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kbairbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Car accident and Death of parent
meg53's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, and Abandonment
Minor: Confinement, Death, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
julesadventurezone's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death, Torture, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, and War
meremeth's review against another edition
4.0
The love interest is such a simp for her I love it đ
Loved reading such healthy communication around intimacy in a romance book!
Graphic: Sexual content and Blood
Moderate: Confinement and Kidnapping
Minor: Child abuse and Death of parent
loveat1stwrite'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
4.0
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing, Violence, Blood, and Abandonment
Minor: Confinement, Racism, Car accident, and Death of parent
chanlo1994'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? No
4.75
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Kidnapping, and Death of parent
Minor: Domestic abuse and Car accident
Poisoning, toxic parents/familynukie19's review against another edition
- 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
2.75
Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Sexual content, Blood, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Alcohol
ceruleanseas's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Confinement, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Blood, Kidnapping, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: War
yilliun's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Sexual content and Blood
Moderate: Confinement, Violence, and Death of parent
Minor: Vomit and Car accident
wardenred's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
âA mate is . . .â The cicadas quiet. We can only hear the waves, gently lapping into the night. âWho you are meant for. Who is meant for you.â
âAnd this is a uniquely Were experience that differs from Human high schoolers writing lyrics on each otherâs yearbooks before heading to separate colleges . . . how?â
It took me a hot minute to get used to the writing style, and then every time I came back to the book after a break in reading, there was a brief period of readjustment, as well. I wouldnât call the prose bad by any means, just challenging to get into somehow. Still canât quite put a finger on whyâmaybe itâs just an ESL thing on my part.
At the beginning, I was really fascinated by the sci-fi-ish spin on the typical urban fantasy races. However, alas, that worldbuilding began to gradually fall apart past the first few chapters. There were minor details Iâd question even if the existence werewolves and vampires was vaguely explained by magic, but the attempt at a more science-y bend made them even more grating. For example, thereâs a point in the book when itâs stated that, unlike vampires (sorry, Vampyres), the werewolves (sorry, Weres) donât stand out to humans at all at a glance. Like, excuse me? They have green blood? Theyâve been stated to blush green? They probably have green-tinted nails, mouths, conjunctivae etc? Sounds pretty damn noticeable to me. Though thereâs also a scene late in the book that mentions a Were characterâs lips being dark red after kissing, so idk what Iâm supposed to think here. These details are small, but what with them clashing with how the worldbuilding was presented at the beginning, they kept taking me out of the narrative.
As for the story itself, I really, really liked the political plot. The bigger picture that led to Misery and Loweâs arranged marriage, the inner struggles withing the Were community, how it all tied together with Serenaâs disappearance, all of it was simply delicious. I loved every twist and reveal⌠up until maybe the final part where
The same theme continues with the romance, I guess: all cool up until a certain point. Misery herself was a great narrator whose sense of humor and reaction to trauma and abandonment I found pretty relatable. Lowe didnât grip me that much, but he had his moments, and overall I liked the dynamic these two head and how their relationship progressed. But then we got to the obligatory third act break-up, which took the form o
Despite all my complaints, there were enough fun moments here to make me want to check out more of the authorâs books. I also kind of hope for a sequel about Miseryâs twin brother, because heâs easily my favorite character in this whole story, and heâs had such a cool arc despite only showing up on page a handful of times!
Graphic: Sexual content, Blood, and Abandonment
Moderate: Confinement, Violence, Medical content, and Kidnapping