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elia24's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
Graphic: Violence and Vomit
Moderate: Sexism and Sexual harassment
Minor: Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Rape, and Cannibalism
sarasandex's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Slavery and Vomit
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
ladypalutena's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Is this book ground-breaking? No. A teen who, by all rights, should never have gotten to where they are in life is the "chosen one" picked up by a plucky crown prince and made to fight a ton of grown men to win the right to become an official assassin.
To which I say,
The biggest issue I found is that I never felt afraid for Celaena at any point. She is proven over and over again, in every situation, that she is better than everyone else. She's not only beautiful, but she's deadlier than everyone, and oh by the way, did you know she's only 18?
It is also so painfully obvious where this book is going to go. There's a weak attempt at misdirection with Celaena believing that one specific person is the champion-murderer, which made me roll my eyes. Maas all but crams it down your throat early on, and then dances around the lumpy blanket on the ground just to whip off the cover late in the book and go "Surprise!" But by then, it's not a surprise and the real villain has been super obvious for way too long.
The world is interesting, and while our MC Celaena can be thorny at times, she's an assassin and this is the only way she knows she can't be hurt.
So far, so good. I'm interested in where this is going to lead, and even more interested in how I'm going to juggle my Libby holds for this series when every one of them has a vastly different wait time.
Graphic: Death, Gore, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Slavery, Violence, and War
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
wrensreadingroom's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Deportation
rafacolog's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Sexual harassment
ursimae'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? No
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Drug use, Genocide, Sexual content, Vomit, Kidnapping, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Classism
Minor: Animal death, Child death, Infidelity, Death of parent, and War
ink_bottles_and_quill's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Gore and Violence
Minor: Rape and Sexual harassment
musebeliever's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
0.5
Reading this was a chore for me, I found the pacing excruciatingly slow. The plot is not that complex but is dragged for no reason. MC is supposed to be the deadliest assassin ever, but nothing in the narration prooves it. The story is riddled with plot holes and contradictions, while the love interests are very dry. This is a shame because I was interested in the fae and the general story of the kingdom. All of this was stiffled with the lack of world building. I also really wanted to know more about the word marks, but this was diluted in the subpar attempt at romance. AND I LOVE ROMANCE BOOKS AND TROPES!!! To be fair, the narrator accentuated the fact that Selena considers nearly all court women to be stupid by giving them very annoying voices.
Graphic: Slavery and Sexual harassment
ifoundcallie's review against another edition
- 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? No
3.75
Graphic: Death, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Slavery, Vomit, Kidnapping, Alcohol, and War
Minor: Animal death, Child death, Cursing, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Torture, Grief, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, and War
heathersinkwell's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Also, keep in mind this is a YA book, not an adult fantasy book. It's comparable to GoT but it's not GoT (which is adult fantasy). There is a decent amount of telling, not showing. Again, I expect that in a YA book.
People complain about Celaena being whiney or "not assassin-like."
So, despite the hype, I tempered my expectations and enjoyed the book for what it is. I'm excited to read the rest of the series!
Tropes:
-enemies to lovers
-love triangle
-chosen one
-banned magic
-good vs evil
-reluctant hero
-orphan hero
Graphic: Physical abuse, Slavery, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Classism
Moderate: Torture
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, Rape, Sexual assault, Cannibalism, and Sexual harassment