shellbwarn's review against another edition
5.0
Some stories give me a feeling of exhilarating giddiness while I'm reading them, and this was one of those. This was a nice mix of magical realism, historical fiction and romance with an intriguing concept. It reminded me of Natasha Pulley's The Kingdoms (which is an amazing read if you haven't heard of it) and Adam Silvera's More Happy Than Not.
mynnmax's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
seventhings_'s review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
alex1316's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
bookjenny's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
beckyangelique's review against another edition
2.0
Such a disappointing book. The first part was so good and well written and then part two was such a detour. I really expected this to be a fantasy, magical story but it's not. It's just a romance book with some magical elements to the alternate world and there is no sense of time or place.
I found the plot uninspiring from then on out. Don't even get me started about part 3... Changing tenses to first person present for no reason? I skimmed through the end because it was unbearable and boring.
And speaking of the ending... Very lackluster. This could have been such a cool story if the whole plot didn't revolve around a gay couple who aren't allowed to be together and their memories get wiped because of prejudice. Because of the lack of context regarding time and place, this prejudice didn't really sit right and I was really saddened that it made gay romance a negative thing in this fictional world.
Basically I signed up for a fantasy historical novel but instead got a "forbidden" love story...
Not very happy that I wasted a week reading this book.
2/5 starts because the writing style was engaging and well done for 2/3s of the book but otherwise, I would not recommend.
I found the plot uninspiring from then on out. Don't even get me started about part 3... Changing tenses to first person present for no reason? I skimmed through the end because it was unbearable and boring.
And speaking of the ending... Very lackluster. This could have been such a cool story if the whole plot didn't revolve around a gay couple who aren't allowed to be together and their memories get wiped because of prejudice. Because of the lack of context regarding time and place, this prejudice didn't really sit right and I was really saddened that it made gay romance a negative thing in this fictional world.
Basically I signed up for a fantasy historical novel but instead got a "forbidden" love story...
Not very happy that I wasted a week reading this book.
2/5 starts because the writing style was engaging and well done for 2/3s of the book but otherwise, I would not recommend.
space_x_ani's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
slank's review against another edition
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0