Kingdom of Rebels and Thorns

The Aermian Feuds #1-2

by Frost Kay

Long live the rebellion.

Tasked with infiltrating the palace was supposed to be an easy job. When Sage's plans go south and one of her own betrays her, she finds herself captured by the crown. The cruel prince of Aermia thinks he has won, but the devastatingly handsome rogue has no idea who he is dealing with. By the time Sage is finished with him, the arrogant prince will be on his knees begging for mercy.

Tehl Ramses does not have time to play games with pretty liars. Immortal monsters lurk at the borders of their land waiting for a chance to invade. His only key to figuring out how to stop the incoming war is the most infuriating, and alluring prisoner he has ever set eyes upon. Therein lies the trap. She's no saint, and he's no prince charming.

Ensnared into an intricate web of betrayal and trickery, Sage and Tehl are forced to take desperate measures to avoid the pending war and protect their loved ones, even if it means becoming reluctant allies.

The Aermian Feuds Series:

- YA Fantasy

- Enemies to Lovers

- Rags to Riches

- Royalty

- Slow Burn Romance

- Dragons

Genres: Fantasy, Fantasy Romance, Young Adult, Enemies To Lovers, Romance, Young Adult Fantasy, New Adult

577 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 22, 2021

About the author

USA Today Bestselling Author Frost Kay is a certified book dragon with an excessive TBR, and a shoe obsession. If you love bewitching fantasy and sci-fi, epic adventures, dark promises, thrilling action, swoon worthy anti heroes, and slow burning romance; her books are for you!

She claims ownership to the bestselling young adult series The Aermian Feuds packed with adventure, secrets, and betrayal.

Fans of Frost Kay love her epic and science fiction teen titles for their "witty banter and exquisitely crafted sentences (that) never leave you bored or wanting," and "find the writing on par with Queen (Sarah J.) Maas and Elise Kova."

You can find her at www.frostkay.net

You can also sign up for a free story here:goo.gl/Z2PkyC

Reviews

[Kaitlin · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was disgusting and terrible. If this is on your TBR, remove it ASAP. PLEASE PROCEED WITH CAUTION READING THIS REVIEW QUOTES ARE PULLED FROM THE BOOK DIRECTLY. I cannot even believe this is marketed as YA. This book needs content warnings and to be marketed as adult. The sexual assault, the sexism, the degrading comments, the victim blaming, PTSD, and MORE. I have literally tabbed this book at least 52 times just in BOOK 1. The sensitive topics in this book were not handled with care. I am so angry with how poorly sexual assault and trauma was handled throughout this book. The only reason I finished this was to provide a full review on why you should not come near this book.



“Tsk tsk, a woman wearing trousers… So naughty,” Tehl drawled. “It sends the wrong message to men around you, my dear. It gives them ideas”. Kay, Frost. Kingdom of Rebels and Thorns (The Aermian Feuds) (p. 35). Renegade Publishing, LLC. Kindle Edition.

Nice victim blaming. Women cannot wear pants?


"He’d never forced a woman and he never would. Just the idea made him sick to his stomach. But she didn’t know him. Tehl’s heart was heavy with the knowledge of what he had to do. He morphed his face into a leer and flashed her a lascivious grin. Tehl tightened his grip on her neck and pressed his large body harder into her, sandwiching her between the wall and himself”. Kay, Frost. Kingdom of Rebels and Thorns (The Aermian Feuds) (p. 35). Renegade Publishing, LLC. Kindle Edition.

Excuse me- this is not an excuse from the blatant sexual assault and assault.


“Your father has left us all to starve. I had hoped his son would make a better king, but here the crown prince stands, threatening to rape me if I don’t give him information on something that I am not part of”. Kay, Frost. Kingdom of Rebels and Thorns (The Aermian Feuds) (p. 38). Renegade Publishing, LLC. Kindle Edition.


“Men’s clothing? Interesting choice. So improper. You have to know the ideas you inspire when you showcase your body in such a manner.” He squeezed her hip. “I am sure your mother wouldn’t approve”. Kay, Frost. Kingdom of Rebels and Thorns (The Aermian Feuds) (p. 98). Renegade Publishing, LLC. Kindle Edition.



"He ran his eyes down her legs and back up her thighs. He caressed the front of her legs with his rough fingers, and she couldn’t contain a shudder of revulsion. Serge raised his eyebrows. “This appears to be the only spot untouched. Probably the best place to leave my mark.”
Kay, Frost. Kingdom of Rebels and Thorns (The Aermian Feuds) (p. 98). Renegade Publishing, LLC. Kindle Edition.

"Sage’s mind spun. “Protection? Where was your protection when, when…” She stumbled for the right word. “When they stripped me downand used me for their amusement?” she rasped, her face hardening. “Oh, that’s right, I needed protection from you. So forgive me if I won’t count on your protection. None of this is for my protection but to make sure your asset doesn’t escape your clutches.” Kay, Frost. Kingdom of Rebels and Thorns (The Aermian Feuds) (p. 141). Renegade Publishing, LLC. Kindle Edition.


THIS IS YA????? EXCUSE ME???? IN WHAT WORLD???? This was not a dark YA fantasy and I cannot believe it how it is marketed as a “YA, enemies to lovers, slow burn romance.” This was abuse fetish.

"She shivered at his dark tone. Sage knew where his mind had gone with that question. “A man does not have to force himself on a woman to hurt her. Words can cause as much damage as blades and fists. To my knowledge—” Sage choked on the words, not able to force them from her throat." Kay, Frost. Kingdom of Rebels and Thorns (The Aermian Feuds) (p. 141). Renegade Publishing, LLC. Kindle Edition.


“Women—always more emotional creatures. You can’t even beat it out of them,” he spoke just loud enough for his words to carry across the river. “Isn’t she beautiful, brother? And so exotic! Look at those cheekbones and plush lips. She could make a man very happy.” Kay, Frost. Kingdom of Rebels and Thorns (The Aermian Feuds) (p. 104). Renegade Publishing, LLC. Kindle Edition.

Someone anyone tell me why this was included in this book?


The following quotes pulled from the book are only 8 out of at least 52. There was graphic sexual assault scenes and graphic torture. I cannot believe how this has been marketed and this is pulled directly from the synopsis:

“Therein lies the trap. She's no saint, and he's no prince charming.
The Aermian Feuds series:
- YA Epic Fantasy
- Enemies to Lovers
- Rags to Riches
- Slow Burn Romance
- Morally Grey Characters
- Dragons
- Royalty
- Dark Fantasy”.

The main “love interest” was not “playing a persona” and the actions in this book should not be forgiven. HOW ARE YOU GONNA WRITE THIS TRAUMATIZE WOMEN TO FALL IN LOVE WITH HER ABUSER??? THIS IS NOT ENEMIES TO LOVERS SHE WAS BRUTALLY TORTURED. How many times did the main character say no? There was never any consent. The main “love interest” also kisses the main character without consent being fully aware of her hatred for her and her PTSD. BUT, REMEMBER HE IS NO PRINCE CHARMING IT IS OKAY, I am livid.
YA readers and adult readers should know what they are getting into.

[Kristen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t really like books that use sexual assault/rape to propel the plot forward.

Also, Tehl has the personality of a rock. And he is supposed to be the main love interest?

[Raevynn_ · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF

I can't bring myself to continue reading this. I made it to 50% and I do not feel comfortable by Tehl at all.

I also wished books would start to add trigger warnings to the start of them because I had a lot of moments in this book trigger some uncomfortable issues for me.

And Tehl is disgusting. Just.... yeah, can't bring myself to continue. :(

[Emily · Rating 1 out of 5]

Content Warning: Sage is severely tortured, and almost-but-not-quite raped. This has consequences throughout the book and on top of that, lots of men don't have boundaries around her.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review of this title.

Oh boy. This has a ton of potential for me. Strong, feisty female protagonist with amazing skills in stealth and is a master in various forms of weaponry and fighting. I love main characters like this. She's in the rebellion, gets caught and sees that things aren't so black-and-white as she thought and finds actual friends within the castle.

But...she is captured by the crown prince, Tehl, who tries to find a weakness to throw her off her game so he can actually bring her in because she is such a skilled fighter. The thing that scares her is unwanted sexual advances and even though we're seeing this from his POV and he is disgusted by himself for having to play a lecherous man, he pushes himself on her and uses it as a threat.

Then, while in the dungeons, his brother, Sam, and cousin, Gav, give her this mysterious fermented apple drink as a truth serum of sorts. It's booze. She has never had any, gets drunk, but manages to not break her cover before passing out because apparently only Gav knows how to make this concoction and therefore only those they've tried it on have gotten drunk.

This was too much of a stretch for me. (Especially because Sage literally goes to a pub in the second half of the book and gets a warm ale.)

Back to the dungeons. Tehl and Sam are off trying to save a village, bringing home a captive that gets like two mentions and isn't seen again until almost the very end of the book. While they're away, a rouge soldier uses his own methods to try to extract information from Sage using some really intense torture methods and doesn't actually rape her. Gav storms in and saves her, at least from Serge, and more things happen to her, but she lives (this isn't very far into the book so I'm not spoiling anything by telling you that the main character lives past the first quarter at least😉).

From here on out, she has some serious PTSD, including episodes of completely freezing and having no idea what's going on around her. Men, who know what she went through, invade her space, make contact (even innocent-enough contact that she asks them NOT to do), leer, verbally claim her, give her a timeline for when she must be ready have children by, force her into a marriage with the guy who seems pretty decent, but still has some gross moments.

On top of this, all of these men who are around her, are men if power. Some are literally princes. Some hold status, but they're all older than her (Sam is 25 and Tehl is his older brother) in a patriarchal society. Her beloved rebellion sends her back into the palace knowing what she went through in the dungeons to do something literally any of the other members could have done. But they put her honor in question again, dress her up scantily, and put her on display for all to see, barely formed scars and all.

There are several conversations about her virtue and even Tehl has a talk with a noble girl about how she used to dress modestly and basically asks what happened to her, and all but calls her a skank. Ew.

I know that this sounds like a really harsh review and I don't mean it to be. It just missed the mark for me personally.

There are things that YA readers, especially, need to know ahead of time, preferably with content warnings since we see a lot of the torture scene from Sage's POV in real time and then she has so many flashbacks and such visceral fear of men touching her.

The only teenage character seems to be Sage, who is a narrator with Tehl being the other narrator (with one chapter being from Sam's POV). I'm not saying that YA readers can't handle real things and intense situations, but there were so many things reinforced that aren't typically found in lit written for 13+ year olds without any breaks or actual/real happiness and healthy relationships.

[Debbie Eyre · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is incredible! A well written fantasy that is full of friendship, family, love and betrayal and is so so good that once you pick this up you will not be able to put it down! Twists and turns to make your head and heart spin, it’s addictive and intense and the world building is so good it just draws you in and you will not want to leave.

[M. L. Treadwell · Rating 1 out of 5]

I could not finish this book. I haven't not finished a book out of disgust in a very, very long time. I could not push myself to read any more of this. Granted, I did give it much longer than it deserved, but that's beside the point.
This should not be YA. I honestly have no idea how much of what I read made it past the editing stages, but plenty of other similar things have, I guess. It's irresponsible.

I do think that YA books should include difficult topics, but the way these topics (sexual assault, attempted rape, torture, victim blaming, misogyny, sexism, etc.) were handled in this book was horrendous. When our ML meets the FL, he literally sexually assaults her. That's their "meet-cute." There is some attempt at throwing in Nice Guy™ dialogue (I'm not this kind of man, I shouldn't do this, I wouldn't never force a woman to do anything, etc.) as the ML is actively assaulting her. And why? Because he sees her trauma reaction to non-consensual touch and preys upon that, so he'll get his way. Oh, and at the same time, he's constantly thinking of how incredibly sexy she is. Excuse me? This is the guy I'm supposed to swoon over? And I'm supposed to find this situation sexy? Assault counts as sexual tension now?

I should have put the book down right then.

I'm not saying things like this should be banned from being written about, but I think what is missing here is: why does it need to be included? Why does it have to be attempted rape or sexual assault? What is the purpose? Do we learn anything from it? Does it even serve a purpose other than to be shocking or "realistic"? (If we're talking realistic, by the way, there would also be males being assaulted in the same ways, but as far as I've read, that's not true.)

The abuse and assault in this book is not victim-focused. Sure, the FL has a lot of trauma from the way she is treated and abused by men, but every situation that I read before refusing to finish was focused around the assaulter--some from their POV instead of the victim (again, why?). Most of the time, it just felt like a plot device to make the man seem more evil or make the FL fall deeper so her character arc is more "triumphant." I guess it's more satisfying if it's fueled by sexual assault than literally anything else? It's deeply troubling, especially as a victim of sexual assault and abuse myself.

I get that it's the first book in a series, and series have long character and story arcs that change with every book, as well as across all of them. The fact is, though, the first book should still be able to stand alone. I shouldn't hate the ML within the first few chapters to a point that I really don't care about him at all. I don't want to get to know him, I don't care about his hardships, and I don't want him to be with the FL. Why would I want to continue reading through several books when I can't stand my love interest? And not in a good way. I love some damaged ML tropes, but this is just upsetting. Why would I want my FL to get together with her assaulter? It's so creepy, to put it very lightly.

Bottom line is that a book can be as dark and disturbing as it wants, but it needs to be handled correctly and there needs to be an actual good reason that the darkness exists. Yes, in real life lots of dark things happen for no reason, but fiction is fiction for a reason. If I'm going to read about something horrific, it should be worth it; there should be something gained from including it. Otherwise, it just feels like fetishizing abuse and assault. And trauma-bonding--that too.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would give more than 5 stars if I could. I loved reading Kingdom of Rebels and Thorns(The Aermian Feuds) by Frost Kay that I was fortunate to receive an ARC copy through bookfunnel in return for an honest review. Tasked with infiltrating the palace was supposed to be an easy job until she is captured by the crown. When she meets the crown prince, Tehl, she at first thinks he is a cruel prince but will she always think that way? A lot of things happen within this book. I recommend this to those that enjoy a great YA Epic Fantasy. This book is available on Amazon

[Brooke A Harding · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had promise but missed the mark

3.5/5
Eh. I wanted to like this. I really did. I'm upset I don't like it more because there is just so much stinking potential in this that I want to cry over it.

By the end of the first chapter, my brain had flipped into Writing Brain. And it was disappointing. The author needs to do some research. On a few things.
Also, another round of editing needs to happen for this book. Having a character demand something and then the next words out of the other character's mouth are something about him speaking mildly. Those two things are kind of mutually exclusive unless the dialogue agrees. It didn't. I went back over the dialogue to see if I could possibly defend that decision.
Choices were made by characters that ran counterintuitively to their position or roles. Just a lot of things that drove me nuts because most of them could have been fixed pretty easily.

But it wasn't all bad. All the little bits of culture that were revealed through how an Aermian wedding happens delighted me and I think I want to borrow some of them if I ever get married.
And parts of the plot intrigued me. Dealing with both the rebellion and the Crown at the same time was probably the best part of this.

However, most of this I'd be able to forgive, if I thought the two love interests would end up in a halfway healthy relationship. Most of the work on that will have to fall on her shoulders. Unfortunately, I don't think that she is either inclined to do so or willing to do so.

[Megan Rivera · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book and I enjoyed reading this book. I loved reading about the characters and the hunt for the crown. I enjoyed the storyline and it was a great young adult fantasy book.

[Lana | Libraryofabibliotaph · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice storyline but too slow development of the story and characters. If you want to immerse yourself in a slow-moving story that does have some nice elements, I would definitely recommend it. However, if you’re looking for something fast-paced with a lot of depth but no superfluous descriptive parts, this story is not going to quite meet your expectations.

I really liked the blurb and was wondering how the story would proceed. Unfortunately, I was a little disappointed by certain elements of the story that I thought made little sense, or certain things that were really just too slowly unfolding. For example, very little happens in the first 200 pages of the book. Furthermore, some less important scenes go on for several chapters, while others, more important scenes, are completed in barely 10 pages and seem to happen rather ad hoc. The characters also experience little self-development throughout the story, plus you don’t get to know that much about Aermia. Nevertheless, several characters, such as Gav, seem really nice, you would want to be friends with them too. The overall storyline was quite okay as well.
I wasn’t compelled to keep on reading, I could actually put the book aside at any time (and even did so for a while between part 1 and 2). But it didn’t bore me either. Therefore, I give a rating of 3/5 stars.

I received an advanced copy of this book for review.

[Molly ReVae · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great plot but annoying

The plot is amazing! I loved the story and it's very well written. 5 stars!
The characters though....Sage is a badass warrior but I wanted to jump through and punch her. She's traumatized and I get it but her treatment of Tehl is uncalled for after she learned the truth. She is holding a grudge against the wrong person, a person who has told her multiple times he is trying. Tehl, however, is annoying in his own right. He is so bad with people and I don't get how. He was raised as a prince, there is training with that and he's also been told the same thing about how to deal with people, especially Sage over and over and he never learns. It's just annoying how she refuses to get over things and takes everything super personal when it comes to him but forgives everyone else, or at least treats them better and how he never seems to get it! I still will read every book because the writing and story is that good!

[Beth ~Book Loving Is My Superpower~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF after 148 pages. This book might redeem itself later on but I just couldn't get there. One of our MCs, Sage, is tortured... almost raped... and even though she is an amazing fighter, she is at the mercy of many of the men in the book. I get that the story has to do a 180⁰ in order to get where the synopsis leads but after nearly 150 pages I could not justify pushing myself through a book that I found no joy in... in fact, it felt like a painful slog.

Overall:
This read was a painful, uphill battle. I was unable to convince myself to limp along with hopes that things might somehow get substantially better... I couldn't do it... I couldn't soldier on. Yes I feel defeated by giving up but I'd rather enjoy my time absorbed in a read. It got 2 stars because the writing wasn't terrible... not a ringing endorsement but better than nothing.

~ Sorry

[Magenta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Trigger warnings: Sexual assault, torture and PTSD.

When I saw YA romance, slow-burn enemies to lovers romance AND dragons I was pretty excited! I am so glad that I wasn't disappointed!

Our MC Sage is a badass fighting in the rebellion when she is betrayed and captured by the Crown. Poor Sage really goes through it in this book and it broke my heart. This book was so full of intense twists and turns I struggled to put it down.

I am excited to learn more about the world in the rest of the series!

[Krista Bowen · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good except... Why did you do thia

I couldn't put this book down! Seriously one of the best I've read in a while. My only issue is I actually cried when the FMC turned away ARGUABLY the most amazing potential love interest... I know where the book is going I think, but a part of me still hopes things take an exciting twist in the next book haha a girl can hope

[T.A. Burke · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting princes. But nothing happens, just a lot of Hurt with a bit of Comfort.

[Evin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I almost gave this 3.5 stars but it was a tad bit too juvenile to get that remaining .5 stars.

This started off strong but the dialogue was particularly cringe and Sage, the main protagonist, was childish. She has a bit of special snowflake syndrome/is a Mary Sue. Frost vindicates her main protagonist of all wrong doing based on the sheer fact that Sage has physically suffered. It's escapism at its finest to read of Sage's entitlement and (fairly productive) tantrums and how much everyone respects or loves or lusts after her or generally treats her with deference though she is young and sometimes wrong. But it's also so unrealistic and Sage is so whiny that it's distracting and overdone.

Sadly, there was little to no development on the romantic front between the two main protagonists and so their interactions became repetitive and annoying. I did appreciate how Sage's relationship developed with the other supporting leads, but what a missed opportunity to make Tehl actually likable.

Tehl basically tries not at all to establish or fix his relationship with Sage and Sage is completely insufferable at every turn with anything even remotely involving Tehl. This is not a slow burn, it is a literal non existent burn. It is the smoothest coolest whatever the opposite of slow burn is because genuinely nothing is happening between them.

Lastly, Sam is the best character and he doesn't get enough screen time.

I enjoyed reading this but it's possible it's because it was so long and I just enjoy reading uninterrupted. Hopefully we see some more character development in our protagonists in the next installment.

[Bee Happy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kingdom of Rebels and Thorns contains two books, Rebel's Blade and Crown's Shield, the first and second book of The Aermian Feuds series. I received an ARC of this book and all opinions are my own.

First off, there are a few triggers to be aware of. I rated this highly because I do not have these triggers, but if you do be warned of: torture, references to attempting rape, forced relationship/marriage, and PTSD.

These books are narrated by two characters, Tehl and Sage. Tehl is Crown Prince of the fantasy realm that we are introduced to, and basically the ruler as his father is no longer fit to lead. The kingdom has gone to crap in its king's absence, which gives way to unrest and a budding rebellion, which Sage is a part of. Our story begins with Tehl recognizing Sage as a rebel. She is caught and forced into prison.

It starts out fairly slow, setting the threads down for a longer series (six books and a few novellas). Sage goes through hell and back (see triggers) and it's obvious that there are consequences for how she was treated. By book two, I started finding myself getting frustrated with Sage's character, as she takes out a lot of her troubles on Tehl while treating other, similar characters like her dear brothers.

That being said, these two books were a lot of fun. Sage is BA and constantly keeping men on their toes during an era where that doesn't happen often. Tehl is a quiet, serious type that wants to do what's best for his kingdom. Together, they just might get their country through all the things that bedevil it.

[Amy Chambers · Rating 2 out of 5]

So the main story is supposed to be about their romance. The "meet you and you are enemy" setup is just bad for people who are sensitive and can cause emotional disgust... that being said; using it as the reason to continue providing it as why they are the enemy. Sexual assault and abuse would make any one the enemy. But layering it so she doesn't have a way to recover ? Then add image shaming...yea not gonna make you hot dude. Side story of how she wants to have peace and such okay. Character personalities. Mml IS lame. He doesn't even have decent skills in fighting or socializing. MFL is unrealistic and not someone who you can relate to. Has the author not seen female blacksmiths? Like ffs they are bulk not curves. Then the bs of how her being dyed is just enough to get people not to see her? Then you have male characters all want her cuz its a romance. I however like it better when if you have just the one who wants her cuz she is supposed to be special. Smh then you have characters who know she is not easy; but still act like they are willing to be stabbed just to get her lips.

[NotAmanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Big Giant thanks to Frost Kay for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sage needs to fight for her community, her kingdom. She joins a rebel group set to to right the wrongs and replace the apathy her kingdom's ruler is currently displaying towards the people. That is until she gets caught and she finds herself closer than she or the rebel group ever expected to be, to the king and his sons.

Once she's within the clutches of the princes, Sage endures torture and terrible treatment... but at who's command? Betrayed and beaten, Sage must pick a side, but lines are blurred and she finds that there isn't a side to pick, but rather a common enemy. Sage must help ensure that civil war isn't the focus of either group, the Royals or the Rebels.

I really enjoyed this! I think I would have enjoyed it better reading it as two separate books, rather than the first two books combined because it was a pretty long read. But, if you are into long reads, this won't disappoint.

Frost did a really good job of portraying Sage's anxiety and trauma response. It's not just fight or flight. Freezing in your tracks as your breath refuses to move is absolutely a realistic response. Sage often wears a mask of confidence, which is what saves her life on more than one occasion. She's not your average 'strong' woman, she has flaws and cracks in her shield, but she uses what she needs to overcome.

A full 5 stars.

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5. Holy shit h o l y s h i t. Ms. Kay if I knew this was going to end in a cliffhanger I would've waited until the second book is out...what the hell do I do know 😭.

I love our heroine, she's strong, she's badass, she kicks butt...hell I want to marry her myself lol. From the start her meeting with Tehl was filled with tension (and not the good kind yall). Though, I love the banter between them and I'm so looking forward to how their relationship develop in the next book! Did I mention this is a slow burn romance too? This is probably the slowest of slow burn romance 😂

Anyways, I love the side characters and for once I love that the author made the main squad lovable. As in, they're not the typical mean, jackasses I've read about in a lot of kingdom-fantasy books. CAN WE ALSO ADMIRE HOW TEHL AND SAM ARE RESPECTABLE YOUNG MEN WHO DOESN'T STAND FOR PEOPLE WHO HURT WOMEN?? I WAS S.O.L.D.

Tehl and Sage better have a happy ending cauz our girl deserves it 😭

[Sophie DeSantis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a very love/hate relationship with this book. The miscommunication made me want to rip my hair out at times but it was somehow worth it. All of the characters are complex and consistently had me rooting for them even when they were acting idiotic. I appreciated the sympathy shown towards those suffering mentally and the recognition of how deeply a traumatic event can damage a person no matter how strong they are. Several conversations made me cry because they were so sweet (there were also tears of sadness and frustration ofc). The complex political situation was well integrated into the interpersonal stories and I appreciated the nuance of Sage's attitudes and conflicting beliefs. Overall: I highly recommend but beware of many disturbing/triggering themes. I'm excited to see how the introduction of more magic shapes the characters and series but I do have a grudge against Frost Kay for the end of book two...

