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plasticrocket's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- 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
4.0
I genuinely enjoyed this, though it did take about 85 pages for me to feel truly invested. I'm very excited to read the rest of the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Rape and Slavery
oksanana31's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- 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? Yes
3.75
Like many others, I had seen all the content warnings about this book from booktok and was nervous about dedicating time to this large novel. And while I think some of the criticisms are well worth it, a lot just plain aren't.
The bad: the editors at Bloom Books deserve ALL the hate. There are so many typos, repeated phrases/sentences, contradicting sentences and inconsistencies that should have EASILY been picked up by a skilled editor, especially as i have the Barnes &Noble exclusive edition. Writers can only be blamed for so much. This was a failed team effort. Story wise: I thought it took a while to really get moving, I didn't love the characters as children which made it harder to like them as adult, but indid eventually root for them. I wish we would've spent more time with them right after their separation rather than prior, would've made me root more for their development. Instead I found myself finding it hard to believe a love like theirs persisted for as long as it did or that they found so much success in their new positions.
The good: the descriptions in this book were absolutely beautiful. CJ does an incredible job of painting a picture of every landscape, every feeling, that I felt transported. There were very few phrasing that I felt were cliche or common and many many more were poetic and beautiful. I loved the interactions between Amaris and Ash as friends, especially the inn scene. They felt very natural and organic. The last 25% of this novel really gripped me, the pace quickened, the stakes raised and the reveals were well timed.
Overall, I feel like this is a good book and I'll probably read the sequel BUT if typos and editing mistakes bother you, maybe not the book for you.
The bad: the editors at Bloom Books deserve ALL the hate. There are so many typos, repeated phrases/sentences, contradicting sentences and inconsistencies that should have EASILY been picked up by a skilled editor, especially as i have the Barnes &Noble exclusive edition. Writers can only be blamed for so much. This was a failed team effort. Story wise: I thought it took a while to really get moving, I didn't love the characters as children which made it harder to like them as adult, but indid eventually root for them. I wish we would've spent more time with them right after their separation rather than prior, would've made me root more for their development. Instead I found myself finding it hard to believe a love like theirs persisted for as long as it did or that they found so much success in their new positions.
The good: the descriptions in this book were absolutely beautiful. CJ does an incredible job of painting a picture of every landscape, every feeling, that I felt transported. There were very few phrasing that I felt were cliche or common and many many more were poetic and beautiful. I loved the interactions between Amaris and Ash as friends, especially the inn scene. They felt very natural and organic. The last 25% of this novel really gripped me, the pace quickened, the stakes raised and the reveals were well timed.
Overall, I feel like this is a good book and I'll probably read the sequel BUT if typos and editing mistakes bother you, maybe not the book for you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Trafficking
Minor: Rape
morgie27's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
This was a fun read. I felt it was fast paced in the sense that I was captivated the entire time. If it wasn't the story line keeping me going, the character development did. There were lots of parts that made me laugh out loud. Plot twist was thrown in that I did not see coming. Will definitely be reading book 2!! I also tried my hand at annotating for the first time with this book and it was a good choice. I highlighted parts that were about beauty and wonderment, funny moments, character development, places, monsters, trauma, growth and development and self reflection, significant events or foreshadowing and steamy moments.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, and Abandonment
Minor: Rape, Sexual content, and Murder
amadpanda's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, and Abandonment
Moderate: Gore and Torture
Minor: Rape and Sexual assault
taliaalongi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- 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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Trafficking
Moderate: Rape and Murder
kaylurzz's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
The amount of times I almost DNF-ed this. I should have and saved myself some time lol.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, Trafficking, and Murder
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, and Abandonment
Minor: Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, and War
embark19's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Death and Torture
frizzbiscuit's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Plot had me hooked, addictive read, but the constant fetishisation of POCs is really uncomfortable to read.
Every single line talking about how delectable Nox is also talks about her dark caramel skin. Amaris is similarly compared to a snowflake and her pale skin is always talked about when they talk about how beautiful she is, I get that it's SUPPOSED to be a contrast thing, but yeah, the narrative talks about them VERY differently.
The sexual violence is also not my cup of tea. I did look up content warnings first and there is a very clear disclaimer in the beginning of the book, so I was prepared. Some of those scenes were clearly written to showcase the horror of it, but the way Nox "reclaims" her power doesn't really hit the mark for me.
The number of typos and just like horrendously wrong sentences was also super distracting while reading, but that probably makes sense for a self-published book.
Overall though, I enjoyed the story and was rooting for characters.
The number of typos and just like horrendously wrong sentences was also super distracting while reading, but that probably makes sense for a self-published book.
Overall though, I enjoyed the story and was rooting for characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, and Trafficking
Minor: Xenophobia and Religious bigotry
nicolemarieisme's review against another edition
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Over half of this book felt as if nothing was happening so it made it very hard to follow the characters. It also felt as if characters were experiencing trauma just for dramas sake.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, and Sexual violence
endangeredhufflepuff's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Kind of difficult for me to get into due to the writing style and typos, but the plot is interesting and unpredictable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Rape
Moderate: Death