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cicizzy's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I really liked the worldbuilding and the characters. I need to read less romantasy this was really refreshing to read.
But the writing style bothered me. I can’t even say what it was, maybe I was just too tired to but I felt like I had to focus a lot more than usual while reading. Maybe it’s just that it felt like there are no “unnecessary” sentences. If you miss a sentence you can actually miss important information. There were no drawn out descriptions of places or longer conversations. Everything was short and to the point. I think when it comes to that so would have liked to see a bit more of the worlds and Londons. The lack of description could make it feel a bit “flat” at times and I think it was a bit of a wasted potential. But it is also just the first volume and I hope that the worlds will be explored a bit more in the future volumes.
It also didn’t exactly feel like the early 19th century for me but Gray London also didn’t play a big role.
I‘m looking forward to the rest of the series.
But the writing style bothered me. I can’t even say what it was, maybe I was just too tired to but I felt like I had to focus a lot more than usual while reading. Maybe it’s just that it felt like there are no “unnecessary” sentences. If you miss a sentence you can actually miss important information. There were no drawn out descriptions of places or longer conversations. Everything was short and to the point. I think when it comes to that so would have liked to see a bit more of the worlds and Londons. The lack of description could make it feel a bit “flat” at times and I think it was a bit of a wasted potential. But it is also just the first volume and I hope that the worlds will be explored a bit more in the future volumes.
It also didn’t exactly feel like the early 19th century for me but Gray London also didn’t play a big role.
I‘m looking forward to the rest of the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Death, Slavery, Torture, Violence, and Kidnapping
Minor: Physical abuse, Trafficking, Death of parent, Alcohol, and War
lisa07xie's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I would give it free point five stars and I really like the story itself it does have a different view of Magic then over books. It was kind of hard to get into for me because the beginning was Just Not for me but after some time I began to enjoy it and I accustomed to the writing Style which was really descriptive and it is in 3 Person but we get to see the pov from so many small Characters even which I think is quite rare. But the romance was lacking I was told it has a romance subplot which I think is really untrue the romance in this book was a whole sentence long which was quite disappointing... But I did like the Characters and the story it was something different
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
bean_7088's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- 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
4.25
That was fun. Loved it.
I also loved that even though Kell was supposed to be 21, the narrator read him like an gruff 50 yead old man and it was fun.
I really hope nothing romantic develops between Kell and Lilah in later books, I like them being friends.
I'm learning this is my kind of book.
I also loved that even though Kell was supposed to be 21, the narrator read him like an gruff 50 yead old man and it was fun.
I really hope nothing romantic develops between Kell and Lilah in later books, I like them being friends.
I'm learning this is my kind of book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Gun violence, Slavery, Torture, Forced institutionalization, and Trafficking
It's got magic possession and that leads to some fucked up stuff.chizuui's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- 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? It's complicated
3.0
I definitely enjoyed it as my first pure fantasy book. It had some "darker" moments and depictions of violence that kept me wondering why and how.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Blood
Minor: Sexual assault and Trafficking
samchase112's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Rating: 4.25 stars!
"I'm not going to die," she said. "Not till I've seen it." "Seen what?" Her smile widened. "Everything."
I loved this book; its enigmatic magic, the totally badass characters, the complex worlds and plot lines, the writing...it was incredible!
"...clever was more dangerous than bad any day of the week."
One thing that felt really refreshing about this book was that the romance wasn't overpowering. Maybe that's just because the last book I read was drama-tastic (cough cough, Vampire Academy), but I still loved how the romance was sprinkled in instead of a major plot point. The quirky aspects of this book, like Kell's coat or Rhy's guards' gambling, gave this book a nice lightness as well.
"I'd rather die on an adventure than live standing still."
One more thing- THE HARDCOVER IS GORGEOUS! I borrowed this one from the library, but I may have to buy it just because of its beauty! The cover, the pages……anywho, I almost feel like this would make a good stand-alone. Either way, I am definitely looking forward to getting my hands on A Gathering of Shadows!
Reread: August 2022
After so many years, I finally got my hands on the full trilogy, and it has been an absolute pleasure diving into this magical, vicious world. How could I not up the rating to 5 stars after all the joy I got just from rereading and re-experiencing the delicious twists and turns? Absolutely fantastic, and I really can’t wait to move on to A Gathering of Shadows — for real this time, I promise.
"I'm not going to die," she said. "Not till I've seen it." "Seen what?" Her smile widened. "Everything."
I loved this book; its enigmatic magic, the totally badass characters, the complex worlds and plot lines, the writing...it was incredible!
"...clever was more dangerous than bad any day of the week."
One thing that felt really refreshing about this book was that the romance wasn't overpowering. Maybe that's just because the last book I read was drama-tastic (cough cough, Vampire Academy), but I still loved how the romance was sprinkled in instead of a major plot point. The quirky aspects of this book, like Kell's coat or Rhy's guards' gambling, gave this book a nice lightness as well.
"I'd rather die on an adventure than live standing still."
One more thing- THE HARDCOVER IS GORGEOUS! I borrowed this one from the library, but I may have to buy it just because of its beauty! The cover, the pages……anywho, I almost feel like this would make a good stand-alone. Either way, I am definitely looking forward to getting my hands on A Gathering of Shadows!
Reread: August 2022
After so many years, I finally got my hands on the full trilogy, and it has been an absolute pleasure diving into this magical, vicious world. How could I not up the rating to 5 stars after all the joy I got just from rereading and re-experiencing the delicious twists and turns? Absolutely fantastic, and I really can’t wait to move on to A Gathering of Shadows — for real this time, I promise.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Gun violence, Rape, Slavery, Torture, and Trafficking
Minor: Death and Suicide
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