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jehansen127's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
poetsofsweetpea's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Genuinely enjoyed this YA(maybe, fairly violent) romantsy novel. It was an enemies to lovers, slow burn, potential for love triangle, and a competition story.
I was fairly engaged, and the pacing was excellent until towards the end when I spent way too much time in the characters' heads thinking about how amazing the other characters were..
I liked the characters. They were complex and actually a little villainous, so if morally gray is not your color, this might not be the book for you.
The magic system was fascinating, and the way it was interwoven into the plot was genius.
I'll probably check out the sequel and novella
I was fairly engaged, and the pacing was excellent until towards the end when I spent way too much time in the characters' heads thinking about how amazing the other characters were..
I liked the characters. They were complex and actually a little villainous, so if morally gray is not your color, this might not be the book for you.
The magic system was fascinating, and the way it was interwoven into the plot was genius.
I'll probably check out the sequel and novella
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic
gwyllion's review
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Eating disorder, and Misogyny
lizzye33's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
A bit about me and my feelings:
I don't know how I feel about this book. I liked it more than I feared I might not, but not as much as I hoped. I was on the fence before trying this one again, but I got so many pleas to try it because I was sure to love it that I ignored my walls and went on anyway.
It was hard for me not to notice similarities between other stories I have read, which inspired this one and often had an effect that pulled me out of the book to remember another. I didn't love that. In many ways, it was a close retelling of the Hunger Games. I don't like the Hunger Games. One big reason I was not keen on starting.
My friend tried to get me into Fourth Wing, which I have been told this book is also like. I would not know because I quit before the quarter mark not interested in the characters, invested in the plot, or caring for their ample cussing on most pages, which made me wary of the content warnings this book would offer. It's very clean in terms of their relationship but does not offer so much comfort in terms of violence, gore, and death. I don't mind that in small packages, but this was a lot for me.
Dystopian seldom sits well with me, and though I have tried to dip my toe into many, I dislike that I am often with minority opinions when popular content comes around, making me wish I enjoyed it more than my character allows me to connect with when I am just too different than one who can connect and relate to the characters actions, words, and ways of being when I find that I am too far removed from compromise. However, I greatly respect the world-building and principles the writing exposes and brilliantly sheds light on the dark. I have even greater respect for the authors; I cannot read dystopian books looking for escapism and reading for pleasure. I did not originally know it was in this case. That is a big reason I had some trouble with this read.
Aside from the Hunger Games undertone, let me make a comparison for a moment to another beloved series I felt it was a little too close to. Shatter Me.
Shatter Me vs. Powerless MMCs:
Arron Warner: A tall blond man who has a domineering reputation, the son of a man who hopes his legacy will be remembered for his steel-coated heart and dominance across and against a nation where equality does not exist because of his ruthlessness and has trained his son to be a leader and an example of his control and firm hand against anyone who would dare defy him and the ways of the world he has made, thus making a boy who knows the pain of his father's wrath, a fighter, but one with a secret past into the life of the girl he eventually comes to know to be his true love, despite the torment, the memories, bad dreams, and they fight for their growing love, then as a team for justice, even if it seems they are against the odds. He also has the ability to reflect or take on others' abilities and knows how to fight.
Kai Azer: A tall, dark-haired man who has a domineering reputation, the son of a man who hopes his legacy will be remembered for his steel-coated heart and dominance across and against a nation where equality does not exist because of his ruthlessness and has trained his son to be a leader and an example of his control and firm hand against anyone who would dare defy him and the ways of the world he has made, thus making a boy who knows the pain of his father's wrath, a fighter, but one with a secret past into the life of the girl he eventually comes to know to be his true love, despite the torment, the memories, bad dreams, and they fight for their growing love, then as a team for justice, even if it seems they are against the odds. He also has the ability to reflect or take on other's abilities and knows how to fight. Sound similar yet familiar?
I don't know, but it hit me the wrong way, and I could not unsee it for the first half of the story. Everyone loves both men, and I feel like they are sometimes the same person in different dystopian tales.
Anyway, Pros & Cons:
Pros: I love the aesthetics so much! We get some fighting training, balls, and the perfect backdrop for beautiful nights and playful days while danger looms over the air, which is ideal for fantasy.
I love the author's way with words so much! I have always wanted to be a storyteller, and now I wish I had it in me to write as eloquently as Lauren does. The way she expresses the character's thoughts, descriptions, and especially the way Kai sees Pae is so beautiful. I wanted to get swept away; if the wind did in those moments, it would be a blissful end.
Many of my favorite things were slipped into this book as a hopeless romantic who loves enemies to lovers, forbidden love, and so much of what this book included in sweet, dangerous, and intimate moments without being too much for many audiences. I love their connection, and Kai is my favorite.
The balls were lovely to imagine, though I was sad they were often cut short at my favorite moments for a stale change in the air.
The quotes are beautiful, and I definitely believe my fellow readers when they recommend this book because of their favorite parts.
Especially if you are a dystopian fan, this is a book where no embellishments need to be made to intrigue and draw someone in with what they can expect from the love this book receives justly and even goes beyond the expectations for many. Even for a long book, the plot's pace was good and well-balanced.
Cons:
As I have said like a broken record too often now, I don't enjoy dystopian books, despite the diversity of many I have read, mostly at the suggestions by friends who have that look in their eyes of pure joy and love while talking about them, I can't help but try and pick up the pieces of what brings them those sometimes rare looks in their eyes with their hearts on their sleeves.
I want so badly to like this book more than I have. The ending and plot twists I somehow saw coming. It's almost like I knew they were coming before they did, like a movie you have not seen in years and can no longer quote, but it remains familiar until you remember just before or after it happens.
It also reminded me of a book I adored called A Thousand Heartbeats. I read it when I was about 18 and fell in love with it. Maybe because it was a standalone, perhaps I have aged a little more to take in the same preferences in the exactness of what I once did and don't remember shifting from, but this was different for me.
I may have seen too many stories I did not love embedded into this one and fractals of some that I did, like the Folk of the Air. Maybe it was simply that I listened to the audiobook instead of reading at the normal pace with an ambiance instead of a voice that rings with a story that I wanted to run through faster because of my experience with content I can't seem to get through fast enough, sadly not because I am devouring it as if relieving memories and adventures I wished were mine, but with triggers with various characters too familiar to want to spend more time with than need be.
But in that moment between the bloody chapters that makes me stamped with resistance from reading what is written very well is the blooming romance with Kai, who I love the character building for the most, and the romance he brings to life with the gorgeous and nearly touchable hallucinations he gifts us with.
Yet, though I loved the words and stolen moments, it felt like reading a letter from someone I had never met but wished I might have or to have lived such moments and known such love, but only have that letter or journal of a memory not belonging to me, but disconnected from, from a two demonetized world where I cannot become apart of a world I feel I would not be written in somehow, or see it except for rare moments in a flash of light as a movie, and then just as fast turns to words again.
I found it challenging to get through this book with too many triggers. I was unprepared for it and went unadvertised. Somehow I also was not told it would be set against the backdrop of superpowers and political resistance in cruel intents outside of personal trials and a race where the prize is your life and heartbreak, and a splash of unplanned yet unmarred betrayls. I love romance, but it sometimes feels like watching a show you are too far into quit but finding it hard to want to carry on and eventually only watch for a character who carries it. It's not the plot anymore.
The other thing is Payden. I want to love her. Perhaps we could even be friends if the circumstances worked themselves out well. But I don't understand people's love and relatability to someone who is so stubborn, says things, and does things, even aside from the thievery and trying to stay alive and play a part. I get her background and relate to her feelings a little, but not Pae. When she only asked, "why are you doing this?" every single time Kai did anything nice or normal, it was kind of frustrating and seemed to break the moment to me.
For a very cool FMC, I always get frustrated when they are too stubborn to treat others and even sometimes themselves with respect without pretending or being forced to do so outside of their roles to play. At least she was passionate about the cause that had a deep root in her life, but though I knew she would have that Katness Everdine story and secret veil protecting her from losing her life in the story because of that, it was hard to justify the sweet moments with the amount of darker ones.
Summary and Recommendations:
I definitely think if you love The Hunger Games and need something to read, perhaps with a romance with flirty banter (which was not always my cup of tea with my preference on what that sounds like but balanced out with his perspective), high-stakes missions, the darker side of the stories you may know, and a connection that outweighs the worst parts of themselves, then this may definitely be for you.
This may not be for you if you are wary of the Hunger Games.
Fragments of this book were for me, but most were not. I have particular connections to many of the symbolism found within the book. The detail, when it does not bother you, like many of the things that did not sit right with me, but all of it light and dark, comes off the page and feels like a true and honest book that makes you so excited to get to the next book and feel so excited that there is more to the story—more of them.
I am so happy this book and its author are getting the recognition they deserve!!! Though this is not quite for me, and though I may need another chance to grant myself the gift of reliving my favorite moments and coming to love them with more time, I have deep respect for it.
