fangirljeanne's review against another edition
Another great example of why I’m deeply uncomfortable with white people writing about colonialism and/or slavery in fantasy. This feels a lot like oppression tourism.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
surrah's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
The world felt extremely shallow, the characters felt like generic versions of other fantasty romance novel characters, and the main love interest was gross. The decisions made by characters didn't always make sense. The plot was choppy and it felt like nothing happened for a majority of the book...other than the main love interest being a creep. Look, I'm all for the desperate love that a lot of characters have in other books, but this was not that. I kept going in the hopes it would get better but unfortunately it did not.
Like other reviews are saying, if you are at all sensitive to SA, abuse, etc. you should not read this.
Like other reviews are saying, if you are at all sensitive to SA, abuse, etc. you should not read this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Cursing, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Grief and Death
cm4657's review against another edition
2.0
This book made me feel gross. The male love interest is genuinely disgusting and has little to no redeeming qualities I have no clue how this series continues but I hope it’s like ACOTAR and Tamlins character.
Please do not read if you are at all sensitive to sexual content of aggressive nature, as well as suicidal thoughts xx
Please do not read if you are at all sensitive to sexual content of aggressive nature, as well as suicidal thoughts xx
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment and Suicidal thoughts
marippe's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I’m kind of disappointed. I feel like the book started off really strong with potential, and I feel like it was great until we met mmc. After that, the pace really slowed down.
I admire the idea of making a fmc who wants more than what her society demands for her, but as the book went on that message became muddled for me. She wants more than to be sexualised, but the relationship with mmc starts on sexual attraction, with him outwardly and bluntly describing that he wants her and he’ll come to her eventually. A woman can be sexual without being sexualised, but it didn’t feel like empowerment but ownership - something she was against.
The pet name “Little One” is probably one of the worst nicknames I’ve heard. Its very infantising, and really creepy to use in sexual scenes.
I liked how the author described locations and imagery but my issues with the story and lack of connection to any of the characters made it hard for me to enjoy it. I’m just disappointed- I started it thinking it could be a 4.75 at max, but the star score kept falling over the book.
I personally didn’t mind the cliffhanger but it wasn’t too surprising.
I admire the idea of making a fmc who wants more than what her society demands for her, but as the book went on that message became muddled for me. She wants more than to be sexualised, but the relationship with mmc starts on sexual attraction, with him outwardly and bluntly describing that he wants her and he’ll come to her eventually. A woman can be sexual without being sexualised, but it didn’t feel like empowerment but ownership - something she was against.
The pet name “Little One” is probably one of the worst nicknames I’ve heard. Its very infantising, and really creepy to use in sexual scenes.
I liked how the author described locations and imagery but my issues with the story and lack of connection to any of the characters made it hard for me to enjoy it. I’m just disappointed- I started it thinking it could be a 4.75 at max, but the star score kept falling over the book.
I personally didn’t mind the cliffhanger but it wasn’t too surprising.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Murder, War, Sexual harassment, and Misogyny
kayemm's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book is a slow burn first in a 4 book series of a dark fantasy about a girl who manages to escape being sacrificed and then runs into a stranger who helps her on the run. This is the world of the Fae and the humans.
She's a strong lead character, and over the series, she does show development, but she spends most of the first book trying to unlearn a lot of the trauma she endured and find her feet underneath her.
It's decent writing and a good story. I enjoyed it.
Please note: the triggering events are discussed only in flashback and are mild compared to most other books I've read that address the topic.
She's a strong lead character, and over the series, she does show development, but she spends most of the first book trying to unlearn a lot of the trauma she endured and find her feet underneath her.
It's decent writing and a good story. I enjoyed it.
Please note: the triggering events are discussed only in flashback and are mild compared to most other books I've read that address the topic.
Content Warnings
Minor: Torture, Child abuse, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, and Death of parent
elstark007's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Toxic relationship
Minor: Cursing
ninxkr's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
0.25
I have never before in my life wished I was the type of person to be able to DNF a book.
This book was a 0.25 ⭐️ for me solely based on the potential it had with the concept of the Veil. Below are the reasons why this book failed to hit the mark for me
The characters
Both the FMC AND MMC are infuriating in their own way.
The MMC is a manipulative gaslighter who loves to coerce the FMC into sexual interactions with dubious consent whenever she as much as has a single thought. The fact that this is the MMC our FMC is made to fall for with her backstory of SA and grooming is baffling.
The FMC is set up to be a wild, intelligent woman longing for nothing but freedom after being groomed all her life. Yet, her actions paint her as an easily manipulated airhead. There was times when I had to put down the book due to the frustration caused by her level of dumbness. Somehow at the same time she knew things she had no business of knowing (not that it helped her figure out anything).
The side characters were written in a way that made you not care for them and noneq of the deaths impacted me (or the FMC, based on the writing).
The pet name
Some pet names in fantasy novels are bad and there's pet names that I would pay to get erased from my memory. Little One falls in the latter category. The use of this pet name feels more predatory and belittling than endearing, especially when used by the MMC when bossing the FMC around or, worse, in a sexual context.
The writing
This was very much a book where things were told to the reader and we were meant to just accept it. No prior hinting at things, showing internal struggles or doubts. When you are told randomly that the FMC is grieving her dead brother without ever having seen any signs of this in her behaviour or thought it simply does not have the impact it is intended to have. Same goes for being told the FMC has doubts about the MMC since his encounter with the cave beast 3 chapters before the end when this doubt had not been mentioned in her internal monologue at all since said encounter.
The dialogue is tediously bad. In a 420 page book there was maybe about 5 pages worth of actually meaningful dialogue. It becomes tedious to read when every conversation between the MCs ends in the MMC either making explicit sexual remarks or straight up coercing her into sex.
Overall the events, thoughts and dialogues seem disconnected from one moment to the next.
The pacing
The book starts off pretty strong with the worldbuilding and the fall of the Veil but quickly turns into 300 pages of the MCs wandering about the woods without much happening at all. They literally just walk around. The pace picks up a little bit when they meet the Resistance but once they go out on the mission to find the Marked towards the end of the book things feel incredibly rushed and there is no space left to explore what is really happening. Which brings me to ....
The plot twist at the end
The twist at the end had potential to be good if it wasn't all but spelled out about halfway through the book already. From the moment we met the MMC it was clear to me this was the fae mate the FMC had been running from. There is foreshadowing and there is spoiling the twist long before it's meant to be revealed.
I am usually a person who feels the need to finish a series once I have started it but after reading the first book I feel absolutely no rush to purchase the next book (if ever).
This book was a 0.25 ⭐️ for me solely based on the potential it had with the concept of the Veil. Below are the reasons why this book failed to hit the mark for me
Spoiler
The characters
Both the FMC AND MMC are infuriating in their own way.
The MMC is a manipulative gaslighter who loves to coerce the FMC into sexual interactions with dubious consent whenever she as much as has a single thought. The fact that this is the MMC our FMC is made to fall for with her backstory of SA and grooming is baffling.
The FMC is set up to be a wild, intelligent woman longing for nothing but freedom after being groomed all her life. Yet, her actions paint her as an easily manipulated airhead. There was times when I had to put down the book due to the frustration caused by her level of dumbness. Somehow at the same time she knew things she had no business of knowing (not that it helped her figure out anything).
The side characters were written in a way that made you not care for them and noneq of the deaths impacted me (or the FMC, based on the writing).
The pet name
Some pet names in fantasy novels are bad and there's pet names that I would pay to get erased from my memory. Little One falls in the latter category. The use of this pet name feels more predatory and belittling than endearing, especially when used by the MMC when bossing the FMC around or, worse, in a sexual context.
The writing
This was very much a book where things were told to the reader and we were meant to just accept it. No prior hinting at things, showing internal struggles or doubts. When you are told randomly that the FMC is grieving her dead brother without ever having seen any signs of this in her behaviour or thought it simply does not have the impact it is intended to have. Same goes for being told the FMC has doubts about the MMC since his encounter with the cave beast 3 chapters before the end when this doubt had not been mentioned in her internal monologue at all since said encounter.
The dialogue is tediously bad. In a 420 page book there was maybe about 5 pages worth of actually meaningful dialogue. It becomes tedious to read when every conversation between the MCs ends in the MMC either making explicit sexual remarks or straight up coercing her into sex.
Overall the events, thoughts and dialogues seem disconnected from one moment to the next.
The pacing
The book starts off pretty strong with the worldbuilding and the fall of the Veil but quickly turns into 300 pages of the MCs wandering about the woods without much happening at all. They literally just walk around. The pace picks up a little bit when they meet the Resistance but once they go out on the mission to find the Marked towards the end of the book things feel incredibly rushed and there is no space left to explore what is really happening. Which brings me to ....
The plot twist at the end
The twist at the end had potential to be good if it wasn't all but spelled out about halfway through the book already. From the moment we met the MMC it was clear to me this was the fae mate the FMC had been running from. There is foreshadowing and there is spoiling the twist long before it's meant to be revealed.
Spoiler
I am usually a person who feels the need to finish a series once I have started it but after reading the first book I feel absolutely no rush to purchase the next book (if ever).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, Stalking, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Murder, Misogyny, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Sexual violence
lousnewchapter's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gore, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Death of parent
leila_reads_too_much's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual harassment and Sexual assault
jenniday's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.0
I may gouge my eyes out if I have to read “my star” or “Little One” (BARF) again. Super stiff dialogue, no lovable or likable characters, and a lot of cringe-worthy moments. Estrella is the idiot whom we are supposed to love and root for but she shows no growth throughout the story. And don’t even get me started on Caelum. He is the absolute worst. He infantilizes the FMC and is a total creep. Ugh. I will not read the next one, because frankly, I just don’t care what happens and the whole book gave me the “ick.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Sexual harassment, and Suicidal thoughts