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bellagmuniz's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
the vibes are misaligned. what it wants to be and what it actually is aren’t the same, and what it is…is ridiculous. this book is ridiculous. i’ll admit it got me at *some* parts, and i’ve read worse, hence the 2/3 star rating. but at my core…i’m a hater.
i saw someone said this was for divergent girlies and yea. it is. take that as you will.
Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Death, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, and War
Minor: Alcohol
gaugedgage'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: Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Death of parent, and Alcohol
andmingmingtoo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Pros:
-The general premise is really fun. I was excited to learn more about the dragon, magic, and government systems of the world
-The action sequences actually felt tense, and they definitely felt like they would be cinematic if in a visual format
-The side characters were really fun (and often eclipsed the main character in likeability)
-Xaden is an interesting and actually respectful male lead
Cons:
-A lot of Violet's inner monologue feels jarring and sometimes detracts from a tense vibe in a scene
-A lot of scenes that would be interesting and would add to the characters' growth are left offscreen, like they were cut for time, despite this being an original work where the author could decide what did and didn't exist. For instance,
-A lot of visual descriptions of settings were left out, like
-For the most part, we have to take Violet's word for it that characters, including herself, have experienced growth. The growth seems to happen offscreen and is not substantiated by their onscreen actions
Additionally, this book is screaming to be part of a series (I am aware that the sequel is out and a series is in the works, as is a movie). In my opinion, there is no finite conclusion of the book's overall plot quest at the end, mostly because there is not one unifying plot quest. The extent of the book is defined temporally, not from a plot perspective, which can give the book the feel of a series of episodes, rather than a unifying experience.
Obviously, this book is popular! I did enjoy it, and I can see how others may enjoy it more than me. That being said, it is not a polished experience, but if you know to expect that, it may help you brace yourself and enjoy it more.
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Child death, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Drug use and Alcohol
divinereader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and War
Moderate: Animal death and Death of parent
Minor: Ableism, Grief, and Alcohol
leahka89'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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Chronic illness, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Drug use, Grief, and Alcohol
book_lovers20's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, and War
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Drug use, Gun violence, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
ursimae'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
3.5
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Grief, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Genocide, Misogyny, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Minor: Torture, Colonisation, and Classism
erebus53's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is a huge mashup of a bunch of popular tropes; enemies to lovers, competitive survival/hunger games, magic school, magically branded, kid of the boss/warleader, with teen sensibilities but college age soldiers.
Spicy and silly with DRAGONS! .. and secrets, and libraries. telepathy, spirit bonds and a mildly unbelievable political premise.
This one gets bonus points for ethnic diversity and Disability rep.. the main character has joint hypermobility and chronic pain, and one of her friends is deaf-mute and uses sign language. This is a great illustration of people using various accommodations to allow people with different needs to meet their potential. The sexual content focuses on mindful and explicit consent.
The last part of the book annoyed me because BLAH battles.. I'm not really interested in battles.
Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and War
altarieltelemnar'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
Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Sexual content, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
nbere01'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail