nzmerchant's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-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? No
3.75
Most enjoyable book of the series thus far. I think because a lot of my questions were answered and I’ve mastered the art of skimming through this book such that I skip the dull bits and get straight to the action (all types of action). Very curious to see where the story goes. As much as I’m confused by the lore (and I really just need a map of poppy’s lineage at this point - can we start a wiki for this series??), im ADDICTED to this series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, War, and Sexual content
midnacine's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
Graphic: Torture, Sexual content, Violence, Confinement, War, and Death
Moderate: Blood, Animal death, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
tguccione'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Confinement, and Death
Moderate: Child death, Kidnapping, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
cryosphinx's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
- 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? It's complicated
3.0
This felt like a filler episode. I don't think it was as bad as some people say, I still very much enjoyed it, but it was....odd? The first half was perfectly fine, then the second half slows down a lot but then so much happens in the last 10 pages TOO fast. It also
I still very much enjoy Poppy's journey into finding her strength but at this point, her only flaw is that she gets angry and asks too many questions, which we know already. Casteel really got moved to the backseat in this book, but at least Keiran is here and quickly became my favorite of the trio.
So yeah it's not great, but it's not horrible and I'm still enjoying reading it and will continue to read but totally understand people giving up or it just not being their cup of tea. It's not as repetative but it's still there, there's still lots of heavy dialogue "telling-not-showing" sections, and randomly modern lingo. Just have the expectation that this is not a amazing piece of literature and have fun.
Spoiler
gets randomly preachy about sexism about who was the truly powerful primal being Seraphena but credit went to Nyktos that was super weird and out of left field.I still very much enjoy Poppy's journey into finding her strength but at this point, her only flaw is that she gets angry and asks too many questions, which we know already. Casteel really got moved to the backseat in this book, but at least Keiran is here and quickly became my favorite of the trio.
So yeah it's not great, but it's not horrible and I'm still enjoying reading it and will continue to read but totally understand people giving up or it just not being their cup of tea. It's not as repetative but it's still there, there's still lots of heavy dialogue "telling-not-showing" sections, and randomly modern lingo. Just have the expectation that this is not a amazing piece of literature and have fun.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Gore, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, War, Murder, Death of parent, and Cursing
Minor: Rape
lem0nbalm_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, War, Sexual content, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Animal death, and Blood
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Body shaming
marbeni's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Classism, Misogyny, and Injury/Injury detail
cady_sass's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
tense
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? Yes
3.75
By far the best in the series so far, color me highly surprised and very intrigued. It’s still very long, too long, but didn’t feel as long as the other ones because the story continued at a good pace all throughout. If it weren’t for the massive and disjointed info dump at the end this would’ve been 4 solid stars and I’d be eating my words. The writing is still not excellent and a bit cringy but I had a hard time putting it down because I needed to know what was going to happen. Chapter 44, though…. Holy 🌶️ 🥵. There are a LOT of plot holes and things that simply cannot and won’t make sense, but it didn’t bother me as much this time. Either she’s worn me down that much or it is slightly better. I think it’s slightly better. It might also just be my borderline obsession with Reaver. I would read an entire series about Reaver….. someone make it happen
There is no next book yet, and I kind of wish this was the final installment. There was a clear ending available here but she didn’t choose it, and the cliffhanger is a bit underwhelming.
There is no next book yet, and I kind of wish this was the final installment. There was a clear ending available here but she didn’t choose it, and the cliffhanger is a bit underwhelming.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Child death, Blood, Violence, War, Sexual content, Gore, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Kidnapping, and Death
Moderate: Death of parent, Alcohol, Torture, Sexual violence, and Rape
mightymaite's review against another edition
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
What a beautiful progression of the story. Poppy and Cas being apart so long made you suffer, but also made the character and relationship development in this book possible. The trauma that Cas went through, the aftermath and the impact on Poppy were so gripping! The atrocities of war in this book were written beautifully and so visually that it gripped you by the throat and branded itself on your eyes.
After seeing the relationships between the characters change and develop over multiple books, it was the perfect time for the Joining to happen. Very natural progression to get here. Tastefully written, full of love and friendship.
This book was the perfect bridge between Poppy's and Nyktos' storyline.
After seeing the relationships between the characters change and develop over multiple books, it was the perfect time for the Joining to happen. Very natural progression to get here. Tastefully written, full of love and friendship.
This book was the perfect bridge between Poppy's and Nyktos' storyline.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Gaslighting, and War
Moderate: Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Grief
hapalyn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual content, War, Blood, Child death, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, and Violence
Minor: Sexism and Misogyny
roget's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
1.0
This reads like a crack fic.
This series would be so much stronger if space that was given to all the tone-ignorant quipping and pages of unnecessarily aggressive, uncomfortable exchanges were instead given to expanding the lore.
The real plot is crammed into info-dumps in dialogue—just like, lecture after lecture of some being or another backtracking like “Well, ACTUALLY…” and then re-explaining lore and ancient relationships that’d already been explained and re-explained half a dozen times but apparently incorrectly. The consort? Interesting plot line. I wish we’d have gotten more of that development.
The Malik-Poppy backstory reveal was absolutely undercut by the series’s penchant for throwing gossip girl-style shocking “twists” at us every five minutes, not to mention the tonally inconsistent suggestive and situationally abhorrent illicit comments. The series isn’t respectful to Kieren, either. He’s basically treated like Poppy’s arm candy this book, and Poppy’s character is shockingly undynamic given the many, many changes she’s been through. She’s still acting like the angry, impulsive, and brash kid who’s playing at power without really understanding it.
The pacing is weird.
As for the content…
I’m interested to know more about the primals and their clearly warped family tree. I want Poppy to return to Ileesium. I want to see more of those dynamics unfold. I wish the book would spend more time and nuance developing that and Poppy herself.
Kind of just reading to find out what happens and how it wraps up at this point, which is disheartening. I’m sure some people find this series fun or entertaining, but the issues have sort of spoiled it for me, at least.
This series would be so much stronger if space that was given to all the tone-ignorant quipping and pages of unnecessarily aggressive, uncomfortable exchanges were instead given to expanding the lore.
The real plot is crammed into info-dumps in dialogue—just like, lecture after lecture of some being or another backtracking like “Well, ACTUALLY…” and then re-explaining lore and ancient relationships that’d already been explained and re-explained half a dozen times but apparently incorrectly. The consort? Interesting plot line. I wish we’d have gotten more of that development.
The Malik-Poppy backstory reveal was absolutely undercut by the series’s penchant for throwing gossip girl-style shocking “twists” at us every five minutes, not to mention the tonally inconsistent suggestive and situationally abhorrent illicit comments. The series isn’t respectful to Kieren, either. He’s basically treated like Poppy’s arm candy this book, and Poppy’s character is shockingly undynamic given the many, many changes she’s been through. She’s still acting like the angry, impulsive, and brash kid who’s playing at power without really understanding it.
The pacing is weird.
Spoiler
It takes them over half the book to rescue Cas, then it’s a large chunk of just adult scenes—the most awkward of which occur in the house of a set of resistance people who take them in and offer shelter only to be melted by Isbeth once Poppy and Cas are done using their familial home as a love shack.As for the content…
Spoiler
There are numerous mature scenes, and if you’re not up for that, you’ll find yourself paging through them frustratedly and wading through neverending passages of violence as you wait for eons for an update about the more integral parts of the plot.I’m interested to know more about the primals and their clearly warped family tree. I want Poppy to return to Ileesium. I want to see more of those dynamics unfold. I wish the book would spend more time and nuance developing that and Poppy herself.
Kind of just reading to find out what happens and how it wraps up at this point, which is disheartening. I’m sure some people find this series fun or entertaining, but the issues have sort of spoiled it for me, at least.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Toxic relationship, Death, Confinement, Gaslighting, Genocide, Gore, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Sexual content, Self harm, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Grief, War, and Torture