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rachela_7's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Hate crime, Religious bigotry, and Abandonment
craftysnailtail's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.75
Wes and Margaret as characters are just... fine. Wes is described in extreme detail as having ADHD and Margaret struggles with PTSD. While I appreciate the representation, I disliked the execution. Their neurodivergence and mental illness were presented as if that was all they were as people and that really bothered me. However, there was some character development and the romance was sweet and angsty.
Every once in a while I'd notice prose that were beautifully written, so it's a shame the rest of the writing didn't stand out to me. For a book that claims to be about a magical hunt, I got 90% of the way through and it STILL hadn't started. The pacing was all wrong. I also found the religious parallels to real life a bit unnecessary. As a background kind of book, it was fine. But it's not one that I'll be recommending to friends.
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Blood, Religious bigotry, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content and Classism
doodeedoda's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Sexual content, Blood, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Emotional abuse and Abandonment
maebae'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Xenophobia, Blood, Antisemitism, and Abandonment
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Religious bigotry, and Injury/Injury detail
millie'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
3.5
i liked it.
allison saft's is an amazing writer. it's lovely and descriptive without being too heavy handed. i was a bit wary at first but it did end up liking how she explored religious persecution and xenophobia and how it impacted the characters and their motivations. the worldbuilding is rich, a lot of it leave the reader with unanswered questions but allison saft still make it work because it make the setting feel lived in (if that make sense.).
as for the story itself, well, as we approached the end, i was feeling bored and restless. it is very character driven and we spend a lot of time with them doing internal work while the external events are meant to lead us to the hunt but we see/experience very little of it, just bits here and here and the hunt ends up being genuinely speed through and it is a little disappointing. that aside, i still a lot of question left : why do we need to kill the hala? why is it evil? is it really the last of its kind?
because it was originally a fullmetal alchemist fic, i thought the hala was the result of magaret's mother magnus opus since it is extremely implied that she tried to resurrect the brother, and the result of that transmutation just created the hala, like in fma 2003 where human transmutation would create homonculuses. idk maybe i'm just rambling. that part if the story felt rich but unexplored and dissastifying.
i would definitively recommend it to other people as a slow-burn romance with some element of fantasy.
Graphic: Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, and Abandonment
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
zannayo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Abandonment
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, and Mental illness
carina_dreamer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
5.0
It bothered me that the map in the beginning was so beautiful and marking many towns, but is misleading since they don't travel there. Might it be possible to have follow up books...?
The most beautiful points of this book are: the beautiful writing, the social comments about racism and xenophobia in a makeshift country, culture and races, but that have close similarities to our world; and the most charming grumpy girl with sassy boy's first love affair.
Big surprise too, their pining for each other gets hot for my surprise 🤠it's not a fade to black, but it's also not a long and extravagant scene.
Graphic: Animal death, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death
miagic_tome'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
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The Sumic, Yu'adir, and Kathartist religions were interesting in their differing interpretations on the same topics, like the Demiurge. But the almost one to one comparisons of language and practices to real life religions was so off putting it took me out of immersion. Reading words like Bible and confession felt so out of place in this story that tries so hard to be fantastical. Not to mention the very blatant antisemitic conspiracy theories that occurred within the world. How many religious groups can be hated for secretly controlling all the banks? At least two apparently. Considering how important it was that the main characters were religious minorities, these uncanny mentions happen quite a few times and it really struck me as odd every time, I feel like there are new practices and forms of hatred that could've taken place.
Despite the above, I really enjoyed the interactions between all the characters, good and bad. Margaret and Wes's inner monologues were immersive I loved both of them going from hate/indifference to begrudging companionship to.... more. Oh but it was like deja vu to see
As complainy as this review has been, I did enjoy this book and am open to reading more works from this author at some point.
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Religious bigotry
Minor: Sexual content and Death of parent
farrahwho's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal death and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Abandonment
Minor: Child death and Death of parent
callistag1'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: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Animal death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Abandonment, and Classism
Minor: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail