charliauthor's reviews
524 reviews

Once you get past the mean insufferable and cantankerous female main character there is actually a lot here to be enjoyed. I laughed out loud at so many parts of the internal dialogue as well as the descriptions of online gaming and fantasy nerd dialogue text so relatable. This ended up being surprisingly funny and heartfelt which i thoroughly enjoyed. 

I went into this thinking I was going to get the book version of She’s The Men and in many ways i did (source material is the same of course) but it was so much more than that because of how emotional Viola was at the end. 
I could have done without the American Football play by play simply because i didnt understand half of it lol but the pseudo Game of Thrones and Dungeons and Dragons was sending me! Lol so so funny!

I couldve done with a lot more romance than we got simply because it was so so cute. The grumpy/sunshine trope is always a gem and grumpy girl opening up is just chef’s kiss and i wanted more. 

Very cutesy YA for the win

I liked this one the best out of the three so far but there was definitely a point at the end that was a bit questionable. Considering this was a true enemies to lovers, I did understand the choice that was made but considering the female main characters backstory, I did feel that the third act break up on the behalf of the male main character, was a bit cruel and insensitive. This was addressed in the book of course which was its intent, but I did think it was a bit overkill and took me out of the fantasy of the spotty room.
Josh was very hot! The sweet doctor by day and sexual dominant by night was chefs kiss and one of my fave male personality tropes. The smut was smutting as ever so it gets bumped up a star for Josh being so spicy lol

This one draaaagged!
It paid off a bit in the end with the emotional growth of the main guy learning about his perceived madness but overall it felt dragged out for no discernible reason and i struggled to pick it up whenever i put it down.

i enjoyed this until i didnt.
i loved the couple and the grumpy/sunshine trope but where i'm learning that the author always drops the ball is the drawn out third act. theres just no reason for some things to have gone on for so long and it really takes me out of the story even if im loving the characters and the smut.
in this one specifically, they dont do anything for almost 30 chapters. this is not on my friends. this is not. on! haha
when they finally did get down to the good stuff, it was good as it was a lot more of the dominant stuff that i prefer and i found rhys a lot more manly so that was bonus

I REALLY enjoyed this one! As ever, The Blood Trials had been sitting on my shelf for eons and I'm kicking myself for not having picked it up sooner because I really dug it! Some small issues with stylistic choices, themes and character for me but this was held up ultimately by the story and action which I absolutely loved!

Ikenna Amari lives in Mareen, a predominantly white nation ruled by powerful military war houses who despise her because she's Black - half Khanaian. If they were to find out, they would also hate - and want to kill - her because she also has the blood gift. A secret and deadly power that some Black based nations are blessed with, by on  long thought dead Gods in a world that is now technologically advanced. Mareen train their populace in gruelling missions in order to become super soldiers - known as Praetorians - to fight against the Blood Emperor of Accacia, where blood gifts originate. Accacia have been at war with Mareen for decades but Ikenna’s grandfather secured peace by subduing the Blood Emperor and becoming the first Black Legatus Commander of Mareen. After two decades being the most powerful man in the Republic, Ikenna discovers that Grandpa Amari was assassinated and so she decides to become a praetorian in order to gain the military clearance and expertise it takes to find and take down his killers. 

Overall, this book was great. It has a solid plot, constant action and a great cast of characters that while could easily get overwhelming, added some great elements to the worldbuilding. Of course I had some issues with the racial themes of the novel which I felt could’ve been easily avoided if Ikenna was ridiculed simply for being blood gifted rather than for being Black. However, there were some wonderfully conscious discussions and realities within the text that I appreciated even if they did make some of her later actions make real sense, having grown up in a place with such animosity. 

I also had issue with the excessive and repetitive dialogue. As this is first person, I liked being inside Ikenna's head for a lot of this but as such, having her repeat her thoughts to others wasn't needed. I also wasn't a fan of how angry Ikenna was despite. She was very quick to maim and kill, without any real thought or care about how this would effect others which bugged me at parts especially when doing so in the name of a Republic that despises her.

That aside though, The Blood Trials was action packed, it was gripping, it was entertaining and for lack of better word, it was adult. I went into this thinking it was YA and while the characters are upwards of 19 and do have their odd moments, its very much a grown up book. We have cursing, death, war and of course, sex. While there was no romance as such there was definitely some sexy time fun that rates very highly on my Hate-Fuck-O-Meter that I very much enjoyed!
<blockquote> My body quakes as he buries himself to the hilt. Tremor after tremor of sensation wracks me as adjust to the fullness of him.</blockquote>
There was such a blend of characters as well that all had distinct personalities even if some of those personalities were terrible! Here's looking at you Chance! I felt so betrayed by some of the characters that I knew I was invested in a big way. Even when those emotions are aggravating, it's still a reaction which I am always thrilled with!

I loved learning about the social hierarchy of the military nation as well as the glorious Kingdom of Khanai which was giving serious Wakanda vibes which I loved. I really adored the blend of sci-fi and fantasy which wove a believable world together that felt real and fleshed out. I'm definitely ready to go onto the concluding book and hope you will pick this up too.