lportilla's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Violence, Torture, and Blood
Moderate: Miscarriage and Medical content
Minor: Alcohol
stavoosh'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
5.0
The story follows Diana, who studies the history of alchemy. The witch who represses her magic comes across an enchanted book in Oxford and returns it when she is unable to understand its magic. The plot takes off once creatures start pressuring her to recall the book for their own selfish reasons. Matthew, an old and well-respected vampire, originally wants the book for his own noble reason and they proceed to fall in love in their quest to understand the book, why everyone wants it, and why Diana cannot control her magic.
Diana and Matthew's love lifted off the pages and felt sincere in a magical way. I loved the slight enemies to lovers and later, a touch of fate. Harkness takes care to develop these characters with all their faults, personalities, and past creating dynamic characters whose actions made sense.
I loved the historical aspects of the book. I learned so much about European history which made reading such a fun learning experience. I also loved the way vampires, witches, and daemons were very sophisticated creatures that were explained adequately.
As someone who watched the show before reading the book, many of my questions were answered and I was very intrigued the whole way through. I prolonged this read as much as possible because I didn't want it to end.
I definitely recommend this book to people who like historical settings, calls to philosophical and historical texts, a plot of mystery, fantasy that blends into the real world, and romance!
Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Animal death
foldingthepage_kayleigh'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
3.75
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Death of parent, Alcohol, Confinement, and Blood
ruthee's review against another edition
- 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
It’s not often (if ever) that I completely prefer a tv or film adaptation to the original material, but in this case, my love of the tv series was what got me through this.
In audiobook, the narrator was good, except when it came to any accent that wasn’t their own. The English/Scottish/Australian ones ranged between literally lol to offensive…so strange for a professionally produced book.
Graphic: Child death, Blood, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Animal death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Death, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexism
u2u's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Death of parent, Alcohol, and Blood
Minor: Animal death, Pregnancy, Infertility, and Violence
jaynovara's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Torture, Blood, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, and Confinement
Minor: Kidnapping, Medical content, and Pregnancy
baearles'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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Murder, Stalking, Toxic relationship, War, and Pregnancy
bedtimesandbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Grief, Blood, Panic attacks/disorders, Kidnapping, Torture, Murder, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, and Stalking
Moderate: Mental illness, Child death, and Pregnancy
aduqu's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Is it a literary masterpiece? No.
Do I think the love interest is sexist at times? Yes, but I have hope that will improve.
But overall, it's a fun read with a really fun and interesting world. It's exactly what I was looking for, and I'll definitely be reading the rest of the series!
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, and Alcohol
katvou's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Alcohol
Moderate: Blood, Death of parent, Grief, Medical content, Child death, Animal death, Torture, War, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Murder
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Pregnancy