Laura MaybrookeCritiques

DOWN A DARKER PATH forces Dulcea to choose between the vampire lord Krath, who she is fighting her feelings for, and her alliances with her armies and the golden dragons, both of whom she must have in order to win the war. The tension throughout the book was very well drawn, with all sides putting pressure on Dulcea, and the relationship between her and Krath (which I love, totally Team Vampire here) doing a hot slow burn with every chapter. I loved seeing Krath and Saranis playing Dominion, Myoden was a perfectly detestable character and very well written to that effect. Dulcea may be coming to accept what her heart wants, but is she prepared to sacrifice what that choice means? Wonderful world building. 5/5 stars.

I loved IMMORTAL DEFIANCE! This twisty, dark high fantasy with a silver elf heroine and a dark vampire lord hooked me from the start and never let go. Dulcea is about to be executed when a dark, handsome, mysterious stranger offers a “come with me if you want to live?” sort of choice, ha ha 😊. And of course, Dulcea accepts. It turns out that Lord Krath is more than he appears and as she stays at Castle Gwyndoorn, she learns more about the vampire lord who keeps his thrall servants and his mysterious past. I loved the vibe at the castle and all the fantastic descriptions. So creepy and gothic and wonderful! But is Dulcea his guest or his prisoner? Favorite moments: board game nights, black roses! I loved how as these two revealed more to each other slowly throughout the book, their slow burn relationship developed a deliciously dark push and pull. This is an epic fantasy and a dark PNR rolled into one, and I definitely need book two! 5/5 stars.

Full Review on my blog!

Hmmm.. where do I begin? This book wasn't what I was expecting after reading the blurb. It had a slow start, but quickly picked up.

Immortal Defiance is a great start to a new series by Laura Maybrooke. It starts with Dulcea, the elven queen and leader of the rebellion being kidnapped and threatened with death, until Krath saves her. I can't wait to see where this relationship will go in the next book!

I loved the characters, and the world the author created is so in-depth and detailed. It was different and fresh. This is a story about rebellion and betrayal. It is written with flashbacks, that explained the rebellion and what lead to Dulcea's kidnapping. Very interesting twists and turns that I dont want to spoil! I recommend it!


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This book is more of a fantasy saga which primarily focuses on two characters with complex backgrounds and includes a rebellion all of which necessitates peeks into the past to better understand what's happening now.

Dulcea is an enchantress known by her people as the Lightbringer. She left her people to become an enchantress, she returned a dragon lord and became their Lightbringer, High General and leader of their rebellion against the Saruseans. I liked how resourceful and strong she was, never giving up when she was captured. I was disappointed that some of that strength seemed to leave her once she was back with her army.

Lord Krath is a vampire changed long ago for one purpose (you'll have to read the story to find out what that is). He's been alone since the last of his progeny died over six hundred years ago, his only company his thralls. He tries to be a monster, but I found him a complex character I could enjoy despite his flaws.

When Dulcea is betrayed and turned over to the Saurseans to be sacrificed to their god Krath offers her a choice to take her chances with the Saurseans or him. After she chose him, he whisks her away on a terrifying journey through the netherworld to his castle where they play a bit of cat and mouse. He spends time with her and she spends her time hoping to keep his interest to: one keep herself alive and two figure out a way to escape. They end up playing a game of skill and make wagers while getting to know each other better.

There's danger and excitement but it seems to take the author a very long time to get through each phase of the story. While I love a long book, I don't like it when it FEELS like a long book and sometimes it felt like I was slogging through this story. While I liked seeing what happened in the past but the flow was very jarring, I wish the transitions had been smoother.

HUGE SPOILER ALERT

After ALL of that reading this story ends abruptly and unfinished and in a very unsatisfyingly way. I literally tossed my kindle down, I was so mad. A better break off point would have been, much earlier once she returned to her armies, in my opinion.

I received a free copy of this book and I'm voluntarily leaving a review. If you like my reviews I hope you will follow my blog. https://wyldheartreads.wordpress.com/

This is a well-written fantasy read and I enjoyed some parts much more than others.
The first in a new series this was a good start.
The bits here that were not for me were more about this not being quite the right book fit rather than anything actually wrong here.
I did actually think this was going to have a bit of romance included and it didn't though I was starting to get a maybe more vibe near the finish of this so we will see.
So as I said fantasy read and this is dual POV,
This focuses on Dulcia Lightbringer a silver Elvin enchantress and dragon-lady she is the face of the revolution fighting back against the tyranny of the Sarusean's.
when she is betrayed and captured by her enemies her almost unwilling saviour comes in a most unlikely form, Krath Lord of Gwyndoorn a centuries-old powerful immortal.
So out of the hands of her enemies into another form of bondage as her new captor's guest in his isolated and forgotten castle.
This bit of things was ever so interesting and I loved how Krath and Dulcia clashed wits together.
Krath seems almost grateful for the break-in his long monotony and Dulcia is definitely no swooning maiden to faint and scream in his mighty presence.
I really did like the ongoing dynamic these two shared with each other.
This also had impressive world-building though there were times things could get slightly confusing with all the various names and places mentioned.
The flashbacks to the past I also found a bit disorienting and they did disrupt the flow of the story for me somewhat.
I myself would have much prefered a more forward-focused timeline than the jumps to the past we were given
The old-style narration I liked, it had such a lyrical quality to it that I really did appreciate and I felt it fitted the story.
If I'm honest all the war talk I found a tad tiresome it's just not my bag, but the interactions between Krath and Dulcia did make up for this.
I looked forward to there liaisons and animated dissuasions.
This is most definitely a very clean read and would be a fit for fantasy fans who like the old- world type of storytelling.
I don't think I will be continuing further with this one, not because it's not a good read, it just wasn't what I thought it was going to be and is more heavily slanted towards the fantasy genre where I prefer my fantasy with a heavy dose of romance, which this didn't have.
So this one had highs and lows for me, a mixed bag of tricks and though it wasn't quite my usual fare I did enjoy it somewhat and it was definitely well written.
I voluntary reviewed a copy of Immortal Defiance (Dulcea's Rebellion, #1).



Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
www.beckiebookworm.com

This is a well-written fantasy read and I enjoyed some parts much more than others.
The first in a new series this was a good start.
The bits here that were not for me were more about this not being quite the right book fit rather than anything actually wrong here.
I did actually think this was going to have a bit of romance included and it didn't though I was starting to get a maybe more vibe near the finish of this so we will see.
So as I said fantasy read and this is dual POV,
This focuses on Dulcia Lightbringer a silver Elvin enchantress and dragon-lady she is the face of the revolution fighting back against the tyranny of the Sarusean's.
when she is betrayed and captured by her enemies her almost unwilling saviour comes in a most unlikely form, Krath Lord of Gwyndoorn a centuries-old powerful immortal.
So out of the hands of her enemies into another form of bondage as her new captor's guest in his isolated and forgotten castle.
This bit of things was ever so interesting and I loved how Krath and Dulcia clashed wits together.
Krath seems almost grateful for the break-in his long monotony and Dulcia is definitely no swooning maiden to faint and scream in his mighty presence.
I really did like the ongoing dynamic these two shared with each other.
This also had impressive world-building though there were times things could get slightly confusing with all the various names and places mentioned.
The flashbacks to the past I also found a bit disorienting and they did disrupt the flow of the story for me somewhat.
I myself would have much prefered a more forward-focused timeline than the jumps to the past we were given
The old-style narration I liked, it had such a lyrical quality to it that I really did appreciate and I felt it fitted the story.
If I'm honest all the war talk I found a tad tiresome it's just not my bag, but the interactions between Krath and Dulcia did make up for this.
I looked forward to there liaisons and animated dissuasions.
This is most definitely a very clean read and would be a fit for fantasy fans who like the old- world type of storytelling.
I don't think I will be continuing further with this one, not because it's not a good read, it just wasn't what I thought it was going to be and is more heavily slanted towards the fantasy genre where I prefer my fantasy with a heavy dose of romance, which this didn't have.
So this one had highs and lows for me, a mixed bag of tricks and though it wasn't quite my usual fare I did enjoy it somewhat and it was definitely well written.
I voluntary reviewed a copy of Immortal Defiance (Dulcea's Rebellion, #1).



Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
www.beckiebookworm.com