I’ve had a few days to process Tristan by S. Legend, and honestly, I’m still not sure I can fully do this review justice. This book took me on a bit of a rollercoaster, and not always in the best way.

The premise intrigued me: Tristan, a Warlord in training, is forced to leave everything behind for an arranged marriage to an elven prince, Corrick. It’s a fantasy story with BDSM/kink dynamics and strict roles, which is usually right up my alley—I’ve read plenty of books with the whole D/s dynamic and enjoyed them. But here? It all felt... a bit much, like it was trying too hard.

The world-building had potential and was mildly interesting at times, but it often felt overly complex or forced. And then there’s the “big secret” between Tristan and his papa that I thought was going to blow me away. Turns out, the earth-shattering revelation is… that Tristan’s a brat? That’s it? It just left me scratching my head, honestly.

I’ll admit, I almost DNF’d this one halfway through, but I pushed through to the end. There were moments where it was okay, and I did enjoy certain parts of the world that was created. But overall, the story didn’t completely work for me.

I’m not sure if I’ll continue with the series. It wasn’t a terrible read, but it also didn’t leave me excited to see what happens next.