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_haggis_'s review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-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? Yes
3.0
A fun YA fantasy with an interesting cast, forgivable cliches and a plot worth re-reading.
I liked this. Quite a lot. It's everything that's good about YA books - there's magic, there's fun, there's the lovable best friend and sassy eyebrow raising. There's also a well developed and original (which is always a happy point) plot which really gets going about half way through the book.
The story is set against the very popular 'angel and demon war' which seems to making the rounds recently, but Laini Taylor reimagines it with a freshness and intrigue that's certainly worth the read. Instead of demons we have chimeras - not a homogenous species but set of races with their own languages, cultures and tongues that we're told were united in the face and under the oppression of a common enemy. The angels aren't of the religious sort either - but defied soldiers caught in their own imperialism. I think this is a fantastic premise because you get at once a dystopian world falling under the weight of an eternal war which is driven by propaganda and what is effectively racism (species-ism). I think the reflection upon the dangers and atrocities of imperial and colonial societies is probed and explored well and offers a critique of our own society against the fantastical backdrop of the book.
The characters are a mix of the fantastical, the real, and yes the cliche. Karou (the protagonist) is, I think at least, quite a good representation of a 17 year old. She's got blue hair, occasionally uses magic for lazy and petty things, and gets fed up with her dysfunctional family. Okay, so she isn't the most well rounded character, can be quite moody, and is sometimes a little flat - but it's okay. The book carries it. I was rather bored by Akiva, the love interest, who Taylor initially tries to make into the brooding bad boy - unemotional and merciless *yawn*, I didn't think he was remotely worth caring about and his sudden humanity and compassion felt like it came out of nowhere. However - about halfway through you see a completely different side of him, and I found myself really rooting for the guy. I mean, learning a forbidden language of the enemy, inventing new magic, and sneaking into your enemy's ball? And then flirting with a horse mask? . To be honest the moody start seems to be his main character inconsistency as he's revealed to be a very gentle idealist at heart.
The real steal of the show HAS to be Brimstone. Honestly. He's full of depth and surprises and was definitely my favourite part of the whole book. Gosh he's so cool.
However, I do think my favouritism of Brimstone hampered my overall enjoyment of the book. The ending, where this character you've grown to love, who has as much screen-time as the protagonist, has been killed? By the love interest? At this moment I felt so betrayed and decided I didn't want to read the rest of the series. It felt Taylor was riding entirely on shock factor and for me it missed the mark. Why would I still be invested in the romance after this?
Overall I still think it is a good read, creative, fantastical and good for any YA lover. If you like enemies-to-lovers, magical realism, or have a strange interest in teeth then check this out :)
I liked this. Quite a lot. It's everything that's good about YA books - there's magic, there's fun, there's the lovable best friend and sassy eyebrow raising. There's also a well developed and original (which is always a happy point) plot which really gets going about half way through the book.
The story is set against the very popular 'angel and demon war' which seems to making the rounds recently, but Laini Taylor reimagines it with a freshness and intrigue that's certainly worth the read. Instead of demons we have chimeras - not a homogenous species but set of races with their own languages, cultures and tongues that we're told were united in the face and under the oppression of a common enemy. The angels aren't of the religious sort either - but defied soldiers caught in their own imperialism. I think this is a fantastic premise because you get at once a dystopian world falling under the weight of an eternal war which is driven by propaganda and what is effectively racism (species-ism). I think the reflection upon the dangers and atrocities of imperial and colonial societies is probed and explored well and offers a critique of our own society against the fantastical backdrop of the book.
The characters are a mix of the fantastical, the real, and yes the cliche. Karou (the protagonist) is, I think at least, quite a good representation of a 17 year old. She's got blue hair, occasionally uses magic for lazy and petty things, and gets fed up with her dysfunctional family. Okay, so she isn't the most well rounded character, can be quite moody, and is sometimes a little flat - but it's okay. The book carries it. I was rather bored by Akiva, the love interest, who Taylor initially tries to make into the brooding bad boy - unemotional and merciless *yawn*, I didn't think he was remotely worth caring about and his sudden humanity and compassion felt like it came out of nowhere. However - about halfway through you see a completely different side of him, and I found myself really rooting for the guy.
The real steal of the show HAS to be Brimstone. Honestly. He's full of depth and surprises and was definitely my favourite part of the whole book. Gosh he's so cool.
Overall I still think it is a good read, creative, fantastical and good for any YA lover. If you like enemies-to-lovers, magical realism, or have a strange interest in teeth then check this out :)
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual content
ronan_lesh's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-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? No
4.5
The worldbuilding for this book is brilliant and the payoffs are phenomenal.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Rape and Torture
bringmybooks's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-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? Yes
5.0
Original Read: 2015, Re-Read: July 2023
Original Rating 4 ★ , Re-Read Rating 5 ★
Original Rating 4 ★ , Re-Read Rating 5 ★
✨ 𝗕𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚 ✨ B̷O̷R̷R̷O̷W̷ B̷Y̷P̷A̷S̷S̷
Alright so I was a bit worried about re-reading this, because … what if it didn’t hold up?! I am very happy to report that it DID hold up and I love love love love these characters so much.
I don’t normally vibe with fated love but for whatever reason it just WORKS here. It just does.
(there’s a slight parking of the brain on the angels vs demons aspect, but I look at it from a fantasy standpoint and call it a day)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and War
Moderate: Genocide, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual content