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weirdassfanta's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Unfortunately I hit a reading slump right before starting this, so I feel I didn’t get to savor it as much as I would have otherwise, even so, this is a remarkable, gut wrenching book. Truthfully I have always been a sucker for pomegranate/cannibalism symbolism in love, and this took that part of me and made it into a book. Watching the process of Lucifer being used and toyed with by God and his love for Michael slowly making him realize what abuse he’s been through and him taking a similar power to work towards freeing not just him, but anyone who chooses to follow him. Even when he knows he will not overcome God, and will be punished yet again, he fights so he does not feel trapped under the lies again. The only I have to say is that I dislike the ending, but I do with many books when they tears me to shreds in such a way. I dislike the ending in a way that I am captivated by it. Just don’t expect the fall of Lucifer to be a happy story ig. A book that time and time again left me simply saying, what the fuck.
Graphic: Body horror, Self harm, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, and Torture
Minor: Sexual assault and Fire/Fire injury
caseyreadslol's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Emotional abuse, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Animal cruelty
wardenred's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
And he looked upon himself, but not for long — still couldn’t meet the features of his face because they could spur a need, this need to take. To grab Lucifer and save him — what is there to save him from, in Heaven?
Well, damn. I’ve seen quite a few positive reviews for this book, and it’s one of those times when I just feel I’ve read a different story? I would love to read the one all those reviewers got, it sounds rad. The one in front of me, though… not so much.
I really like the concept here, to be clear, but sadly not the execution. I guess I may retain a few fond memories about the first half, although it was unbearably slow and full of cardboard cutouts in place of characters. Seriously, most of the angels we meet seem to be there only for the author to go, “wink wink, nudge nudge, see that name? THIS HERE IS A FUTURE DEMON.“ And despite spending all those endless pages there, I’ve still got so many question about why Heaven here is the way it is, or how it functions exactly in many aspect. Also, all those big joyous worshiping scenes made me feel weirdly uneasy, almost on part with the gore and sexual assault from the second half. Still, there were also some nice turns of phrase here, some beats that evoked emotion in positive ways, and an overall feeling of “this set-up is sure lengthy, but whatever’s to come when it pays off looks promising from here.“
And then I reached the second half, and, eh. It got worse. On one hand, the pacing no longer was so abysmally slow, but on the other, it got incredibly patchy. The narrative jumped all over the place. There was a lot more focus on the characters’ reactions to pivotal events than the events themselves, so part of the time I genuinely found it hard to figure out what was going on, or how we transferred from one plot point to another. The sudden introduction of gratuitous headhopping didn’t help matters at all (seriously, *why*).
My main takeaway from this book sadly is, “I just don’t get it.“ I don’t get why Lucifer’s fall from grace was driven so greatly by shame (I find it interesting, actually! But. The execution. I don’t get it). I don’t get a single thing about God, like what did he even want, what his motivations were, why. I have no idea what most of the characters’ agendas were, if they had any in the first place. I think I maybe see what the author was trying to do, and the ideas are interesting, but the shape they take is just confusing.
Graphic: Body horror and Sexual assault
raisinreads's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Violence, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Torture
Minor: Alcohol
darthulios'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
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Blood
jellegolas's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Alcohol
gooseberry420's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Gore, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
rmnedder'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
4.5
My only complaint is that it took me a minute to get truly invested; it started out a little slower than I would have liked, but after the first ~25% it really picked up. Other than that, this was such a fantastic read. Sometimes it's nice to be reminded that queerness exists in all corners of mythology.
Graphic: Body horror, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
Minor: Death and Alcohol
wolfst4r's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Body horror, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Cursing, Incest, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Torture, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death
vivelarevolution's review against another edition
Graphic: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault