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Blood and Salt #3
Crown of Stars and Fate
Alliances shift, rules change, and loyalty is tested. Nothing will ever be the same.
I knew my life would change when I traveled to Athos. I wanted to help my people, save the tributes, and make my family proud. Instead, I discovered more secrets and lies and saw my people destroyed in front of me.
And then I faced the greatest betrayal yet.
Unsure of who I can trust, but in need of allies, I set out on my most dangerous quest yet. The fae king must be destroyed in order for Athos to be free. But the king isn’t our only threat. The gods themselves are angry and Nyx has promised retribution.
If we fail, humanity is lost.
I knew my life would change when I traveled to Athos. I wanted to help my people, save the tributes, and make my family proud. Instead, I discovered more secrets and lies and saw my people destroyed in front of me.
And then I faced the greatest betrayal yet.
Unsure of who I can trust, but in need of allies, I set out on my most dangerous quest yet. The fae king must be destroyed in order for Athos to be free. But the king isn’t our only threat. The gods themselves are angry and Nyx has promised retribution.
If we fail, humanity is lost.
268 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 26, 2024
About the author
Alexis Calder
31 books880 followersAlexis Calder writes sassy heroines and sexy heroes with a sprinkle of sarcasm. She lives in the Rockies and drinks far too much coffee and just the right amount of wine.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 165 reviews
January 27, 2024
This is a strong(?) 3 and a weak 4, and that’s because while I liked the book overall, there were issues: 1) it was very short 2) it’s becoming clear this is going to be a very long series 3) I found certain side characters more interesting than the main characters at various times, and 4) I got kinda bored there a couple times but kept going cause it was such a short read.
The side character that peaked my interest was the Dragon King, which is not surprising. Also I’m not really buying the love between the MCs, meaning that I don’t feel the author has done a good enough job at selling us on their bond. It could be just me though so take all that with a grain of salt. I’m also aware that this book may just have the misfortune of me having picked it up after I finished a book I enjoyed immensely, so it may have been doomed to pale in comparison. Idk.
Anywho, I’m thinking I will most likely end up leaving the series here, but I can see myself maybe picking this back up a couple years from now after way more books have come out and things get more interesting.
Overall just a mid series with untapped potential.
The side character that peaked my interest was the Dragon King, which is not surprising. Also I’m not really buying the love between the MCs, meaning that I don’t feel the author has done a good enough job at selling us on their bond. It could be just me though so take all that with a grain of salt. I’m also aware that this book may just have the misfortune of me having picked it up after I finished a book I enjoyed immensely, so it may have been doomed to pale in comparison. Idk.
Anywho, I’m thinking I will most likely end up leaving the series here, but I can see myself maybe picking this back up a couple years from now after way more books have come out and things get more interesting.
Overall just a mid series with untapped potential.
February 3, 2024
So disappointing.
The whole thing feels rushed, like a draft or the outline of a book but without the plot or character development that would make it compelling. It's a pity because the overall storyline could be great.
The editing is really, really terrible. There are so many errors and spelling mistakes. Even the MC name!
Continuity is also really poor. The author loses track of where exactly one of the scenes is set and what the MC is wearing.
This was supposed to be a trilogy. I only read the first two books on the basis that the 'final' book was due out beginning of 2024. It's annoying that this is now a four book series.
It doesn't really matter now, after this book I won't be finishing the series.
The whole thing feels rushed, like a draft or the outline of a book but without the plot or character development that would make it compelling. It's a pity because the overall storyline could be great.
The editing is really, really terrible. There are so many errors and spelling mistakes. Even the MC name!
Continuity is also really poor. The author loses track of where exactly one of the scenes is set and what the MC is wearing.
This was supposed to be a trilogy. I only read the first two books on the basis that the 'final' book was due out beginning of 2024. It's annoying that this is now a four book series.
It doesn't really matter now, after this book I won't be finishing the series.
February 12, 2024
So this series was.... interesting. I know there is one more book but I will still critique the series as a whole. The author has a really good story board with twists and turns but the actual writing lacks depth. She over describes certain worries the FMC has but skims over the plot for the most part. This can be seen by how SHORT these books are, but also in how these books were obviously not proofread. There's a page that said "Sofia," NOT SOPHIA. Girl come on. That might be my biggest pet peeve. Like you can't read over this to know how to spell your characters' names! But anyways. I don't think this could be wrapped up in another 300 pages in a nice, neatly tied bow. Will I read it? Yes I will, but I also do not support this.
January 29, 2024
3.5 ⭐️I need more of the Dragon King and Cora. The turn this series took was a welcomed change for me.
April 15, 2024
I don't know why, but this book was not as good as the first two. I think it may have been meant as a filler book in the series as not a lot happened in this one. So I'm holding high hopes for book 4 as soon as it comes out.
January 26, 2024
I have been trying not to start unfinished series because I am not a fan of cliffhangers. The 1st novel was described as the first in a TRILOGY. Well, it isn’t. It has now developed into a series and you will have to wait another few months for the next one to release.
February 27, 2024
Aw, too bad, the downward spiral is continuing.
Worldbuilding has so little to add, and what it adds it introduces only to take it away, like the Poison that suddenly works on Ryvin being introduced so we can meet Ceto and waste 20% of the book on, or the randomly generated seal on magic that was never mentioned before and gets introduced so we can waste a further 50% of the book to undo, or the randomly spawning assassins that just come in and die at completely random points in the story. The politic's side simplifies the matter way too much, with the Gold Court, Mountain Dwellers and so on being introduced as possible allies, or at least third parties, just to be lumped together with the rest of the evil fae. The kingdom of humans is under threat of extinction but no mass conscription is enstablished
There is SO MUCH filler in the Plot: Ryvin gets poisoned and we have to save him, then we have to lift the seal on magic we just said existed, the fight with the basilisk (yeah it plays out like the one Harry Potter 2) and the spiders, all so we can have bullshit contrivances like "we need a vampire with a blood relationship with the late king to undo his seal on magic", like come the fuck on. Things just...happen, for some reason, like, how did the assassins get on the ship at the beginning? And how did they poison Ryvin exactly? There's no explaination for this, characters just switch sides without informing us of why they did, like Lagina being against involving Sophia and having to be convinced to even have that conversation with her, but then they get to the big dinner and she's suddenly actively ASKING Sophia to do this, going as far as telling her she has no choice.
Ara's character in this book is "muh you took my magic, but you're hot, but i hate you" with exactly ZERO reason to back up this childish tantrum she's throwing because she doesn't get to play with the cool powers anymore. Bruh, HE WAS RIGHT. THE FUCK WERE YOU GOING TO DO AGAINST THE WHOLE PANTHEON, YOU BACKWARD MONKEY BRAIN? There was a choice, a very simple, easy, no-brainer, downright NON-choice between Ara's life and her magic, there is nothing else to discuss, he did the right thing, get over it. And yeah, she SAYS "it's about witholding information, not the steal itself" in at first, but then she says "muh you stole my magic" for most of the book, and regardless, once the argument about the knowledge possibly impeding the process and how it wouldn't have changed anything since he still needed to take the power, she has essentially no comeback, she just says "you didnt know what choice i would have made" which is something akin to what a child says when they've been proven wrong, the fuck were you going to chose, death? Get outta here.
Ryvin is such a spineless coward in this whole book. There's honestly no redeming quality about him, he half tries to defend his actions in the first chapter, but he gives up almost immediately and is like "yeah you're right Ara and everyone else" for the rest of the book (and of course everyone else, Laera expecially, is like "yeah Ara's right", fucking great spymaster over here). AND HE SENDS A FUCKING GIANT AND HUNGRY SEA SNAKE INTO THE FUCKING TOWN FULL OF PEOPLE AND HIS WIFE TO BE.
Laera is clearly the character the author struggles with the most, she doesn't have a specific role nor a clear personality so she just interrupts others discussing, as if to remind them, and us readers, she's here. She's always bored, condescending and uncaring of anyone around her and it feels so fake that one would be forgiven for assuming she intentionally does it so people will be mad at her and she will get the attention she seeks. And for unknown reasons other than 'sisterhood' I guess, every woman likes this condescending ass who enjoys riling up people, like Sophia who exchanges two lines with her and suddenly wants HER to teach her
Lagina is somewhat made to be the "villain" of the good guys because she asks questions and demand answers and it's honestly infuriating. She has the responsability to carry her people out of the worst situation they have ever been into and Ara does everything she can to stop her questions and delay answers, for some reason.
Uh...Cora? Your arranged husband just told you your mother is DEAD and you talk about how you want your love story to be? Hello? Your mother just died, I don’t think you registered that. Also, somehow we decided SHE is the one who can get through Sophia? Where the hell was this relationship? They don't look like they would get along. Oh, by the way, we still could have made the two little sisters a single character, would go a long way into giving other characters more breathing space and Cora/Sopiha more depth
Sophia is such a mishmash of anything that needs to happen for drama, like, one moment she is so happy to see Ara and the next time we see her she suddenly hates her because of some contrived bullshit about "consequences" that didn’t mean anything in context. She wants Laera to teach her how to turn her power to her "advantage", not even "into a weapon" mind you, which is a more of a neutral term, as weapons can protect AND attack, "advantage" basically implies she wants to abuse her powers. This is litterally a different character than the one shown at the start of the book and there is no connective tissue for that "development", sure the author tries to argue it's because Laera was the only one to not "coddle" her, but the other ones weren't really coddling her, they were essentially saying "girl, you gotta do this or we're fucked", there is a fine line between asking nicely and coddling. Also the supposed difference in Laera's approach was "oh actually you can abuse your power", and Sophia's like "oh really? Man i always wanted to do so" which is nothing like who she was until now.
I don’t get why people like the Dragon King. He just exists as a comodity for the good guys to use, he's hooked completely by Cora and is willing to sacrifice his own men to protect her city. There's nothing to it besides his Mating Bond, aka the writer just decided it was the case, they barely have any interactions and they're not convincing at all.
The writing and dialogues are VERY on the nose, the characters say exactly what they feel and want, without room for interpretation or nuance. The Dragon King litterally says "I respect a strong woman", Sophia litterally desribes Ryvin's reaction to a man touching Ara as "Touch her and you die", the dragon prince Kabir says there's four siblings and then HAS TO add "just like the Athos royals", yeah we got that, come on author, do we even know what subdlety is?
One thing i found excruciating was the sheer number of way too underdeveloped characters that had to be garanted page time to remind us they were there, i feel like this is a main problem since the need to include so many characters in every discussion and every mission they go in heavily hinders the development of the main ones and slows down even normally fast paced scenes. As a general rule, if you want to write short fantasy books, don't burden your cast with unnecessary characters you will have to find room for later on, concentrate on small core casts to develop fully and then add momentary and episodic interactions with third parties. Now we're stuck with way too many people to write 300 pages on while give everyone enough space, one example that comes to mind is Chronicles of Ancient Darkness by Michielle Paver, where we have every book being a different type of adventure structured around a very small cast of three main characters that function as moving parts, plus a bunch of recurring minor characters doing their own thing, while sometimes interacting with the MCs
Romance 100% stinks, Ara is irrationally angry and doesn't acknowledge that, unlike let's say Violet in Iron Flame, and genuinely thinks she is right (made worse by the fact everyone agrees with her, apparently they all wanted her to die), while Ryvin is just "buh buh" crying in the corner for 80% of the book, then we realized the book was near it's end so we wrote random sex scenes just because. There's no throughline we follow, there's no unraveling of their issues, they just exist and then they don't.
There's somewhat of a thematic throughline with the general idea of women coming together and wanting to be proactive in their choices, but it's executed REALLY lazyily, with more and more 'characters' coming in and litterally telling us "oh we want power", but it's SO messed up, as I said Sophia wanted power to essentially abuse it, Cora learned to charm people, apparently, and only ever used it to get sexual partners (which is something she didn't need to begin with, since she's the secons in line to the throne), Ara was arguing for her own death instead of losing some of her powers (which she didn't lose at all) while she can still access Ryvin's own powers. Yeah, i know, there really isn't much to say about it other than, don't be like that.
Worldbuilding has so little to add, and what it adds it introduces only to take it away, like the Poison that suddenly works on Ryvin being introduced so we can meet Ceto and waste 20% of the book on, or the randomly generated seal on magic that was never mentioned before and gets introduced so we can waste a further 50% of the book to undo, or the randomly spawning assassins that just come in and die at completely random points in the story. The politic's side simplifies the matter way too much, with the Gold Court, Mountain Dwellers and so on being introduced as possible allies, or at least third parties, just to be lumped together with the rest of the evil fae. The kingdom of humans is under threat of extinction but no mass conscription is enstablished
There is SO MUCH filler in the Plot: Ryvin gets poisoned and we have to save him, then we have to lift the seal on magic we just said existed, the fight with the basilisk (yeah it plays out like the one Harry Potter 2) and the spiders, all so we can have bullshit contrivances like "we need a vampire with a blood relationship with the late king to undo his seal on magic", like come the fuck on. Things just...happen, for some reason, like, how did the assassins get on the ship at the beginning? And how did they poison Ryvin exactly? There's no explaination for this, characters just switch sides without informing us of why they did, like Lagina being against involving Sophia and having to be convinced to even have that conversation with her, but then they get to the big dinner and she's suddenly actively ASKING Sophia to do this, going as far as telling her she has no choice.
Ara's character in this book is "muh you took my magic, but you're hot, but i hate you" with exactly ZERO reason to back up this childish tantrum she's throwing because she doesn't get to play with the cool powers anymore. Bruh, HE WAS RIGHT. THE FUCK WERE YOU GOING TO DO AGAINST THE WHOLE PANTHEON, YOU BACKWARD MONKEY BRAIN? There was a choice, a very simple, easy, no-brainer, downright NON-choice between Ara's life and her magic, there is nothing else to discuss, he did the right thing, get over it. And yeah, she SAYS "it's about witholding information, not the steal itself" in at first, but then she says "muh you stole my magic" for most of the book, and regardless, once the argument about the knowledge possibly impeding the process and how it wouldn't have changed anything since he still needed to take the power, she has essentially no comeback, she just says "you didnt know what choice i would have made" which is something akin to what a child says when they've been proven wrong, the fuck were you going to chose, death? Get outta here.
Ryvin is such a spineless coward in this whole book. There's honestly no redeming quality about him, he half tries to defend his actions in the first chapter, but he gives up almost immediately and is like "yeah you're right Ara and everyone else" for the rest of the book (and of course everyone else, Laera expecially, is like "yeah Ara's right", fucking great spymaster over here). AND HE SENDS A FUCKING GIANT AND HUNGRY SEA SNAKE INTO THE FUCKING TOWN FULL OF PEOPLE AND HIS WIFE TO BE.
Laera is clearly the character the author struggles with the most, she doesn't have a specific role nor a clear personality so she just interrupts others discussing, as if to remind them, and us readers, she's here. She's always bored, condescending and uncaring of anyone around her and it feels so fake that one would be forgiven for assuming she intentionally does it so people will be mad at her and she will get the attention she seeks. And for unknown reasons other than 'sisterhood' I guess, every woman likes this condescending ass who enjoys riling up people, like Sophia who exchanges two lines with her and suddenly wants HER to teach her
Lagina is somewhat made to be the "villain" of the good guys because she asks questions and demand answers and it's honestly infuriating. She has the responsability to carry her people out of the worst situation they have ever been into and Ara does everything she can to stop her questions and delay answers, for some reason.
Uh...Cora? Your arranged husband just told you your mother is DEAD and you talk about how you want your love story to be? Hello? Your mother just died, I don’t think you registered that. Also, somehow we decided SHE is the one who can get through Sophia? Where the hell was this relationship? They don't look like they would get along. Oh, by the way, we still could have made the two little sisters a single character, would go a long way into giving other characters more breathing space and Cora/Sopiha more depth
Sophia is such a mishmash of anything that needs to happen for drama, like, one moment she is so happy to see Ara and the next time we see her she suddenly hates her because of some contrived bullshit about "consequences" that didn’t mean anything in context. She wants Laera to teach her how to turn her power to her "advantage", not even "into a weapon" mind you, which is a more of a neutral term, as weapons can protect AND attack, "advantage" basically implies she wants to abuse her powers. This is litterally a different character than the one shown at the start of the book and there is no connective tissue for that "development", sure the author tries to argue it's because Laera was the only one to not "coddle" her, but the other ones weren't really coddling her, they were essentially saying "girl, you gotta do this or we're fucked", there is a fine line between asking nicely and coddling. Also the supposed difference in Laera's approach was "oh actually you can abuse your power", and Sophia's like "oh really? Man i always wanted to do so" which is nothing like who she was until now.
I don’t get why people like the Dragon King. He just exists as a comodity for the good guys to use, he's hooked completely by Cora and is willing to sacrifice his own men to protect her city. There's nothing to it besides his Mating Bond, aka the writer just decided it was the case, they barely have any interactions and they're not convincing at all.
The writing and dialogues are VERY on the nose, the characters say exactly what they feel and want, without room for interpretation or nuance. The Dragon King litterally says "I respect a strong woman", Sophia litterally desribes Ryvin's reaction to a man touching Ara as "Touch her and you die", the dragon prince Kabir says there's four siblings and then HAS TO add "just like the Athos royals", yeah we got that, come on author, do we even know what subdlety is?
One thing i found excruciating was the sheer number of way too underdeveloped characters that had to be garanted page time to remind us they were there, i feel like this is a main problem since the need to include so many characters in every discussion and every mission they go in heavily hinders the development of the main ones and slows down even normally fast paced scenes. As a general rule, if you want to write short fantasy books, don't burden your cast with unnecessary characters you will have to find room for later on, concentrate on small core casts to develop fully and then add momentary and episodic interactions with third parties. Now we're stuck with way too many people to write 300 pages on while give everyone enough space, one example that comes to mind is Chronicles of Ancient Darkness by Michielle Paver, where we have every book being a different type of adventure structured around a very small cast of three main characters that function as moving parts, plus a bunch of recurring minor characters doing their own thing, while sometimes interacting with the MCs
Romance 100% stinks, Ara is irrationally angry and doesn't acknowledge that, unlike let's say Violet in Iron Flame, and genuinely thinks she is right (made worse by the fact everyone agrees with her, apparently they all wanted her to die), while Ryvin is just "buh buh" crying in the corner for 80% of the book, then we realized the book was near it's end so we wrote random sex scenes just because. There's no throughline we follow, there's no unraveling of their issues, they just exist and then they don't.
There's somewhat of a thematic throughline with the general idea of women coming together and wanting to be proactive in their choices, but it's executed REALLY lazyily, with more and more 'characters' coming in and litterally telling us "oh we want power", but it's SO messed up, as I said Sophia wanted power to essentially abuse it, Cora learned to charm people, apparently, and only ever used it to get sexual partners (which is something she didn't need to begin with, since she's the secons in line to the throne), Ara was arguing for her own death instead of losing some of her powers (which she didn't lose at all) while she can still access Ryvin's own powers. Yeah, i know, there really isn't much to say about it other than, don't be like that.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 5, 2024
Too much waffle
This book is really half the minority is story the rest is filler .I was really looking forward to this after the first 2 in the series but I was disappointed to find that like a lot of authors seem to do these days a series of 3 books are being stretched into 4 or more but putting irrelevant information that you already know or rehashing emotions /thoughts you already are aware of that said I will be buying the next book because curiosity demands I know how it ends
This book is really half the minority is story the rest is filler .I was really looking forward to this after the first 2 in the series but I was disappointed to find that like a lot of authors seem to do these days a series of 3 books are being stretched into 4 or more but putting irrelevant information that you already know or rehashing emotions /thoughts you already are aware of that said I will be buying the next book because curiosity demands I know how it ends
January 29, 2024
This book was ok. As another reviewer said it was rushed and short. I had to flag a lot of content errors, plot errors and typos. Which irritates me to no end. Who edits these things?!?
For instance there is a scene where the MC’s are training in a forgotten and dusty music room and Ara is wearing a tunic and trousers and the next moment they are in the throne room where they rush to her room and Ryvin rips her peplos ( dress) off to pool around her legs. That lack of continuity is frustrating and definitely lends to the rushed nature of this book.
It’s a shame because book 1 and 2 were great. I kept thinking about them. I even had a hard time reading for the week in between the third release. I found that book 1 didn’t leave with a giant cliffhanger. I could have been ok leaving it there but I enjoyed it so much I wanted to explore more. Book 2 left on a pretty big cliff hanger which made me need to read book 3. Which was disappointing and left on a big cliffhanger. I’m not a fan of Greek mythos or themes. But I didn’t mind it in this series. Not a trilogy. Now a series.
Also can we talk about the authors use of the name Lagina. I couldn’t help but just think of vagina everytime I read it. Come on… also Lagina’s just sudden trust in Laera’s word on her advisors seemed a little ridiculous. While founded, she was raised to mistrust them. So why all of a sudden trust the spy of fae.
As someone else mentioned. I found myself more interested in some of the side characters. Like the dragon king and Cora’s story. I’d love to read a spin off on that story.
Overall, this book was lacking.
For instance there is a scene where the MC’s are training in a forgotten and dusty music room and Ara is wearing a tunic and trousers and the next moment they are in the throne room where they rush to her room and Ryvin rips her peplos ( dress) off to pool around her legs. That lack of continuity is frustrating and definitely lends to the rushed nature of this book.
It’s a shame because book 1 and 2 were great. I kept thinking about them. I even had a hard time reading for the week in between the third release. I found that book 1 didn’t leave with a giant cliffhanger. I could have been ok leaving it there but I enjoyed it so much I wanted to explore more. Book 2 left on a pretty big cliff hanger which made me need to read book 3. Which was disappointing and left on a big cliffhanger. I’m not a fan of Greek mythos or themes. But I didn’t mind it in this series. Not a trilogy. Now a series.
Also can we talk about the authors use of the name Lagina. I couldn’t help but just think of vagina everytime I read it. Come on… also Lagina’s just sudden trust in Laera’s word on her advisors seemed a little ridiculous. While founded, she was raised to mistrust them. So why all of a sudden trust the spy of fae.
As someone else mentioned. I found myself more interested in some of the side characters. Like the dragon king and Cora’s story. I’d love to read a spin off on that story.
Overall, this book was lacking.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 16, 2024
like how the characters turns out, it‘s just too short and it ended in a cliffhanger 🫠🫠🫠 and i have to wait till next month to be able to read the last installment
April 19, 2024
Wants to be more than it is
This book is definitely the weaker of the 3 I've read so far...sadly because it had so much potential to be great! Ara isn't a likable character, ryvin falls flat, it's like the building blocks of a story are here, there's just no depth to any one character, the interactions are off and awkward, every single characters motivations are completely unknown to the readers...and the worst part is the "romance" Ara and Ryvins loves story is trash! Like all of a sudden ryvin is a simp and Ara is some flip flop about what she feels except that there isn't any part of the book where you feel the weight of sins ryvin committed against Ara, it's almost as if it never happened to begin with, which is what makes reading about it so.... annoying
I dunno, I really wanted to like this one but I just don't and can't and then the "cliffhanger" at the end is also trash
This book is definitely the weaker of the 3 I've read so far...sadly because it had so much potential to be great! Ara isn't a likable character, ryvin falls flat, it's like the building blocks of a story are here, there's just no depth to any one character, the interactions are off and awkward, every single characters motivations are completely unknown to the readers...and the worst part is the "romance" Ara and Ryvins loves story is trash! Like all of a sudden ryvin is a simp and Ara is some flip flop about what she feels except that there isn't any part of the book where you feel the weight of sins ryvin committed against Ara, it's almost as if it never happened to begin with, which is what makes reading about it so.... annoying
I dunno, I really wanted to like this one but I just don't and can't and then the "cliffhanger" at the end is also trash
July 18, 2024
so good!
I hit a weird reading slump there for a couple of days and almost let it affect how I felt about this book. But, even my wonky mood couldn’t beat this book. It was soo good and I’m even more invested than I was before. And yeah yeah I said that I wanted some serious groveling from Ryvin but that’s over now and can we come on already!?! Also was definitely not expecting the whole Sophia twist, also dragon shifters?? I mean I was hooked with shadow daddy and now we get dragon daddy’s too?? This series is so fast paced but you really get to know the characters as well and I love them all! Onto the 4th and final book I go ✌🏻
I hit a weird reading slump there for a couple of days and almost let it affect how I felt about this book. But, even my wonky mood couldn’t beat this book. It was soo good and I’m even more invested than I was before. And yeah yeah I said that I wanted some serious groveling from Ryvin but that’s over now and can we come on already!?! Also was definitely not expecting the whole Sophia twist, also dragon shifters?? I mean I was hooked with shadow daddy and now we get dragon daddy’s too?? This series is so fast paced but you really get to know the characters as well and I love them all! Onto the 4th and final book I go ✌🏻
June 19, 2024
This was much better than a very rushed book 2. There were even a few parts I actually laughed out loud at the pure dripping sarcasm. The book seemed more mature than its predecessor, better written and paced. Another cliffhanger of an ending but that’s how they hook you into buying book 4.
February 9, 2024
As far as fantasy goes, such a great series. Book 4 doesn’t come out until May so I’m just gonna cry over here for a bit :’)
May 6, 2024
3.5⭐️
May 11, 2024
DNF
I really don’t give a fuck
I really don’t give a fuck
August 4, 2024
Didn’t start heatin up until about 60% but girrrlllllll book 4 is about to go STOOPIDDD
February 9, 2024
I feel a bit let down with this book, if I'm honest. It was pretty short, it fell flat and basically not very memorable...it took me about half the book to engage with the characters again, which was disappointing. I do think when books extend beyond a trilogy, there's always one book that's novella length that's almost a quick filler.
However, I say this...it isn't bad by any means but I think I expected a little more.
However, I say this...it isn't bad by any means but I think I expected a little more.
September 4, 2024
i'm conflicted on my rankings for this series thus far because i enjoyed the books from an entertainment perspective, but i have a lot of thoughts from a technical quality perspective. the romance doesn't feel written well or earned, which is kind of like an important thing for a romance book. all of the "love" really just feels more like lust. and then the mating bond trope is thrown in as a way to make it so - love is not really shown through interaction.
the conflict between ara and ryvin felt shoehorned in...like hm what can we make them fight about? ryvin had a perfectly reasonable excuse for taking her power. it's bad enough that she couldn't see that, but then she had other characters backing her up, saying he fucked up. should he have let her die? i confused?
the back and forth on this particular argument was eye-roll inducing. girl forgive him or don't. he already killed your dad which is...arguably much worse, if you ask me, regardless of who her father ended up being. and then we had to have ryvin simping the whole book which felt to me like it didn't fit with who he was (or should have been) from the beginning of the story.
i guess a recurring issue that i've run into personally with this series is that while there is a fun ensemble cast of characters, none of their relationships feel realistic or dynamic. especially with book two (laera, for example), it teases you with the idea of a new enemy, or at least some type of conflict between characters, but then it's too easily resolved and they're friends now! laera is particularly guilty of this, but book one did this with ara and ryvin, too. a lot of potential bad guys end up becoming friends or allies without payoff. i'm not convinced that most of these characters care about each other at all, or even have a reason to.
some other thoughts - the sex scenes in this book felt really random. the multiple different POV switches bothered me especially since it didn't really feel like anyone had a different voice...third person would have been better here. the second-hand embarrassment for ryvin when he got upset about vanth picking up ara to...rescue her from death. i mean really, pull yourself together buddy. the "touch her and you die" direct quote was just overkill. also there is a large amount of mythical creatures and i feel like one or two could have been enough. it's a lot to keep track of.
anyway i will read the last book in the series because it's been fun and they're quick reads. just had to get my thoughts on the series out so far so they stop tumbling in my head!
the conflict between ara and ryvin felt shoehorned in...like hm what can we make them fight about? ryvin had a perfectly reasonable excuse for taking her power. it's bad enough that she couldn't see that, but then she had other characters backing her up, saying he fucked up. should he have let her die? i confused?
the back and forth on this particular argument was eye-roll inducing. girl forgive him or don't. he already killed your dad which is...arguably much worse, if you ask me, regardless of who her father ended up being. and then we had to have ryvin simping the whole book which felt to me like it didn't fit with who he was (or should have been) from the beginning of the story.
i guess a recurring issue that i've run into personally with this series is that while there is a fun ensemble cast of characters, none of their relationships feel realistic or dynamic. especially with book two (laera, for example), it teases you with the idea of a new enemy, or at least some type of conflict between characters, but then it's too easily resolved and they're friends now! laera is particularly guilty of this, but book one did this with ara and ryvin, too. a lot of potential bad guys end up becoming friends or allies without payoff. i'm not convinced that most of these characters care about each other at all, or even have a reason to.
some other thoughts - the sex scenes in this book felt really random. the multiple different POV switches bothered me especially since it didn't really feel like anyone had a different voice...third person would have been better here. the second-hand embarrassment for ryvin when he got upset about vanth picking up ara to...rescue her from death. i mean really, pull yourself together buddy. the "touch her and you die" direct quote was just overkill. also there is a large amount of mythical creatures and i feel like one or two could have been enough. it's a lot to keep track of.
anyway i will read the last book in the series because it's been fun and they're quick reads. just had to get my thoughts on the series out so far so they stop tumbling in my head!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 8, 2024
Overall I am loving this series. The concept and the characters are exactly what I love in my books. I really enjoyed this book. I’ve round it up to 4 stars but on story graph I gave it 3.75. This is because there are some continuity issues and spelling mistakes.
• “Though” is used constantly instead of “through”.
• The most memorable continuity issue; they were in the throne room and then decided to go to the training grounds. And then all of a sudden the book says they’re exiting the throne room with no mention of going back to the throne room. This just really took me out of the story and made me pause, like did I miss a line? How did they get back there? Do I know how to read?
• There’s certain conversations that seem to be had over and over again as if it’s the first time we’re discussing it. Like sorry but I thought we already resolved this? Why is it coming back up like we didn’t?
The first two books were amazing but I just feel like as the story is going on, the author is maybe getting bored of it or something. This book just didn’t feel the same as the first two imo. I think this book just needs a little more editing and refining to get to the same level as the first ones.
• “Though” is used constantly instead of “through”.
• The most memorable continuity issue; they were in the throne room and then decided to go to the training grounds. And then all of a sudden the book says they’re exiting the throne room with no mention of going back to the throne room. This just really took me out of the story and made me pause, like did I miss a line? How did they get back there? Do I know how to read?
• There’s certain conversations that seem to be had over and over again as if it’s the first time we’re discussing it. Like sorry but I thought we already resolved this? Why is it coming back up like we didn’t?
The first two books were amazing but I just feel like as the story is going on, the author is maybe getting bored of it or something. This book just didn’t feel the same as the first two imo. I think this book just needs a little more editing and refining to get to the same level as the first ones.
April 8, 2024
3.5/5⭐️
1/5🌶️
“And if you hate me till the day that you die I hope it’s a good long hate”
“I would give it all to you if it meant knowing you were safe. Everything I have is yours.”
“I will do anything to deserve you again”
I love when men grovel🫶
Shortest book of the series so far and honestly I couldn’t tell, a lot happened and it never felt rushed.
As much as Ryvin fucked up… did he really? Ara can we please be a little more grateful when the people who care about you are saving your life? Like I get the absence of choice but also what choice did you have, you would’ve died girly pop.
Begging for a spin off with Cora and Bahar.
Begging for a prequel about Laera and Ryvin.
Begging to know wtf is happening with Sophie.
This series is set up so so well for the multi povs and I’m so into it.
The spice scenes in this book felt a little off to me though, it’s like alexis c realized they were mad at each other and instead of making it a good long tension book, they’re fucking in her dreams?(Not nearly as mad at that one tho) they felt a little thrown in there and it took me out of it.
Gonna be losing my mind till #4 comes out though.
1/5🌶️
“And if you hate me till the day that you die I hope it’s a good long hate”
“I would give it all to you if it meant knowing you were safe. Everything I have is yours.”
“I will do anything to deserve you again”
I love when men grovel🫶
Shortest book of the series so far and honestly I couldn’t tell, a lot happened and it never felt rushed.
As much as Ryvin fucked up… did he really? Ara can we please be a little more grateful when the people who care about you are saving your life? Like I get the absence of choice but also what choice did you have, you would’ve died girly pop.
Begging for a spin off with Cora and Bahar.
Begging for a prequel about Laera and Ryvin.
Begging to know wtf is happening with Sophie.
This series is set up so so well for the multi povs and I’m so into it.
The spice scenes in this book felt a little off to me though, it’s like alexis c realized they were mad at each other and instead of making it a good long tension book, they’re fucking in her dreams?(Not nearly as mad at that one tho) they felt a little thrown in there and it took me out of it.
Gonna be losing my mind till #4 comes out though.
February 3, 2024
Wow, I just couldn't put it down! So it starts right where we left off, Ryvin taking Ara's.
Which is a total betrayal to her, which is unforgivable. I don't want to give too much away but, Ryvin is trying to prove himself to Ara that he was trying to save her from v being discovered by the gods. We also see her sister's POVS as well, which I like very much it doesn't take away from the story, we get to see more interactions between the Dragon King and Cora! Can't wait til they're story to come out! The world building the journey that everyone goes through, to coming together to release the magic in Athos, and to prepare for the battle against Ryvins father. Also Nyxs wrath, and to bring back the sun. There is spice in the book, but it's not the main focus. Here's a little spoiler Ara does find out she can control another power! You just got to read the book to find out! It does end on a cliffhanger, omg that ending! Can't wait til the next one !
I received a free copy of this book, and giving my honest opinion! Now go read it!😍
Which is a total betrayal to her, which is unforgivable. I don't want to give too much away but, Ryvin is trying to prove himself to Ara that he was trying to save her from v being discovered by the gods. We also see her sister's POVS as well, which I like very much it doesn't take away from the story, we get to see more interactions between the Dragon King and Cora! Can't wait til they're story to come out! The world building the journey that everyone goes through, to coming together to release the magic in Athos, and to prepare for the battle against Ryvins father. Also Nyxs wrath, and to bring back the sun. There is spice in the book, but it's not the main focus. Here's a little spoiler Ara does find out she can control another power! You just got to read the book to find out! It does end on a cliffhanger, omg that ending! Can't wait til the next one !
I received a free copy of this book, and giving my honest opinion! Now go read it!😍
February 17, 2024
Getting ready for battle is so fun
The continuation of Ara and Ryvin's story in Crown of Stars and Faye tells of the trials of the Konos prince as he works to gain back his mate's trust. I loved how you get to know the members of the courts of Athos, Konos and Drakous intimately as they get to know each other while teaming up to release the trapped magic under the human city of Athos, awaken the goddess of night, Nyx, and preparing to battle the Fae King. Everything is going to change because of decisions made by the children of the godesses,Nyx and Cetos, and I can't wait to see what their world is going to be like afterwards. If you read the first books in this series then you will love to get to know the Dragon king and find out why he is considering joining forces with the humans to fight the king of Konos. And don't underestimate the sister princesses of Athos either!
The continuation of Ara and Ryvin's story in Crown of Stars and Faye tells of the trials of the Konos prince as he works to gain back his mate's trust. I loved how you get to know the members of the courts of Athos, Konos and Drakous intimately as they get to know each other while teaming up to release the trapped magic under the human city of Athos, awaken the goddess of night, Nyx, and preparing to battle the Fae King. Everything is going to change because of decisions made by the children of the godesses,Nyx and Cetos, and I can't wait to see what their world is going to be like afterwards. If you read the first books in this series then you will love to get to know the Dragon king and find out why he is considering joining forces with the humans to fight the king of Konos. And don't underestimate the sister princesses of Athos either!
March 17, 2024
Brilliant, Absolutely Brilliant!
This series "Blood and Salt" is a wonderful read. There are all manner of Fae, Werewolves, Vampires, Dragons, Gods, Fates, Sea Monsters and Humans. There are sexy times in every book so don't say I didn't warn you. This series is a complex one, so you need to start with book 1 called Blood and Salt which begins in a beautiful sundrenched place that is by a brilliant blue sea, it reminds me of my trips to Greece with the description given by the author. This is the first series of books by Alexis Calder that I've read, and if all her books are as good as this series then we are in for a real treat! I would recommend this series, so go and get the first one and I hope you enjoy it as much as I have. Oh and I will be reading them all again, they are that good!
This series "Blood and Salt" is a wonderful read. There are all manner of Fae, Werewolves, Vampires, Dragons, Gods, Fates, Sea Monsters and Humans. There are sexy times in every book so don't say I didn't warn you. This series is a complex one, so you need to start with book 1 called Blood and Salt which begins in a beautiful sundrenched place that is by a brilliant blue sea, it reminds me of my trips to Greece with the description given by the author. This is the first series of books by Alexis Calder that I've read, and if all her books are as good as this series then we are in for a real treat! I would recommend this series, so go and get the first one and I hope you enjoy it as much as I have. Oh and I will be reading them all again, they are that good!
April 25, 2024
This book starts where book 2 left off...right after Ara had her power stolen by Ryvin. It takes off at light speed with so many twists and turns it will keep you guessing at what will happen next.
I loved the continued world and character building in this book. Ara's mother is introduced, as well as the King of the Dragons, and both characters are intense. The relationship between Ara and Ryvin is strained, but still filled with passion. Ara is having difficulty forgiving Ryvin for what he has done, even if it was done to protect her. Ara's sisters are included with a side plot that runs the same timeline. So it is multiple aspects to the situation they are all facing.
