Mini-Review: The Curse of Gremdon by Ciara Knight

Posted January 28, 2016 by Lillian in Reviews / 0 Comments

This book may be unsuitable for people under 17 years of age due to its use of sexual content, drug and alcohol use, and/or violence.
Mini-Review: The Curse of Gremdon by Ciara KnightThe Curse of Gremdon by Ciara Knight
Series: The Shrouded Kingdoms,
Published by Defy the Dark on 2015-07-24
Length: 385 pages
Reviewing eBook from My Book Shelf
Rating:

In a world where marriage is forbidden, sex is only granted to male warriors, and the outer realm is full of murderous creatures, Arianna fights to protect the life of her only living relative, her brother. Tardon, an elite warrior, is granted anything he desires by the Elders, but finds little joy in the voluptuous women presented to him. Born for the bloodlust found only in battle, complicated emotions emerge when he discovers his equal in the alluring warrior, Arianna.

Charged by the Elders with saving the castle from attack, Tardon and Arianna risk the curse when they traverse the vast outer realm to retrieve serum from the Tree of Life. If successful, the Elders have promised Tardon the right to marry and Arianna the cure for her brother's death fever. Will their love carry them through or will the discovery of a great deception be their ultimate demise?

The Curse of Gremdon by Ciara Knight was just an okay read for me. It is set in a fantasy realm ruled by Elders with feminine oppression and fear of the unknown set the tone. It’s billed as a fantasy, paranormal romance and it is that, but there was a little too much romance for me and not enough story.

Arianna is a warrior, the only female warrior (at least from my understanding), training and fighting her way to the top to earn elite status. She’s cunning, ruthless, and guards her heart with a stone wall. When the kingdom fell (more on that in a moment), she lost everyone but her younger brother and she will do whatever it takes to protect him. You gotta love that about her!

Tardon is already an elite warrior when the book starts. He is alone and wishes for a family, something forbidden under the Elders. However he accepts their “gifts” willingly until after a training fight where Arianna gets the better of him. He realizes he doesn’t want the cheap whores the Elders send every night, he wants Arianna. His mind is consumed with her and honestly it was a bit odd. A warrior who was content in his ways all of a sudden wanting another warrior? Hmmm….

The plot was ALL OVER THE PLACE for me. I really struggled with it! There wasn’t much, if any, backstory about why the inhabitants of Gremdon all lived at the castle, why they weren’t allowed beyond the walls, why the all had to wear an amulet from the Elders, etc. As the reader, you are dropped into this fantasy world and while it is haunting and horrific, you have NO clue what is going on. There is little to no world-building til close to then end but then it makes sense. So if you read and you are lost, stick with it!

Overall this book was just ok for me. As I already stated the world-building was lacking and with fantasy that’s a big no-no in my book. Also the romance was a bit over-the-top. It’s a forbidden romance that blossoms between Arianna and Tardon, but I felt like it was more lust than love that the author conveyed. If you enjoy new adult, paranormal romance, than I believe you’ll enjoy this one. It just wasn’t for me.

Final Conclusion:

About Ciara Knight

Ciara Knight writes with a ‘Little Edge and a Lot of Heart’ with her contemporary and paranormal romance books. Her most recent #1 Amazon bestselling series, Sweetwater County, has topped the charts and received acclaimed reviews. Her international best-seller, Pendulum scored 4 stars from RT Book Reviews, accolades from InD’Tale Magazine and Night Owl Top Pick. Her young adult paranormal series, Battle for Souls, received 5 stars from Paranormal Romance Guild and Night Owl’s Top Pick, among other praises.


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