broccoli_j's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I think this book has to grow on you! It has a relatively slow start, but I have never read a book with such an original take on the „chosen one“ Trope.
The worldbuilding, the characterarcs and the magic system are just insane and the story uses the found family trope in such a unique way!
This was a great first book and I’m excited for the rest of the series!!!
The worldbuilding, the characterarcs and the magic system are just insane and the story uses the found family trope in such a unique way!
This was a great first book and I’m excited for the rest of the series!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting
Moderate: War, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Violence, and Child abuse
squisheebee_'s review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This book literally had me completely spellbound from the first page. Literally ran to order the sequel AND the authors book for a separate series. Like omfg. Yes it’s YA. Yes the pros is super easy to ready but god is it beautifully written AND the story!? Don’t get me started. I will not take slander about this book. If it was not for you that’s fine, but it was certainly for me. 😇
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Classism
Moderate: Medical content and Grief
Minor: Physical abuse, Violence, Murder, Blood, and War
cecinamo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
It was an incredible story! I read the Six Swans fairy tale as a kid, so this book was somehow quite nostalgic to me xD. The main character is absolutely amazingly written. The side characters too! I especially liked . Also Seryu was robbed ;-; He was such a cool character and we didn’t see enough of him.. I liked Takkan, but he seemed a little to perfect… Would definitely recommend this book tho!!
Spoiler
Raikama! I thought her story was so interesting and the relationship between her and Shiori was so cute ;^;. It was a nice twist to make the stepmother kind instead of evil like in the original fairytale
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, Blood, Abandonment, Grief, Misogyny, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, and Torture
Minor: War
bones_jackson's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Achei incrível, eu não sei porque eu não continuei a ler ele antes, a história é muito criativa e bem escrita, e o romance é maravilhoso.
Agora que acabou nesse clifthanger gigantesco eu preciso ler o próximo urgentemente
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, and Violence
Moderate: War
Minor: Grief and Death of parent
quinn_07's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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
3.5
The cover is gorgeous and has a beautifully illustrated map to accompany the story. The world was stunning and I’d love to learn more about it. My main critique is that the pacing wasn’t great - some scenes dragged while others shifted tone so quickly and needed more time to change scene. I loved all of the characters, but wish we had more time to learn about them all in more depth.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, and Death
Moderate: Murder and Violence
Minor: War
lotoblanco's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- 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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Animal death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Moderate: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Slavery, and Gaslighting
Minor: War
princessrory's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Grief
Minor: War, Violence, Blood, Confinement, and Murder
eetishmeh's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
[This review was written before reading the second book in the duology.]
I absolutely loved this book.
The worldbuilding was vast and beautiful, and showed me that an intricate fantasy world could be crafted without having to be rooted in Western tradition.
Shiori was an incredibly strong main character, and I enjoyed reading her journey immensely.
To be honest, when I first started reading, I was worried that the middle would drag, since I've seen a few reviews say so. Thankfully, I didn't get that sense! Yes, it was harder to get through than the rest of the book, but only marginally. Definitely not as bad as what I'd anticipated.
Another thing I was worried about was the sadness levels. Now, I haven't read Elizabeth Lim's other novels, but my friend has read both books in her previous series and told me that the first book was depressing to the point of being dull. I was concerned going in because I don't like stories that are too sad, but it turns out that this is more like... hurt-comfort, I suppose? Shiori hurts for a while, then later some turn of events makes the tone less sad so we don't dwell on her suffering for too long. (Sorry, Shiori!)
I thoroughly enjoyed the way Elizabeth Lim writes hints at future subplots. They weren't too predictable, yet it was amazing how I could look back at the clues that were there all along!
As for the retelling aspect, it kept close to the original folktale (or the Hans Christian Anderson version, I suppose) while also adding a lot of its own spectacular elements.
Also, I've seen some people mention it already, but in terms of swear words and explicit scenes, this book is entirely clean!
Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to those who love East Asian fantasy and retellings of classic fairytales! As someone who falls into both categories, I know I loved it a lot.
I absolutely loved this book.
The worldbuilding was vast and beautiful, and showed me that an intricate fantasy world could be crafted without having to be rooted in Western tradition.
Shiori was an incredibly strong main character, and I enjoyed reading her journey immensely.
To be honest, when I first started reading, I was worried that the middle would drag, since I've seen a few reviews say so. Thankfully, I didn't get that sense! Yes, it was harder to get through than the rest of the book, but only marginally. Definitely not as bad as what I'd anticipated.
Another thing I was worried about was the sadness levels. Now, I haven't read Elizabeth Lim's other novels, but my friend has read both books in her previous series and told me that the first book was depressing to the point of being dull. I was concerned going in because I don't like stories that are too sad, but it turns out that this is more like... hurt-comfort, I suppose? Shiori hurts for a while, then later some turn of events makes the tone less sad so we don't dwell on her suffering for too long. (Sorry, Shiori!)
Spoiler
I normally am iffy with the arranged marriage trope, but this one won me over! Mainly because Takkan's amazing haha. I also love the way Shiori sees Takkan in a different light as they grow closer, and she progressively thinks of him less as her betrothed and more as her friend... then something more, too. It's realistic and it makes me feel soft and fuzzy inside <3I thoroughly enjoyed the way Elizabeth Lim writes hints at future subplots. They weren't too predictable, yet it was amazing how I could look back at the clues that were there all along!
As for the retelling aspect, it kept close to the original folktale (or the Hans Christian Anderson version, I suppose) while also adding a lot of its own spectacular elements.
Also, I've seen some people mention it already, but in terms of swear words and explicit scenes, this book is entirely clean!
Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to those who love East Asian fantasy and retellings of classic fairytales! As someone who falls into both categories, I know I loved it a lot.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Ableism, and Murder
Minor: Death and Death of parent
I may have missed some warnings, so please look them yo if you're concerned! Stay safe out there :Dguessgreenleaf's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: War
filipa_maia's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
First of all, how beautiful is this cover?
I really enjoyed this book. It was a slow start for me but, when the story really started to gain traction I got completely addicted. Great world building, amazing scenarios, character with such a rich and interesting background - these are the things we can enjoy when reading this book. I love Shiori strength, the way that she overcame everything that was thrown in her way. Even when everything was hopeless.
I can't wait for the next book!
I really enjoyed this book. It was a slow start for me but, when the story really started to gain traction I got completely addicted. Great world building, amazing scenarios, character with such a rich and interesting background - these are the things we can enjoy when reading this book. I love Shiori strength, the way that she overcame everything that was thrown in her way. Even when everything was hopeless.
I can't wait for the next book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Violence, Confinement, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Medical content, Death of parent, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: War