teri_b's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
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
5.0
This is possibly the best fantasy I have read this year.
The world building is stellar. It comes with a richness of mythology and representation in art and story telling that I have not seen done before.
I loved the main character, Eva, who is the daughter of the queen and in competition with her sister, Isidore, for the throne. One of them is bound to die, as only one can eventually claim the throne, the other sister will be dead, killed by her sister.
The world building is stellar. It comes with a richness of mythology and representation in art and story telling that I have not seen done before.
I loved the main character, Eva, who is the daughter of the queen and in competition with her sister, Isidore, for the throne. One of them is bound to die, as only one can eventually claim the throne, the other sister will be dead, killed by her sister.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Violence
booksthatburn's review against another edition
I almost stopped 25% in, made it halfway then realized I’m not engaged and don’t care what happens next. It has all these pieces I normally like (the appearance of mysterious magic loner mentor helped me get to the halfway mark), but I just don’t understand why the main character is sticking around for the upcoming fight to the death with her sister. I can guess at a justification, but so far the book has provided excellent reasons for her to get out of there and none for going through with it other than that it’s expected.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Racism, Self harm, Emotional abuse, Violence, and Genocide
Minor: Death
abbajane's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
There were a lot of things in this book that made me feel like the most popular YA tropes of the moment had been tossed into a bag and pulled out at random -- heir sisters forced to kill each other, infuriatingly beautiful men, wily old fey with a smart mouth, magic to control shadows, half-human half-animal creatures, blood magic. It got a little annoying a few times, and as I read I could tab each reference that felt like it came from another YA fantasy novel. The characters stayed a little shallow, the plot stayed a little predictable, and the dialogue stayed a little awkward. The writing was nice, and I feel like Joy had some really great lines and turns of phrases. I appreciate the nuance of this book in contrast to the most popular YA novels on the market, but overall it stayed just "meh" for me. Not sure if I will read the sequel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, and Violence
Minor: Animal death
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