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cheerydeery's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Minor: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
enzopudge's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape and Death of parent
Minor: Pregnancy
covenofcrumpets's review
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Death, Torture, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Gore, Sexual content, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape, Slavery, and Pregnancy
hanschub'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? No
5.0
Graphic: Pedophilia, Sexual content, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Death, Rape, Slavery, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Sexual assault and Pregnancy
readyforit's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I didn’t like this one as much as the first book but we do get introduced to the fae Otherworld and a lot of new fae characters! This book exclusively takes place in the otherworld, whereas book 1 was mostly in the human realm. We learn a lot of backstory about des, his parents, and his childhood.
The first part of the story is des helping Callie come to terms with the fact that she doesn’t look human anymore and can’t return to earth. He takes her on a tour of his kingdom and begins the Training™ that is in every fantasy book. She slowly learns to love her body again because des loves her, regardless of what she looks like. She could probably transform fully into a bird and he would still be obsessed with her lol.
Temper storms her way into the otherworld looking for Callie so we get a lot more of their friendship in this book. Most of the story takes place over the course of a weeklong Solstice celebration in the Flora realm. We meet the flora queen and her weirdass mate. Rulers of the different realms clash, alliances are formed, and trust is broken. Des punches and murders people who cross Callie. We get a lot of “don’t even look at my mate” moments! All the while the thief of souls is back and kidnapping male soldiers this time. It’s a pretty good mystery and twist at the end!
This book had a lot more world-building in it and a lot less of des and Callie’s relationship. I would say that romance isn’t the forefront of this book. It’s still there, but it’s more about how Callie settles into the fae world and then the mystery of the thief of souls.
I am going to continue the series but probably won’t reread unless I forget the plot in the future!
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape and Classism
Minor: Pregnancy and Alcohol
One scene where rape is mentioned in the pastvreyna20_2004's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Rape, Slavery, and Death of parent
Minor: Death, Sexual assault, and Pregnancy
katiecoconut21's review
- 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
3.25
Where A Strange Hymn felt like a unique world, with a romance I could root for, and an intriguing plot, Rhapsodic was the set-up of a "soul-mate" scenario to make this book flow better.
Honestly, my experience with A Strange Hymn is lessened due to the first book, Rhapsodic. I personally would have loved to see a more drawn-out, slow-burn romance, one where Callie truly admits her feelings for Des when she sees his world, one where the Bargainer would have kept the huge secret of "we're soulmates" a secret for a little while longer.
Having said that, this book elaborates on what Rhapsodic was missing, particularly in terms of plot. The plot of the Thief of Souls is incredibly interesting, and I am glad we got to focus more on that in this book.
Overall, I enjoyed A Strange Hymn, and am glad I stuck with the series long enough to get over where Rhapsodic fell short.
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, and Violence
Moderate: Rape, Blood, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Abortion and Pregnancy
wrensreadingroom's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
cmcdonnell2014'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: Sexual content, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Gore, Slavery, Kidnapping, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and War
katvou's review
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Slavery, Death of parent, and War
Minor: Body shaming, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, and Classism