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aggressive_nostalgia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
1.75
- Plot threads just got dropped. (Niamh is dying? Except maybe it’s treatable and she isn’t? This is used for a couple of dramatic heartstring-tugging conversations and then never resolved!) // (Niamh wanted to make a better life for her family but in the end she’s semi-estranged from them and that’s fine I guess…?) // (Whatever happened to Erin? She abandoned her job and goes back to Machland but the tension Niamh felt about it for half the book just fizzled?)
- The speed at which things happen (relationally and especially politically) strains credulity. Impossible to be invested in any of it when nearly everything gets resolved (relatively) quickly and it turns out there are no people acting in bad faith at all except everyone’s terrible absent dads. It feels like the author wanted to rush ahead to the payoff but failed to lay enough foundation for it, so the reader can’t properly enjoy it.
- I was confused about the princes’ backstory. I didn’t really understand why their relationship was so strained or their communication was so bad, why Kit stayed away from court for so long (he mentions that after his mom’s death, people expected him to snap, so he did? But he never says what that means or exactly what happened?). Kit and Niamh would have these emotional conversations and act like they’d had some relational breakthrough, but I didn’t understand what was actually being communicated?
- According to Niamh, Machland “doesn’t have anything for us” - everyone is poor and sad and is either leaving or wants to leave - not just small rural towns, but the whole country?? The “best” thing is for Machlish people to move to Avaland even though they just fought a war to be independent and the people in Avaland treat them with racism and contempt and they’re second-class citizens??? …wtf?????
- This was a mild annoyance by comparison with the plot/character issues (since it’s a fantasy and not a straight historical novel) but if you’re looking for Regency period vibes, this is not it. Class divisions were supposed to be a significant part of this plot, but it was incredibly loosey-goosey. Everyone’s on a first-name basis and no one stood on formality. Propriety was a suggestion rather than a rule. On top of the slangy dialogue, it felt incredibly modern with some superficial Regency-inspired trappings. The historical inspiration was clearer in the plot than the atmosphere.
This feels almost like a rough draft. Obviously it was edited for structure, grammar, et cetera - but the plot and pacing are not nearly as coherent as they should or could be. Ideas are stuck into the story and not fleshed out. Really disappointing.
Moderate: Terminal illness and Classism
Minor: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Religious bigotry, and Pandemic/Epidemic
callistag1'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
3.75
Graphic: Chronic illness, Xenophobia, and Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Terminal illness, and Grief
Minor: Biphobia, Child abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, and Gaslighting
nakole'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
3.5
By: Allison Saft
Contemporary Regency Romance
𝒪𝓋𝑒𝓇𝒶𝓁𝓁 3.5/5
𝒮𝓅𝒾𝒸𝑒 1/5
JUNE BOOK CLUB PICK
𝑅𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌: This book was pretty good, it was giving major Bridgeton vibes. I was giggling and kicking my feet at points. There were a couple plot points that just didn’t give everything they could have. For one Niamh’s friend was really hyped in the beginning and we more from/about her maybe once or twice. Also the fact that Niamh’s magic will eventually kill her, which is made to seem really important in the synopsis, just kind of is and that is it. Also Rosa was my favorite character and I can’t actually give you a concrete reason why.
𝒜 𝐹𝒶𝓋𝑜𝓇𝒾𝓉𝑒 𝒬𝓊𝑜𝓉𝑒:
“I’m all thorns.”
“I don’t know about that. I think you’re more like a weed.”
“Is that supposed to make me feel better?”
“Yes! Weeds are…tenacious. They survive against all odds, wherever they land, no matter how many times you cut them down. And sometimes they can be quite beautiful.”
𝒯𝓇𝑜𝓅𝑒𝓈: GrumpyXSunshine; Enemies to Lovers; LGBTQIA+ Rep; Slow Burn; Forbidden Romance; Forced Proximity; Regency Era; RoyalXCommoner
𝒯𝓇𝒾𝑔𝑔𝑒𝓇 𝒲𝒶𝓇𝓃𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈: Terminal Illness; Chronic Illness; Infidelity; Blackmail; Death of a Parent; Alcoholism; Xenophobia; Sexual Content (minor)(consensual);Violence (minor); Child Abuse (minor); Colonization(mentioned)
Graphic: Xenophobia and Classism
Minor: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Genocide, Gore, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Violence, Death of parent, Colonisation, and War
mels_reading_log's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and Classism
Moderate: Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Alcoholism, Violence, Blood, War, and Injury/Injury detail
drtx_bwt's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.25
Graphic: Chronic illness, Xenophobia, and Colonisation
Moderate: Homophobia, Infidelity, and Death of parent
Minor: Terminal illness and Injury/Injury detail
ziracrow's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Terminal illness and War
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Xenophobia, Death of parent, and Alcohol
olivanna_creations'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
Moderate: Sexual content, Antisemitism, and Classism
Minor: Terminal illness
dani_reis'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
4.25
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Chronic illness, Terminal illness, and Alcohol
Minor: Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content
becca_w_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Chronic illness, Drug use, Sexual content, Violence, Xenophobia, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and War
Minor: Confinement, Cursing, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Outing, and Abandonment
ellejo3's review against another edition
Thank you to Netgalley for giving me an arc in exchange for my thoughts.
Graphic: Homophobia and Terminal illness
Moderate: Colonisation