nicnevin's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
Maybe I'm the problem but I absolutely hated this book. I hated the main character, I despised the love interest, I hated the weird dynamics, the corsets, the utter lack of necromancy, I hate that Mary Shelley didn't exist in this timeline and the Frankenstein we got is definitely a pop culture of version.
When it wasn't tedious, it was unsettling and not in a cool spooky way but more in a "do straight women find this abusive stuff hot?" sort of unsettling. The pacing was atrocious, over half the book was set up and then most of the plot happens in the last few chapters.
Like, I've read other books by this author and I'm honestly really disappointed.
Maybe it'll be your cup of tea but it certainly wasn't mine.
There is a lot of attempted rape in this book, one of which was arranged by the love interest to show her how dangerous the streets are. It's kinda distracting how the possibility of sexual assault is just...constantly brought up??
When it wasn't tedious, it was unsettling and not in a cool spooky way but more in a "do straight women find this abusive stuff hot?" sort of unsettling. The pacing was atrocious, over half the book was set up and then most of the plot happens in the last few chapters.
Like, I've read other books by this author and I'm honestly really disappointed.
Maybe it'll be your cup of tea but it certainly wasn't mine.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Blood, Body horror, Murder, Rape, Gaslighting, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Classism, Confinement, Adult/minor relationship, Chronic illness, Sexism, Medical content, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Grief, Misogyny, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Toxic friendship, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Sexual harassment, and Violence
steffiraquel's review against another edition
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism, Rape, Body shaming, Child abuse, Violence, and Death
Minor: Sexual harassment, Death of parent, and Stalking
gattolinos_nerdy_nook's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This was a really intriguing read and had me hooked with the characters and plot. I found myself staying up late wanting to continue to be lost in this book, and now wanting to grab the sequel so I can see where this series will go next.
The plot was interesting and had enough of a hook to have me coming back to this world. The gothic Elizabethan England setting fits the mysteries and supernatural feel and plot that the book was creating. The magical realism and super natural themes were handled very well and didn't feel out of place with everything that was happening.
I also really like the characters and all the different dynamics you got them their interactions. I never felt bored or found myself disliking a character that I was meant to be enjoying, but at the same time they all felt like individuals and not copy and pastes of one another.
Anyone who likes the gothic historical magical realism setting and plot will enjoy this book.
The plot was interesting and had enough of a hook to have me coming back to this world. The gothic Elizabethan England setting fits the mysteries and supernatural feel and plot that the book was creating. The magical realism and super natural themes were handled very well and didn't feel out of place with everything that was happening.
I also really like the characters and all the different dynamics you got them their interactions. I never felt bored or found myself disliking a character that I was meant to be enjoying, but at the same time they all felt like individuals and not copy and pastes of one another.
Anyone who likes the gothic historical magical realism setting and plot will enjoy this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Death, Misogyny, and Sexual assault
Minor: Death of parent
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