You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
olivialandryxo 's review for:
Beneath the Citadel
by Destiny Soria
3.5 stars
CW: panic attacks, anxiety, PTSD, death of parents
[E-arc provided by Netgalley. This doesn’t reflect my opinion or the content of my review.]
This was my introduction to Destiny’s work, and while it wasn’t especially great, I did enjoy it. I went in basically clueless, and I think that’s the way to do it. This was a fun fantasy read that I’m sure others will enjoy as well.
All of the protagonists were flawed and interesting, which is a good thing since they’ve all got POV chapters throughout the novel. I think they complemented each other, and I liked their banter and shenanigans. Ensemble casts can be hit or miss, and I can safely say this one was a bit.
However, in my opinion, the stars of the story were definitely Newt and Evander. The latter is bi, the former is queer, and the two together are adorable. They have a glorious slow-burn romance, and I’m pretty sure 80% of my Kindle highlights were moments between them. They make my heart happy.
ETA: There’s also an asexual protagonist. I think that part of her was written very well. I forgot to mention this when I originally wrote my review, so sorry about that.
I also liked the magic system. It was unlike anything I can recall reading prior. There were rooks, seers, diviners, and sentients, and each one had some variation of divination and/or memory reading/manipulation abilities. There was also bloodbonding, a painful ritual that, if successful, could bond a person to a pure metal such as iron or silver. It was interesting, and explained in a way that avoided info-dumps.
I’m going to be brief here to avoid spoilers, but I will say this: for me, killing protagonists is a risky path to take. It can be done well, but if it’s done, my biggest pet peeve is said protagonist(s) being revived or surprise! they managed to escape death. No. Either kill them off or leave them alone. Let’s just say that Destiny did this trope right.
If you’re looking for a unique fantasy with protagonists of color and a side m/m romance, I recommend picking up this one when it releases October 9! I’m certainly going to read Destiny’s debut… eventually. 😉
CW: panic attacks, anxiety, PTSD, death of parents
[E-arc provided by Netgalley. This doesn’t reflect my opinion or the content of my review.]
This was my introduction to Destiny’s work, and while it wasn’t especially great, I did enjoy it. I went in basically clueless, and I think that’s the way to do it. This was a fun fantasy read that I’m sure others will enjoy as well.
All of the protagonists were flawed and interesting, which is a good thing since they’ve all got POV chapters throughout the novel. I think they complemented each other, and I liked their banter and shenanigans. Ensemble casts can be hit or miss, and I can safely say this one was a bit.
However, in my opinion, the stars of the story were definitely Newt and Evander. The latter is bi, the former is queer, and the two together are adorable. They have a glorious slow-burn romance, and I’m pretty sure 80% of my Kindle highlights were moments between them. They make my heart happy.
ETA: There’s also an asexual protagonist. I think that part of her was written very well. I forgot to mention this when I originally wrote my review, so sorry about that.
I also liked the magic system. It was unlike anything I can recall reading prior. There were rooks, seers, diviners, and sentients, and each one had some variation of divination and/or memory reading/manipulation abilities. There was also bloodbonding, a painful ritual that, if successful, could bond a person to a pure metal such as iron or silver. It was interesting, and explained in a way that avoided info-dumps.
I’m going to be brief here to avoid spoilers, but I will say this: for me, killing protagonists is a risky path to take. It can be done well, but if it’s done, my biggest pet peeve is said protagonist(s) being revived or surprise! they managed to escape death. No. Either kill them off or leave them alone. Let’s just say that Destiny did this trope right.
If you’re looking for a unique fantasy with protagonists of color and a side m/m romance, I recommend picking up this one when it releases October 9! I’m certainly going to read Destiny’s debut… eventually. 😉