The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
camiclarkbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I could not consume this story fast enough! Everything that happened had my mouth hanging open and going through the whole spectrum of emotions.Â
Leigh Bardugo is a genius.Â
How much longer until book three though???
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Death, and Violence
Minor: Drug abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Mental illness, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, Grief, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Drug use, and Police brutality
prairieraven's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Car accident, Gore, Addiction, Body horror, Gun violence, Murder, Racial slurs, Medical trauma, Kidnapping, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicide, Mental illness, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Animal cruelty, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Eating disorder, Rape, Abandonment, Sexism, Slavery, Drug abuse, Hate crime, Sexual content, Violence, Cancer, Child death, Confinement, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Stalking, Torture, Vomit, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Classism, Cursing, Police brutality, Racism, and Toxic friendship
lisashelves's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gore
Minor: Vomit and Death of parent
paduckling's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Murder, Blood, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Emotional abuse, Animal death, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Drug abuse, and Grief
Moderate: Mental illness, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Classism, Toxic friendship, Addiction, Forced institutionalization, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Police brutality, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Slavery, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, and Vomit
sarahsbooklife'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
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Death of parent
Moderate: Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Rape, Violence, Animal death, Body horror, Grief, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical trauma
Minor: Sexual assault, Medical trauma, Sexism, Vomit, Rape, Panic attacks/disorders, and Murder
wardenred'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? No
4.0
He’s gone, Alex. It’s time to accept that. Even if you were right, whatever survived in hell wouldn’t be the Darlington you know.
Well, this was a trip! I confess I didn't fall in love with this installment as much as I did with the first book, but this was still incredibly engrossing and entertaining. I loved getting to know the familiar characters more and seeing their relationships redefined. All the storylines held a lot of tension. The dark academia vibe was thick as ever. So much lore about the societies and the dark, death-soaked magic. And so many demonic puzzles to solve and dangerous libraries to survive! In other words, all the thrills.
I think the storyline I particularly enjoyed was the one where Alex had to work through that one big part of her past—I really don't want to start talking about it in more detail, because I will just start spewing spoilers. But then there was all the magic, too, and assembling the crew to go into actual hell, and lots of characters from the first book getting to be more front and center. I loved Alex's friendships with Dawes and Mercy, and getting to know Turner better.
What I didn't fully love was how all of this was pulled together. The "making plans and assembling the party to go into hell" part dragged on for entirely too long, and then things started moving a bit too fast and, more importantly, unevenly. It was like the intermediary resolutions and plot points were coming at entirely the wrong places. The juggling of multiple timelines and gradual reveals didn't work nearly as effectively as it did in The Ninth House. I was also not a fan of certain aspects of Darlington's storyline, but that's something I can chalk up to taste. The book's weird composition, though, objectively detracted from my enjoyment, even though it's SO full of things I enjoy.
Graphic: Violence and Death
Moderate: Police brutality, Panic attacks/disorders, Drug use, Cursing, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Drug abuse, Rape, and Vomit
caitlin_plotsandpints's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Violence, Murder, Blood, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Sexual content, Vomit, and Rape
Minor: Slavery
mollyelyn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, Violence, Murder, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Blood, Death, Drug use, Gore, Mental illness, and Vomit
hannahcstocks'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
Graphic: Murder, Confinement, Death, Cannibalism, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Animal cruelty, Blood, Stalking, and Animal death
Moderate: Death of parent, Vomit, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Slavery, Forced institutionalization, and Gun violence
Minor: Toxic relationship, Torture, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Abandonment, Misogyny, Drug abuse, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, and Drug use
alwaysellana's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Sexual violence, Vomit, and Murder
Moderate: Self harm, Rape, Suicide, Sexual violence, and Torture
Minor: Death, Body horror, Misogyny, Addiction, and Death of parent