I hope it will be your favorite for those who need it. I hope it reaches you like a hug.
I don't know how I feel about this book. I liked it more than I feared I might not, but not as much as I hoped. I was on the fence before trying this one again, but I got so many pleas to try it because I was sure to love it that I ignored my walls and went on anyway.
It was hard for me not to notice similarities between other stories I have read, which inspired this one and often had an effect that pulled me out of the book to remember another. I didn't love that. In many ways, it was a close retelling of the Hunger Games. I don't like the Hunger Games. One big reason I was not keen on starting.
My friend tried to get me into Fourth Wing, which I have been told this book is also like. I would not know because I quit before the quarter mark not interested in the characters, invested in the plot, or caring for their ample cussing on most pages, which made me wary of the content warnings this book would offer. It's very clean in terms of their relationship but does not offer so much comfort in terms of violence, gore, and death. I don't mind that in small packages, but this was a lot for me.
Dystopian seldom sits well with me, and though I have tried to dip my toe into many, I dislike that I am often with minority opinions when popular content comes around, making me wish I enjoyed it more than my character allows me to connect with when I am just too different than one who can connect and relate to the characters actions, words, and ways of being when I find that I am too far removed from compromise. However, I greatly respect the world-building and principles the writing exposes and brilliantly sheds light on the dark. I have even greater respect for the authors; I cannot read dystopian books looking for escapism and reading for pleasure. I did not originally know it was in this case. That is a big reason I had some trouble with this read.
Aside from the Hunger Games undertone, let me make a comparison for a moment to another beloved series I felt it was a little too close to. Shatter Me.
Shatter Me vs. Powerless MMCs:
Arron Warner: A tall blond man who has a domineering reputation, the son of a man who hopes his legacy will be remembered for his steel-coated heart and dominance across and against a nation where equality does not exist because of his ruthlessness and has trained his son to be a leader and an example of his control and firm hand against anyone who would dare defy him and the ways of the world he has made, thus making a boy who knows the pain of his father's wrath, a fighter, but one with a secret past into the life of the girl he eventually comes to know to be his true love, despite the torment, the memories, bad dreams, and they fight for their growing love, then as a team for justice, even if it seems they are against the odds. He also has the ability to reflect or take on others' abilities and knows how to fight.
Kai Azer: A tall, dark-haired man who has a domineering reputation, the son of a man who hopes his legacy will be remembered for his steel-coated heart and dominance across and against a nation where equality does not exist because of his ruthlessness and has trained his son to be a leader and an example of his control and firm hand against anyone who would dare defy him and the ways of the world he has made, thus making a boy who knows the pain of his father's wrath, a fighter, but one with a secret past into the life of the girl he eventually comes to know to be his true love, despite the torment, the memories, bad dreams, and they fight for their growing love, then as a team for justice, even if it seems they are against the odds. He also has the ability to reflect or take on other's abilities and knows how to fight. Sound similar yet familiar?
I don't know, but it hit me the wrong way, and I could not unsee it for the first half of the story. Everyone loves both men, and I feel like they are sometimes the same person in different dystopian tales.
Anyway, Pros & Cons:
Pros: I love the aesthetics so much! We get some fighting training, balls, and the perfect backdrop for beautiful nights and playful days while danger looms over the air, which is ideal for fantasy.
I love the author's way with words so much! I have always wanted to be a storyteller, and now I wish I had it in me to write as eloquently as Lauren does. The way she expresses the character's thoughts, descriptions, and especially the way Kai sees Pae is so beautiful. I wanted to get swept away; if the wind did in those moments, it would be a blissful end.
Many of my favorite things were slipped into this book as a hopeless romantic who loves enemies to lovers, forbidden love, and so much of what this book included in sweet, dangerous, and intimate moments without being too much for many audiences. I love their connection, and Kai is my favorite.
The balls were lovely to imagine, though I was sad they were often cut short at my favorite moments for a stale change in the air.
The quotes are beautiful, and I definitely believe my fellow readers when they recommend this book because of their favorite parts.
Especially if you are a dystopian fan, this is a book where no embellishments need to be made to intrigue and draw someone in with what they can expect from the love this book receives justly and even goes beyond the expectations for many. Even for a long book, the plot's pace was good and well-balanced.
Cons:
As I have said like a broken record too often now, I don't enjoy dystopian books, despite the diversity of many I have read, mostly at the suggestions by friends who have that look in their eyes of pure joy and love while talking about them, I can't help but try and pick up the pieces of what brings them those sometimes rare looks in their eyes with their hearts on their sleeves.
I want so badly to like this book more than I have. The ending and plot twists I somehow saw coming. It's almost like I knew they were coming before they did, like a movie you have not seen in years and can no longer quote, but it remains familiar until you remember just before or after it happens.
It also reminded me of a book I adored called A Thousand Heartbeats. I read it when I was about 18 and fell in love with it. Maybe because it was a standalone, perhaps I have aged a little more to take in the same preferences in the exactness of what I once did and don't remember shifting from, but this was different for me.
I may have seen too many stories I did not love embedded into this one and fractals of some that I did, like the Folk of the Air. Maybe it was simply that I listened to the audiobook instead of reading at the normal pace with an ambiance instead of a voice that rings with a story that I wanted to run through faster because of my experience with content I can't seem to get through fast enough, sadly not because I am devouring it as if relieving memories and adventures I wished were mine, but with triggers with various characters too familiar to want to spend more time with than need be.
But in that moment between the bloody chapters that makes me stamped with resistance from reading what is written very well is the blooming romance with Kai, who I love the character building for the most, and the romance he brings to life with the gorgeous and nearly touchable hallucinations he gifts us with.
Yet, though I loved the words and stolen moments, it felt like reading a letter from someone I had never met but wished I might have or to have lived such moments and known such love, but only have that letter or journal of a memory not belonging to me, but disconnected from, from a two demonetized world where I cannot become apart of a world I feel I would not be written in somehow, or see it except for rare moments in a flash of light as a movie, and then just as fast turns to words again.
I found it challenging to get through this book with too many triggers. I was unprepared for it and went unadvertised. Somehow I also was not told it would be set against the backdrop of superpowers and political resistance in cruel intents outside of personal trials and a race where the prize is your life and heartbreak, and a splash of unplanned yet unmarred betrayls. I love romance, but it sometimes feels like watching a show you are too far into quit but finding it hard to want to carry on and eventually only watch for a character who carries it. It's not the plot anymore.
The other thing is Payden. I want to love her. Perhaps we could even be friends if the circumstances worked themselves out well. But I don't understand people's love and relatability to someone who is so stubborn, says things, and does things, even aside from the thievery and trying to stay alive and play a part. I get her background and relate to her feelings a little, but not Pae. When she only asked, "why are you doing this?" every single time Kai did anything nice or normal, it was kind of frustrating and seemed to break the moment to me.
For a very cool FMC, I always get frustrated when they are too stubborn to treat others and even sometimes themselves with respect without pretending or being forced to do so outside of their roles to play. At least she was passionate about the cause that had a deep root in her life, but though I knew she would have that Katness Everdine story and secret veil protecting her from losing her life in the story because of that, it was hard to justify the sweet moments with the amount of darker ones.
Summary and Recommendations:
I definitely think if you love The Hunger Games and need something to read, perhaps with a romance with flirty banter (which was not always my cup of tea with my preference on what that sounds like but balanced out with his perspective), high-stakes missions, the darker side of the stories you may know, and a connection that outweighs the worst parts of themselves, then this may definitely be for you.
This may not be for you if you are wary of the Hunger Games.
Fragments of this book were for me, but most were not. I have particular connections to many of the symbolism found within the book. The detail, when it does not bother you, like many of the things that did not sit right with me, but all of it light and dark, comes off the page and feels like a true and honest book that makes you so excited to get to the next book and feel so excited that there is more to the story—more of them.
I am so happy this book and its author are getting the recognition they deserve!!! Though this is not quite for me, and though I may need another chance to grant myself the gift of reliving my favorite moments and coming to love them with more time, I have deep respect for it.
I hope it will be your favorite for those who need it. I hope it reaches you like a hug.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Torture, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Emotional abuse, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
espurrr's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The romance in this book is slow and delicious. Everything else could be better. The premise is a little jumbled and the book suffers from some odd pacing. I do really enjoy these characters and their interactions with each other and I'll be reading the next book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
enzopudge's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
pianokeys's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
elskede's review
adventurous
tense
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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
alysbookclub's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
A perfect YA fantasy! I loved all the MCs and the world is well built. Good romantic tropes - 'who hurt you', concealed identity, forced proximity, injury.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism and Blood
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders
lakinglaze's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
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? Yes
5.0
I absolutely loved every single thing about this book! The setting, the conflict, the CHARACTERS! Paedyn and Kai are just *chef’s kiss*! I can’t believe I have to wait until the summer for book 2, but I’m going to have to reread this very soon! Thank you Lauren Roberts for creating this world and characters that I just love to bits. I mean could Kai be any dreamier? *swoon*
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism