Scan barcode
caffeinated_gills's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Child death, Violence, Blood, and War
Minor: Mental illness, Miscarriage, Suicide, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, and Murder
maggies's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
4.0
Started reading the series primarily because I want to watch the show, and now I'm even more excited to keep reading the series! I think it might have benefitted from some editing down—lots of repetition of the same sentiment or even sentence in just a few paragraphs, for example—but overall a really engaging fantasy story. The world of the witches, vampires, and daemons is laid out for readers as Diana learns the details, which is a simple and effective trick for this kind of world-building. Docked a star because it's just not believable to me that the entire book takes place over less than two months.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Stalking
Minor: Xenophobia and War
baearles's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Torture, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Toxic relationship, Stalking, Murder, Pregnancy, and War
katvou's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Alcohol
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Torture, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Pregnancy
12dejamoo's review against another edition
dark
lighthearted
medium-paced
- 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
2.25
Don't think I've ever written such a long review but here goes...
I found this book pretty hard to form a clear opinion. I think that's because I didn't know by what metric to judge it. Like, is it a crummy romance? Is it a YA Twilight-esque book? Is it one of those ostensibly 'higher quality' romances that everyone on the internet loves? It's kind of all three and so it's really difficult to judge the correct level of belief suspension needed. The book opens on an interesting fantasy premise, with library girl doing library things. We love a library girl. Then we are introduced to Matthew and it's like yeah I like this guy, he's got that Edward vibe with less creepiness and more nuance. Great, now we're doing some library stuff, we're having brunch, we're doing yoga (btw what a fucking funny idea that's genius). But now, BOOM, we're deeply in love, we're running off to France, you're my wife lol. Now you've almost died 20 million times. It's like the story was both nicely slow and too quick. It was moving at a very believable pace and then all hell broke loose.
There are lots of good points to this! I like many of the characters, I like the concept of the three creatures, I like the library scenes. I like the alchemy stuff (mostly). I like the idea of many of Diana's powers and I really enjoyed reading many of the scenes of her using them. It's major Twilight vibes but Deborah Harkness clearly did more research than Smeyer so it's refreshing whilst still being comforting and familiar. Definitely a lot of good in here but there was also a lot of crap.
Diana herself is pretty likable at first. As I said, we love a library girl. There are hints that she's not like other girls, but to me it seemed like she was authentically sporty, non-makeup-wearing, and bookish rather than your classic Bella figure who reads Jane Austen because she's ~different~. However I felt like that authenticity started to chip away the further into the book we got. The place where I had to put the book down and be like no fuck that was when she suddenly announces that she has always loved horses and it's like a major part of her personality???? . Genuinely comes out of nowhere and it's so irritating. You also have your classic Bella-esque 'oh I don't care that you're a vampire because you won't hurt ME' blah blah blah. She goes out to prove this on so many occasions and like there's just no need. My least favourite scene of this is her sitting completely still on horseback for literally two hours in absolute silence whilst he prepares to hunt. No human has ever had that kind of patience I'm sorry. Her obsessive love for Matthew seems really out of character with her very no-nonsense attitude at the start. The way she's ready to just spout crap about feeling alive for the first time. Have more respect for yourself than that please. I know it's like destiny or whatever but that doesn't mean your character should do a 180 when you meet the guy. This becomes especially a problem when she starts half dying every five seconds. Like can we not write women who are just damsels in distress all the time. Like even when she does amazing power stuff and saves Matthew she STILL is the one lying in bed for hours and fainting. I also think that we as a society have moved past chosen one who has every power and ability ever trope. Like she can be special without being that special. Give her some weaknesses beyond just needing to refine her powers. Make her rely on others in a way that's more depthful than she can't breathe or whatever when Matthew is gone.
Matthew was also likable at first. Mysterious vampire love interest. This is why we're here. We also love a hint of danger which at first Diana seems to genuinely feel. What did get very old was him knowing literally every historical figure of note. Like he did not need to do that. How boring. Also can we STOP describing how love interests smell in terms of some complex selection of herbs, spices, and flowers. Nobody smells like those things unless they are wearing aritificial fragrances or they've just walked out of a rose garden like seriously stop describing Matthew's smell as 'spicy' it drives me insane.I also hate his secretive blah vampire blah knights crap. Just stop it's boring he does not need to have his finger in every pie.
There were definitely some weird writing moments. Exposition was delivered so weirdly at times. Special mention goes to when Baldwin and Matthew explain to each other the history of their father as if they both don't know it. Like they're both adding details like they're explaining it to someone else but no they're literally just recounting the events to each other. Also, you can definitely tell this was written by an American. Like the definition of the word 'fresher' as a Cambridge term for freshmen. It's literally just a British term, Cambridge isn't special. This is also evident when Diana describes a British intensive care hospital wing. Are they different in America? I've only ever seen them on American TV and ngl they look exactly like what you're describing I'm so confused. Definition of a person who did their year abroad/gap year/placement etc in another country and takes it on as their entire personality.
I really hate the trope in any media where their family is just this annoying burden who they seem to hate? Like your aunts aren't stopping you from being with this man they are just giving you very sensible thinking points and trying to have a discussion and you just have to act like they're so annoying and stupid and 'just don't get it'. Diana has no reason to dislike her aunts but her descriptions of them are often so dismissive and subtly cruel I never get why media insists on doing this.
Further important points are: we love Ysabeau. She gives me Rosalie vibes and this can only be a good thing. Also the way I cringe so hard every time Matthew and Diana refer to each other as 'husband' or 'wife' ewwww. It's not marriage that's a problem it's the way the relationship went from 0 to 1 to 2 to 3 to 100 and it's like what where why when?
"Matthew swung me onto his back like a child and walked through the twilight' SORRY nooo that HAS to be a reference
I found this book pretty hard to form a clear opinion. I think that's because I didn't know by what metric to judge it. Like, is it a crummy romance? Is it a YA Twilight-esque book? Is it one of those ostensibly 'higher quality' romances that everyone on the internet loves? It's kind of all three and so it's really difficult to judge the correct level of belief suspension needed. The book opens on an interesting fantasy premise, with library girl doing library things. We love a library girl. Then we are introduced to Matthew and it's like yeah I like this guy, he's got that Edward vibe with less creepiness and more nuance. Great, now we're doing some library stuff, we're having brunch, we're doing yoga (btw what a fucking funny idea that's genius). But now,
There are lots of good points to this! I like many of the characters, I like the concept of the three creatures, I like the library scenes. I like the alchemy stuff (mostly). I like the idea of many of Diana's powers and I really enjoyed reading many of the scenes of her using them. It's major Twilight vibes but Deborah Harkness clearly did more research than Smeyer so it's refreshing whilst still being comforting and familiar. Definitely a lot of good in here but there was also a lot of crap.
Diana herself is pretty likable at first. As I said, we love a library girl. There are hints that she's not like other girls, but to me it seemed like she was authentically sporty, non-makeup-wearing, and bookish rather than your classic Bella figure who reads Jane Austen because she's ~different~. However I felt like that authenticity started to chip away the further into the book we got. The place where I had to put the book down and be like no fuck that was when she suddenly announces that she
Matthew was also likable at first. Mysterious vampire love interest. This is why we're here. We also love a hint of danger which at first Diana seems to genuinely feel. What did get very old was him knowing literally every historical figure of note. Like he did not need to do that. How boring. Also can we STOP describing how love interests smell in terms of some complex selection of herbs, spices, and flowers. Nobody smells like those things unless they are wearing aritificial fragrances or they've just walked out of a rose garden like seriously stop describing Matthew's smell as 'spicy' it drives me insane.
There were definitely some weird writing moments. Exposition was delivered so weirdly at times. Special mention goes to when Baldwin and Matthew explain to each other the history of their father as if they both don't know it. Like they're both adding details like they're explaining it to someone else but no they're literally just recounting the events to each other. Also, you can definitely tell this was written by an American. Like the definition of the word 'fresher' as a Cambridge term for freshmen. It's literally just a British term, Cambridge isn't special. This is also evident when Diana describes a British intensive care hospital wing. Are they different in America? I've only ever seen them on American TV and ngl they look exactly like what you're describing I'm so confused. Definition of a person who did their year abroad/gap year/placement etc in another country and takes it on as their entire personality.
I really hate the trope in any media where their family is just this annoying burden who they seem to hate? Like your aunts aren't stopping you from being with this man they are just giving you very sensible thinking points and trying to have a discussion and you just have to act like they're so annoying and stupid and 'just don't get it'. Diana has no reason to dislike her aunts but her descriptions of them are often so dismissive and subtly cruel I never get why media insists on doing this.
Further important points are: we love Ysabeau. She gives me Rosalie vibes and this can only be a good thing. Also
"Matthew swung me onto his back like a child and walked through the twilight' SORRY nooo that HAS to be a reference
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, and Death of parent
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Kidnapping, Grief, and Alcohol
Minor: Sexual content, Abortion, Pregnancy, and War
marylinaris's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
I took several pages of notes while reading but I genuinely can’t put them into a succinct review, so bullet points got to do.
Things I liked:
• the worldbuilding
• the plot hooked me from the beginning and kept me intrigued till the end
• that Diana has grown up knowing about the magical things in the world and her not knowing specific things that were later revealed gets a good explanation
• descriptions part 1 - this book had some very flowery prose and did a great job describing the general settings; it very much gave the sense that the author has lived these places, sports and activities
Things I didn’t like:
• describing the only two WoC by comparing their skin to the color of beverages
• the short timeline when it comes to the romantic relationship (I didn’t mind their instalove but their speedrun from strangers to lover to married in one month was a little too much)
• both main characters, but especially Diana, are way too dramatic (this goes hand in hand with the short timeline but I couldn’t take her seriously when she swore undying love and devotion to Matthew after knowing him for half a month –– not to say Matthew wasn’t dramatic, that man has an emotional breakdown at his friends place about how much he loved Diana... THREE DAYS AFTER THEY MET)
• descriptions part 2 - overall too much! While nicely written most of it was just not needed for the plot or setting up the scene. The way we were told about just every outfit Diana put on very much gives ‘this was written by a teenager on wattpad in 2013 who thinks it is necessary to describe every single item of clothing the mc ever wears’. We don’t need to hear about every single food group Diana eats when they have a meal? So much of it has no plot relevancy and I, personally, do not need the author to hold my hand through the book and give me this much detail when it comes to just about everything. I can believe the line ‘She had a quick breakfast and brushed her teeth before heading out’ and do not need every single step that goes into these actions written out in detail to follow the story - truly it was more hindering than helpful
Random other things:
• at some point I just wrote down that it feels like the entirety of Oxford is just made up of non-human creatures because there were like three human side characters and the rest of the town was filled with vampires, witches and daemons
• I’ve heard about how possessive Matthew was going to be before I picked up the book, so I wasn’t really bothered by it for most of the book tbh (the only way it got a little annoying in was when he tried to keep Diana save, she wouldn’t listen, stayed and couldn’t even really defend herself)
• this book was published in 2011 and you can tell, surprisingly it refrained from the ‘not like other girls’ trope for the most part
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, Death, Torture, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: War