little_rainbow's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Xenophobia, Violence, and War
Moderate: Torture, Animal cruelty, Colonisation, and Religious bigotry
donatio's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I liked the characters as well as the world-building but some things didn't sit right with me.
Spoiler
I'm a big animal friend and I'm intrigued by the concept of opposites, how something cannot exist without an opposite, but the depiction here failed sometimes. The fact that the angels basically colonised the world of the chimaera often fades into the background and the chimaera are still often described as the villain(monsters) because the angels make no appearance except for Akiva's "rightness" and so on; the balance it was probably supposed to be... Is just not there. Even though it is said that the chimaera are intelligent and feeling beings this behavior isn't shown, there is no tender love in Eretz in the chimaera capital described. That makes them seem cruel even though the angels are the "real" enemies.Furthermore I had a problem with some comments made in the book I can't recall specifically now and the fact that everyone seems to be beautiful (ly thin) in some way upsets me.
Still the story managed to draw me in, to care about the characters.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Genocide, Gore, Sexual content, Slavery, War, Classism, Animal death, and Colonisation
Moderate: Sexual assault, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Child death, and Torture
lisa_m's review
- 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
So I got the eBook and started reading it before going to bed. I just wanted to read a few chapters, but I couldn't put it down. I read one and on for multiple hours straight and I only got myself to stop after about 250 pages, because I was so invested in the story. And the only reason I did stop, was because I had to go to uni early the next day.
I finished the book today and it was amazing. The ending hurt me but I'm so excited to see what's coming next! I absolutely hate Thago and I assume we're going to see more of him in the next book, but I really don't want to.
All the twists and reveals where pretty good (at least to me). I mean, I guess I could have assumed some things, but I didn't have the time to think about it, because I was so mentally caught up in the story.
I prefered the chapters in the currently time over the ones in the past though. I feel like the backstory was all just bulked together and even though it was interesting to learn about, I just wanted to go back to the current time because we left off in such a crucial place.
I loved the setting of Prague, the art school and all the weird and amazing 'human' people (Zuzana). Karou was a very likeable protagonist in my opinion, even though she could be quite rash and stupid at times. But even though I was sometimes a bit annoyed by her and felt like she was doing things for absolutely no reason besides to further the plot (like going through the forbidden door.. ), I still liked her in the end. She is relatable in a way and also so far removed from anything at all relatable to normal humans.
Also the relationship between Karou and Akiva reminded me so so much of Hunt and Bryce? Like the whole soldier angel thing.. idk I constantly thought of them. Might be why I liked them so much even though we didn't get a lot of explanation and it was pretty instalovey (which is not normally my favourite..)
Also I really liked all the discussions of the war and perspectives of the different sides. I am very interested to see how the story continues and what more I'll get to learn about this world and its truths.
All in all I would highly recommend this book. I wish I had read it when I was a bit younger though, because I feel like that would have made me enjoy it even more. In my head I just imagine the protagonist being my age (19) instead of 17.
Laini Taylor is an author I kind of always expected to really enjoy reading from, but I never did. I really like the blurbs of her books but tbh I just didn't like the covers so that might have put me off a bit. I did really like her writing style though. It's so immersive! And the worldbuilding felt so real and thorough.
This is just a really good fantasy book and exactly what I wanted to read right now, so I guess it's also a 'right book - right time' kind of thing. :)
Moderate: Murder, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Torture, Abandonment, Confinement, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, War, Xenophobia, Slavery, Stalking, Trafficking, Violence, Colonisation, and Genocide
skypotion's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Animal death, War, and Violence
Moderate: Colonisation
_tamara_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Colonisation, War, Trafficking, Toxic relationship, and Genocide
Minor: Death of parent, Death, Blood, Torture, Toxic relationship, Rape, Violence, Toxic friendship, Sexual violence, and Murder
aseel_reads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Past me was such a little sap 🤣 this is still a fun time but I'm mostly obsessed with Prague, art school, and Zuzana, not so much about the romantic relationship, but still a fun time. Super easy to read but definitely has some dated word choices.
2017: 5 stars
I love this so much 😭😭😭😍 Taylor is one of the most amazing writers ever. I thought I couldn't love anything more than strange the dreamer but this was perfection
Her writing style and descriptions are literal magic. The plots are so amazing and everything is just perfect
I'm so thankful I have the next book with me 😂
Minor: Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Stalking, Torture, Rape, Violence, War, Colonisation, Slavery, and Sexual harassment
bringmybooks's review
- 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 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.
(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)
Graphic: War, Violence, Slavery, Death, Murder, Animal death, Gore, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Torture
Moderate: Genocide, Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual content