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jjvaldezbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5
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Graphic: Animal death, Death, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Blood, Medical content, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment
Minor: Child death, Confinement, Vomit, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
triple_m's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
A really solid debut. There’s a lot of interesting and unique aspects of this book that differentiate it from other romantasy novels.
Death as a character is so, so interesting, and even though he (it?) is certainly not an ally, I don’t really consider him the antagonist of this story. I think the crown causes much more strife for our protagonist.
I’m not a fan of Sullivan and found Hellevir’s soft spot for her very frustrating, but ultimately they have a chance to win me over as a couple in the next book. I was glad to see Hellevir take the reins at the end.
Graphic: Death, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Abandonment
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Death of parent, and Murder
loafhart'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
4.75
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
If you have mommy issues. Beware.basementofbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Hate crime, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Torture, and Abandonment
roseleebooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The story starts simply, and gains complexity as it goes on. By the end there are several plot threads and interactions which set up for the next installment in the series. Many of those plot threads are unresolved, but the book didn't feel incomplete which I appreciated. There are some very well-realized characterizations and Falvor and the man with dark eyes were both compelling. Falvor especially had an incredible story arc.
One of things I would wish to change would be for there to be more time spent on some of the relationships, Hellevir and Sullivain's relationship especially felt a little rushed to me, but this was fairly minor given that much of it seemed to be setup for the next book. I also wish we had seen more than just one aspect of the Queen's personality. It was discordant given that the other characters were so well done.
Overall I liked this book, I thought the writing was excellent and the plot cleverly expanded throughout. I'll be looking forward to the next one.
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child abuse