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jasfa's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement and Sexual content
Moderate: Toxic relationship
Minor: Child abuse, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Kidnapping, and Death of parent
heartsandthrillers's review
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
- 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
4.0
Excellent first book in a series and it gets better and better with each book. You won’t want to put this series down!
What to expect:
✅ Fae
✅ Fated mates
✅ Dual perspective
✅ 🌶️ (1.5)
✅ Hidden identity
✅ Is it all that it seems?
✅ Incomplete series (Book 4 releases 11/26/24)
What to expect:
✅ Fae
✅ Fated mates
✅ Dual perspective
✅ 🌶️ (1.5)
✅ Hidden identity
✅ Is it all that it seems?
✅ Incomplete series (Book 4 releases 11/26/24)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Sexual content, Violence, Forced institutionalization, and Kidnapping
Minor: Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Death of parent, and Murder
Series gets spicer with each bookizildir13's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Child abuse and Rape
wait_whoissheagain's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I enjoyed this book! I liked the bachelor / deadly competition vibe and the FMC Lor came with a good dose of female rage. Despite this, I feel like this book didn’t quite hit the spot I thought it would.
The action throughout the book was fast-paced and the trials were exciting, but I feel like nothing happened to advance the actual plot of the series, and it was confusing at some points. It was mentioned throughout the book that Lor didn’t understand why she had been taken and placed in the Trials, but right at the end she announced that she did have a secret, but she didn’t tell us what that secret was! I do think that the rest of the series will be good when we get to explore the deeper plot and all the secrets that have been foreshadowed are revealed.
Like I said before, I really like Lor, and we all know I love a bit of female rage, but we didn’t really get to see that rage when it mattered. Again, I hope we get to see more in the coming books. Her story was heartbreaking though, and I’m excited to see her character develop even more.
Gabriel gave me conflicting feelings throughout the book. I kept hoping for some redemption, but as soon as he got the chance to get some, he acted like a complete ass again and it infuriated me! Lor’s relationship with him is something I’m hoping to see develop in the next book.
We don’t really know too much about the other main characters yet, and I’m looking forward to learning more about them. In the next book, I hope to have some questions answered and I’m hoping that we get to see the cunning, powerful character that Lor has the potential to be.
The action throughout the book was fast-paced and the trials were exciting, but I feel like nothing happened to advance the actual plot of the series, and it was confusing at some points. It was mentioned throughout the book that Lor didn’t understand why she had been taken and placed in the Trials, but right at the end she announced that she did have a secret, but she didn’t tell us what that secret was! I do think that the rest of the series will be good when we get to explore the deeper plot and all the secrets that have been foreshadowed are revealed.
Like I said before, I really like Lor, and we all know I love a bit of female rage, but we didn’t really get to see that rage when it mattered. Again, I hope we get to see more in the coming books. Her story was heartbreaking though, and I’m excited to see her character develop even more.
Gabriel gave me conflicting feelings throughout the book. I kept hoping for some redemption, but as soon as he got the chance to get some, he acted like a complete ass again and it infuriated me! Lor’s relationship with him is something I’m hoping to see develop in the next book.
We don’t really know too much about the other main characters yet, and I’m looking forward to learning more about them. In the next book, I hope to have some questions answered and I’m hoping that we get to see the cunning, powerful character that Lor has the potential to be.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault
lrenkate's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
Wow I really enjoyed this! I’m immediately hooked to read the next in the series, and can’t wait to see what happens to Lor.
Before starting I saw it was a mix of The Bachelor and Hunger Games in a Fae realm — that really fits. This was a lot of fun! I liked the action and enjoyed how they employed the usual tropes along the way. I couldn’t give it full stars only because there wasn’t really any surprises in the story (though I have a habit of predicting plot points early).
I loved the FMC. Lor was strong though not infallible, caring yet hardened from her experiences. I liked that she didn’t take shit but also had struggles and stresses that made sense for her age/life.
No one else has the depth of character as Lor, but I can see Nadir developing well. Atlas, the MMC, was interesting but always a bit difficult to pin down - intentionally so. I wish we got more from Apricia and the other Tributes, but if they don’t factor much into remaining books I understand why we’d get their name and very little else.
Before starting I saw it was a mix of The Bachelor and Hunger Games in a Fae realm — that really fits. This was a lot of fun! I liked the action and enjoyed how they employed the usual tropes along the way. I couldn’t give it full stars only because there wasn’t really any surprises in the story (though I have a habit of predicting plot points early).
I loved the FMC. Lor was strong though not infallible, caring yet hardened from her experiences. I liked that she didn’t take shit but also had struggles and stresses that made sense for her age/life.
No one else has the depth of character as Lor, but I can see Nadir developing well. Atlas, the MMC, was interesting but always a bit difficult to pin down - intentionally so. I wish we got more from Apricia and the other Tributes, but if they don’t factor much into remaining books I understand why we’d get their name and very little else.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and Violence
Minor: Sexual violence and Death of parent
abgushte's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Sexual assault
reka111's review against another edition
challenging
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
1.5
Hunger is a language I know. A script I've written a thousand times.
Gods, it's finally over! Well, that was terrible, honestly, some really fucked up intersection of Hunger Games, Selection & ACOTAR. I struggled incredibly hard by the time it ended, oh my goodness.
Lor wasn't that terrible, by the way, although one would think that prison years would make a person distrustful, weak and maybe a little unpredictable, both mentally and physically, but not her. That would be fine, but the fact that she was so terribly naïve (after all of that!) is not. She keeps saying she doesn't need anyone, etc., but she's still helping others — which no sane person would do. I can't figure her out — and I honestly don't want to — but I liked that she had an animalistic rage and a willingness to act. Either way, this martyr role went terribly wrong for her. Atlas, I knew — I felt — that we were going to get another Tamlin, even with a not-so-big change lol. A red flag for everyone, another toxic alpha male that no one needs. When it comes to Nadir, I can't decide what the hell he's doing or who he's having what relationship with, to be honest. He has a goal — an infinitely vague and unnecessary goal — that he pursues like a hound, but I cannot figure out why he does it, and I honestly don't care why he (and everyone else) needs Lor so much. Of the other characters, Gabriel was surprisingly quite tolerable with his duality, but I didn't like him either. Maybe it was Halo who grew a bit close to my heart.
The love story (can I even call it that?) was just so out of the blue that I shook my head. There was no chemistry between them, as if we were trying to put a stone and ice together — there are similarities, but not much. (And by the way, it seems okay to spread your legs the very first time after being raped and abused repeatedly for years at the first opportunity???? What the hell was that??? Who writes such a thing??)
The plot was horribly messed up. No beginning or end, everything was so tuggy and still too fast (a bit counterproductive, but I can't say it any better) all at once. The author should have spent a lot more time and energy building the world (I never thought I'd say that, lol) and leaving eroticism in the background for once in a lifetime. Otherwise, the pace was quite good - not the best, but still not so bad. The wording was fine, although I read it on my mother tongue, so I can't add much. And the end; What was that? I felt the author tried – unsuccessfully – to add a Rhysand rescue expedition (why I don't know) so that if it had fairies, it wouldn't miss the ACOTAR reference. It made no sense or any use.
Overall, there are no gods that would make me volunteer to continue this series, that was more than enough (maybe even a lot) for a lifetime.
PS: that map was terrible.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Blood, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Violence, and Grief
Minor: Bullying, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, and Death of parent
dmrosenblatt's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Violence
travistyaverted's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Sexual content, Violence, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Death, Blood, and Police brutality
Minor: Rape, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent
justsmileandread's review against another edition
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Blood
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Rape