somehow after 30% the characters were already in love when it wasn’t initially set up as an Insta love. It felt disjointed at parts and fake chemistry did not help. The I Love You came out of nowhere. I wasn’t even expecting any sort of declaration when there is absolutely no chemistry from these two characters. It would be like some random stranger, coming up to me professing their love, and I would have no idea how to respond. That is exactly how I felt in this book on the randomness of the romance between the characters. I never could get a good read on what truly was going on in their relationship, because nothing felt solid and backed up enough between the two main characters.
Spice: though this book has dark themes to it, which I really appreciate, I was surprised to find the utter lack of spice. We aren’t working with a virgin FMC or a young FMC so that was a good start. However, that is where it completely ended. Not only was it completely fade to Black and glossed over, even any sort of kiss did not go into detail which just showed the lack of chemistry between the main characters and honestly was a complete bore to read. I guess I had my expectations higher, considering that she worked at a brothel and I figured if the writer is going to write about these sort of situations, they might be able to go into more detail when the spice happens. I was left completely disappointed that it felt more of a young adult book with adult themes, than an adult or new adult book. I almost wish it was strictly focused on the political regime, because the spice and chemistry was missing and thus made parts of the book more boring
Writing: The most disappointing thing was the lack of authenticity from any of the characters, not just the main characters. Any sort of side conversation with any of the characters, their conversation felt very disingenuous and completely surface level. It was like it was lacking detail which honestly represents the whole entire story.
This book does have dark themes which has been noted. But with the dark themes, I guess I was hoping more from the author. I was hoping for more spice, challenges, enemies to lovers, and even some more details of the environment around. I’m not looking for high fantasy or anything crazy but I fell a lot was lacking in this book.
I wouldn’t say this is a terrible read. Parts of it are probably going to scratch some itch in peoples brains but if you’re looking for a solid plot line with fully developed characters, this is not the book for you.
I didn’t DNF, so I’m giving the book some credit for keeping my interest. Hopefully this helps anyone going into this book on what to expect
If you want an incredibly dark romantasy, this is the book for you.
This book starts off incredibly dark, and it doesn't lighten throughout the storyline at all. If you are wanting a fast-paced, dark rebellion with lots of action and gore, you will get it all in this book.
It really shows the brutal impact such a repressive empire has on women, and even the men forced into being the oppressors. The FMC is a strong and courage woman fighting against the oppression, although she gives in when she knows she will not win. She has so much growth of being a slave to being an equal to the MMC.
The MMC is forced into being a brute enforcer in order to hide his true intentions. A lot of the time I saw it as over the top, almost as if his need to hide his true intentions by pretending to be cruel became obsessive and overdone. I felt his change in front of the FMC to be too quick. I would have enjoyed it being dragged out a bit more to show how deep the corruption of the empire ran through his mind and actions.
Although I purposefully went for a stand-alone novel, I found it too fast paced for my liking. I think the FMC suddenly being able to beat a seasoned warrior in a fight seemed too unrealistic to me. The ending was also so abrupt I didn't even know I was on the last page util I turned to the acknowledgements page. The fight against the emperor was done and dusted in a couple of pages and it lacked the wow factor by the end for me.
Elements of Rebellion a Dark Romances on a Dark Fantasy setting. Awesome world building and magic system. Their connection is chefs kiss's and their willingness to do anything for each other and to free their people is awesome.
Not a light read. This is dark fantasy for adults.
In fact, it gets dark and disturbing to the point that I sometimes found myself disturbed by wanting to keep reading.
But I bought and read it anyway.
I've even reread it.
And I've found myself hoping that the author writes in that world again.
Elements of Rebellion is a strong story about two people, damaged by a cruel culture that's so cruel for the purpose of keeping everyone subjugated—two damaged people who put themselves through worse to get the chance to make things better for the following generation.
I feel like some transitions were missing, because some of the characters' actions/attitudes/mindsets struck me as a bit…odd, for some of the characters who only knew that cruel culture. But some of the missing details were discretion. The book was far less graphic and gruesome than it easily could have been, given the material, and I think that's part of why I liked it.
I've tried reading some dark books wherein the way it was written gave me the impression that the author wrote out of pity, indignation, or titillation (that last type gets creepy). Not the impression I got from this book, though I do have one major complaint:
The good guys' senses of morality shifted too readily, in my opinion. At the end, it was understandable, but in the middle, I sometimes found myself wondering, "Uh, when did that guy start respecting her? Because I last remember her humiliating him." Guys tend to take humiliation very badly when a girl's the cause, particularly when they've been raised to have no respect whatsoever for women.
But I enjoyed the story anyway—enough to reread it. ^_^
OMG, this story was amazing and I couldn't expect less from this author: Coral Moore. She's one of my favorite discoveries this year! At the beginning of 2012, I read Broods of Fenrir, and I was agape by the harsh world that Ms. Moore has created. Still, I fell for the main character and the whole story was incredible, a real page-turning book!
Now, with Elements of Rebellion, I wasn't surprise to read about a cruel world, but also about intense characters and a fantastic journey. Don't get me wrong, this book isn't for people who are looking for a lovely romance novel! There's romance, but the whole situation around Sindari and Devin isn't suitable to romance.
Anyway, I loved this book even if some parts were pretty hard on my mind (as for you who already read books from Coral Moore, she's not gentle with her characters!). Well, it’s part of the story and it wouldn't fit the whole situation if she didn't write that kind of scenes! '' Warnings: Graphic Violence, Disturbing Themes and Sexual Situations '' You've been warned!
The story of Devin and Sindari is exciting, flaming and very intense. The relation between Devin and Sindari almost makes us forget all the harder aspects of the book. Devin is so desperate to reach his goal, which is noble and worth every sacrifice, Sindari is personally and physically involved in this quest that restores her life and many others.
I recommend this book, you should try even if you might think it's too harsh for you because Coral Moore known how to write an intriguing plot, sophisticated characters and magnificent relations. This story will lead you to an emotionally drained state. Then, you'll want more! Buy! Borrow!
I would first like to say that I received this book in a giveaway, which has no sway in what I honestly thought of this book.
With that taken care of, let's dive in. I was instantly grabbed from the first sentence which starts the voice of our main character. Just from that one sentence I could tell that she wasn’t some dim witted damsel in distress like so many authors tend to make the women. She was going to be one of those action seeking women you can’t help but root for. And I couldn’t have been more right. The pace of the book was quite nice since it was fast and didn’t go day by day unless something eventful happened. That was one of many things I’m very grateful for. Also the characters themselves were believable and easy to follow like the story line. Because you didn’t have to read boring everyday things that happened, the book feels as if it could have been several instead of just the one novel. The only complaint I have would have to regard the ending just because I feel like it deserved a wondrous ending. But don’t get me wrong, I still liked it very much. Overall I think the book was well written and I will defiantly be looking forward to reading more from this amazing author.
I won this book through a Librarything's giveaway.
LOVED this book. It's been a while since I have been absolutely certain that a book was worth 5 stars. With this book I wish there was 6 stars. I couldn't put this book down. It was a such a raw and amazing story. I think I picked the right night to read it (thunderstorms rumbling). Usually I'm not into the sexual scenes in books but these enhanced the story line. Not only does it show what needs to be done to survive but also the depth it takes to do so. With in each character is bad vs good. Not one character could be labeled either.
I am so happy that I have found a new author to add to my favorites list.
I received this book free through a goodreads giveaway. I really enjoyed this book and liked the main character a lot. Sindari is a very strong woman and shows the reader how much a person can endure for something they truly believe in. I am hoping the author continues her story in future books. If you are a fan of the hunger games, you may also like this book since it is about civilizations that are oppressed by others and the strength of the people to stand up against this.
I don't know how many ones I got frickin butterflies i my stomach!!! This book was awesome!!! I loved it. Omg the suspense is a real thriller I mean your heart is beating rapidly trying to crawl itself out of your chest half the time but that's what makes it enjoyable. I legit couldn't put this book down. It was awesome!!!!!
This was the first book I've ever received from a giveaway so I didn't know what to expect. Boy, was I pleasantly surprised! I really like Coral's writing style - The heroine Sindari is a complex character that embodies the strong woman archtype. This book kept me turning the pages and I'm so thankful that I had the opportunity to read it!