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ashley_reya's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Wow, I ended up really enjoying this book! While Lin and Kel are the main narrators, I was enamored with all of the characters in this story. And honestly, through them and Clare’s writing, I fell in love with Castellane. The ending was such a well-earned moments and so cinematic in how it played out. Really excited to see what the next installment holds!
My only qualm is with the audiobook specifically. There were two narrators, one for Kel and one for Lin, and the character voicing was split by section rather than characters. For example, I wish that Kel was still voiced by the narrator for Kel, or that Ji-an & Merren had one voice. Just made following along slightly confusing. 🤷♀️
My only qualm is with the audiobook specifically. There were two narrators, one for Kel and one for Lin, and the character voicing was split by section rather than characters. For example, I wish that Kel was still voiced by the narrator for Kel, or that Ji-an & Merren had one voice. Just made following along slightly confusing. 🤷♀️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Drug use, Misogyny, Self harm, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Rape, Suicide, and Vomit
black_swan_3000's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Minor: Rape and Suicide
lilifane's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
That was surprisingly fun.
It is a little too long and info dumpy at the beginning, but I enjoyed it a lot and couldn't put it down in the end. I'm still confused by the very obvious inspirations for the nations in this world. They feel rather cliché and like lazy world building, although the other parts of the world (the history/myths/magic) are really cool and interesting. I'm definitely curious how the mystery regarding the magic and the prophecies will unfold.
I really like the main characters, I'm intrigued (but also a little frustrated) by their dynamics. Even though a few scenes felt weirdly out of character. Curious about some of the side characters, who have a lot of potential, too.
As for the plot... there was a lot of getting to know the characters and the political atmosphere first, and it felt like the plot wasn't going anywhere. But it definitely picked up towards the end and held some surprises. It's funny how I expected certain things to happen, but then they happened in a way I wasn't expecting. So that was fun.
What was not fun, was one cruel development at the end. I get why it is there and what it means to the plot. But it involves a child, and I really think it didn't need to be one. Feels like a cheap method to create shock value, tbh.
It is a little too long and info dumpy at the beginning, but I enjoyed it a lot and couldn't put it down in the end. I'm still confused by the very obvious inspirations for the nations in this world. They feel rather cliché and like lazy world building, although the other parts of the world (the history/myths/magic) are really cool and interesting. I'm definitely curious how the mystery regarding the magic and the prophecies will unfold.
I really like the main characters, I'm intrigued (but also a little frustrated) by their dynamics. Even though a few scenes felt weirdly out of character. Curious about some of the side characters, who have a lot of potential, too.
As for the plot... there was a lot of getting to know the characters and the political atmosphere first, and it felt like the plot wasn't going anywhere. But it definitely picked up towards the end and held some surprises. It's funny how I expected certain things to happen, but then they happened in a way I wasn't expecting. So that was fun.
What was not fun, was one cruel development at the end. I get why it is there and what it means to the plot. But it involves a child, and I really think it didn't need to be one. Feels like a cheap method to create shock value, tbh.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Terminal illness, Medical content, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Suicide and Death of parent