diana_raquel's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-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
4.75
“I think what people were is less important than what they are. And what people are is less important than what they could be.”
[Moment of fangirling: WHAT WAS THAT ENDING???? ALSO, PACAT, JAMES AND WILL BETTER BE ENDGAME!!]
Look, its very simple: everything Pacat writes, I read! I love every single book! This book is filled with mystery, intrigue and truly unexpected plot-twists. It also has a well-structured plot and well-developed characters. It has everything to be a favorite of mine! And it is! I loved it!
I can't wait for Dark Heir. Totally recommend!
[Moment of fangirling: WHAT WAS THAT ENDING???? ALSO, PACAT, JAMES AND WILL BETTER BE ENDGAME!!]
Look, its very simple: everything Pacat writes, I read! I love every single book! This book is filled with mystery, intrigue and truly unexpected plot-twists. It also has a well-structured plot and well-developed characters. It has everything to be a favorite of mine! And it is! I loved it!
I can't wait for Dark Heir. Totally recommend!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Confinement, Child abuse, Torture, Gore, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Genocide, Death of parent, War, and Violence
spooderman's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Torture, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Death, Classism, Murder, Emotional abuse, Blood, Violence, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Confinement, and Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Pedophilia, Xenophobia, Racism, Trafficking, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Sexism, Infidelity, Incest, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Sexual assault, Self harm, Slavery, Outing, Child death, Child abuse, and Abandonment
dreyy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, Physical abuse, Blood, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Animal death, and Abandonment
justineaxelle's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? Yes
3.75
I’m struggling to form my thoughts on this book. I like some aspects of it and others I wanted to like but didn’t. The writing is good but doesn’t hook you in either, or only at some points throughout the story. I did like the characters but none of them stood out either. I think the plot and its complications overtook the characters and their dynamics completely, and I wanted to see more of the relationships developing. We literally got crumbs for a romantic ship and it was absolutely not enough. The plot twists were good, but there was also too much death. I wish C. S. Pacat would use other things to get her characters to develop other than experiencing deaths of loved ones. You shouldn’t have to kill 80% of your characters to make the plot move along and make your MC develop in some way.
It also didn’t go the way I thought it would in terms of storyline. Reading the first half of the book feels like listening to a song, waiting for the beat to drop and then suddenly it skips to another song and your brain is struggling to switch to another rhythm. I wanted to give the book 3 stars but the ending and the plot twists made it better.
It also didn’t go the way I thought it would in terms of storyline. Reading the first half of the book feels like listening to a song, waiting for the beat to drop and then suddenly it skips to another song and your brain is struggling to switch to another rhythm. I wanted to give the book 3 stars but the ending and the plot twists made it better.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Blood, Child abuse, Violence, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
five_rats_in_a_trenchcoat's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
0.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Xenophobia, Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Racism, and Death
Moderate: Slavery, Rape, and Sexual assault
5aru's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
3.5
Whew. This took a while to read — not the least because I've been on a huge reading slump, but also because I wasn't as invested in the story as I'd hoped. It really picked up near the end, which is why I'm still giving it a good rating, but I do wish it had picked up a little sooner than that.
In truth, my biggest qualm was with the worldbuilding. Though it is solidly done, and the world mythos is quite interesting, there is so much infodumping in this book. The characters are constantly learning new things about the world through chunks of explanation given in dialogue, and though the content is interesting, the scene itself turns out boring, because so much is being told rather than shown through the action. I don't remember Captive Prince doing it nearly as much, but I might be biased...
That's much of what kept me from finishing it as quickly as I would otherwise have, because I was really quite invested in the main quartet of characters. Will, James, Violet and Cyprian were all very well developed, and their relationships feel appropriately nuanced. Katherine and Elizabeth are... okay. They definitely fall short when compared to the rest, probably because their story is barely there in comparison (which works to keep the mystery going, but not to flesh out their characters and make one properly interested). There's also the fact that the relationship between Katherine and Will was rather poorly executed, and Elizabeth hardly there at all — though I expect this will change in future instalments. As for the ending, The focus is most certainly on Will and James, and I'd quite like it kept there, thank you very much. They share by far the most interesting dynamic, and while it is possible to see echoes of Damen and Laurent in some of their interactions, they are very much their own characters, which is great to see. I'll be looking forward to seeing where Pacat takes the story next.
In truth, my biggest qualm was with the worldbuilding. Though it is solidly done, and the world mythos is quite interesting, there is so much infodumping in this book. The characters are constantly learning new things about the world through chunks of explanation given in dialogue, and though the content is interesting, the scene itself turns out boring, because so much is being told rather than shown through the action. I don't remember Captive Prince doing it nearly as much, but I might be biased...
That's much of what kept me from finishing it as quickly as I would otherwise have, because I was really quite invested in the main quartet of characters. Will, James, Violet and Cyprian were all very well developed, and their relationships feel appropriately nuanced. Katherine and Elizabeth are... okay. They definitely fall short when compared to the rest, probably because their story is barely there in comparison (which works to keep the mystery going, but not to flesh out their characters and make one properly interested). There's also the fact that the relationship between Katherine and Will was rather poorly executed, and Elizabeth hardly there at all — though I expect this will change in future instalments. As for the ending,
Spoiler
though I did begin to see the twist coming, I couldn't be mad about it — not when it's as good a twist as this. And I have to say I definitely wouldn't be mad about a pretty corruption arc in the next books, either...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Slavery and Child abuse
Minor: Confinement
bugcollector's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-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? Yes
4.0
what is this bs
and when is the next one coming out 👹😀
and when is the next one coming out 👹😀
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Torture, Violence, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, and Grief
laesterlurch's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, War, Violence, Emotional abuse, and Genocide
Moderate: Torture, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and War
Minor: Vomit
btrz7's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
2.75
Not that I didn't enjoy it, but I have to say this was a bit disappointing for the most part. I think part of it is that the story would work better if it was set on a different world, because the way the big Dark King and the battles between good and evil are explained strike me as unbelievable if they are to fit in the history of our world. I know the characters say that "not all history is written and not all that's written has passed" or some such thing, but without some actual in text evidence it's just hard to swallow.
There are three main POV characters, and while I kind of liked Violet and by the end I actually liked Will, I still didn't love any of them and Katherine was just a walking book stock character (naive 19th century lady who liked dresses and frills and is mostly concerned with her reputation has been done before so many times, and this iteration has nothing new).
Now, while I liked the way the book ended and will want to read more, I really don't like this thing where the writer puts you in the head of a character but somehow manages to keep crucial information that the character knows hidden from the reader until some big reveal at the end. If that was the way it was to be, then I'd rather the narration keep off the characters' heads or the character in question not to have a POV.
There are three main POV characters, and while I kind of liked Violet and by the end I actually liked Will, I still didn't love any of them and Katherine was just a walking book stock character (naive 19th century lady who liked dresses and frills and is mostly concerned with her reputation has been done before so many times, and this iteration has nothing new).
Now, while I liked the way the book ended and will want to read more, I really don't like this thing where the writer puts you in the head of a character but somehow manages to keep crucial information that the character knows hidden from the reader until some big reveal at the end. If that was the way it was to be, then I'd rather the narration keep off the characters' heads or the character in question not to have a POV.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Colonisation, Death of parent, Infidelity, Kidnapping, and Racism
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