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fairycakesfawn's review against another edition
No content warnings; was extremely triggering. Also: author poorly handled criticism; used racial stereotypes in effort at inclusion; claimed bisexual fantasy romance yet 1/3 of the book the characters are minors and no sign of bisexual content makes it feel like baiting
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Religious bigotry
kaylurzz's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
The amount of times I almost DNF-ed this. I should have and saved myself some time lol.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, Trafficking, and Murder
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, and Abandonment
Minor: Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, and War
frizzbiscuit's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-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
3.5
Plot had me hooked, addictive read, but the constant fetishisation of POCs is really uncomfortable to read.
Every single line talking about how delectable Nox is also talks about her dark caramel skin. Amaris is similarly compared to a snowflake and her pale skin is always talked about when they talk about how beautiful she is, I get that it's SUPPOSED to be a contrast thing, but yeah, the narrative talks about them VERY differently.
The sexual violence is also not my cup of tea. I did look up content warnings first and there is a very clear disclaimer in the beginning of the book, so I was prepared. Some of those scenes were clearly written to showcase the horror of it, but the way Nox "reclaims" her power doesn't really hit the mark for me.
The number of typos and just like horrendously wrong sentences was also super distracting while reading, but that probably makes sense for a self-published book.
Overall though, I enjoyed the story and was rooting for characters.
The number of typos and just like horrendously wrong sentences was also super distracting while reading, but that probably makes sense for a self-published book.
Overall though, I enjoyed the story and was rooting for characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, and Trafficking
Minor: Xenophobia and Religious bigotry
joisaddler's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, and Religious bigotry
sifairi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
The world that Piper CJ built in this book was so immersive. I didn't want to finish the book because I didn't want to leave Farleigh! I can't wait for the next installment.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Self harm and Religious bigotry
Minor: Rape
teadancer's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.75
I Adored This Book. I went into it knowing very little other than that I liked the author's online content and that it was a queer high fantasy book. I have 0 regrets about going in blind! There were twists and turns that I just wasn't expecting that had me putting the book down to process (a good thing) and then jumping back in to see what happened next. I absolutely lost sleep reading this book. I am now (im)patiently waiting for the next book in May! The ONLY reason I didn't give this a full 5 stars is because of some editorial issues that took me out of the book when reading.
A specific things that I appreciate about this book were the description of dissociation and mental health struggles. The characters felt very real in their struggles and coping mechanisms.
One thing that I was less a fan of was how the main characters grew up together in what felt like a sibling "us against the world" dynamic that then moved into a romantic relationship. I'm not a huge fan of this relationship arc, but do see how it works for these characters.
If you are a fan of a morally gray protagonist, coming into their own character arcs, political intrigue, and wonderful queer rep (without it being about being queer) - read this book!!!
One thing that I was less a fan of was how the main characters grew up together in what felt like a sibling "us against the world" dynamic that then moved into a romantic relationship. I'm not a huge fan of this relationship arc, but do see how it works for these characters.
If you are a fan of a morally gray protagonist, coming into their own character arcs, political intrigue, and wonderful queer rep (without it being about being queer) - read this book!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Violence
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement