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lourdes_chapters_we_love's review against another edition
3.0
I really wanted to love this book, the characters were great. I think it's a great story and will continue to the second book I just wished it was a 5 *s read for me.
Review to follow
Review to follow
yayforbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Kind of alternate-history ish, but mostly fantasy in a world without clear ties to ours. Made me think of Anastasia and the Russian Revolution a bit. The book started a bit slow/I wasn’t sure quite what was going on, but in the end I was hooked and tears were leaning from my eyes... so... I can’t wait to read the next book.
mariahaskins's review against another edition
4.0
A beautiful and evocative story about love and betrayal, magic and shadows, revolution and palace intrigue. I loved the mix of fantasy and history (the books are inspired by the fate of the Romanov sisters), and terrible soul-eating technology lurking in the background. By the end of this book, I was clamoring for the next book.
tyrshand's review against another edition
3.0
I struggled to rate this one. It's beautifully written and the five POV characters are nicely distinct. I didn't necessarily love all the characters, but that's fine. Plus, even only getting two chapters a piece, most of them have good character growth. My problem is that this does't feel like a complete book to me. I've enjoyed a lot of the Tor novellas, but I think this one should have been published as a full length novel. I see that it's planned to be a duology -- so why not publish it all together as a single book? This one just... ends. It's all rising tension that just cuts off. To me, most books that successfully pull off a cliffhanger still have an internal plot that is resolved before the cliffhanger is reached. This does not.
faerieontheshelf's review against another edition
3.0
> 3.5 stars
This book is really hard to review because it has really interesting parts, but they were dimmed down by some not as good things.
In short: the novel taking loose inspiration from the Romanovs was something I loved. The worldbuilding was also really interesting in its presentation of an alternate fantasy version of Russia. The writing was also gorgeous, and I think Likitalo has really nice prose.
However, I really do think this duology should’ve been released as one book. I think the story would’ve benefited from this; as it is, its slightly slow and choppy in some parts, and the ending feels abrupt. And, whilst I did love the sisters, I preferred some narrators over others, and once or twice I flipped through some chapters - just because I wasn’t in the mood. It had a really fascinating first half, but I began to lose interest due to the pacing, some of the narrators, and almost even the lack of complexity? So whilst this definitely has a kernel of potential, it doesn’t fully shine through.
This book is really hard to review because it has really interesting parts, but they were dimmed down by some not as good things.
In short: the novel taking loose inspiration from the Romanovs was something I loved. The worldbuilding was also really interesting in its presentation of an alternate fantasy version of Russia. The writing was also gorgeous, and I think Likitalo has really nice prose.
However, I really do think this duology should’ve been released as one book. I think the story would’ve benefited from this; as it is, its slightly slow and choppy in some parts, and the ending feels abrupt. And, whilst I did love the sisters, I preferred some narrators over others, and once or twice I flipped through some chapters - just because I wasn’t in the mood. It had a really fascinating first half, but I began to lose interest due to the pacing, some of the narrators, and almost even the lack of complexity? So whilst this definitely has a kernel of potential, it doesn’t fully shine through.
utopiastateofmind's review against another edition
4.0
This was just amazing. Brings history to life before your very eyes in a magical and also eerie way. There's so much life and personality to the main sisters and it just has so much gorgeous potential. I am so thrilled for the sequel because there is so much ripe promises within these pages.
full review: https://utopia-state-of-mind.com/review-five-daughters-moon-leena-likitalo/
full review: https://utopia-state-of-mind.com/review-five-daughters-moon-leena-likitalo/
andreaschari's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
hazel_reads's review against another edition
3.0
This one was hard for me to rate. While I love Russian folklore, and reading about the Romonovs, this was not my favorite. I thought it was beautifully written, but the characters just weren't very likable. I didn't really like the magic either. I liked the writing style, but not enough to continue with the series. Like I said, I had trouble with this rating. I'm feeling generous.
dowtownabby's review against another edition
3.0
Pretty entertaining, but not enough to go get the second right away.
lizshayne's review against another edition
2.0
So I didn't REALLY like this book, although I also didn't dislike it. (Dear Goodreads - "It was ok" should be three stars) The writing style and choices for the sisters was interesting, but the actual story was...okay, a long train journey should go somewhere and also can we talk about the animal soul stealing thing for a minute?
I'm not sure what I wanted from the book, I'm quite sure I didn't get it, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to end up reading the second book to find out if I can get it.
I'm not sure what I wanted from the book, I'm quite sure I didn't get it, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to end up reading the second book to find out if I can get it.