suvata's review against another edition
3.0
“Once upon a time, a demon who desired earthly domination fathered an army of dark daughters to help him corrupt humanity. . . As children, Goldie, Liyana, Scarlet, and Bea dreamed of a strange otherworld: a nightscape of mists and fog, perpetually falling leaves and hungry ivy, lit by an unwavering moon. Here, in this shadowland of Everwhere, the four girls, half-sisters connected by blood and magic, began to nurture their elemental powers together.”
interrowhimper's review against another edition
2.0
The dialog was clumsy and juvenile. Pacing was very slow for most of the book without really developing any of the ideas that created the drama. The conclusion happened all of a sudden. There was a weird amount of sex abuse.
sebnia_05's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- 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
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Dementia, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, Abandonment, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Murder, Self harm, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, War, Gore, Gaslighting, Incest, and Torture
Minor: Animal cruelty, Racism, and Animal death
poetskings's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
inwonder's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
apfitzer's review against another edition
2.0
The concept seems great, but it need more action and less boy drama.
lcasswrites's review against another edition
3.0
'Bright white wishing and black edged desire'
I received this gorgeous hardback edition in last month’s @illumicrate box, and it is absolutely stunning. The story though, while I enjoyed it, didn’t really grab hold of me. As I was reading it, it felt like a bit of a cross between a VE Schwab and Erin Morgernstern novel in mood, which I actually really liked. The book follows the four sisters Grimm as well as one of the ‘stars’ sent to hunt them. However, the POV shifts are so quick that I never had time to settle into any of the characters before the POV switched to another. I also didn’t really feel the romance...it was too instant and unexplored for me (largely probably as a result of those quick shifts). Having said that, the world building and mood of this story is great, and as it gets towards the end there are some great themes around female empowerment.
nicolemhill's review against another edition
2.0
The concept here has a lot of promise, but the structure fell flat for me. Switching POVs is a trickier dance than we acknowledge, and I think the quick shifts between characters here kept me from connecting with any of them. I also needed more orientation to the world up front than this narrative structure could provide.