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mossbelle's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Racism, Torture, Transphobia, Car accident, Death of parent, Outing, and Toxic friendship
sassyykassie'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: Child abuse and Transphobia
Moderate: Animal death, Misogyny, Sexism, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Child death, Domestic abuse, Outing, and War
taemaeto's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Transphobia and Outing
shottel's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Transphobia, Blood, Outing, Gaslighting, and Dysphoria
thebuzzcutreads_'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
5.0
Graphic: Transphobia
Moderate: Death, Forced institutionalization, Outing, and Toxic friendship
kayleighoneillonwheels'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? No
4.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Misogyny, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, and Outing
readwithria'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
I really enjoyed this book, and the characters took the cake. The POV characters, their children and wards, their partners, and all of the side characters felt so fleshed out and real. Their relationships were so fun to read about, even the bad ones.
I will say that it wasn’t until well into the book that I felt like I understood how the magic system worked. The delineation between the different types of witches and what they can do, plus the elemental aspect of witchery, made for a lot of information that I still don’t fully grasp.
I’m very excited to read The Shadow Cabinet! 4 stars.
Graphic: Cursing, Transphobia, Violence, Murder, Outing, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Animal death, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Car accident, Alcohol, and War
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
queencatroyal's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Deadnaming, Transphobia, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Grief, Car accident, and Outing
maddox22'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
3.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Sexual content, Transphobia, Violence, Kidnapping, Outing, and Dysphoria
warlocksarecool21's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
All that being said, I did really enjoy Theo’s character and how Niamh stepped up to care for her (and raised hell on her behalf). They were my favorite part of the book and I thought their bond was very sweet. I also loved seeing Theo’s journey of self-discovery and the trans joy that she experiences. I enjoyed the other characters (except Helena🤢) but I didn’t really resonate with them. They did have distinct personalities, but I feel like their problems were just a little too millenial for me to care about and I think the writing was generic enough that I wasn’t further moved to be invested in them. I do hope Leonie’s character is centered more in the next book, I think her story has a lot to say and I wanted to see more of her Diaspora coven (which is for non-white witches).
My rating is lower, because the writing was kind of cliche at times. Don’t get me wrong, it was fun and witty, but nothing really groundbreaking. I think if you like watching blockbuster movies you’d have fun with this. I will probably read the next book because I was not expecting the cliffhanger at the very end. Again, it’s a fun witchy book with social commentary, and if you haven’t thought much about transphobia and feminism you might find it to be reflective.
(There is a lot of graphic transphobic rhetoric in the perspective of one of the characters, Helena, so be aware of that if it might be upsetting to you.)
Graphic: Animal death, Cursing, Drug use, Misogyny, Sexual content, Transphobia, Violence, Kidnapping, and Outing