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fkshg8465'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
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Infertility, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Outing, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail
siglerbooknook's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
This book has proved complicated to review. I have many conflicting thoughts and feelings now that I've finished the whole story.
While the ending wasn't completely satisfying it does make sense, both with the plot, and with the way the main characters have been built. Several goals from all 3 books felt very rushed. Big bads that have been overwhelmingly powerful for 3 books were a cliffnote in the ending.
Of all the characters in the book I liked Diana and Matthew the least. Their personalities while well rounded, are very similar to how they were in the beginning of the first book. I don't feel like they grew much. By this book I felt like Matthew should have learned to have some faith in Diana and Diana should stop second guessing everything.
The side characters however, completely make up for it. I love almost every other character in the book, even if some feel like completely different people from the last time we saw them.
I felt like the plot dragged a little in the middle. We spend the entire second book on Diana learning to use her magic, so further learning in this book felt repetitive. I didn't really need to know how she comes up with words and ingredients for spells multiple times to understand she was growing as a witch.
I did love the big reveal at the end. Harkness does a wonderful job pulling all the tiny clues together. Any detail can be tied back to the reveal beautifully. I do wish she'd answered a few of the broader questions in a little more detail, like what daemons, witches, and vampires are.
Over all I enjoyed the story and am mostly satisfied with the ending.
Graphic: Child abuse, Torture, Violence, and Stalking
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Eating disorder, Miscarriage, Misogyny, and Kidnapping
sarah_sedai_blueajah'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Death, Torture, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, and Pregnancy
kirjakimalainen'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? It's complicated
2.5
Graphic: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Xenophobia, Medical content, Trafficking, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, and War
Minor: Ableism and Racial slurs
Unnecessary detail into rape as torture in a medical setting (graphic). Threaths of raping/killing/hurting children. G-slur against Romani people used once. The name of the only disabled character is "Cripplegate" (minor character). Random medical malpractice, justifying alcohol use during pregnancy (minor). Abusive/toxic family members (moderate). Holocaust/Nazis (graphic)abirej's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
God almighty. No. When Gallowglass de Clairmont confessed his undying love for Diana, I almost quit. Like I did not want to pick the book up to find out how it ended. Along with the pacing problems, Diana’s increasing Mary Sue complex was entirely too grating in this book. Matthew’s as well. Graphic for no reason at all. I was sick to my stomach reading the scene with Benjamin and the witch; I understand I was supposed to have feelings during that scene, what I don’t understand is why a trigger warning was notably absent for this story. No, I definitely did not like this book. Very unsatisfactory ending.
Graphic: Death, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Blood, Stalking, and Pregnancy
mgdmcc'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
Minor: Child abuse, Gore, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Murder
smargopittman's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
2.5
Graphic: Torture
Moderate: Child death, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, and Kidnapping
johannaplatt's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Pregnancy
zoenelson'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? It's complicated
4.25
This particular book did a few things well: it left enough open at the end for the reader to interpret as they please; it solidified Matthew and Diana's love story; and gave us more time with the supporting cast. I did not like that Harkness introduced
I wanted to rate this a 4.75 because I loved the first book and parts of the second, but choices to add so many elements in the second and third books diminished what the first book set up so well.
Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, and Torture
Moderate: Child death, Gore, and Blood
Minor: Stalking and Pregnancy
gillian_aftanas's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement and Alcohol
Minor: Animal death, Drug use, Genocide, Homophobia, Antisemitism, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, and Classism