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alexiab'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? Yes
5.0
While there are a ton of excellent commentaries happening throughout this story about racism, homophobia, transphobia, and sexism there is also an INCREDIBLE fantasy plot with exciting action and heartstopping twists. I can't BELIEVE the exciting and emotional way it ended, and I am champing at the absolute bit for the next book. I'm obsessed with this writing, the balance of character study/women's fiction aspects, world building, and fast paced plot is fabulous. I would read another one of these books for the characters alone, but THAT PLOT! OOOOH THAT PLOT SHE IS SPICY SHE IS EXCITING SHE IS DESTROYING MY VERY SOUL FROM THE INSIDE OUT.
And god, the social commentary on trans women and their place in women's spaces? The white feminism and how it doesn't benefit women of colour? The raging white women fighting for "women's rights" but only women who look like her?! GOD. JUST AMAZING.
A huge part of me thinks this book was written as a direct response to JK Rowling and her bullshit TERF rhetoric, and my god is it incredible. The setting, the fantasy elements, and the themes work so beautifully together and paint the biggest "fuck you" to every TERF out there, I couldn't be more thrilled.
A huge part of me expected Helena's story to go a very different direction, and I am SO thrilled that this didn't remotely pander to the "we're better than them, show them kindness" bullshit that some people spew. every TERF deserves to burn in hell, I'm not sorry. RIP Helena, you crusty bitch.
Graphic: Cursing, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Sexual content, Transphobia, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Dysphoria
Minor: Self harm and Alcohol
th18's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
- Fast pace and seemed more YA than anything, too many modern references for me personally but each to their own.
- This also felt like the second book of the series at the start there was just so much unexplained things thrown in.
- Whilst the book did deal with modern topics such as race and trans rights, I wish it also talked a bit about harmful beauty standards due to Elle literally hiding her true self from her husband.
- I feel like the amount of swear words was also unnneeded.
- I love the idea of queer witches and empowered modern women but I feel like the talk about adulthood was very bleak
- The writing and worldbuilding also felt quite underdeveloped which was disappointing
- Finally the use of the d slur was completely unneeded
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Transphobia, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Dysphoria, and Classism
Minor: Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Abortion, Outing, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment
miniingrid'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
La historia es un cliché detrás de otro, y quiero creer que el dumping superficial de la diversidad en los personajes de debe a que es la primera novela de la serie. Quizás sea el tono, que me parece muy básico y simple.
En general me gustan las novelas de fantasía/ciencia ficción que tratan temas importantes y duros, pero sin perder ese punto de desconexión con la realidad que te permite evadirte aunque solo sea un poco. Aquí se recrea tanto en la transfobia sin aportar una réplica al mismo nivel, que me parece una oportunidad perdida y un simple (pero perfectamente comprensible) desahogo. Y me ha dejado con la sensación de estar leyendo a las terfas de Twitter más que una novela de fantasía.
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Death, Hate crime, Infidelity, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Murder, Outing, and Alcohol
Minor: Domestic abuse and Racism
amberinpieces's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Transphobia
Moderate: Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Misogyny, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Infidelity, Racism, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Outing, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Dysphoria, and Classism
jessicasophie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Hate crime, Transphobia, Violence, Outing, and War
aseel_reads'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
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Hate crime, Racism, Transphobia, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Colonisation
blueberries's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Deadnaming, Hate crime, Racism, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, and Outing
Moderate: Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
jaji's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I loved that we had middle aged women protagonists - something not often seen in Urban Fantasy or fantasy generally. I don't love how they seemed more like charcitures.
I also appreciated the attempt at intersectionality, although I think the racism discussions were a little ham fisted.
It was all over the shop with pacing and its because theres a lots of unnecessary scenes. So much so I had to stop reading for a bit and switch to something a little more cohesive. That makes the beginning and middle very choppy until everything takes off in the last third. It did really hook me once it got going but because that didn't happen until the last third is really why it's 3 stars.
The other thing that stopped me from really getting into it was a bit of a culture clash. I felt for the longest time that the villain was almost cartoonishly evil, that everything was seriously over the top (like the kidnapping attempt).
However, I failed to realise just how entrenched and visible the TERF politics are in Britain (I'm not from the UK). Perhaps if I were British this wouldn't seem that extreme or over the top? Once I had the context I felt the villian made more sense. So no stars off for that but it did impact how much I enjoyed the book.
Graphic: Transphobia
Moderate: Child death, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racism, Violence, and War
keya_caivalur's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
Graphic: Hate crime, Transphobia, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Racism, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Murder, Outing, and War
Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, Grief, Outing, and Abandonment
morganpearcy'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
3.5
I would like to point out that any time a character is living at an intersection of multiple marginalized identities, I typically check to see if the author has any lived experience part-way through the book. Especially if something feels off or the character seems to be 1 dimensional.
The Trans protagonist
Leonie, the Black, Lesbian witch, is not so dynamic or believable. The character felt off to me: flat and like a conglomeration of regurgitated Black women’s labor from Abolitionist spaces. The way she related to her white childhood friends and her partner felt really wobbly. I could tell the author was writing from a not-lesbian, white lens. Sure enough, Juno is white. This did not sit right with me and was a source of irritation and eye rolling throughout the book.
There’s a lot to like here. The racial overstepping is a pain point. I am undecided about reading the next in the series.
Graphic: Deadnaming, Hate crime, and Transphobia
Moderate: Racism and War
White writers attempting to write Black and other characters of color should be added as a trigger warning here.