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talonsontypewriters's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Gore, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Slavery, Grief, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Fatphobia, Infidelity, Racism, Xenophobia, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Relationship (explicitly unhealthy/abusive) between teenager and character who appears around the same age, but is 100+.opossumom's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
corny ass book, corny ass ending, annoying ass mc. extra star for genya :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Fatphobia
nadiana's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
2.4/5 Stars.
Many years back, this book made me fall in love with reading as well as the entire genre of fantasy romance. As far as I was concerned, it was a guilty pleasure, and even after this re-read, I must say, it still is.
Not a lot of strong feelings are connected to this first book but I don't know if that's going to change once I re-read Siege and Storm. However, having watched the Shadow and Bone netflix trailer previous to re-reading this made the whole experience way better, especially concerning the book's main ship which I felt more connected to than ever before.
Leigh's writing obviously isn't the best this early in her career, but all-in-all it was an easy and quick read, just a tad bit below average considering the story, plot, execution and pace. The ending felt very rushed as well, and honestly, this book could've been longer for more developed plots and character arcs which would've probably made the story a whole lot better.
However, I'm still searching for that perfect guilty pleasure book, and quite honestly, I'm getting obsessively desperate at this point...
Many years back, this book made me fall in love with reading as well as the entire genre of fantasy romance. As far as I was concerned, it was a guilty pleasure, and even after this re-read, I must say, it still is.
Not a lot of strong feelings are connected to this first book but I don't know if that's going to change once I re-read Siege and Storm. However, having watched the Shadow and Bone netflix trailer previous to re-reading this made the whole experience way better, especially concerning the book's main ship which I felt more connected to than ever before.
Leigh's writing obviously isn't the best this early in her career, but all-in-all it was an easy and quick read, just a tad bit below average considering the story, plot, execution and pace. The ending felt very rushed as well, and honestly, this book could've been longer for more developed plots and character arcs which would've probably made the story a whole lot better.
However, I'm still searching for that perfect guilty pleasure book, and quite honestly, I'm getting obsessively desperate at this point...
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, and Abandonment
Minor: Animal death, Body horror, and Body shaming
kaiulanilee's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
hmmmm....okay. I’ve had time to gather my thoughts since yesterday so here goes.
overall, I liked the book. it was definitely enjoyable to read and the plot, characters, and world were engaging and intriguing enough to keep me invested. I think the strongest and most enjoyable aspects of this book were the world it’s set in and the relationships between a lot of the characters. I haven’t read more in the series yet and I’m hoping they’ll explore this more but what I wished we had more of was a more in depth look at the world itself and how it came to be the way it is. the special powers, the class dynamics, etc. it all felt very surface level. I think on the whole this book kind of falls into the trap that a lot of fantasy (esp YA) fantasy does where it all just feels familiar. A love triangle with a “good guy” childhood friend and a “bad boy” with a ton of power who is “misunderstood” and sad, an ugly duckling main character who is SURPRISE!....not really ugly she just has brown hair and pale skin, a vague feeling of “I’m not like other girls” throughout the entire book, mentions of class issues without ever fully going in depth, the typical chosen one narrative, etc...it’s all there.
This book has moments that are truly good. The scene with the stag in particular has stuck with me. That being said, I feel like if you read a lot of fantasy this will just feel like a retelling of a lot of other stories with not a ton to distinguish it. I would recommend giving it a shot and I’m hoping the other books will make it more distinctive, but on the whole I think it’s missing some fleshing out. On to the next books!
overall, I liked the book. it was definitely enjoyable to read and the plot, characters, and world were engaging and intriguing enough to keep me invested. I think the strongest and most enjoyable aspects of this book were the world it’s set in and the relationships between a lot of the characters. I haven’t read more in the series yet and I’m hoping they’ll explore this more but what I wished we had more of was a more in depth look at the world itself and how it came to be the way it is. the special powers, the class dynamics, etc. it all felt very surface level. I think on the whole this book kind of falls into the trap that a lot of fantasy (esp YA) fantasy does where it all just feels familiar. A love triangle with a “good guy” childhood friend and a “bad boy” with a ton of power who is “misunderstood” and sad, an ugly duckling main character who is SURPRISE!....not really ugly she just has brown hair and pale skin, a vague feeling of “I’m not like other girls” throughout the entire book, mentions of class issues without ever fully going in depth, the typical chosen one narrative, etc...it’s all there.
This book has moments that are truly good. The scene with the stag in particular has stuck with me. That being said, I feel like if you read a lot of fantasy this will just feel like a retelling of a lot of other stories with not a ton to distinguish it. I would recommend giving it a shot and I’m hoping the other books will make it more distinctive, but on the whole I think it’s missing some fleshing out. On to the next books!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Death
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Violence
Minor: Fatphobia, Sexual violence, and Blood