komiification's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Blood, Body horror, Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Terminal illness, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Death, and Suicide
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Slavery and Fire/Fire injury
joyandfaye's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Grief, Terminal illness, Death, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Cancer, Abandonment, Child death, Vomit, Suicide, Murder, Blood, Violence, Toxic friendship, Gore, Cursing, and Cannibalism
kalihell_kalihell'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Child death, Body horror, Suicide, Cancer, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, and Blood
belladonnashrike'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
2.75
there were a lot of characters but I didn’t find it difficult to keep up with them once I learned all the names. the way muir was able to have so many characters and not have it be confusing as hell is beyond me. loved harrow, gideon, camilla, magnus, palamedes, and
Spoiler
dulcinea before I knew she wasn’t dulcineahowever, the dialogue (and the humor) was just not great - everything minus the dialogue is good. I did get used to it as time went on but a lot of the lines (especially from gideon) were corny and were mismatched to the narrative tone outside of the quotation marks. this was such an issue for me at the beginning that it took me awhile to really get into the book - once I did, I really liked the story but that didn’t come to be without express effort on my part. there’s a way to balance humor and good writing and the balance unfortunately was not present in this book. “that’s what she said” & “haha tiddies” type of jokes really were just in abundance for no reason…idk it’s just not my cup of tea.
I do think that the story itself does make up for the poor dialogue (just barely) and I will be continuing on with this series. I just wish it was written differently. I think I wouldn’t have this critique if I read this at like, fourteen or fifteen though. I know it’s not YA… but the writing seems very young.
I just really wish muir took the time to describe the world they’re in. leave the plot a mystery!! but not the setting. it’s just very disappointing because the concept is soooo cool.
can’t decide on a rating. the dialogue + repetition of certain words (cough nonplussed cough) that should’ve been caught w drafts/editing … it really threw things off for me. I really like the story itself so i’m conflicted but i’ll come back to this.
Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Cursing, Cancer, Vomit, Death of parent, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, and Suicide
Minor: Sexual content
brittni_in_ink's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
The writing style throughout reflects Gideon's snarky sense of humour - which is super hard to pull off effectively - and Muir balances the tone with the narrative flow in an expert and effortless way to make the Gideon-like phrases sing in the text.
I loved all of the characters, although it was difficult at times to keep all of the names and House affiliations in mind. I realized afterward that I could have made better use of the dramatis personae at the beginning of the book, and that there was an appendix!
The settings and fighting sequences were exceptionally well-crafted, and the slow reveal of the mystery hidden in Canaan House was satisfying. Each line of dialogue felt natural and nuanced. I was invested in this book from cover to cover, and I can't wait to read the next one!
Graphic: Blood, Terminal illness, and Violence
Minor: Confinement, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Cancer, Death, Suicide, Death of parent, Classism, and Fire/Fire injury
flyintothestorm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Body horror
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
orlagal'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
3.75
Graphic: Abandonment, Chronic illness, Child abuse, Blood, Body horror, Cancer, Child death, Classism, Confinement, Cursing, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, and War
storykath'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Gideon was a fantastic narrator, funny and flawed and truly unique. She's chaotic and hilarious!
This book took me a while to get through, and I think that's partly due to my brain being picky about reading, but also partly because of how gory and tense things got in the story. I couldn't always stomach it for multiple chapters at a time. Between the injuries and the sometimes-dense plot, this was a book I had to tackle in smallish chunks. That being said, I'm starting the sequel right away so I don't forget any important plot points.
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Cannibalism, Child abuse, Genocide, Murder, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Terminal illness, and Vomit
Minor: Death of parent, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, and Medical content
annapox's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Cancer, Chronic illness, Torture, Vomit, Murder, Toxic friendship, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Death, Gore, Medical content, and Cursing
Moderate: Cannibalism, Blood, Grief, and Self harm
Minor: Ableism, Child abuse, Confinement, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Infertility, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, War, Child death, Death of parent, Suicide, and Slavery
lotten4'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: Cursing, Death, Abandonment, Blood, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Gore, Murder, Violence, and Suicide
Moderate: Cannibalism, Mental illness, Cancer, and Chronic illness
Minor: Fire/Fire injury