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meghansarmiento97'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
4.0
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
charliebites'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? No
5.0
Graphic: Hate crime, Racism, Grief, and War
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Rape, Slavery, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Murder, Gaslighting, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Body horror, Blood, Vomit, and Abandonment
kiwij96'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
The friendships, the betrayals, the romance, the plot twists, the community, the grief. Everything was so wonderfully written with a great amount of depth for a story that was so action-packed. I genuinely didn't know what was going to happen next and I just couldn't put it down.
This is a YA that I would also highly recommend to adults.
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Gore, Racism, Rape, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Vomit and Colonisation
kimschouwenaar'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
The reader was too stunned to speak.
Holy shit.
Holy SHIT
What a rollercoaster. I sat staring at the final page for a solid ten minutes before moving again, jaw dropped, tears in my eyes, unable to do anything but grip the book in silent agony. Bree didn't have a single moment of peace.
I am still unsure of what I should write here. Bree is everything I look for in a main character: passionate, caring, hilarious, unapologetic, vulnerable, flawed, the list goes on. She captivates you from cover to back like the sword-wielding King she is bound to become, someone so mesmerising you cannot look away. The distinction between Before-Bree and After-Bree that was so prominent in Legendborn slowly dissipates until we are left with Bree , someone I don't ever want to leave behind, and someone I will NEVER get sick of.
And Selwyn. Oh, my dear Selwyn Kane how I laughed, cried and rhapsodised about Bree right with you. Selwyn Kane is the dark-haired, magic-wielding, morally grey anti-hero I am convinced everyone needs. With Nick taken, Sel is even more central to the plot than in Legenborn. He's witty, proud, impulsive, protective and absolutely hilarious. Let's be honest, he does not succeed at hiding his attraction to Bree, but, as we all know, Sel isn't great at being vulnerable. Bree and Sel together means flaming chemistry and the best banter I have read in a while. They're both unwilling to outright admit what they feel for the other, and reading them had me giggling like a kid and kicking my legs in excitement.
There are but a few flaws: some questionable grammar and punctuation (because I am an editor in training now, and, unfortunately, I cannot help but notice these kind of things), and two or three minor, minor plot holes that made me think I missed or skipped pages that just weren't there. The distance and time between several places was unclear, and character's actions weren't always well developed.
However.
I knew about halfway through that this would become one of my all time favourite reads. And I knew I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I rated this anything under 5 stars. Five isn't enough, I need Goodreads and StoryGraph to have more.
The only reason I wouldn't recommend you to read it right now is because the third instalment won't be published until the BEGINNING OF 2025?! Nevertheless, if you do read it right now then we can cry about it together. Hit me up if y'all want to rave about this book with me. I don't think I'll shut up anytime soon.
If you have come this far, I am very much looking for more book friends! You can find me on:
IG: kimschouwenaar
TT: _kimschouwenaar
Goodreads: Kim Schouwenaar
- <3
Graphic: Death, Racism, Blood, and Grief
Moderate: Violence, Vomit, Car accident, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cursing, Death, Gore, and Slavery
viktoriya_sk's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Death, Racism, Death of parent, and Colonisation
Moderate: Genocide, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, and Pregnancy
Minor: Blood, Vomit, Toxic friendship, War, and Injury/Injury detail
vaguely_pink'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: Racism and Violence
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Slavery, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and War
Minor: Confinement, Rape, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Car accident, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
miles'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: Body horror, Confinement, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Rape, and Car accident
pip10'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
5.0
Graphic: Slavery, Violence, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Racism, Rape, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Car accident, Pregnancy, and Classism
Minor: Child death, Cursing, Sexism, Alcohol, and War
kenzaett'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
This series is absolutely beautiful, and I haven't been quite enthralled in a long time. I first heard about the cycle from "cary can read" on YouTube who hyped it as her favorite, and I just wanna thank her sm. I understand you know, though the book was very different from what I imagined. The world building is INTENSE, especially compared to Book #1, and you can tell Tracy has spent soo much time planning and researching and writing for this. Thank you, if you happen to read this.
I didn't realize how very important and underrated/used POC main characters were, and to not only mention them but to highlight their struggles unapologetically, brief on their trauma and make them human and not a plot device. The diversity didn't feel forced, rather natural, in flow with how the real world is reflected. I'm happy for a generation of young girls who will have many new heroines to look up to and identify with.
I found myself not really caring for their ages btw, as I do believe it all to be a bit unrealistic for 16 to 18 year olds to to through, knowing curring 16 year olds and their maturity, so I just decided to imagine them all aged up by 4 years. But my 14 year old self would have loved it and identified with them, no complaints.
Anyhow, I loved the writing, wording, the integration of Welsh in the many flashback scenes, don't think I've ever looked up so many words in my kindle dictionary, loved the character development, even in minor characters ... Even the Southern charme got to me a a German girl, I now have American suburbs and cowboy ranches on my tiktok algorithm. Top ten favorite reads this year for sure. Cannot wait for the third book. There's still so, so many questions unanswered.
Oh - and I'm definitely Team Nick (although the waterfall and clearing scene gave me huge butterflies). I hate the trope of good guy disappears so he's replaced by the one who stayed. Naaaaahhhh. Give him time to find himself again pls Bree.
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Mental illness, Racial slurs, Kidnapping, and Car accident
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexism, Vomit, and War
saltylane'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
4.25
It’s rough listening to some scenes, especially because the reader is excellent at inflecting intense emotions in their voice acting. There are heartbreaking moments, as well as moments that will leave you mentally yelling at the very-much-flawed characters when they make questionable decisions.
The author has a good method of fleshing out characters in a way that makes them very three-dimensional and making their interconnected relationships really show in the best and worst ways. The twist endings and plot points are also ones that make sense and aren’t there only to mess with the reader expectations. The end of this book especially makes me want to know the answers to the many questions left by the last words. If there’s not an additional book in the series, the ending still works, even with threads hanging in uncertain directions.
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, and Colonisation
Minor: Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Self harm, Sexism, Transphobia, Vomit, and Pregnancy