Scan barcode
briely's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Confinement, Blood, Kidnapping, and Abandonment
therainbowshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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
I read this because it was one of the books picked for the September Rainbow Crate Book Box. It was a fun read. I absolutely loved the fairytale feel of this story about a girl cursed to be poisonous to the touch, and enjoyed all of the various twists and transformations throughout. It was also a ton of fun reading about the author's inspiration in the back of the book. I wish that had been at the front!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Violence, Blood, and Abandonment
pastelkerstin's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror
Minor: Biphobia and Homophobia
btorsi's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-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
4.0
dnf in 2020. recommitted and finished in april 2022. a ton of fun and kept my interest piqued the entire way through. the last 10% was double the fun of the rest combined, but i don't think it would be that fun without everything the beginning set up. if i hadn't read it all in a few days, i could definitely see myself getting stuck -- the whole selling point is the poison girl and she loses the poison in the first half . but sticking it out was the right choice because it is a wonderful book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Confinement, Violence, and Abandonment
zabeishumanish's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
sad
slow-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
4.25
Expect this book to be about 40% sadder than you are initially expecting and that will give you a good sense of this book. The tale is well written and while there are the usual difficulties in following a high fantasy world the plot explains nearly all the questions are reader might have. Something I really liked about the book is how important stories and legends are to Soraya and how her love of legends helped inform the reader about world-building.
I appreciate that the book tackles such a complex issue as compulsive heteronormativity (without calling it that obviously), but by making the villain of the story her heterosexual option he was humanized to the point that he was no longer a fun villain. It is hard to hate such a dark villain when you can see him as just a broken human, and then I kind of hated myself for not being able to hate such a clearly evil man.
I read the book specifically because I wanted a sapphic fantasy, and while this does technically hit the mark I wanted so much more from this love story. It needed so much more gay.
I appreciate that the book tackles such a complex issue as compulsive heteronormativity (without calling it that obviously), but by making the villain of the story her heterosexual option he was humanized to the point that he was no longer a fun villain. It is hard to hate such a dark villain when you can see him as just a broken human, and then I kind of hated myself for not being able to hate such a clearly evil man.
I read the book specifically because I wanted a sapphic fantasy, and while this does technically hit the mark I wanted so much more from this love story. It needed so much more gay.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Violence, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death of parent
neighborhoodbeanreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-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? Yes
5.0
This was so beautifully written. Reminded me of the tale "Rappacini's Daughter" by Hawthorn (the author mentions it as having some inspiration). So if you loved that story and you love beautiful sapphic representation-- you'll love this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and War
Moderate: Torture, Toxic relationship, Blood, Kidnapping, and Abandonment
b_robinson's review
adventurous
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I mean it was fairly okay??? Like I lowkey hated the main character, but I loved the resolution???
Soraya was so infuriating, and I DESPISED the back and forth "I love you and I hate you and I LOVE you but I have to remember why I hate you" like girl??? We are only here for Parvaneh, not flying snake boy with daddy issues. Have some taste.
Also we're going to completely ignore how long this took me to read lol
Soraya was so infuriating, and I DESPISED the back and forth "I love you and I hate you and I LOVE you but I have to remember why I hate you" like girl??? We are only here for Parvaneh, not flying snake boy with daddy issues. Have some taste.
Also we're going to completely ignore how long this took me to read lol
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Violence, Blood, and Abandonment
Minor: Bullying
woolgathering_jane's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
“Beautiful yet deadly, he had called her. Somehow, he made one sound as sweet as the other.”
I had such high expectations about this book, and I'm so happy that GSP fulfilled them almost entirely! I loved the character development of Soraya, and even though I guessed the ending midway through the book, it was still so satisfying. The pace and writing were great, I wasn't bored anywhere in the story and it was so addicting! I enjoyed the world-building, it was like a breath of fresh air to not read about a Europe-inspired kingdom. And I enjoyed the overall plot.
The only thing I didn't enjoy that much was the romance. Not at all because it was LGBTQ+ - that was one of the few things I liked about it - but because it just felt... flat. I feel like I didn't get to see Soraya fall in love, it was so fast. I think I like the idea of the relationship way more than I like the execution.
On the other hand, I loved Soraya's relationship and interaction with the main villain. There was so much nuance and symbolism.
Overall, it was an awesome read that lived up to the hype, although it is fantasy, not a romance book like some recommendations suggest.
The only thing I didn't enjoy that much was the romance. Not at all because it was LGBTQ+ - that was one of the few things I liked about it - but because it just felt... flat. I feel like I didn't get to see Soraya fall in love, it was so fast. I think I like the idea of the relationship way more than I like the execution.
On the other hand, I loved Soraya's relationship and interaction with the main villain. There was so much nuance and symbolism.
Overall, it was an awesome read that lived up to the hype, although it is fantasy, not a romance book like some recommendations suggest.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Abandonment
Minor: Rape
jojo_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement
Moderate: Death, Torture, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, Death of parent, and Abandonment
strange_little_ranger's review against another edition
adventurous
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Abandonment
Moderate: Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Kidnapping