heather_reads_uk's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
catgiven94's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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
sbarnes01346's review against another edition
4.0
The world building in this book is absolutely phenomenal. I will say that the “twists” (if they were meant to be twists in the first place) were easy to guess, but that didn’t mean it was less enjoyable. Io’s shortsightedness (when she’s meant to be a detective) is frustrating sometimes honestly, but she gets the job done, and she does so in a way that makes you root for her so mission accomplished.
The relationships in this world really make it, alongside the world building of course because that was phenomenal. I just. Wow. Just wow. Man I love people and I love how complicated they are and how they’ll still find their way back to each other with a sad little smile. I love that the big things will never be able to destroy some relationships, the good ones, in entirety, and how there’s always hope that someone will knock on your door, or you’ll turn a corner and there they are. And how you’ve missed them. And how they hate you, but how they love you and want to keep loving you, even when it hurts. I love that.
The relationships in this world really make it, alongside the world building of course because that was phenomenal. I just. Wow. Just wow. Man I love people and I love how complicated they are and how they’ll still find their way back to each other with a sad little smile. I love that the big things will never be able to destroy some relationships, the good ones, in entirety, and how there’s always hope that someone will knock on your door, or you’ll turn a corner and there they are. And how you’ve missed them. And how they hate you, but how they love you and want to keep loving you, even when it hurts. I love that.
kathlyn's review against another edition
4.75
I love when genres are blended, especially if fantasy is involved. I love the worldbuilding; the author did a great job creating an interesting and in-depth world to dive into. The whole story gave me batman vibes even though there are no real “superheroes.” The city felt like Gotham to me.
I also loved how much focus was put on the relationship between the MC and her sisters. It was a great example of how not all family relationships are clear cut. There can be good and bad. I also thought that Io’s fears and anxieties were written well. A lot of fantasy MCs are immune to anxiety, but Io is not. But she also is able to overcome it when she needs to.
A lot is jammed into this book. Even though so much occurs, I did occasionally feel like the story lagged a bit. I will definitely be reading the next book as soon as it comes out.
I also loved how much focus was put on the relationship between the MC and her sisters. It was a great example of how not all family relationships are clear cut. There can be good and bad. I also thought that Io’s fears and anxieties were written well. A lot of fantasy MCs are immune to anxiety, but Io is not. But she also is able to overcome it when she needs to.
A lot is jammed into this book. Even though so much occurs, I did occasionally feel like the story lagged a bit.
Spoiler
I did see the twist of who was behind the wraiths coming from pretty far away. I felt like the information shared about the order of the furies was always a little forced, and they were mentioned a lot despite not really having a lot of bearing on the current characters until the end.bibliophil_leah's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- 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
4.5
idklena22's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
kathyhoehl's review against another edition
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
petalpineink's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
Give me a YA fantasy mystery steeped in connections to Greek mythology and I am going to eat it up. I loved this book. I listened to this book on audio at work and barely got any work done (shhh🤫).
I really enjoyed the world the author ha begun to build in this first book. Not going to lie, as happens with many fantasy series, it took me a bit to understand what was going on, as these reads tend to just drop you into the world and take off running, but once I got more familiar with the story after a few chapters, it was no struggle to keep up. I really loved how fast paced this book felt. Straight from the beginning I was thrusted into a story of mystery as main character Io is already investigating a strange occurrence that ends up being part of a much larger scheme than anyone was imagining. While diving right into the action did cause me to stumble at first, I prefer it as it caught my interest immediately and kept it through the story.
I also loved the way the different descendants of the gods, Other-born, are written. I had a great time connecting which powers went to which greek mythology references (some were explicitly told in the story, some were not).
This story was very creative and exciting and I cannot wait for the sequel already!
Thanks NetGalley and Penguin Group for the ARC of this book.
I really enjoyed the world the author ha begun to build in this first book. Not going to lie, as happens with many fantasy series, it took me a bit to understand what was going on, as these reads tend to just drop you into the world and take off running, but once I got more familiar with the story after a few chapters, it was no struggle to keep up. I really loved how fast paced this book felt. Straight from the beginning I was thrusted into a story of mystery as main character Io is already investigating a strange occurrence that ends up being part of a much larger scheme than anyone was imagining. While diving right into the action did cause me to stumble at first, I prefer it as it caught my interest immediately and kept it through the story.
I also loved the way the different descendants of the gods, Other-born, are written. I had a great time connecting which powers went to which greek mythology references (some were explicitly told in the story, some were not).
This story was very creative and exciting and I cannot wait for the sequel already!
Thanks NetGalley and Penguin Group for the ARC of this book.
giulia_khl's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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
4.25
blazealmighty's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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