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cosypuck's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Rape and Transphobia
kay_w'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
3.75
I loved the whole concept and execution of the narrator. Without it I don’t think I would’ve have enjoyed the book as much.
I’m very keen to read more of Alexis Hall’s books.
Graphic: Animal death, Cursing, Death, Misogyny, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Racism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, Stalking, Death of parent, and Classism
Minor: Child abuse, Rape, Sexism, Slavery, Excrement, Lesbophobia, Abandonment, Alcohol, and War
garbage_mcsmutly's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.25
The whodunnit that we start with seemed very obvious, but then it turned out to not be the real focus of the story, so I was more okay with it having been obvious. The rest of the story was well done.
And Alexis Hall always treats the characters (especially the queer ones) with the respect and nuance they deserve, which I really appreciate.
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Sexual content, and Murder
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Gun violence, Racism, Blood, Kidnapping, and Classism
Minor: Rape, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Despite all the content warnings, this was a pretty easy, low-to-medium stakes read; nothing terribly traumatic to most readers.20sidedbi'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
4.0
Graphic: Animal death and Blood
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Transphobia, Violence, Kidnapping, and Murder
Minor: Racism, Sexual violence, and Classism
chase0w0's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Terminal illness, Violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, Murder, and Abandonment
Moderate: Body shaming, Homophobia, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent
Minor: Racism, Slavery, Transphobia, and Lesbophobia
crossingtheratterlin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual harassment
Minor: Misogyny, Transphobia, and Kidnapping
flashandoutbreak's review
- 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? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Blood, Kidnapping, and Murder
queentau'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? No
2.5
I found the plot a little too predictable, especially the middle third when they're trying to figure out who the villain is; I knew who cursed her the instant we met them and they never even thought of their name as a suspect over the next 100+ pages. Next, where the middle act was slow, the last act, which featured a largely separate plot arc, felt rushed, and a little too easy.
When it comes to the romance, I really hate an "I'm no good for you" rejection and the other poor communication that comes with it. To me that really ruined both the romantic tension and the romantic payoff, which was a piece of the book I had really been looking forward to.
Lastly, I found the narrator kinda annoying. Like, I get it, I know who they are from a literary context, I love the idea, and at times I even enjoyed it! But sometimes it also became a little distracting. (At this point I'm also kinda nit-picking though, cause this really wasn't a huge issue to me)
Overall I did still enjoy reading Mortal Follies though! And I enjoyed the mix of a wide variety of supernatural elements in the world building. But to me, the pacing was off, the plot was predictable, and the romance was unsatisfying.
Moderate: Sexism and Kidnapping
rabblearouser'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
4.5
This journey into the fae-core romance space is an underrated, ambitious undertaking outfitted with a thoughtful and whimsical mosaic of fae & queer lore alike. As always, every character is intentionally crafted and delightful. Our love interests are a brooding Duke (f) who’s rumored to have wielded dark magic to commit grave crimes and a precious, flower-child damsel with terrible luck… or something like it. If you’re an ACOTAR stan who swooned at Azriel & Elain’s stolen moments but are impatient for Elain’s actual character development or perhaps just craving more of who she becomes when Azriel lends her some teeth (not to mention some queer characters who actually kiss), I might have a recommendation. Alexis Hall can’t help being charming and hilarious so there’s plenty of that, of course.
I imagine what puts people off is the unconventional narration. The point of view is not one of the main characters but, instead, a mischievous mythical creature who many of us first encountered when reading Midsummer Night’s Dream back in high school. Once you get past the initial novelty, this choice brings new life to some tired tropes and settings by filtering them through the scrutiny of an unimpressed and often peeved otherworldly perspective. I know it sounds odd but it works and, frankly, the book is all the better for it. Truly, what will always make a sapphic romance even more queer is an impish narrator rolling their eyes at lesbian nonsense, and perhaps, caring more than they’d care to admit by the end.
In a romance space where it can feel like we’re reading the same stories again and again, Mortal Follies is an eclectic and thoroughly queer love story that I’m proud to have on my shelf. Thank you to Alexis Hall for writing this and gifting it to the world.
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Homophobia and Transphobia
megj23's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Cursing and Sexual content
Minor: Homophobia and Rape