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little_rainbow's review against another edition
- 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? No
3.0
Graphic: Death, Violence, Xenophobia, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Torture, Religious bigotry, and Colonisation
lisa_m'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
5.0
So I got the eBook and started reading it before going to bed. I just wanted to read a few chapters, but I couldn't put it down. I read one and on for multiple hours straight and I only got myself to stop after about 250 pages, because I was so invested in the story. And the only reason I did stop, was because I had to go to uni early the next day.
I finished the book today and it was amazing. The ending hurt me but I'm so excited to see what's coming next! I absolutely hate Thago and I assume we're going to see more of him in the next book, but I really don't want to.
All the twists and reveals where pretty good (at least to me). I mean, I guess I could have assumed some things, but I didn't have the time to think about it, because I was so mentally caught up in the story.
I prefered the chapters in the currently time over the ones in the past though. I feel like the backstory was all just bulked together and even though it was interesting to learn about, I just wanted to go back to the current time because we left off in such a crucial place.
I loved the setting of Prague, the art school and all the weird and amazing 'human' people (Zuzana). Karou was a very likeable protagonist in my opinion, even though she could be quite rash and stupid at times. But even though I was sometimes a bit annoyed by her and felt like she was doing things for absolutely no reason besides to further the plot (like going through the forbidden door.. ), I still liked her in the end. She is relatable in a way and also so far removed from anything at all relatable to normal humans.
Also the relationship between Karou and Akiva reminded me so so much of Hunt and Bryce? Like the whole soldier angel thing.. idk I constantly thought of them. Might be why I liked them so much even though we didn't get a lot of explanation and it was pretty instalovey (which is not normally my favourite..)
Also I really liked all the discussions of the war and perspectives of the different sides. I am very interested to see how the story continues and what more I'll get to learn about this world and its truths.
All in all I would highly recommend this book. I wish I had read it when I was a bit younger though, because I feel like that would have made me enjoy it even more. In my head I just imagine the protagonist being my age (19) instead of 17.
Laini Taylor is an author I kind of always expected to really enjoy reading from, but I never did. I really like the blurbs of her books but tbh I just didn't like the covers so that might have put me off a bit. I did really like her writing style though. It's so immersive! And the worldbuilding felt so real and thorough.
This is just a really good fantasy book and exactly what I wanted to read right now, so I guess it's also a 'right book - right time' kind of thing. :)
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Genocide, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Medical content, Trafficking, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Colonisation, and War
jenid8's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Death, Slavery, and Religious bigotry
charliebriggs96'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? Yes
3.0
⭐️⭐️⭐️.75/5
This book was so close to a 4⭐️ that I could taste it, but as usual I had some issues with it. But first, the positives. What a way to start a series! For one thing, it’s a great opener of a book. The first in a trilogy, it’s sometimes hard to grasp the readers attention like this book did. The characters, for the most part are cleverly crafted, full bodied and memorable. Some did lack in the background, or didn’t age well in terms of readability in the last 10 years since it’s initial release. Which did knock a little half point off of the total score, blame the mc’s friend, not me. However, I immensely enjoyed Karou, she was funny, kind, intelligent although sometimes naive. She and Brimstone and the other Chimaera held this book in place, which made the plot twist all more bittersweet. The reason why this book wasn’t a 4⭐️ was: pacing, the pacing started off strong, then went EVERYWHERE nearing the middle and end. Some of the characters, like I mentioned, haven’t aged well. And I am NOT a fan of ‘insta-love’. Even with the plot twist, it’s still instalove. And I hate it
Moderate: Death, Genocide, Slavery, Torture, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, War, and Injury/Injury detail
littledosesofrandomness's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, and War
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Alcohol