As always with Alexis Calder's books, the story flows well and you feel immersed in this world from start to finish. Impossible to put down. I was not ready for this to end, and cannot wait for the next book.
I loved the continued world and character building in this book. Ara's mother is introduced, as well as the King of the Dragons, and both characters are intense. The relationship between Ara and Ryvin is strained, but still filled with passion. Ara is having difficulty forgiving Ryvin for what he has done, even if it was done to protect her. Ara's sisters are included with a side plot that runs the same timeline. So it is multiple aspects to the situation they are all facing.
As always with Alexis Calder's books, the story flows well and you feel immersed in this world from start to finish. Impossible to put down. I was not ready for this to end, and cannot wait for the next book.
February 4, 2024
holy smokes Batman
Ok so let’s throw some dragons in here! Because that’s awesome! When people make secrets and then die, it’s chaos. Ara’s stupid father thought he was smart but nope, he’s an idiot. And her mother- well I’m kinda shocked. I’m holding judgement but I wanna like her. Rykin and vanth and his sister, I like them a lot. I also really like Ara’s sisters. It’s been quite a lot of chaos unfolding as more and more secrets unravel and truths come to light. I’m actually shocked by several things. I’m definitely going to say this, I will count the days until the next book because I can’t wait to see what happens! I’ve come to love the characters and the awesome world building!
Ok so let’s throw some dragons in here! Because that’s awesome! When people make secrets and then die, it’s chaos. Ara’s stupid father thought he was smart but nope, he’s an idiot. And her mother- well I’m kinda shocked. I’m holding judgement but I wanna like her. Rykin and vanth and his sister, I like them a lot. I also really like Ara’s sisters. It’s been quite a lot of chaos unfolding as more and more secrets unravel and truths come to light. I’m actually shocked by several things. I’m definitely going to say this, I will count the days until the next book because I can’t wait to see what happens! I’ve come to love the characters and the awesome world building!
April 12, 2024
three stars for book 3.
The whole, “I can’t allow myself to love him, he’s bad for me, I can’t trust him, he took my choice, I can’t be near him” was HALF of this book. It was redundant. This story could have been an EPIC trilogy and instead, it feels drawn out. I probably won’t read book 4 because of the FMC’s thought process. The first book I was sucked in, the second one I was like okay.. I’m still intrigued.. then this one just burnt me out. I rolled my eyes more than anything with the constant back and forth.
I don’t like to DNF books, especially when I’ve invested so much time, so I pushed through. The plot has so much potential. But the characters aren’t really developing- they’re all stagnant.
The whole, “I can’t allow myself to love him, he’s bad for me, I can’t trust him, he took my choice, I can’t be near him” was HALF of this book. It was redundant. This story could have been an EPIC trilogy and instead, it feels drawn out. I probably won’t read book 4 because of the FMC’s thought process. The first book I was sucked in, the second one I was like okay.. I’m still intrigued.. then this one just burnt me out. I rolled my eyes more than anything with the constant back and forth.
I don’t like to DNF books, especially when I’ve invested so much time, so I pushed through. The plot has so much potential. But the characters aren’t really developing- they’re all stagnant.
July 29, 2024
It was a really fast read, like the two previous books. I feel that this series should have been a duology and not a 4 book series, there aren't that many things happening in just one book.
Again there are multiple POVs which I feel is unnecessary since the author could have written it in 3rd person because each POV feels like it is the same narrator.
Ryvin and Ara's story keeps evolving, I like Ryvin but Ara keeps grating on my nerves with all the constant hot and cold. The idea behind why she feels betrayed by Ryvin for what he did at the end of book 2 is great, but the way the author approached didn't.
It's a good series for spending your time, and is a fast light read, with sex scenes and adventure but it's not going to be the book of your life.
Again there are multiple POVs which I feel is unnecessary since the author could have written it in 3rd person because each POV feels like it is the same narrator.
Ryvin and Ara's story keeps evolving, I like Ryvin but Ara keeps grating on my nerves with all the constant hot and cold. The idea behind why she feels betrayed by Ryvin for what he did at the end of book 2 is great, but the way the author approached didn't.
It's a good series for spending your time, and is a fast light read, with sex scenes and adventure but it's not going to be the book of your life.
September 17, 2024
3/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I was pleasantly surprised with the third installment in the Blood and Salt series 🩸 The first two books were not my favorite, yet this was a major improvement. Not only was the character development and world building much more promising, but the writing style was much more complex and engaging.
While this still isn’t my favorite of books, it was better than the first two, and the storyline pulled me in quickly, unlike the previous installments. The three star rating is partially a result of the last two books being subpar, so comparatively, this was a major success (relatively speaking). Either way, I will be finishing this series and I am hopeful that the last installment will continue to reflect positive development in the plot and tone of the series 📖
I was pleasantly surprised with the third installment in the Blood and Salt series 🩸 The first two books were not my favorite, yet this was a major improvement. Not only was the character development and world building much more promising, but the writing style was much more complex and engaging.
While this still isn’t my favorite of books, it was better than the first two, and the storyline pulled me in quickly, unlike the previous installments. The three star rating is partially a result of the last two books being subpar, so comparatively, this was a major success (relatively speaking). Either way, I will be finishing this series and I am hopeful that the last installment will continue to reflect positive development in the plot and tone of the series 📖
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