lermaline's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Child abuse, Death, Physical abuse, and Stalking
Minor: Death of parent, Grief, and Colonisation
ankiaisreading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Moderate: Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Death, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Murder, Self harm, Toxic friendship, Violence, Stalking, Suicide, and Vomit
ankiaisreading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Blood, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Drug use, Grief, Child abuse, Death, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Emotional abuse, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
eatingbrains's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
2.25
There was enough mystery and world building to keep me interested in reading more, though the characters were a bit one dimensional they managed to hold my attention.
Other books I've read with this vibe did not have strong enough characters to keep me engaged and since this was a debut novel it has a lot of promise for what comes next.
Minor: Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Alcohol, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Classism, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Violence
rensreading'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? No
4.5
oh, there were so many twists and turns! some i could see coming and others were a huge surprise. still, i'm left with a lot of questions left unanswered but i think that might be cleared up when i read the sequel.
sometimes, scarlett annoyed me due to how defenseless and naive she thought her sister donatella to be. it felt more like her projecting since she's the eldest and has had to protect her sister from their abusive father since their mother abandoned them. i feel for her but at the same time, it felt a little repetitive since that seemed to be her main concern with her sister until the history between her grandma and legend was revealed. i didn't like donatella though. i think in the epilogue we're
supposed to feel sorry for her but i just felt annoyed.
Spoiler
she kidnapped her own sister, staged her own fake kidnap, gaslit her sister into thinking she had gone insane, died then came back to life because her sister loved her so much and we're supposed to feel sorry for her because she didn't end up getting a love story like scarlett? that's some manipulative shit right there and i'm not down with it. itreally pissed me off actually.
it took me a while to realize julian was going to be the love interest, but once i did i was all for it. i could tell he had a lot more secrets than he was hinting at yet my mind ran wild with possibilities after scarlett
Spoiler
traded those 2 days of her life awaySpoiler
giving her one day of his life so they only had to waste one day at caraval instead of two. and gods, when he died, my heart broke. i knew he was going to betray her in some way, but by taking that knife to his face for her sake, i knew his feelings were real too. i was devastated by his last words and how she begged him to keep fighting. a death scene has not spoken to me so much in such a long time so i did get a little teary- eyed. AND THEN HE CAME BACK!4.5 stars from me (:
Graphic: Abandonment, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Torture, Blood, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Suicide, Violence, Child abuse, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Stalking
Minor: Rape
the sisters’ father is an awful person and the cause of many content warnings. the rape is only attempted and is more a version of coercion than sexual assault, the mc does not lose even one article of clothing if you were wondering how severe that scene is.nightdumpling'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
3.0
Graphic: Physical abuse and Suicide
Moderate: Sexual assault, Kidnapping, and Mental illness
Minor: Child abuse, Sexual assault, Stalking, and Suicidal thoughts