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infjkiki'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 horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Vomit, and Death of parent
Minor: Cannibalism
bookishlittlebird'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
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, War, and Classism
alxisrae'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? No
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Religious bigotry, and Murder
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual content and Vomit
hmatt's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
YA "romantasy" is wayyy down the list of genres I gravitate towards, but I did find this enjoyable. The world-building is solid, and the characters are interesting. For me, the complexity of the novel is just right: it's not high high fantasy with a million characters and dynamics, but there is enough there for it to be satisfyingly fleshed-out. I'm even contemplating reading the next book in the series...
That said, I'm still rating based on my taste. This is definitely for a younger audience, and it shows in how some of the relationships develop (including the primary romantic one, in which a switch just seems to flick between one chapter and the next). Some of the writing is clumsy or overly descriptive in a gauche way.
I had fun, though! And I hardly ever read physical books over 400 pages, so that's a big win.
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, and Medical trauma
Minor: Abandonment
saoreads'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: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Hate crime, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
imaginationindex'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
- Enemies-to-Lovers paired with a marriage of convenience with a sprinkling of sharing-one-bed and “that’s my wife”… 🙌🏻
- I loved the two secs of witches, Dames Rouges and Dames Blanches. I’m curious to learn more about the Blood Magic as well as
how Reid was able to do magic when we should have been dying 😅 - Ansel, you sweet boy! Coco, what a badass! I like how we flipped the script on traditional gender roles
- This is a perfect example of new adult stories; our characters are adults who can make their own decisions and swear.
- While the fantasy world was a total vibe, there are some moments where the religion aspect of the anti-witch stance gets to be a bit much. That might just be me but the Archbishop needed to relax 95% of the book
- I noticed a lot of re-explaining and telling. I get that we had the dual POV and catch up might have been needed, but I thought it was clearly shown so we could have saved ourselves a few pages.
- Genuine question, when were we? The France inspired world was cool but we had swords and monarchy, but full theatres and working bathrooms
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Cursing, Vomit, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent
smuttymcbookface's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The characters themselves were well-written, both nuanced and flawed, and we were clearly able to see their struggles and trials as they developed into more understanding versions of themselves.
The only reason I've not given this 5* was that I found it to be a little too simplistic/YA at times, with some plots neatly lining up with one another, or ridiculously convenient plans (such as Coco being part of the infirmary and just happening to be able to take ownership of Lou).
Graphic: Misogyny, Violence, Xenophobia, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Animal death and Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent
melissafelicia's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Sexism, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, and Abandonment
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Misogyny, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death
selestre'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
Moderate: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Child death, Self harm, Sexism, Kidnapping, and Death of parent
ldermer'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: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Self harm, Violence, Vomit, and Death of parent
Moderate: Body horror
Minor: Domestic abuse and Sexual harassment