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ehinrichsenjr's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I wanted to like this book more than I did. I was really pulled in by the first fifty pages, and was interested when they introduced Lila's character, but a chapter later, she's nearly raped at just kind of... moves on from it. It's barely mentioned again only once, when she references the ship that it happens on later on in the book. It's a rough way to begin a story. There's one more instance of Lila being assaulted later in the book, but that, I think, was going for more murder and ended up having weird, rapey undertones.
I think I can pinpoint the moment I fully shifted from "somewhat enjoying it" to "reading to see how it ends": the moment Lila and Kell realize what the magic stone is, Lila forms a fake Kell and has him do a striptease. Just yanked me right out of the story. The characters feel a little one-dimensional (Kell literally lives for his brother Rhy, Lila lives for adventure) and their motivation to stick together felt a little "D&D party" ish ("They're the main characters, so they'd obviously go together!"). The brief hint of romance at the end really threw me, as well. There isn't *anything* I picked up on through the story, they felt more like partners (a la detectives or cops) than partners (in the romantic sense). The aforementioned striptease felt more like something someone would do to get one's goat, than any sort of genuine attraction.
I did enjoy the magic system, for the most part, and enjoyed the idea of multiple worlds set in the same area. A favorite part of the book is when Kell is discussing the differences between worlds, and kind of hints at a little alternate history in (I believe) his world, how "England" doesn't exist. Dumb, fun note: Lila at one point invokes Jesus Christ's name, so we know he existed in at least one world with magic.
I'd also give a huge shoutout to the new language that the book makes, seemingly combining French, German, and maybe one or two others. It works pretty well, and I think it's peppered wonderfully throughout the book. Big fan of the fact that there's a glossary in the back of the book, too.
I didn't mind it, but I think I'll give the next books a pass.
Moderate: Sexual assault
abby_can_read'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
3.0
I had fun reading this book. Overall, I would say it was fine. There was good worldbuilding and I liked the characters. I found parts of it confusing and I did struggle to stay interested at times and there were parts where I didn't really care what happening to the characters.
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Sexual assault, Torture, and Murder
Minor: Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual harassment
uselesspirateraven's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Misogyny, Physical abuse, Slavery, and Grief
Minor: Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide, Torture, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual harassment
ajrbrennan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Minor: Sexual assault and Transphobia
hazeyfails's review against another edition
3.0
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual assault, Violence, and Blood
kenzibir's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
luxxltyd's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Grief
thegoodship88's review against another edition
3.75
Sometimes, despite the intriguing world building and magic system I found myself not engaged—I’m guessing that was a writing issue but I’m not really sure.
Overall a very engaging read with a magical world and a plot I really enjoyed, especially for the second half of the book.
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment
op3's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Torture, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Blood, Kidnapping, and Fire/Fire injury
joepyeweed's review against another edition
4.0
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment