Scan barcode
thejadylady's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I usually read books in the first person in this one is third person omniscient, so that was a little challenging for me
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Infidelity, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death and Body horror
Minor: Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Vomit, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
eyyitsalex's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Confinement, Infidelity, Vomit, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, and Murder
kassidyreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Vomit, and Injury/Injury detail
bookish_bridget's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Really good start to a fantasy series and I’m excited to see what happens next in this world. There was a very interesting plot twist at the end of the book which has me very curious on how the next book will play out. I found that the plot developed pretty slowly and I wish the world building was slightly more accessible because I often found myself confused about the many elements of this world. I feel like all the characters were established really well and that I have a good understand of their connections to one another. I also really enjoyed the aesthetic of this fantasy world and its dark qualities.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Infidelity, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Vomit
Minor: Sexual content
All the sexual content in this book is fade to black so there isn’t anything graphiccardlikecredit's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The beginning was really slow and then it picks up real fast halfway through. I could have also used a character map, there were so many names to keep track of.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Vomit, and War
Minor: Animal death
akirma's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
The premise is so promising, but the writing style made reading this like pulling teeth. The characters seem flat, there's no discernible rationale behind their actions. The author throws the world at your feet and just expects you to go along with it. I kept thinking "this scene would be great if it were written by someone competent". It's a pity, seeing as the plot twists at the end of the book make me want to know what happens next but I just can't take 400 more pages of this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
cc0906's review against another edition
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical trauma, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
marenm's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
the way i wanted to dnf this but the only reason i kept going was because the concept is actually really cool. i thought the excessive amount of characters caused problems for getting attached to people. i didn’t read this as an audiobook, but i was completely lost who was who. however, the way we don’t even get to see who wins at the end and it’s a bait to get the next boom angers me. like it’s not good enough for that thanks but no
Content Warnings
Moderate: Vomit
Minor: Animal death and Blood
emeraldrina's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Great characters and very interesting world. It starts off a little slow, but since it’s the first book in a series I didn’t mind that. The long introduction to each queen was necessary to set up the stakes and emotions that drive all the action in the last third of the book. Will definitely continue the series!
Content Warnings
Minor: Gore, Violence, and Vomit
emtees's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I wasn’t sure I was going to like this book because the premise makes it sound like part of that trend of YA fantasy with really gimmicky world-building. An island nation where the queen always gives birth to triplet girls with different powers, where the girls are raised to fight to the death for the right to be the next queen, only to give it all up after their own daughters are born? But Kendare Blake is really good at taking what should be contrived storyline and fleshing it out until it feels real and believable. Instead of questioning the way the world works (I still have a lot of questions, but I’m willing to be patient), you find yourself invested in the twisty politics, the rival factions and the misunderstandings and conflicts that lead to the climax of the story.
The book follows three royal sisters - Mirabella, Arsinoe and Katharine - who were split up as children and have been raised by rival foster families, each of which shares the girl’s magical gift. Mirabella is an elementalist, with control over natural forces, and the only one of the sisters who seems to be truly powerful. The favorite of the Temple, devotees of the Goddess whose influence has been fading in recent years, Mirabella is expected to be the winner in the upcoming battle to the death. But she is also the only one of the three girls who remembers their time together as children and the love they once shared, and she doesn’t want to kill anyone. Then there is Arsinoe, a fun-loving tomboy raised by the free-spirited and modest naturalists, who have power over the earth and animals. Arsinoe’s gift has never manifested, and despite her lighthearted attitude, she has lived her whole life in the shadow of her powerful foster-sister Jules (the fourth protagonist of the story and a great character in her own right) and knowing she was going to die. Finally there is Katharine, the sweetest of the sisters but also the only one who has been raised as an experienced killer. Katharine is a poisoner, but like Arsinoe, she hasn’t manifested a gift, and so her life has been a horror of trying to train her body to withstand the poisons that the people around her can touch and even eat without a problem. But despite the darkness of her environment, Katharine has a close relationship with her foster-mother Natalia, who has been ruling the country in all but name for a generation, and is the only one of the sisters who seems to truly want to win the throne.
The story begins with the girls’ sixteenth birthdays and covers a few months leading up to the moment when they are formally recognized as Queens and the Ascension Year - the time they have to kill each other - begins. It jumps back and forth between the three sisters in a way that keeps the plot moving quickly. I found the book hard to put down. While Arsinoe’s story was the most compelling, I didn’t really have a favorite sister; they were all interesting and sympathetic characters and I was always glad to catch up with one after a few chapters away from her. Their stories start out very separate, but as the book goes on the plot threads begin to weave together across the different storylines, giving the reader a better understanding of the situation than the characters themselves have. The two sections, covering the Beltane festival where the girls are finally brought together, are extremely tense and full of surprises, setting up the story well for the sequel.
The book follows three royal sisters - Mirabella, Arsinoe and Katharine - who were split up as children and have been raised by rival foster families, each of which shares the girl’s magical gift. Mirabella is an elementalist, with control over natural forces, and the only one of the sisters who seems to be truly powerful. The favorite of the Temple, devotees of the Goddess whose influence has been fading in recent years, Mirabella is expected to be the winner in the upcoming battle to the death. But she is also the only one of the three girls who remembers their time together as children and the love they once shared, and she doesn’t want to kill anyone. Then there is Arsinoe, a fun-loving tomboy raised by the free-spirited and modest naturalists, who have power over the earth and animals. Arsinoe’s gift has never manifested, and despite her lighthearted attitude, she has lived her whole life in the shadow of her powerful foster-sister Jules (the fourth protagonist of the story and a great character in her own right) and knowing she was going to die. Finally there is Katharine, the sweetest of the sisters but also the only one who has been raised as an experienced killer. Katharine is a poisoner, but like Arsinoe, she hasn’t manifested a gift, and so her life has been a horror of trying to train her body to withstand the poisons that the people around her can touch and even eat without a problem. But despite the darkness of her environment, Katharine has a close relationship with her foster-mother Natalia, who has been ruling the country in all but name for a generation, and is the only one of the sisters who seems to truly want to win the throne.
The story begins with the girls’ sixteenth birthdays and covers a few months leading up to the moment when they are formally recognized as Queens and the Ascension Year - the time they have to kill each other - begins. It jumps back and forth between the three sisters in a way that keeps the plot moving quickly. I found the book hard to put down. While Arsinoe’s story was the most compelling, I didn’t really have a favorite sister; they were all interesting and sympathetic characters and I was always glad to catch up with one after a few chapters away from her. Their stories start out very separate, but as the book goes on the plot threads begin to weave together across the different storylines, giving the reader a better understanding of the situation than the characters themselves have. The two sections, covering the Beltane festival where the girls are finally brought together, are extremely tense and full of surprises, setting up the story well for the sequel.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Vomit and Injury/Injury detail