[Danica · Rating 1 out of 5]

I kept hoping things would improve. MMC is not likable, FMC is one dimensional. She’s not like other girls! She’s a Tough Fighter Girl! That’s all there is, besides how very very hot she is, as told through the male perspective of MANY characters in the book who are drooling and lusting after her. The side characters are more interesting. MMC threatens to assault or forces himself on FMC multiple times. MMC makes a series of remarks about how women ought to dress modestly so as not to tempt men. Gross gross gross.
Overall, I couldn’t find what there is to get attached to in this book. Left feeling like there were multiple sub-plots, none of which were particularly compelling or developed, and none of which were reconciled within this book. Plus: some pretty flagrant copy errors, at least in the kindle version.

[Laura Crawley · Rating 4 out of 5]

angsty but semi-predicta

Yes I left the end off on purpose!
So, reviews are not supposed to be be about the person reading the book, but as I am past 50, the angst turns to passion thing isn’t new to me.
The good news is if u are a teen the “love triangle” gets a glo-up! The characters are developed and they are believable. Normally I would complain about slow burning but with all the moving pieces if the pace was faster the characters would suffer. So action packed yes, but super fast-no. So please give it a moment to pan out.
A rich new world is in there and a very interesting narrative about it is lurking in there…can’t wait to see what develops!
Not a romance novel, but I bet a happy ending for a few characters will turn up down the line.
Initially I gave a 3 star but this is creative world building, good characters, twisty and I did read it in 2 days…lol

[Grace Hiner · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unfortunately, this book was a DNF for me. Within the first few chapters, the male lead threatens the protagonist with sexual assault in order to get her to be obedient. While there are some books who can work with murky consent in dark romance genres, this was the readers' introduction to the male lead. While I can see that the author tried to balance out this obvious negative by describing the guilt the male lead felt when leading the protagonist to believe that he'd sexually assault her, I couldn't come to root for any romantic lead who'd purposely threaten sexual assault knowing that the protagonist wouldn't be able to tell if he would follow through or not. This interaction killed any interest I had in the following storyline and made me had to put down the book unfortunately.

[Emma Larson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has been a tough read and I am constantly ready to DNF it. There is very little plot beyond making the lead female fear that she will be sexually assaulted for the sake of information that we don't even know is there. There is no attachment built for the reader in terms of either the kingdom or the rebellion. We don't know what information Ruby/Sage knows and is keeping, but we certainly know what her lie is. I am severely disappointed in the lack of world-building that is done and I feel that the first 200 pages I've read have just been the same thing over and over again. I am underwhelmed and will not be finishing this book.

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great story, but needs better editing

I liked the story, and loved most of the characters. I do think sage is a little too unforgiving of Tehl, but quick to forgive Sam and Gavriel. My biggest issue with this book was the grammatical errors and how many there were. There were words added into sentences that confused what the author was trying to convey. Most of the book felt like it didn’t pass through an editor or it did and the editor failed doing their job. Hopefully these mistakes aren’t in the second book, cuz that takes away from the experience of the story.

[Beni · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m gonna say 3.5 stars. I’m going to read the next one, so it’s good enough to keep my interest. The writing isn’t amazing and the characters aren’t out of this world intriguing, but I like the storyline and like the whole ‘it’s my duty to save my family and the entire kingdom fuck I have to do it it’s all on my back’ vibe the FMC has. definitely some holes in the plot, but enjoyable enough for my brain.

[Kathie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book seriously needs editing so that reader doesn't have to reread sentences due to misused, omitted, or transposed words. The plot moves along at a snail's pace and the characters lack energy and depth. The premise is good, but the delivery falls short. Sage is supposed to be a strong, intelligent woman, but she allows herself to be used and betrayed by those around her. I don't get it.

[Debroh Dedafoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This whole series will tear your heart out, repair it and then repeat several times until the very end. Twists, turns, love, betrayal, family, friendship fill these pages. Be prepared to cry and scream or throw something while reading - yes it's that good.

[Charlie Tickell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Took me a second to get in to after finishing a series completely different but once I was in I was OBSESSED this is one of the best books I have read in a while the plot ugh the PLOT!!!! I have had book hangovers every morning since starting the Aermian Feud series!!! Read them on kindle unlimited but I Will be buying the hardbacks so I can have them to read over and over again ❤ it's something like throne of glass meets red queen Sage is a bad ass!