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lisa_m's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
I really enjoyed the discussion of religion and missionary work, but what really sold me was all the russian folklore! I love mythology and I want to read more retellings / mythology inspired books about different parts of the world.
I have to say that someone told me that this book is an enemies to lovers story and that is just not true? There is no romance, or at least it's not a main focus at all! I actually really liked that about this book. Also I am a big fan of the 'wild girl' trope :)
The ending was bittersweet but I really liked it. I didn't cry though, which made me realise, that I wasn't truly connecting with the characters. That is normally a big dealbreaker but this time I didn't actually mind that much. I guess the book is a 'vibes before plot' kind of book and it's very slow paced as well (but it's also quite short).
I am so excited for the other two books in the trilogy though I'm surprised it is a trilogy at all. This book could have been a standalone as well. I am interested to return to this world though and there are a lot of things I still want to hear more about.
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Classism
katieluvs2read'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? It's complicated
4.0
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Death, and Death of parent
Minor: Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, and Gaslighting
macknificent's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
The story drags, the characters are one dimensional, and it felt like the author was trying to tell about 8 different stories. I will give them kudos for the world building but it couldn't save the book for me.
I cannot believe there are still 2 more books in this series, I will not be reading them.
Graphic: Animal death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Misogyny, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, and Toxic friendship
emfass'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
Kathleen Gati does a beautiful job as narrator, capturing the characters, the dialects, the world of medieval Rus.
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Blood, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Self harm, Sexual assault, Violence, Grief, Cannibalism, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
Minor: Rape, Forced institutionalization, and Fire/Fire injury
fatherprozac's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
sauvageloup's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
pros:
- stunning, lyrical, fairytale writing. simple style but really lovely in originality of description and poignant turns of phrase. the story is carried along beautifully, smoothing over time skips.
- the character development was also so good, with Konstantin descending into worse evils, Anna's rise and fall, Vasya growing into her strength while still being fallible, and my favourite, Morozko, of sleep and death. he was cold but fair, human but other, real and not, and i just loved how Arden wrote him.
- i also enjoyed the setting so much, and the historical details too. the afternotes show how much effort Arden put into historical accuracy.
cons:
- maybe a bit slow, which didn't help my lack of reading focus
looking forward to reading book 2, and glad i won't have to leave the characters :)
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Gaslighting
Minor: Sexual assault
warning for eating disorder is really for starvation and struggling to get enough to eat, descriptions of extreme weight loss.reddeddy'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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Gore, Mental illness, Sexual content, Blood, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Body horror, Body shaming, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Vomit, Medical content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment
sarahaf712's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Gore, Misogyny, Self harm, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Vomit
yoonreanne'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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual assault, and Gaslighting
sfoerster'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? No
5.0
Female lead
Magic in real world
Complicated family dynamics
Mildly challenges religious views
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment