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navibo'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
P. S. The banter between some characters got me giggling for real👀
Graphic: Racism, Vomit, and Grief
Moderate: Misogyny, Slavery, Kidnapping, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexism, Torture, Blood, Police brutality, and Car accident
ghostlyprince's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Vomit, Kidnapping, and Car accident
Minor: Body shaming, Confinement, Stalking, Alcohol, and Classism
buud_w0rm'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: Gore, Racism, Violence, and War
Moderate: Gore, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Slavery and Vomit
lillygabriella'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
4.75
This was a very interesting spin on Arthurian legends, and a scathing critique of the power wielded by secret society members. It is also and at it's core, a story of grief and coming to terms with that grief.
I don't like to drop spoilers in my reviews, so I will just close by saying that this is a really great book and I highly recommend it. The quarter star off from 5 is for dropping all that Welsh through the book and then not having a pronunciation guide at the end.
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and Kidnapping
whewtaewoon's review against another edition
5.0
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Gore, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Alcohol
tiredtori'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
3.5
Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cursing, Gore, Mental illness, Slavery, Vomit, Car accident, and War
clairew97's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infertility, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Rape, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
saltylane'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
4.75
Highly recommend & I’m going to read the next book asap.
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Racism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Bullying, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Slavery, Medical content, Medical trauma, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Rape, Transphobia, and Vomit
erebus53'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? Yes
4.0
Being one of the few Black girls on campus, Bree finds being in an elite society of blood and oath bonded mages pretty irksome. She is continually reminded that she doesn't belong, whether being mistaken as wait-staff, assumed to have been allowed entry as "affirmative action", or just wandering in the school gardens and finding a monument to the nameless slaves who built the campus.
Her boyfriend's paranoid bodyguard is sure that she's actually secretly a demon who is trying to manipulate or kill him... and just when she feels like she might be getting a grip on what is going on, she meets with a woman who used to know her mother, who tells her that this order of Blood Mages she has met with, are colonial scum who have stolen their magic, who never consider balance, and who are causing most of the imbalance that is drawing evil manifestations into the world.
And how do you learn all this stuff and still keep it secret from your childhood best friend.. with whom you are supposed to be living the college dream? To get anywhere Bree is going to have to start being honest with herself, get in touch with her own power, and be vulnerable enough to ask for help from unlikely places.
We've got a bit of diversity despite things being very White-centric. One of the main characters has relationships with guys and girls, another is non-binary gender (they/them), and Bree's best friend Alice is Taiwanese American. I've listened to a few books that have been read by Joniece Abbott-Pratt and she does a solid job, but in this particular book where most of the characters are White, it makes my brain work doubly hard. I have to keep reminding myself that the young men she is hanging out with are not Black. It's very easy for my brain to be lulled into the idea that Selwyn is a Black lad, because that's how his voice sounds in the narration. Maybe I just need to concentrate harder.
Quite a lengthy book, but it really does close off with a "first book feel" that leaves you wondering about enough to bring you back for another round... maybe later though.
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, and Classism
Moderate: Cancer, Rape, and Vomit
spooderman'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? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Deportation
Moderate: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Infidelity, Rape, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
Minor: Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit