alxisrae's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Violence, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, and Body horror
Moderate: Grief, Blood, Gore, Torture, Physical abuse, Murder, and Alcohol
Minor: Kidnapping, Death of parent, Death, and Confinement
jen1804's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
inspiring
mysterious
sad
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
4.5
⚠️SIGNIFICANT SPOILERS AHEAD⚠️
Poppy and Cas’ relationship is one of my favourite book couples in the history of book couples. And Cas is one to rival the love I have for Rhysand🙊 which is not a statement to be taken lightly bc FEYSAND TIL I DIE. But Cas’ nonchalance is honestly just the best thing to read. I love the two of them together and I love the mixture of plot and romance in this series.
I am OBSESSED with Poppy being this violent, murderous, stubborn, hot headed, sarcastic character, with the ability to fight and kill like it’s nothing, but with a gigantic heart for those she cares about. Or as Casteel describes her:
Poppy and Cas’ relationship is one of my favourite book couples in the history of book couples. And Cas is one to rival the love I have for Rhysand🙊 which is not a statement to be taken lightly bc FEYSAND TIL I DIE. But Cas’ nonchalance is honestly just the best thing to read. I love the two of them together and I love the mixture of plot and romance in this series.
I am OBSESSED with Poppy being this violent, murderous, stubborn, hot headed, sarcastic character, with the ability to fight and kill like it’s nothing, but with a gigantic heart for those she cares about. Or as Casteel describes her:
“Such a stunning, vicious little creature.”
I love her journey throughout this book. When I think back to where we began this third book, in comparison to how we’ve ended, so much has happened! This book does have a lot of plot but that also comes with a huge lot of info dumping which is sometimes difficult to digest and understand. But we love a well thought out, complex and layered story line!
Poppy is a mother fucking god and I am so here for her popping all the way off when it comes to discovering and using her powers. She’s the type of heroine who will burn the world down to save the one she loves and I am so here for that.
Poppy is a mother fucking god and I am so here for her popping all the way off when it comes to discovering and using her powers. She’s the type of heroine who will burn the world down to save the one she loves and I am so here for that.
“Make sure she understands that her survival hinges on Casteel. She will release him, or she will see each and every one of her cities leveled. If she touches him again, I will destroy her precious Malec, and I can. I know where to find him. He lives. For now. And if she kills Casteel? If anyone kills him?” I tilted my head, catching his gaze as he tried to find where the draken had flown off to. “I will make sure her death is a slow one that will take hundreds of years to complete.“
And I also love that it’s the same way Casteel feels about her.
“No risk is too great, nor is anything too sacred. Because she is my everything. There is nothing greater than her, and I do mean nothing.”
Poppy understands that innocent people could die in the process but does she care at this point? no she does not, and I love reading about this sort of I-might-be-the-heroine-but-I-can-be-villainous behaviour that she has going on.
I also hugely rate Queen Ileana as the villain of this series, she is RUTHLESS.
There were moments in this book which gave me goosebumps, and I loved Poppy discovering more and more about who she is, her heritage and her abilities, using them for good and also for WRATH. I absolutely ADORED every time both Cas and Poppy put someone in their place if they disrespected her. And I loved the amount of allegiance and admiration she received in this book, the admiration she deserves I might add. One of my favourite FMCs of all time.
If someone could explain the whole casserole thing to me though I’d be most grateful please and thanks.
Satisfactory ending? Yessssssss so good!
I also hugely rate Queen Ileana as the villain of this series, she is RUTHLESS.
There were moments in this book which gave me goosebumps, and I loved Poppy discovering more and more about who she is, her heritage and her abilities, using them for good and also for WRATH. I absolutely ADORED every time both Cas and Poppy put someone in their place if they disrespected her. And I loved the amount of allegiance and admiration she received in this book, the admiration she deserves I might add. One of my favourite FMCs of all time.
If someone could explain the whole casserole thing to me though I’d be most grateful please and thanks.
Satisfactory ending? Yessssssss so good!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Kidnapping, Blood, Confinement, War, Violence, Xenophobia, Murder, Sexual content, Grief, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, and Torture
midnacine's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
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? Yes
5.0
This was so fun to return to as an audiobook! I'm excited to re-read A Shadow in the Ember with Stina narrating next!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Blood, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, and War
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Animal death, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Child abuse, Classism, Genocide, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Rape, and Vomit
hq_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
It took me a while to read this book. It starts so fast paced with a series of shocking reveals and excitIng moments. So after about 8 chapters it naturally dipped because it could not keep that pace. That made it quite slow going for me and I had to take a break, but once I got back into it I enjoyed it and am excited for book 4!
Poppy is still an absolute badass FMC. Casteel has some dreamy moments, but I’m a bit bored of their relationship… 😬
Poppy is still an absolute badass FMC. Casteel has some dreamy moments, but I’m a bit bored of their relationship… 😬
Spoiler
I’m glad he’s been kidnapped purely because it’s adding some conflict/peril to their relationship and I’m now excited to see Poppy fight for him
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Death, and Confinement
xwritingstoriesx's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
4.5
4.5 stars! What an ending! I loved every single second of this book but the ending was something else entirely. I cannot wait to pick up the next book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: War, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Torture, Violence, Death, and Death of parent
Minor: Child death and Grief
saffyre's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Cursing, Murder, and Violence
kodafaith's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-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? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Murder, Blood, Sexual content, Confinement, and Death
eve_reads's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Overall Thoughts:
⁕ If I could describe this book in one word, that word would be repetitive. Within itself and in comparison to the previous books in the series, the same scenes just keep repeating themselves over and over.... and over.
⁕ There's a lot of fluff without much consequence for the story. Romance books have to have romance, but after a while it stops adding value. I wish there was less of it and more of the political intrigue that is present in first book.
⁕ Poppy's character is too overpowered. Every time a new challenge arises she develops special abilities out of nowhere that perfectly address whatever the given situation is. It takes all the conflict and tension out of the story.
⁕ At this point, the only reason I will finish the series is solely because I need to know how it ends and not because I actually enjoy the act of reading it.
To read my full review, visit: https://evereads.online
For regular book-related content, follow my Instagram account: @eve_reads
⁕ If I could describe this book in one word, that word would be repetitive. Within itself and in comparison to the previous books in the series, the same scenes just keep repeating themselves over and over.... and over.
⁕ There's a lot of fluff without much consequence for the story. Romance books have to have romance, but after a while it stops adding value. I wish there was less of it and more of the political intrigue that is present in first book.
⁕ Poppy's character is too overpowered. Every time a new challenge arises she develops special abilities out of nowhere that perfectly address whatever the given situation is. It takes all the conflict and tension out of the story.
⁕ At this point, the only reason I will finish the series is solely because I need to know how it ends and not because I actually enjoy the act of reading it.
To read my full review, visit: https://evereads.online
For regular book-related content, follow my Instagram account: @eve_reads
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Gore, Torture, Violence, Confinement, and War
villainxorigin's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-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
3.5
While enjoyable, my main complaint is the repetition in this book. JLA has a tendency to repeat jokes, phrases, and reiterate information a bit much in all her series, but this book really pushes it for me. Of course Poppy's going to have a million questions, she was raised in an extremely controlled environment and part of a society that's been lied to for centuries about their entire history and even the present day. Give her a break.
At this point, I'm feeling like books 1 & 2 should've been combined, and I have a feeling I'm going to think this book and book 4 should as well. The series needn't be drawn out the way she's deciding to go because it's sacrificing the quality of storytelling for readers in favor of selling more books.
I know you love to write JLA but I'm begging you to hire a new developmental editor again.
That being said, I still love Cas and Poppy (and no I won't lose my shit)
At this point, I'm feeling like books 1 & 2 should've been combined, and I have a feeling I'm going to think this book and book 4 should as well. The series needn't be drawn out the way she's deciding to go because it's sacrificing the quality of storytelling for readers in favor of selling more books.
I know you love to write JLA but I'm begging you to hire a new developmental editor again.
That being said, I still love Cas and Poppy (and no I won't lose my shit
Spoiler
when there's threesome/throuple Joining.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual content, Cursing, Blood, Body horror, and Gore
Minor: Child death, War, Confinement, and Death of parent
alyssasaurus's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Blood, and Cursing
Moderate: Violence, Murder, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Cannibalism, Confinement, and Death
Minor: Death of parent and Pregnancy