BxB Recommendations ♤♡◇♧

1. The Sword Unbroken*

by smaoineamh

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Themes included/tags: 

- Dark (characters' well-developed past)

- Fantasy / Grimdark (world with "slave-gladiators", called "battleboxers") (a mysterious queen) (a strange neighbourhood land)

- Enemies-to-lovers / Forbidden-love

- Epic (incredible fight scenes and descriptions) (perfect story climax) 

- Romance / Relationship (realistic and extremely lovable characters) (definitively well-written and built-up)

- Plot-twist (a crazy one)

Number of chapters: 40 (mostly long)

State: Finished

Level of comprehension: Very good. From the beginning, you can easily jump into the story and understand how the author's world works. Everything is well explained, and there is no questions left at the end of the story. 

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SYNOPSIS OF THE BOOK:

An enslaved battleboxer and a fallen noble with a dangerous secret must agree to an uneasy alliance despite conflicting loyalties and a forbidden attraction.

*****

An enslaved champion in the bloodsport of battleboxing, Imalroc has fought for years to try and regain his freedom. But when his fighting contract passes into the hands of Rerdas Toriem, a disgraced noble guarding a dangerous secret, Imalroc finds himself grappling with feelings that both bewilder and upset him. The two men couldn't be more different, but to avoid a political noose, an enemy empire, and a mysterious disease that threatens to upturn everything they know, they must find a way to overcome their conflicting alliances in the hope of securing freedom, safety, and a chance at something more than friendship.

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MY REVIEW (Subjective opinion) - NO SPOILERS: 

Positive: 

Easily my favourite BxB book, if not my favourite book overall. At the very beginning, I got fastly intrigued by the first chapter. Everything flooded well. The author wrote it so that, at the same time, you're learning about how the protagonists' society works and about what's happening at the moment. It is very subtle and well written. The world's politics is also well developed. It is not too complicated (like Game Of Thrones or some other fantasy books I've read), yet just enough to make the political dilemmas possible and realistic. 

I also really fell in love with Rerdas' gentleness and his bonds with his family. Rerdas, who is one of the main two characters, is uncommonly unique, cute and perfectly portraited. He is an imperfect human, who does make some bad decisions (not stupid ones) and who is forced to comply with his world's way of working; the Queen's monarchy. Even though, he is very strong, mentally as physically. 

As for the second main character, Imalroc, he is even more complex, yet amazing. His personality carved by his dark past and the way he evolves through the story makes you want to casually hug him. There is so much deepness inside of Imalroc, so much of a what characterise a human being (with fears, neediness and passion), even though everyone else believes that he is simply a ruthless, not-worth called human, battleboxer. 

Finally, the ending was clearly up to my expectations. It wasn't predictable (actually, none of what was happening in the book was predictable), yet it wasn't disappointing at all. And I swear - when you'll finish the first book... you'll jump right ahead to the second one, called The Bonds Undone , which is, I can already tell you, just like the first book; a big masterpiece. 

Negative: 

Since I've written so much of positive critics, I felt like it was my duty to find some negative, yet constructive, critics about the book (since there's always space for ameliorations!). So, first of all, most of the chapters are very long. To be honest, it isn't much of a bad thing for me, since I love it when it is long... the longer, the better! ("That's what she said!" Haha!), but I know some of my friends dislike it, so it can easily be a down for some of the readers that aren't used to long chapters... 

Also, the story overall has 40 LONG chapters. So, as you must have assumed... the story is "slow". It takes time for the author to really build everything up; the world's way of working, the multiple characters, their development, their relationships (especially Rerdas' and Ilmaroc's), the details, the background stories, etc). Very long indeed... but very complete. So if you're the kind of reader that loves it when the characters get to already fuck each other senselessly at chapter 2, this may not be the best story for you. :)) 

P.-S.: smoianeamh's story, The Sword Unbroken, has just recently (2019) become a paid story. I know that for some of us, readers, it kind of sucks, since not everyone has or wants to give money... (Tho I am personally so proud of Smoianeamh!!) But, I can guarantee that if you pay to read it (and encourage the author)... it will be so damn worth it! (Plus, the second book is still free!)