jojesweden's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This might be one of the saddest and most tragic PNR heroines I've ever read. I don't mean that in a bad way, I just mean that the beatings she takes throughout the book are something above and beyond. Usually, I think something along the lines of "wow, this is a badass, she just gets back up and keeps going" but this time it's more "how does she get back up and keep going, even in the context of this narrative, it's almost too badass to be believable". It is believable though, because she does admit the injustice and unfairness in her internal monologue. We get to see that each punch she takes does, in fact, affect her emotionally, she just doesn't let it affect her spirit or behavior. At least not most of the time. The scene where she drives away in a car after an especially unfair experience and explicitly picks up her phone to start playing "Hate My Life" by Theory of a Deadman was especially poignant. Even so, she admits time and again that much of her suffering is jealousy, though I'd argue that it is warranted jealousy. All in all, I really like her and feel for her.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Grief, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Rape, Bullying, and Abandonment
splashdash's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
4.0
Ok. So I don’t know how to start this review, I’m kinda speechless. I started this book yesterday morning. Took me 18 hours to finish it. Couldn’t get my hands off of it. It had A LOT in it. I still have some questions left but it’s not a novel, it’s a series so you can’t blame the first book for not learning everything right away. I love Lena. She is so so strong and inspiring. Then there’s Lucian and omg. So many dark fantasies I lived through that book omg I giggled most of the time. I love the way the world is build and how things unraveled along the way. It wasn’t perfect, it could have been better. But it’s definitely going to be a book I recommend. Loved it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, Gore, and Murder
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