I just finished plowing through this one, and I’m pretty excited to gush about it!
First off, I don’t know why, but reading the synopsis for this book and realizing it’s written from the POV of a male character made me hesitant to read it––maybe male POV romance just sounds weird to me. Which is stupid, and not a reason to refrain from a good book. So I ignored my weird prejudice because the book sounded intriguing and steamrolled through anyway. And it didn’t take longer than a few chapters to hook me, and then I couldn’t put it down until it was done (cue annoyed husband).
Brief synopsis: Tobias, a hardworking but penniless laborer, enters a deadly tournament where men compete to win marriage to The Savior and rule the kingdom by her side. Though he expects entering the contest will guarantee his death, entering will also provide for his family, and that makes it worth it for him. He doesn’t know The Savior, and so doesn’t care to win marriage to her. During the contest, he falls in love with Leila, the healer who tends to the contestants after their trials. Leila is caring and feisty while The Savior is a heartless tartlet who is thrilled to have men compete for her. The games promise no happy ending for them, as if he is the last man standing, he’s supposed to marry The Savior. But Leila has secrets, and one of them is the key to a happy ending (though not entirely, because the ending sets up a sequel).
My absolute favorite thing about this book is the dialogue. Some others have commented on why the word “cock” is used so many times, and gripe about the vulgar language. I don’t share those qualms. Most of the dialogue is among a group of men, so I find their liberal use of the word “cock” to be quite realistic. Funny, even. The “cock” plethora never got to the annoying level of Stephenie Meyer’s “chagrin” for me since it served a purpose. Men that I’ve been around tend to make a stupid amount of penis jokes. And cocky men (pun!) tend to brag about their dangly bits, so it makes complete sense to me why these fictional ones do too. And I love the conversations between Tobias and Leila! Those are the parts that had be laughing because Tobias is funny with her. Their interactions build realistically––no insta-love––and you can tell that they love each other prior to their own realizations, which I feel tends to be more satisfying while reading. It doesn’t feel rushed.
There’s a twist that you’ll probably see pretty early on, but there’s enough room for doubt that it’s still a great reveal. Leila’s secrets are pretty easy to figure out if you’re paying attention. There’s a lot of death, but nothing that really broke my heart. The challenges are exciting enough to keep you engaged with enough downtime in between for character development and relationship progress. There’s a good amount of steam between Leila and Tobias, but it’s balanced nicely with sweetness, and while yes, we’re in the mind of a boy and his thoughts can be a bit smutty, the relationship doesn’t cross into X-rated territory. The book ends mid-arc and definitely needs a sequel, but in my opinion it’s not a frustrating stopping point. Some books have those cliffhangers that have you pulling your hair out in anticipation of the next one. This one doesn’t do that. I can comfortably wait for the sequel, and still be excited when it debuts.
I’d say this is a good book for those who liked “The Gladiator” (just really reminds me of it for some reason), and books with deadly games and a romantic component (take your pick, The Hunger Games, Ruthless Magic, etc––common theme, but still a worthy read if that’s your thing, as it appears to be mine).
