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jupiterlee's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Gore, Slavery, Torture, Xenophobia, Blood, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
therainbowshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I picked this up because of Rainbowcrate Book Box and I enjoyed it quite a bit (Rainbowcrate included a silverware set for this book and a silverware set in the book is an actual character!). I love the chosen ones trope, and it was fun seeing everything start off with a theif forced to break into an ancient ruin. There's some unaddressed ableism in here related to one of the main characters, which I was hoping to see more discussion about but that didn't come up. I don't think I enjoyed the audiobook as much as I would have enjoyed reading this one for myself.
📘The Gist 📘: A thief under duress by a wizard breaks into an ancient ruin and wakes a sleeping fae who starts them on a quest to find 6 chosen ones linked to a powerful weapon.
📒Representation📒: BIPOC mc, disabled mc, mlm mc, mtf sc
💕 For readers looking for 💕: adventure, chosen one trope, fun dialogue, entertaining situations between layers of tension, quirky metal animal companions
📘The Gist 📘: A thief under duress by a wizard breaks into an ancient ruin and wakes a sleeping fae who starts them on a quest to find 6 chosen ones linked to a powerful weapon.
📒Representation📒: BIPOC mc, disabled mc, mlm mc, mtf sc
💕 For readers looking for 💕: adventure, chosen one trope, fun dialogue, entertaining situations between layers of tension, quirky metal animal companions
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Confinement, Genocide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Death, Grief, and Death of parent
Sibling deathemily_mh's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
There are lots of things I liked about this one. The plot got going right away - by the literal 60th page I was deep in an Indian Jones type mission along with the main character, Rags. I liked the writing style and loved the concept of the Great Parable and the direction this gave the story. The magic - mirrorcraft - was unique and fascinating and was deeply intwined in the plot. Finally, for the most part, the main romance was written well.
There were, however, some kind of important things I didn't like. The middle section of this book was BLOATED. The pacing was incredibly slow, which was a huge disappointment after the firecracker start. This book really didn't need 500+ pages to tell its story. I would have liked the characters to feel a little more rounded, especially given the time we spend with them. The side romances felt a little contrived. Finally, and perhaps most jarringly, this was written as a standalone but does not feel like one. Everything felt so unfinished by the end that I felt like I had another two books to go. I understand that the authors have more ideas for more books in this world, but I think this should have been the first in a planned series from the get go.
Overall though the book was fine and I look forward to what the two authors bring out in the future.
There were, however, some kind of important things I didn't like. The middle section of this book was BLOATED. The pacing was incredibly slow, which was a huge disappointment after the firecracker start. This book really didn't need 500+ pages to tell its story. I would have liked the characters to feel a little more rounded, especially given the time we spend with them. The side romances felt a little contrived. Finally, and perhaps most jarringly, this was written as a standalone but does not feel like one. Everything felt so unfinished by the end that I felt like I had another two books to go. I understand that the authors have more ideas for more books in this world, but I think this should have been the first in a planned series from the get go.
Overall though the book was fine and I look forward to what the two authors bring out in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Death, Physical abuse, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Gore, Infertility, Slavery, Torture, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Drug use, Rape, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Excrement, Vomit, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and War
aromarrie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Torture, and Grief
Minor: Child death
jmross10's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, and Murder
Lots of swearing. It makes sense for the character but it’s something to be aware of if you’re a young reader or considering it for a younger audience.paigemandia's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
if i do not get a sequel to this book i will scream!!!! please i am manifesting it so intensely i need more of this motley crew ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ i really really enjoyed this one!! the syntax and writing style took a while for me to get used to because it was a lot of fragmented sentences and super short sentences so i wasn’t quite vibing with that. but i loved the main characters so much—especially rags, tal, and inis. ugh inis is so powerful i adore her. HOWEVER why TF did i not get a tal pov PLEASE i am begging you give me a tal pov as a little treat. i deserve it. anyways this is literally not a review i finished this book 3 seconds ago and im just emotional and rambling. but yes i loved the plot, it was VERY fast paced so if you don’t like down-time in books, this is a perfect one for you. the chapters are also insanely short. um yeah id die for rags and tal in about a millisecond i love them so much and i need more of them!!!!!! i wanna see rags find his little beastie friend and there’s just so many loose ends that are perfect for a sequel. so please. also CHECK THE PRONUNCIATION GUIDE IN THE BACK BEFORE READING bc i was saying literally every single name wrong in my head and it was too late to turn back when i saw the pronunciation guide 😪😪
Content Warnings
Minor: Cursing, Death, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Death of parent
hysrae's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I didn't go into this book thinking that it would single-handedly rekindle my love for reading, but it turns out I was dead wrong. The cast of characters is diverse and likable, and the plot is pretty unique. I had SO much fun with this one; I really hope that this series is continued!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, and Murder
aardwyrm's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-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? No
3.5
There's a good book in here, but it's 200 pages shorter with an actual ending.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, and Death of parent
Moderate: Child abuse and Suicidal thoughts
boob's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.25
This book has it all, a witty main character, a sassy badass girl that beats people up, the obviously evil crown and a rebellion. Where have I heard this before? The plot is interesting… if you’ve never read a young adult fantasy novel in your life.
The story is a bit generic, there isn’t much that makes it stand out from other YA books, and I never really got to click with the characters. I don't really care or feel a connection with the characters, maybe it's just the way they're written or I'm looking at things wrong. The dialogue and writing is just a bit dry and bland, the interactions between the MC and supposed love interest seemed forced.
It wouldn’t be a book I would buy someone for their birthday, just kind of boring and plain overall. I’d recommend it if you are looking for a long fantasy-fiction read to just pass some time. Not my cup of tea, but kudos to the author because I know that writing a story takes a lot of time, and I believe this is the author's debut novel.
The story is a bit generic, there isn’t much that makes it stand out from other YA books, and I never really got to click with the characters. I don't really care or feel a connection with the characters, maybe it's just the way they're written or I'm looking at things wrong. The dialogue and writing is just a bit dry and bland, the interactions between the MC and supposed love interest seemed forced.
It wouldn’t be a book I would buy someone for their birthday, just kind of boring and plain overall. I’d recommend it if you are looking for a long fantasy-fiction read to just pass some time. Not my cup of tea, but kudos to the author because I know that writing a story takes a lot of time, and I believe this is the author's debut novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
morganphoenix's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse