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knockoffrainbow's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Transphobia, Vomit, Murder, and Alcohol
Minor: Infidelity
ebp'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
Graphic: Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Kidnapping, Car accident, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Infidelity and Alcohol
chrisb913'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? It's complicated
5.0
At the end of the day, while the beginning was slightly clunky for me, the ending more than made up for any grievance I had with the book. This story is such an interesting and unique take on the Arthruian lore and the characters are so incredibly realistic. I cannot wait to continue reading in this world and this will be one of my go to recommendations.
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Xenophobia, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, and Transphobia
spess'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
3.5
Graphic: Death, Violence, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Bullying, Racism, Slavery, and Colonisation
Minor: Child abuse, Rape, Car accident, and Abandonment
tetrootz'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
4.25
Graphic: Death, Gore, Racial slurs, Blood, and Death of parent
Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Xenophobia, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, and Classism
Minor: Homophobia, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Police brutality, and Acephobia/Arophobia
some_random_person_hi's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
All in all, very gripping once past the first 50 pages -> I binged this. I love the characters so much + the exploration of how historical institutions are hostile to POC (esp in USA) stood out to me.
Had some flaws (
Graphic: Violence and Grief
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Gore, Racism, Slavery, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Torture, Transphobia, Kidnapping, Stalking, Car accident, Murder, Alcohol, and Colonisation
Self harm is not in the mental health issues way but the for blood way.midnightverde's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Infidelity and Rape
litoreads'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? It's complicated
5.0
Someone let Miss Tracy Deonn cook and she created a masterpiece. Five Stars.
The story starts with the heartbreaking loss of Bree Matthews' mother. A few months later, she heads off to USC, the same university her mother attended. Shortly after arriving at the school, she stumbles upon the exclusive Order of the Round Table, a modern-day rendition of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.
As mysterious and perilous incidents unfold on campus, Bree seizes the opportunity to join the Order as a Page, facilitated by Nick, the prospective King and heir to King Arthur's throne. Amidst her training to be a Squire, escalating violent events prompt the original Knights to call upon their Scions to Awaken, signaling an impending war. The catch is that if Arthur's Scion (Nick) is Awakened and falls victim to the Shadowborn demons,
Simultaneously, Bree undergoes therapy where her therapist unveils
I won't spoil the rest for you; PLEASE READ IT. I couldn't contain my excitement and literally yelled and felt chills when the climax was revealed.
On the downside, I found a minor issue with Bree's frequent lack of awareness in certain situations. For instance, moments where she unexpectedly realizes actions she apparently performed without conscious awareness felt a bit inconsistent for a character with such
Here's what I appreciated:
- The engaging narrative
- Rich lore
- Well-crafted magic system
- Compelling characters, particularly Bree, Sel, Nick, and Alice
Bree's perspective as an intelligent Black woman resonated with me, offering a poignant exploration of how White society incessantly thrusts her race and gender in her face. As a person of color myself, I identified with many parallels, and the portrayal of racist interactions at times moved me to tears.
The inclusion of queer representation in the story is commendable. Same-sex relationships are normalized, and I applaud the matter-of-fact acceptance within the narrative. The diverse sexual orientations of characters, including Sel being bi (we need more bi men in books) and Alice being a lesbian, along with queer figures in high-ranking positions in the Order, is a refreshing and welcomed aspect.
Tracy Deonn's debut novel is a tapestry of adventure, gripping battle scenes, dynamic characters, a captivating magic system, and creative, imaginative lore rooted in Arthurian legend. It lays the foundation for a
Five stars.
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and War
talonsontypewriters's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Death, Gore, Racism, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexism, Slavery, Torture, Medical content, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Colonisation, and War
Minor: Cancer, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual content, Transphobia, Vomit, and Car accident
quel_g's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Child abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Blood, and Police brutality