Released: August 18th, 2015
Read: January, 2016
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Format: Hardcover, 428 pages
Series: Book #1 in Blood of Gods and Royals
Description from GoodReads: Imagine a time when the gods turn a blind eye to the agony of men, when the last of the hellions roam the plains and evil stirs beyond the edges of the map. A time when cities burn, and in their ashes, empires rise.
Alexander, Macedonia’s sixteen-year-old heir, is on the brink of discovering his fated role in conquering the known world but finds himself drawn to a newcomer…
Katerina must navigate the dark secrets of court life while hiding her own mission: kill the Queen. But she doesn’t account for her first love…
Jacob will go to unthinkable lengths to win Katerina, even if it means having to compete for her heart with Hephaestion, a murderer sheltered by the prince.
And far across the sea, Zofia, a Persian princess and Alexander’s unmet betrothed, wants to alter her destiny by seeking the famed and deadly Spirit Eaters.
Review: Do you ever read books that entwine characters so perfectly well at just the right point in the plot line? This is one of those books. Although, at the beginning it won't look this way, so stick with it.
An issue I had with Katerina, was that at times, her motives seemed mixed, or that she didn't seem to be going for her goals. For about a quarter of the book, both her and Jacob were barely mentioned, taking a back seat to Alexander, Hephaestion, and Cyn (who plays a more important role than Jacob and still isn't mentioned in the description).
This isn't so much a problem, but some parts of the book can get kind of dark, or creepy. Not I-can't-sleep-at-night-creepy, but people-will-think-I'm-creepy-if-they-see-me-reading-this-creepy. Without any real spoilers, there's snakes and sacrifices.
Quotable Quotes:
"Weakness, he has learned, isn't in the arm or the leg or the back. Weakness is in the mind."
"Because sometimes it doesn’t help to chase after the thing you want. No. Sometimes you have to wait, however long it takes, until what you want most comes to you."
Series: Book #1 in Blood of Gods and Royals
Description from GoodReads: Imagine a time when the gods turn a blind eye to the agony of men, when the last of the hellions roam the plains and evil stirs beyond the edges of the map. A time when cities burn, and in their ashes, empires rise.
Alexander, Macedonia’s sixteen-year-old heir, is on the brink of discovering his fated role in conquering the known world but finds himself drawn to a newcomer…
Katerina must navigate the dark secrets of court life while hiding her own mission: kill the Queen. But she doesn’t account for her first love…
Jacob will go to unthinkable lengths to win Katerina, even if it means having to compete for her heart with Hephaestion, a murderer sheltered by the prince.
And far across the sea, Zofia, a Persian princess and Alexander’s unmet betrothed, wants to alter her destiny by seeking the famed and deadly Spirit Eaters.
Review: Do you ever read books that entwine characters so perfectly well at just the right point in the plot line? This is one of those books. Although, at the beginning it won't look this way, so stick with it.
An issue I had with Katerina, was that at times, her motives seemed mixed, or that she didn't seem to be going for her goals. For about a quarter of the book, both her and Jacob were barely mentioned, taking a back seat to Alexander, Hephaestion, and Cyn (who plays a more important role than Jacob and still isn't mentioned in the description).
This isn't so much a problem, but some parts of the book can get kind of dark, or creepy. Not I-can't-sleep-at-night-creepy, but people-will-think-I'm-creepy-if-they-see-me-reading-this-creepy. Without any real spoilers, there's snakes and sacrifices.
Quotable Quotes:
"Weakness, he has learned, isn't in the arm or the leg or the back. Weakness is in the mind."
"Because sometimes it doesn’t help to chase after the thing you want. No. Sometimes you have to wait, however long it takes, until what you want most comes to you."
Rating: 8/10
Read if You Liked: Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Game of Thrones, Phillipa Gregory books
Optimistically yours, Ola <3
