accalia175's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
__________
This was a Goodwill store pickup book, mostly because it was a fantasy/witch-type. The cover artwork was eye-catching as well. I only read this book for something to pass the time as I'm waiting for two other books to be delivered of other series I'm reading. However, it's clear from the beginning chapter this is certainly a YA book, if not a mature YA. There's a lot of dialogue, not much description, and things seem to be jumping around. If you're not well-versed in French, fair not since there aren't too many terms/names that are hard to pronounce, but for me, there was enough that I was kinda struggling throughout the entire book.
The plot is a familiar church vs witches theme, with the witches having massive powers and out for blood, as well the church burning any witch at the stake, no questions asked. We've all seen/read of this before, so the originality is lacking. The slight difference is that the bad guys almost end up grouping together to become good guys, in a sense.
So, why the 3 stars?
- Lack of originality
- Little descriptions of people, cities/towns, events, etc.
- Too much dialogue (in a way I was able to breeze through most of it without actually "reading" it)
- For most of the book, the plot seems to vary, as do the characters' emotions. There are only two POVs, but it all seems so different each time it's switched. Almost like a whiplash of emotions/actions, so to speak.
I do want to mention the ending for anyone who's thinking of DNFing this book. It took until the last quarter or so of the book for me to fully have a grasp on the characters, where the plot is heading, and actually wanting to find out what happens. I don't want to give anything away, but it's almost sweet. There were actually a couple of spots that were heartwrenching. There's some humor mixed into the book, but most of it seems to fall flat.
This is certainly a YA book, but mature for language and there's only one "spicy" scene.
This will not a series I will be continuing to read.
Moderate: Hate crime, Murder, Blood, and Death
molls's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Death and Body horror
melissafelicia's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Religious bigotry, Abandonment, Sexism, and Violence
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, and Death of parent
Minor: Child death
mixed_emoticon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
3.5/5 stars
The first 100-200 pages read with all the pleasure of rubbing sandpaper on your face, but it's a necessary evil for background and believability. Thankfully, it gets better quickly after that.
Highlights:
📚 (Completed!) Trilogy Starter
🪟 multiple character perspectives
🇫🇷 French setting
🧙♀️ Witch trials
🎭 Hypocrisy
💍 Forced marriage
🧲 opposites attract
😈 Mutual corruption
🧶 Fluffy romance
🔥 How is this tame enough for YA!?
🎢 Emotional rollercoaster
🗡️ Sacrifice
🩸 graphic murder, dying, and death
Graphic: Violence, Death, and Murder
zoepagereader's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Gore, Misogyny, Torture, Body horror, Murder, Religious bigotry, Cursing, Death, Grief, and War
Minor: Abandonment
dlsmk's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Murder, Blood, Death, Animal death, Body horror, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Self harm
cosmicpasta's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
This sure was a book I finished. I waited a few days after actually finishing to write this so I dont have the same level of anger and try to be as fair as possible. Lots of others have said what I dont like in their reviews so I'm going to keep this brief.
This is book largely feels like a debut novel that was rushed in the editing or suggestions were largely ignored. The pacing was inconsistent as was the tone, with poorly placed humor in between scenes that should've been more serious. Especially the use if the annoying bar song characters kept using in the worst times. Theme wise, it is incredibly white feminist who recently was told she needed to be more intersectional but doesn't know how. So any feminist ideas that don't conform to white cishet women is played poorly
Spoiler
such as the use of "they are only female if they can have babies" or the catalyst of the story being "women fake sexual assult".Character wise, the main characters were really lacking for me. Lou is constantly called smart and clever but majority of the book I found myself yelling because she was constantly making the stupid choice. Reid was slightly better but he still fell flat when it came to connecting clear dots. Not to mention their relationship did not click for me because while I love enemies to lovers, there is a difference between "different sides fall in love" and
Spoiler
one love interest is part of a group that has a history of killing minorities and children, both you read in detail.All in all, it was a messy, disjointed time that ended up being more aggravating in the end than enjoyable for me.
Graphic: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Kidnapping, Violence, Blood, Body horror, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body shaming
maddie_rae_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Death
bookcheshirecat's review against another edition
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
1.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Murder, Death, Sexism, Misogyny, Violence, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Confinement, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, and Self harm
Minor: Sexual assault, Acephobia/Arophobia, Suicide, and Sexual harassment
katievallin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Police brutality, Sexism, Violence, Body horror, Religious bigotry, Blood, Death, Misogyny, Grief, Hate crime, and Vomit
Moderate: Cursing, Pregnancy, and Sexual content