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rachelunabridged's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Blood, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death and Abandonment
Minor: Child death
lyoko_lives's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
- 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
4.25
The story was intense and gripping and the characters were diverse and complex. The reason I can't rate it 5*s is that it shoots perspective often between them and it can get a bit confusing and alters the pacing dramatically at times because of it. It's not enough to make the read difficult but it was enough for it to be jarring at times.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Animal death and Child death
keen's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Child death, Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
harpoonholly's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Audiobook edition.
The actor read well and her voice alternations were mostly seamless, but very distinctive as she switched between characters.
The imagery was well done and I'm finding I enjoy Piper's work the more I read of hers. I especially appreciate the odd focus (by degree) of teeth. I can't explain why, but teeth are unsettling.
The characters were each likeable in their own ways, even the least likeable garnered some sympathy from me. Not enough to forgive, but enough to understand.
I could see listening to this again, but I wouldn't call it a horror, more of a noir urban fantasy. There was a lot of blood, some guts (you don't want to get stuffed with those gory details anyway), and certainly desperation, but the imagery wasn't what I would define as scary, not in the horror sense.
I like it, it ticks all my urban fantasy boxes. I recommend it.
The actor read well and her voice alternations were mostly seamless, but very distinctive as she switched between characters.
The imagery was well done and I'm finding I enjoy Piper's work the more I read of hers. I especially appreciate the odd focus (by degree) of teeth. I can't explain why, but teeth are unsettling.
The characters were each likeable in their own ways, even the least likeable garnered some sympathy from me. Not enough to forgive, but enough to understand.
I could see listening to this again, but I wouldn't call it a horror, more of a noir urban fantasy. There was a lot of blood, some guts (you don't want to get stuffed with those gory details anyway), and certainly desperation, but the imagery wasn't what I would define as scary, not in the horror sense.
I like it, it ticks all my urban fantasy boxes. I recommend it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying, Gun violence, Police brutality, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Animal death and Genocide
bsmucker's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Murder, and Abandonment
Moderate: Child death, Gun violence, and Gaslighting
motaki's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- 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? It's complicated
4.5
I'd like to thank Hailey Piper for giving us this brilliant book and Jodie Harris for her great performance in narrating it.
Could other people stop bashing my poor Lilac? She isn't perfect but she is trying her best, and what do you care if she killed people? Aren't fictional women allowed to have hobbies too?
I really loved Arcadia and it pained me so much to see her so unmoored in the last chapters, she has suffered so much it's great go see her getting a little HEA.
I wanted to strangle Alex and Cecil most of the time, they represent the kind of people I despise, always ready to blame others for their awful behaviour. It is never their fault, they are just following orders or doing things for a greater purpose. Yeah, right..
Quoting Lilac "You can't own what you do."
And that's a massive toxic trait I can't excuse.
The world building was so good and immersive that I'd like to know more about glories and gods and how everything came to be.
I really loved Arcadia and it pained me so much to see her so unmoored in the last chapters, she has suffered so much it's great go see her getting a little HEA.
I wanted to strangle Alex and Cecil most of the time, they represent the kind of people I despise, always ready to blame others for their awful behaviour. It is never their fault, they are just following orders or doing things for a greater purpose. Yeah, right..
Quoting Lilac "You can't own what you do."
And that's a massive toxic trait I can't excuse.
The world building was so good and immersive that I'd like to know more about glories and gods and how everything came to be.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Murder
sdsmith80's review
adventurous
dark
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Murder
Minor: Child death and Injury/Injury detail
Moody and genre blurring! I don't really have the words to express what I feel about this book. Set in a fictional world where gods are real, as are monsters, and civilization falls and remakes itself again and again, the story is intriguing to say the least. Several lives intertwined, from Arcadia, who has already received one miracle, but is set to receive more, Lilac, grieving and desperate for an end to the land's suffering, Cecil, the alcoholic who may be more than he seems, and Alex, who seemingly figures everything out before everyone else and has the heart to put the world before his own interests. I was at turns saddened, excited, hopeful, and scared with this book. It's definitely a hard one to pin down.
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