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Black Smoke Rising by Caroline Cuell After generations of war, the world has settled into an uncomfortable peace, the foundations of which are built on the simple premise laid out in unwritten law — you keep to your own kind. For the fae of Viriador and the elves of Carpathia, this way of life has seen them flourish and thrive, content with their own ways, the stains of bloody wars nothing more than words on pages of old scripture. For the dragon-shifters of Predoran, however, the lust for bloodshed is proving hard to suppress. King Dracul was the one to force the fae and elves from his lands, driven by the need to be cleansed of his sworn enemies. Now though, the disappointments of peace see him craving violence. His decision to take the lands of those he despises threatens to destroy all that has been built — and in doing so will change the course of six lives forever. New Adult • Fantasy/Epic and High • Diversity Representation/LGBTQ+/Own Voices • Diversity Representation/BIPOC • Fantasy/Dark • Fantasy Content Warning: Violence, war, sexual content, sexual assault, rape, injury, injury detail, child abuse, death, murder, coarse language. |
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Worldbuilding: Aided the story
Plot: Straightforward Characters: Roles are clear
Storytelling: Descriptive
Immersion: Didn’t want to put the book down Emotional Response: Strong emotions
Thought Provoking: New ideas came up
Cover: Matches the story well Content Warnings: Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Torture, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Alcohol I don't think I've read a book before, apart from Six of Crows, where I've switched between favourite characters this many times! The representation in this book was well done, too. Plenty of gay and bi rep, a non-binary character, racial diversity, disability, mental health. |
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