solypoly'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Blood, and Animal death
Moderate: Genocide, Gore, Violence, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Religious bigotry, Racial slurs, and Vomit
ilaxaria's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Murder, Animal cruelty, Blood, Religious bigotry, Racial slurs, Torture, Animal death, Death, Gore, and Racism
Moderate: Sexual harassment
kumquats87'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? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Blood, Abandonment, Gaslighting, Gore, Misogyny, Classism, Death, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, and Torture
Moderate: Grief, Racial slurs, Fire/Fire injury, and Cultural appropriation
Minor: Vomit, Slavery, and Colonisation
dominika_lorazo'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
4.5
Characters are good. Main characters are lovable. Even Forest who is a small antagonist is well written (good motivation even if his actions are questionable sometimes). Some of the villains can seem cliche but their actions seem appropriate for their time period (And some people are just assholes). This point was more than redeemed by the antagonists (the wildfolk). The shaman was probably my least favourite.
The story has a medium-pace. Some say it’s slow-paced in the middle and it’s true but it’s still entertaining (might be hard if you have a short attention span though). The beginning and ending have more of a dark fairy tale, horror genre. The middle of the story is more whimsical. The ending is very “happily ever after” and I never minded those.
Things I liked:
Spoiler
- Samson/slewfoot is probably the best character. I like how he is not really the cliche “devil” or “Satan” but more of a Grey character spirit of the forest. He also has a great character arc.- the historical - witchy feel.
- dark but magical like a fairy tale
- Forest annoyed me sometimes but his motives were so good I ended up feeling bad for him and liking his character
-the overall addition of folklore and native folklore
Things I disliked
Spoiler
- the shaman was great for Samson’s character arc and that was obviously his only purpose but he is a bit of a cliche villain-Abitha died at the end but came back to life. It cheapened her death and the effect it had on Samson. But except for that, the rest of the happily ever after was exactly how I hoped it would go.
-The world building could have been better. I wish there was more emphasis on the folklore (the Wildfolk and spirits). It was more of a backstory in the book, the main focus was on Abitha and her female empowerment/ girl boss story which is not necessarily bad. However, I wish we had more of that folklore/ fairy tale magic
TW:
racism and colonialism- It is appropriate for the time period. The racist characters were the villains. I would say the main characters were more respectful.
Blood, gore and violence- it was graphic but not extremely terrible (I’ve definitely seen worse)
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Bullying, Death, Physical abuse, Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, Body horror, Death of parent, Gore, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Animal cruelty, Murder, and Misogyny
Moderate: Classism and Colonisation
Minor: Alcohol and Alcoholism
TW: racism and colonialism- It is appropriate for the time period. The racist characters were the mostly the villains. I would say the main characters were more respectful. Blood, gore and violence- it was graphic but not extremely terrible (I’ve definitely seen worse)nchipp'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? No
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Grief, Racism, Animal death, Blood, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Torture, and Violence
Minor: Colonisation, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Xenophobia, and Rape
Spoiler
the cat diesfemmeofswords'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: Animal death and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Murder, Emotional abuse, Torture, Sexism, Violence, and Death
Minor: Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, Body shaming, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Ableism, Racial slurs, and Trafficking
crowleaf'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Animal cruelty, Sexism, Animal death, Religious bigotry, Blood, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Bullying, Gore, and Misogyny
Moderate: Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, and Racial slurs
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
catwhisperer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Animal death, Racism, Torture, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Domestic abuse, Grief, Racial slurs, Violence, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, and Blood
erynlasbelin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Excrement, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Police brutality, Violence, Gore, Physical abuse, and Torture
Moderate: Vomit, Racism, Sexual content, Colonisation, Racial slurs, Alcohol, and Death of parent
leahrosereads'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
3.25
The good: The last 20ish% or so was excellent. I thoroughly enjoyed both Abitha and Samson as characters and liked both of their storylines individually and when it all came together.
The bad: The pacing was off. This dragged in quite a few parts and it felt like there were too many side plots that were rushed through.
The ugly: Outside of all the historical stuff that took place in 1666 (anti-Indigenous rhetoric, slurs towards Indigenous peoples, lack of women's agency), the abuse towards an animal and death/mutilation of the cat felt wholly unnecessary.
Graphic: Animal death, Animal cruelty, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Torture, and Violence