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piperclover's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I thought I would hate this but by the end of the first chapter I was enthralled. These characters are so bad and messy but I still loved every bit of their story. The ending is such a huge let down though so that's why its not rated higher. It will bother some people that there isn't more ruthless fighting or scheming on Alessandra's behalf but I actually appreciated that that part faded a bit to the background. This is one of the first fantasies where I actually do understand why the love interest is the love interest.
Neither the king nor the Alessandra are good people. They both are incredibly morally grey but so blatant and ouward about it, you can't help but root for them. Theres a lot of really great themes like female friendship, sexually independent women, and women's rights generally. Alessandra is the quintessential "im here for women's rights AND women's wrongs" and the king cheers her on which is just so fun to watch.
Neither the king nor the Alessandra are good people. They both are incredibly morally grey but so blatant and ouward about it, you can't help but root for them. Theres a lot of really great themes like female friendship, sexually independent women, and women's rights generally. Alessandra is the quintessential "im here for women's rights AND women's wrongs" and the king cheers her on which is just so fun to watch.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
brookey8888's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I really enjoyed this! I really love the main characters she was probably my favorite part of the book. She was just so strong and unapologetic which I just loved. The romance was cute. I also really enjoyed the friendship aspect of this. The plot was interesting but wasn’t my favorite I just really like the characters and the relationships. I also liked the feminist tones of this book
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
lauritbh's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
this is one of those books where when you start reading, you can NOT put it down.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Murder, and Abandonment
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Blood, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
haley49's review against another edition
adventurous
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The characters are bad people but you still root for them??? They are casually down with murder and classism but are kind of feminists so it’s okay???
My feelings on the main characters are mixed but I loved them evolving together and realizing how alike they were, The pace felt natural and the story was interesting.
My feelings on the main characters are mixed but I loved them evolving together and realizing how alike they were, The pace felt natural and the story was interesting.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Classism
Minor: Sexual content, Torture, Blood, Medical content, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
b_robinson's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
ugghhhhhhhhh I was in pain during every single second of this ridiculous book.
I don't get it. Why is there SO MUCH HYPE??? WHAT IS THERE TO LOVE????
"it's a slytherin romance", yeah sure, a SHITTY ONE
"alessandra is a feminist icon", a completely insufferable and unloveable one, naturally
you know that something has gone terribly wrong when you're glad that the MC's plan falls apart :(
She was so goddamn WHINY and SNOOTY and ENTIRELY UP HERSELF; this girl was in desperate need of a reality check, something that this entire novel is disappointingly lacking. Where was the world? Where was the development?? Couldn't I have a single likeable character that wasn't a dog???
Why were we all for ~equality~ and ~dismantling the patriarchy~ until we weren't talking about the nobility? Why does the peasantry get looked down upon, as if they don't deserve these same rights?? MAKE IT MAKE SENSE.
I've already spent way too much energy on this story, and I'm so excited to mark it as finished, and I hope I never have to think about it again.
I don't get it. Why is there SO MUCH HYPE??? WHAT IS THERE TO LOVE????
"it's a slytherin romance", yeah sure, a SHITTY ONE
"alessandra is a feminist icon", a completely insufferable and unloveable one, naturally
you know that something has gone terribly wrong when you're glad that the MC's plan falls apart :(
She was so goddamn WHINY and SNOOTY and ENTIRELY UP HERSELF; this girl was in desperate need of a reality check, something that this entire novel is disappointingly lacking. Where was the world? Where was the development?? Couldn't I have a single likeable character that wasn't a dog???
Why were we all for ~equality~ and ~dismantling the patriarchy~ until we weren't talking about the nobility? Why does the peasantry get looked down upon, as if they don't deserve these same rights?? MAKE IT MAKE SENSE.
I've already spent way too much energy on this story, and I'm so excited to mark it as finished, and I hope I never have to think about it again.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Murder, and Classism
Minor: Death of parent and Injury/Injury detail
rensreading's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
by chapter 2, i was seriously considering DNFing this book but i carried on because the synopsis promised me a love interest that hadn’t been introduced yet and i wanted a glimpse of him before i DNFed.
i’m so glad i waited for him. he carried this novel on his back, his poor shoulders must be breaking under the strain of all that success. kallias is my everything. he was the only reason i started liking alessandra. and by the time he learns of what she did to her first lover (though his age is never brought up, i’m still of the opinion that hektor groomed her) then laughs about it, i realized they really deserved each other.
(in reality, i started liking alessandra when she schemed her friend out of a marriage he would have hated and solved her own problem of unwanted suitors with it. how could i not adore a girlboss?)
the political intrigue and the plot were absolutely marvelous. i started suspecting the assassin by the time that he confessed to alessandra while kallias was listening. i kept wondering why alessandra didn’t see it until it was almost too late but i am glad that his sexism was what caused his demise. a man like him truly assumed that alessandra was nothing less than a noblewoman newly scorned by her ex-lover. what a mistake!
kallias was down bad for alessandra and i loved that fact by the end too lol definitely a 5 stars read for me (:
i’m so glad i waited for him. he carried this novel on his back, his poor shoulders must be breaking under the strain of all that success. kallias is my everything. he was the only reason i started liking alessandra. and by the time he learns of what she did to her first lover (though his age is never brought up, i’m still of the opinion that hektor groomed her) then laughs about it, i realized they really deserved each other.
(in reality, i started liking alessandra when she schemed her friend out of a marriage he would have hated and solved her own problem of unwanted suitors with it. how could i not adore a girlboss?)
the political intrigue and the plot were absolutely marvelous. i started suspecting the assassin by the time that he confessed to alessandra while kallias was listening. i kept wondering why alessandra didn’t see it until it was almost too late but i am glad that his sexism was what caused his demise. a man like him truly assumed that alessandra was nothing less than a noblewoman newly scorned by her ex-lover. what a mistake!
kallias was down bad for alessandra and i loved that fact by the end too lol definitely a 5 stars read for me (:
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror and Alcohol
Minor: Emotional abuse, Grief, Sexual harassment, and Classism
Slut shaming happens a lot as well.ednam0dewannabe's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Blood, and Death of parent
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Murder, Alcohol, and War