espiargrant's review
adventurous
mysterious
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? Yes
4.0
Overall, this book was a good time, though by no means perfect. The writing style was clear and flowed easily, and I liked most of the characters. The world-building seemed well-thought-out, but not explored as much as I would have liked.
One issue I had with this book was that it kept the reader in the dark about certain things for too long to really have a sense of what to care about. I also felt that the ending was extremely rushed, and I wish that Tristan had had more development. He was absent too often and when he was present, he didn't have much agency in the story, which dampened the romance for me.
That said, this was still a fun, magical story with a cute queer romance, and I'm glad I read it.
One issue I had with this book was that it kept the reader in the dark about certain things for too long to really have a sense of what to care about. I also felt that the ending was extremely rushed, and I wish that Tristan had had more development. He was absent too often and when he was present, he didn't have much agency in the story, which dampened the romance for me.
That said, this was still a fun, magical story with a cute queer romance, and I'm glad I read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Classism, Death, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, War, Medical content, and Murder
Moderate: Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Homophobia
Minor: Drug use
hendrixpants's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Classism, Emotional abuse, and Slavery
purplepenning's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Injury/injury detail, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit
Moderate: Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Torture, Slavery, Medical content, Homophobia, Drug use, and Emotional abuse
jcon1309's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I loved this book. The beautiful writing and descriptions pulled me into the world better than anything I've read in a long time. The world details that were just there and not necessarily explained made it feel natural that I should know them and, again, pulled me in. And then the romance. Tender and sweet and organic.
As someone interested in WWI, I enjoyed the clear parallels and the interesting new aspects added to the familiar parts.
As someone interested in WWI, I enjoyed the clear parallels and the interesting new aspects added to the familiar parts.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder, Death, Forced institutionalization, Slavery, Suicide attempt, Confinement, and Mental illness
Moderate: Classism, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and War
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Drug use
csevet's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Slavery
Minor: Suicide
romiress's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
A very satisfying book. I actually really enjoyed the romance and thought they had great chemistry, but I was here mostly for the mystery, which was very satisfying. Never been more relieved for a second book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Forced institutionalization, Classism, Mental illness, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Murder
Minor: Suicide
szuum's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Slavery
therainbowshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
An absolutely fun read, especially if you enjoy fantasy reads. I loved watching Miles try to figure out what's wrong with his patients and solve the mystery of the murdered magic user all while quickly falling head over heals in love. The characters are really fun, and the pace of the story felt really well done. Definitely will be one of my favorites for 2022.
📘The Gist 📘: While trying to unravel a mysterious illness he sees with magic without letting anyone know he has magic, Miles is visited by a dying man who passes on a dire warning. This adds solving the murder, falling in love, and avoiding his family's notice to his growing list of problems.
📒Representation📒: mlm mc, mental healthcare
💕 For readers looking for 💕: a fun and adventurous fantasy, secret magic, mystery, magical others, heartwarming romance, political drama, an undertone that things are not as ok as they appear
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Injury/injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Murder, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, and War
Moderate: Classism
wandering_not_lost's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.5
Really a 3.5. I was ready to give this book at least 4.5 stars before the last 20% or so, when the pacing went really wonky. The murder mystery introduced in the first chapter developed slowly and often competed strangely with the mystery of the mystery illness Miles' patients were afflicted by. The fact that Tristan was on a timetable kept making me feel like things should be moving faster than they were, but I was reasonably entertained throughout. Though, by half way through the book I was beginning to suspect that there were just too many threads (murder, mystery illness, family drama, politicking, falling in love, the real story behind the war, and then late in the game, the story behind the asylums) for it all to be wrapped up in a satisfying way.
Aand, I was right. The overall result was that certain plots lingered forever (for a plot introduced in the very first chapter, the murder felt like it took forever for them to advance it), while others never felt like they were given their due (the romance worked for me, but it advanced with little real focus on it...I could have done with a little less of a fade to black, is what I'm saying), OR, they burst on the scene late and so suddenly that didn't feel like I'd been properly prepared for them (the final revelation felt like there's no way I could have figured it out because the world wasn't sufficiently explained to me, but it felt like MILES should have figured it out sooner.) The whole ending of the book felt very abrupt and in fact felt like the story wasn't really finished at all, but rather that this was where the book needed to end so the second could begin. Not to mention that Tristan's situation felt very carefully constructed to bring about some of the events at the end ()
Miles also felt a little uneven. He put himself in situations that I thought he should have seen coming, or he was ok with situations I thought he should be more nervous in, or he was focused on one thing when I thought he should be focused on something else. Likewise the worldbuilding, which was cool on first glance, but after I think about it some, it felt like a stretch for a society to come about that way.
All of this wasn't enough to throw me out of the story, but it did leave me feeling somewhat unsatisfied by the end.
