nkmustdie's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.25
Graphic: War, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Hate crime, Medical trauma, Police brutality, Body horror, Animal cruelty, Deportation, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Racism, Sexual content, Trafficking, Vomit, Abandonment, Classism, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Racial slurs, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Violence, Xenophobia, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Torture, Slavery, Stalking, and Toxic relationship
josiee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Moderate: Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Confinement, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Lesbophobia, Medical content, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Medical trauma, Biphobia, Drug abuse, Drug use, Colonisation, Cursing, Grief, Infidelity, Sexual harassment, Animal death, Blood, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Stalking, War, Ableism, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Sexism, Abandonment, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Death, Torture, Trafficking, Violence, and Vomit
zc2's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
- Okay it put me in a pretty big reading slump not gonna lie. Like i picked up to other books in an attempt to get me to keep reading it. But the plot was so tense at certain points that it kept me interested. I did hate that the whole book was centered on war and politics like i could’ve cared less. Why did it take them 700+ pages for the war to happen in the last 200. I was not amused. Even though we hate Tampon i would like to give him a hug for being lonely now. Like it wasn’t his fault he had attachment issues well maybe it was but i don’t know if i would want him to drop his roll as high lord of the spring court to go be with luicien at velaris. But also how is Az and Luic gonna fall in love with Elain like im dancing on the edge ready to find out. What else are they to face now that hybern is gone ??? Idk if I’ll continue reading or not havent decided yet.overall it was an okay book I wouldn’t 100% recommend it though.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Cursing, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, Abandonment, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Genocide, Pandemic/Epidemic, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Bullying, Animal cruelty, Dysphoria, Grief, Misogyny, Fire/Fire injury, Torture, War, Alcohol, Body horror, Drug use, Kidnapping, Vomit, Animal death, Biphobia, Body shaming, Cannibalism, and Death
jenna_justi2004'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: Genocide, Sexism, Sexual content, Drug use, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Murder, Blood, Gore, Toxic relationship, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Classism, Biphobia, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Slavery, Alcohol, Animal death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Grief, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic friendship, and War
jen1804'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
Absolutely beautiful book that sits as the third book in the A Court Of Thorns And Roses series and is a series that I will definitely be rereading before the year is up.
Satisfactory ending? Yes.
Graphic: Gore, Death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, War, Murder, and Sexual content
Minor: Torture, Bullying, Emotional abuse, and Fire/Fire injury
egurgens'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 was so good, I greatly enjoyed this story. I’m looking forward to more.
Graphic: Cannibalism, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Grief, Kidnapping, Sexual harassment, Biphobia, Classism, Colonisation, Genocide, Sexual content, Slavery, Vomit, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Cursing, Death of parent, Torture, Violence, and War
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Lesbophobia, Abandonment, Stalking, Child death, Toxic friendship, and Child abuse
the_chaotic_witch'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
4.25
This book. Oh, this book. The first time I read it, it sent Me on a roller coaster of all different emotions. And though I've read it four times now, I still experience that extreme emotional response; it's quite probably a Me thing. I think this is my favorite book in the series, and though I haven't read A Court of Silver Flames yet, I don't think that's likely to change.
Were there parts in this book where I was like, "Fuck, really"? Of course. Were they plot/character-related and realistic and reasonable in the story? Yes. Were they mainly due to some of my personal views? Yes. (Come on, that can't be a normal allo thing, right?? Right?? It's so. so. often.)
While we had a whole group of new characters to explore in book 2, here we also get a few new ones. But we Mainly deepen the ones we have already got. I feel like because of that; the development wasn't as strong as in the second book. Still, due to the new characters we got, however briefly, I feel like they got enough depth without seeming too strained and added to the story in a way that brought it forward and left room for further development in the future.
I am not saying the development of pre-existing characters in this book isn't good. They are developed, deepened, and intriguingly written and portraying interesting and essential facets of life and diversity.
As the plot of this third book; it is a culmination of the brewing conflict, a strategical battle of wits and force and a fight to keep those you love safe - as I said before: I suffered. I was devastated the first time I read it. The third time was the first I cried at the end. I did so again this time around. (Trigger warnings:) This book deals with war, violence, abuse (physical, verbal, mental), sexual content, racial slurs (in a way), death, and bigotry. Because this third installment deals with war, with all things ugly, they are trying to fight, with strategic elements and tensions. Besides the comic relief, the found-family aspect that you know I love, this tension gets disrupted by sexual content and mental illness representation (depression, PTSD).
I like this installment not only for its strategic elements and the sense of danger and dread it conveys but because it is interlaced with a feeling and knowledge of why we - the reader - should care and what the characters are fighting for. And that goes beneath "they are evil, and we have to fight them because of it."
Also, while the first book was a Beauty and the Beast retelling, the second a Hades and Persephone retelling, this one isn't one straightforward singular reimagining of a known story. But it incorporates different parts of different stories. Or at least that's what I noticed while reading.
This time around, there are also little lessons and philosophies intertwined with the plot that I personally very much enjoyed but that I have seen have gotten a lot of crap from people for being too obvious, too much, or simply too connected with the plot. I think they make sense in the story; they fit the characters they are associated with and add to the plot.
As for the plot: While in the past reads of this story, I found it marvelously paced, and I found it incredibly strategically thought through; this time around, I found it less so. This entire reread makes the whole story appear much more fast-paced than I had usually found it and the strategic aspects, while still very good, are more luck and convenience than actual action.
Don't get Me wrong. The parts the characters plan themselves are still good, and the tension and its relief are still strong and impressive but less so than I might have praised it for in the past. For some of the culmination at the end, it is for us to suspend our disbelief a bit, but other than that, emotionally, strategically, multidimensionally, and logically I very much enjoyed the plot of book 3.
I don't think I have to talk about the intrigue and enjoyment here a lot. I mean, it's pretty apparent that I love this book with all my heart, that I love these characters, this world, and will forever think that we can never get enough content from them. I would be happy to follow them through millennia of mundane tasks and everyday life just to have more of them. Did I worry at the beginning of the book? 100%. Did I worry at the end of the book? 100%. Was there fun, and love, and emotion, and heartbreak, and anger? 100%. And that's why I love it.
That's Me signing off. Be kind, especially to yourselves! Bye ♥
Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit