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everlymayreads's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Genocide, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Deadnaming and Death of parent
creolelitbelle's review against another edition
- 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
Events of the novel all occurred over the course of only a few days, which feels jarring considering all that happened. Io deals with her family drama and fate thread all while trying to solve the murders of people from the Silts, her home. I love how diverse the powers and characters are, but more communication between sisters and others could positively serve the story with still propelling the plot forward. Bianca is a fascinating...antagonist? Rival? Ally? I'm very curious to see how dynamics between various characters play out in book two.
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Racism, Violence, Blood, Gaslighting, War, and Classism
Minor: Death of parent
nikki_flowers's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Racism, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, and Classism
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Blood, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement, Deadnaming, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, and Death of parent
ska1224'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: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Medical content, and Murder
Minor: Deadnaming and Abortion
beucleral's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, Gaslighting, and War
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Slavery
eeyores_flowers'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? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Gaslighting
daniellestarredpages'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? No
5.0
I also loved Edei and Io's relationship. The fact that the relationship could've turned out to be unbalanced and toxic based on the fact that I could see the fate thread and Edei couldn't, but instead Kika Hatzopoulou did a wonderful job of taking what could've possibly been a a negative element for the book and made it something overwhelmingly positive (at least in my opinion). Hatzopoulou made it so that this dynamic weighed heavily on Io, wove it into the dynamic between Io and Thais as well as added the tension of Io trying her hardest not to fall for Edei but failing over and over again. Also, I loved Edei as a character so, so much.
Finally the world-building and magic system. I loved it so much. I honestly have no negative thoughts. The take on Greek Mythology and the glimpse we see of other myths and beliefs that will possibly be showcased more in the next book? I loved it. The explanations of powers and scenes where Io used hers were quite interesting and kept me gripped. The world that Hatzopoulou built felt very real (not realistic obviously) and I'm quite interested to learn more.
Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group for Young Readers for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Addiction and Alcohol
mattiedancer'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? Yes
4.25
- Fans of young adult fantasy
- Readers looking for a fantasy read with mystery vibes
- Readers looking for a solid book in a fantasy world
- Fans of Greek mythology reimaginings
- Death, murder, genocide, war, blood, gore, grief, gaslighting, emotional abuse, animal cruelty, violence, injury, injury detail, death of parent, confinement, transphobia,
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, War, and Injury/Injury detail
bibliomania_express's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Io is a complicated character, with a determination to bring about justice even as fears and secrets from her past hold her back. Yes, the fate-thread tomance is a bit contrived, but I think Hatzopoulou handled it in a nuanced way.
The worldbuilding was very interesting, with the flooded city of Alante and the clear class differences between different areas. I also loved that it isn't just Greek mythology - Hatzopoulou plays with the correlations between gods of different ancient religions.
This book is about power and corruption, prejudice and justice, but most importantly about love and cycles of abuse. Io and her sisters have a complicated relationship, and it's central to how the book unfolds. I thought the whole concept of the threads and that they lead to things you love was interesting.
Overall, I thought this book was great. It had a twisty mystery, interesting worldbuilding, and characters I cared about. I'm excited to read the sequel.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, and War
Moderate: Genocide, Police brutality, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death of parent
ninahuynh'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Abandonment