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citrus_seasalt's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Magic/power system was basically nonexistent here, too. We got a vague idea of Teo’s limitations(which were improved upon more, oddly, when they got a sort-of-power-upgrade towards the end), and I thought their abilities were silly. I can’t really take seriously a person that points a hand or finger at a foe and poof! now they’re a music box or some other fancy-schmancy object of choice. (If it actually described how a person or entity was altered by it, bit by bit, I probably would’ve been able to take it seriously.)
I was also on-the-fence about the main romance, which was a disappointment because it was actually a factor that drew me in based on what I heard of the book. It was very inta-lust(romantic feelings weren’t developed until later), and as a result I felt Cielo and Teo’s relationship moved a little too quickly until the end. But, there were some sweet moments, I’ll admit: I’m a sucker for love interests who put themselves on the line for whoever they love, and this was no exception. (Cielo was a pretty average “sarcastic, handsome dark-haired love interest” archetype though. To those who love that kind of thing, great, you will absolutely eat this up, but I’m not one of those people. To each their own.)
I also didn’t like the plot. It felt very Typical YA, there wasn’t a single twist I was surprised by and the characters overall fell very flat.
Even with its flaws, though, it was immensely enjoyable and I lost track of my pages until I reached the end and stared at my copy stunned at my progress. So…maybe it’s too harsh to call it a bad book, but don’t call it top-notch fiction either.
Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Sexual content, and Violence
Minor: Sexism
booksthatburn's review against another edition
Moderate: Death, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Minor: Infidelity and Torture
therainbowshelf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Homophobia, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Dysphoria, and Classism
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: War
Poisoning, death of siblingcams_all_booked's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Death, Torture, and Murder
Moderate: Homophobia, Blood, and Death of parent
Minor: Transphobia, Grief, and Pregnancy
olivialandryxo's review against another edition
I’ll definitely be reading more from Capetta in the future, because some of their books sound incredible. I’m hoping this was just a weird one-off situation, and that I like their other work more.
Representation
- genderfluid protagonist and love interest
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Gore, Torture, and Blood
Torture - brief scene where the protagonist witnesses someone flaying the skin off someone else’s hands before she puts a stop to it. Child abuse - brief references to experiences she and her brother had with an older sibling prior to the story.alyssa_s10's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Genocide, Homophobia, Misogyny, Death of parent, and Lesbophobia
malloryfitz's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Pregnancy and Lesbophobia
looney_moons's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Torture
Moderate: Death, Homophobia, and Sexism
Tackles gender dysphoria without explicitly tackling gender dysphoria