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dezzella'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
I really liked this book, it really hit me right. There are darker themes but I think the trauma and healing was handled very well. I really loved watching our main character start to move forward, while getting wrapped up in the drama of his husband's home kingdom.
There's an arranged marriage (semi marriage of convenience, if convenience for the good of the two kingdoms counts) and murder mystery. Plus lots of underlying plots playing out. I enjoyed the pacing and writing and I really into the story the whole way. I will certainly be continuing and reading the next in the series.
Graphic: Homophobia, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Death, Torture, Violence, and Gaslighting
seashel's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Outing, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Hate crime, Sexism, Medical content, Stalking, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Torture, Transphobia, Abandonment, and Classism
reellyfish'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
4.5
There was a typo saying “What I have I done?” during quite an intense scene that kinda took me out scene but I was still able to understand what was trying to be said.
Graphic: Homophobia, Rape, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Violence, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Infidelity
hazybee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Vomit, and Alcohol
purplepenning's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Homophobia, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Vomit, Grief, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Though it's a well-handled journey of healing, a main point of view character experiences significant trauma early in and deals with trauma recovery for much of the book.s_l'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
3.5
But other than that it was good
Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Confinement, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Transphobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Murder, Outing, and Injury/Injury detail
hades_hotline's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Murder
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Death of parent, Outing, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexism, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, and Fire/Fire injury
sammuraichan'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
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Body shaming, Cursing, Deadnaming, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Vomit, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Classism
beetitnerds's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
However: The pacing made it difficult to enjoy either the romance or the mystery. All the characters are enjoyable, so I was happy to read them making friends and falling in love. But the 'falling in love' itself felt forced. Not that chemistry wasn't there, but that the bulk of the romance came from the fact the leads are in a queer romance, and therefore must be in love by the end of the book. It would have been nice to see their romance pushed off until the sequels. The mystery wasn't a real mystery as much as a series of things that happened over the course of a week that are solved when the main characters eventually- literally- accidentally stumble into the villain doing a full monologue. The reader doesn't have a chance to try and solve the mystery themself because we don't know anything about the world until specific details are told to us the moment they become relevant. The villain wasn't exactly a surprise, because it follows pretty standard story conventions, but the reveal wasn't satisfying enough to make the lead-up enjoyable. The villain essentially stares at the camera and explains every plot detail, with the heros occasionally popping in to remind us they're in the room. Even though I really liked each character, there's no actual character development for anyone. Everyone ends exactly where they started, with the exception of one of the main characters, who technically learns to be more open with his affections, but who also doesn't really have a problem with public affection except in occasional offhand remarks about how it would be scandalous in his home-country. I don't want to read about a main character who's homophobic or ableist or classist or sexist or any other version of bigot. But since we're told about how terrible his home-country is, and how every other person from that country is some degree of bigot almost without exception, AND the main character frequently apologizes on behalf of the culture he was raised in, it makes it really weird that he doesn't actually NEED to do any growing. Even the times he does 'mess up', which I'd argue are usually situations in which he thinks he's messed up because of miscommunication and really hasn't, he immediately realizes his mistakes, often as he's making them, and immediately apologizes and corrects himself. This is a book where all the characters assume he's a bigot and a third of his interactions are him explaining about how He's Actually An Ally.
All that being said: The action scenes were fun. I wish the action wasn't left to the last handful of pages, because it was thrilling. All of the characters, even the villains, were very fun to read, and likable. I really liked the focus on friendships, especially pre-existing friendships, ESPECIALLY subverting the Hot Jealous Ex trope. The casual inclusion and diversity of marginalized identities in the book was refreshing. No one felt like a stereotype or a token character. The dialogue always felt authentic, and character choices and motivations always felt realistic and understandable. The magic system and different cultures around it was also fun, though woefully underutilized. The mixed use of first and third person was fun and helped differentiate between the POV characters. The writing, itself, was beautiful. The plot twist at the VERY end-
Graphic: Homophobia, Rape, Self harm, and Murder
Moderate: Sexism
Minor: Transphobia
The book provides a clear content warning for most of its violence, and the sensitive topics are written thoughtfully, but they are nonetheless present and sometimes written in graphic detail.jessiereads98's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Suicide attempt, and Murder
Moderate: Confinement, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Ableism, Alcoholism, Cursing, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Alcohol