Aand, I was right. The overall result was that certain plots lingered forever (for a plot introduced in the very first chapter, the murder felt like it took forever for them to advance it), while others never felt like they were given their due (the romance worked for me, but it advanced with little real focus on it...I could have done with a little less of a fade to black, is what I'm saying), OR, they burst on the scene late and so suddenly that didn't feel like I'd been properly prepared for them (the final revelation felt like there's no way I could have figured it out because the world wasn't sufficiently explained to me, but it felt like MILES should have figured it out sooner.) The whole ending of the book felt very abrupt and in fact felt like the story wasn't really finished at all, but rather that this was where the book needed to end so the second could begin. Not to mention that Tristan's situation felt very carefully constructed to bring about some of the events at the end (
Spoiler
I mean, they wouldn't have had any way out of their last battle without Tristan just happening to be who he was, and the timing just happening to work out that the Amaranthines were waiting for Tristan to return, AND the Amaranthine duchess just happening to be overly interested in his welfare and waiting impatiently for him at the gate so they could all ride through to the rescue - it was so hamhanded that I could tell early on that that was why his backstory was what it was, so his people could ride in to the rescue.Miles also felt a little uneven. He put himself in situations that I thought he should have seen coming, or he was ok with situations I thought he should be more nervous in, or he was focused on one thing when I thought he should be focused on something else.
Spoiler
I mean, really, how many times was he going to trust his sister after she proved herself untrustworthy? Too many.Spoiler
Would a country really just not NOTICE that its newfangled power source was never really explained? And who really came up with the idea of snagging souls and using them for fuel? Who thought that was a good idea? Did the mages feel like the Amaranthines would just not NOTICE that souls were suddenly not appearing? And the whole idea of "witches magic is bad but mages magic is good" seemed too artificial for me. They used to kill witches, but they were totally fine with high-class mages? ???? Or perhaps the mages were supposed to be only doing their magic in secret, and I never really twigged to that because Miles was so steeped in magic I assumed the rest of the country knew about it, too?All of this wasn't enough to throw me out of the story, but it did leave me feeling somewhat unsatisfied by the end.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery
foreverinastory's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
3.5
3.5/5
Miles Singer has run from his past. His magical ability to heal is treated as nothing more than a trick by witching society, so determined to do some good Miles enlisted and went off to war. After serving, Miles goes into psychiatry and is determined to help other soldiers who are also suffering from PTSD. But the illness seems like more than just PTSD. When a fatally poisoned patient exposes Miles’ healing gift and his witchmark, he must put his anonymity and freedom at risk to investigate his patient’s murder.
This Edwardian world of magic was really interesting. For the first half we don't really see how witching society works as Miles is incognito and hiding from all witches. But when his family comes back into the picture, we see what Miles has run from and see his worst fears come true. The one thing I really liked about the world was that gender wasn't a factor in magical society. It was all based on primary mages and secondary ones. Primary mages can control the weather and are called storm-singers. All other witches with magic are considered secondary and used as batteries to power the primary mages with a bond that basically takes the secondary's will.
The plot kept me guessing the entire time and the last 30% was basically my brain imploding by what had happened to Miles patients and other witches. I did also enjoy the relationship that developed between Miles and Tristan, but the pacing of it felt a bit weird--a little too insta-lovey for me. I'm definitely curious to see what will happen next.
Rep: Achillean male MC with PTSD, achillean male love interest. Many side characters/patients with PTSD.
CWs: Violence, alcohol consumption, blood, confinement of patients, death, death of parent--flashback, drug use, gaslighting, grief, kidnapping, medical content, mental illness (PTSD), murder--flashback, physical abuse, forced enslavement of MC and many side characters, implied sexual content, suicidal thoughts, talk of committing suicide, suicide attempts and side characters who commit suicide.
Miles Singer has run from his past. His magical ability to heal is treated as nothing more than a trick by witching society, so determined to do some good Miles enlisted and went off to war. After serving, Miles goes into psychiatry and is determined to help other soldiers who are also suffering from PTSD. But the illness seems like more than just PTSD. When a fatally poisoned patient exposes Miles’ healing gift and his witchmark, he must put his anonymity and freedom at risk to investigate his patient’s murder.
This Edwardian world of magic was really interesting. For the first half we don't really see how witching society works as Miles is incognito and hiding from all witches. But when his family comes back into the picture, we see what Miles has run from and see his worst fears come true. The one thing I really liked about the world was that gender wasn't a factor in magical society. It was all based on primary mages and secondary ones. Primary mages can control the weather and are called storm-singers. All other witches with magic are considered secondary and used as batteries to power the primary mages with a bond that basically takes the secondary's will.
The plot kept me guessing the entire time and the last 30% was basically my brain imploding by what had happened to Miles patients and other witches. I did also enjoy the relationship that developed between Miles and Tristan, but the pacing of it felt a bit weird--a little too insta-lovey for me. I'm definitely curious to see what will happen next.
Rep: Achillean male MC with PTSD, achillean male love interest. Many side characters/patients with PTSD.
CWs: Violence, alcohol consumption, blood, confinement of patients, death, death of parent--flashback, drug use, gaslighting, grief, kidnapping, medical content, mental illness (PTSD), murder--flashback, physical abuse, forced enslavement of MC and many side characters, implied sexual content, suicidal thoughts, talk of committing suicide, suicide attempts and side characters who commit suicide.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Drug use, Gaslighting, Grief, Kidnapping, Medical content, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Slavery, and Violence
Moderate: Alcohol, Confinement, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Sexual content