altarieltelemnar'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
5.0
Moderate: Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Toxic friendship, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Murder, and Alcohol
nbere01'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: Violence, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Bullying, Body shaming, War, Murder, Sexual content, Death, Torture, Fire/Fire injury, Cursing, and Blood
erynlasbelin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
The writing was clunky and repetitive, the author used words whose meanings she clearly didn't understand, and the logistics of what was supposed to be physically happening (especially during battle scenes) were often difficult to follow. The smut wasn't bad, but was outweighed by the endless stream of horny thoughts every single time the two main characters interacted with each other, even when they're supposed to be in dire circumstances or experiencing emotional devastation. The worldbuilding was weak as fuck and seemed to be made up on the spot throughout the book. The way the "war college" works doesn't stand up to even the slightest amount of scrutiny - why would they want to relentlessly kill off all their able-bodied young soldiers when they're at war? Luckily, given the death toll, other than maybe 3 of the main characters, no one has a personality at all; best friends, squad mates, teachers, and family members are basically cardboard cutouts with little to no identity. And while Violet herself is the best-developed of the bunch, it has to be said that her motivations simply aren't there. Other than ~proving people wrong~ once she's there, there is no explanation for why she would commit herself to fighting herself into a violent and early death, when she's given multiple opportunities to go back to the life she always wanted and planned for. She never thinks about the future at all.
All that being said, it was a quick read, and I do wonder where the story is going next. Future books could be good pulp romantasy fun if given the kind of editing they need. My one bit of praise is that I appreciate the hEDS representation, and that she receives accommodations for it. I have literally never seen this aspect of myself reflected in a book before (although I know of another one coming out soon!) and that element was genuinely well done.
Graphic: Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Ableism, Medical content, Murder, Chronic illness, and Violence
Moderate: Bullying, War, Animal death, Gaslighting, Grief, Mental illness, Blood, Death of parent, Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Physical abuse
Minor: Alcohol, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Drug use, and Terminal illness
_rowantree_'s review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Sexual content, War, Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic friendship, Violence, Ableism, Cursing, Death of parent, and Grief
Minor: Alcohol and Drug use
micaelamariem'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
5.0
Graphic: Vomit, Bullying, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Sexual content, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, War, Ableism, Blood, Body shaming, and Violence
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Alcohol, Death of parent, and Drug use
mythicalbookshelf'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
I will say the *surprise spoiler* at the end was predictable to anyone who’s entrenched in a fantasy background but it still made me leap up in bed and shout! 5 stars across the board, this is a must read!
Graphic: Murder, Death of parent, and Death
Moderate: Alcohol and Bullying
bitternortherner'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
4.5
I'm not even sure if I consider my only complaint a complaint; there is an attempt at LGBTQ representation, and it really fell short- it's a side note of a passing conversation. I would never require all authors to represent identities they are unfamiliar with, that's how you get offensive stereotypes streamlined, right?
While full of feminine power, this story is straight AF.
I listened to this via libro.fm and the narrator was absolutely phenomenal. Her voice is so dynamic and each character has a different, unique, recognizable lilt. She also actually sped up the reading pace during stressful battles, slowed down during introspective bits, and evokes so much emotion. Rebecca Soler deserves a damn award for this reading. I finished all 20 hrs and 45 minutes in a two day period. The final chapter is read by Teddy Hamilton, and while he did a good job, it was jarring for the switch to happen, and I wasn't a big fan of his intonation and representation of our heroine.
Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual content, Violence, Chronic illness, and Death
Moderate: Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Bullying, and Cursing
katiekeske's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I liked that the heroine had physical issues to overcome and usually thought things through.
Overall, I couldn't suspend my disbelief about certain things with the world-building. I find it hard to believe a school would be so okay with students killing each other. They are supposed to be training soldiers, but how can you trust people in the future when you've been thinking they will kill you all through school? Plus, rules kept being mentioned about not hurting others or using your powers during training, then a character would. There were never any repercussions for the rule breaking.
Warning for SPOILERS, the twists toward the end just frustrated me. Honesty is really important to me, and my views toward Xaden (and others involved in the secret) took a nosedive. I knew there was going to be a secret he was keeping, so that part wasn't much of a surprise. Then when it happened I just couldn't feel much respect for him. I don't plan on reading any sequels.
Graphic: Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Death, Medical content, Toxic friendship, Violence, Murder, and Vomit
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Death of parent, Blood, Chronic illness, Cursing, and Grief
Minor: Alcohol
hclin'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
Graphic: Sexual content, Murder, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Death, Vomit, and Gore
Moderate: Bullying, Classism, and Grief
Minor: Alcohol
notsobinaryart'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: Blood, Chronic illness, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Violence, and Sexual content
Moderate: Animal death, Cursing, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Grief, Ableism, Genocide, and War
Minor: Alcohol