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tragicgloom's review
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: War
wandering_seal's review
- 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? It's complicated
4.5
I liked how this story has added another stand to the greater plot, and now I'm finished it I'm excited to see how the rest of the stories develop.
I did feel that the story was largely tied up at about 70%, and while it was nice seeing all the detail of the
Graphic: Gore, Slavery, Violence, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Death and Sexual content
angelsowllibrarian's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Moderate: Gore, Slavery, Torture, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
midnightstory's review
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty
Minor: Addiction, Animal death, and Abandonment
wardenred's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
“Why are you so concerned with freeing them? They’re not your problem. They’re not our problem.”
I bristled. “That’s the point. No one else is going to help them.”
Full disclosure, I didn't expect to like this book all that much and just braced myself to power throw it on my way to the one installment in this series I really want to get to (Moth, because I fell in love with the titular character back in The Rycke). I just didn't want to miss out on the overarching plot! I totally didn't expect Gloam to become such a strong contender for my favorite book in the series, but somehow, it snuck up on me. The further I read, the more invested I became.
I love how the series gets plottier and plottier as it moves along. This book is so different from Soul Eater with all of its slice-of-life-ish walking through the Wastes. Stakes! Tension! Seriously messed-up villains! The journey kept getting more and more exciting, and the resolution was pretty satisfying while still living lots of cool threads to follow later in the series. I also loved getting so much lore, both about life in the Wastes and all the tidbits about the monster realm.
The romance took its time to grow on me; on one hand, I enjoyed seeing the bond between Adam and Gloam grow and appreciated how the power imbalance that went both ways between them was handled. And all the communication through notes added an interesting touch. On the other hand, the spark for me just didn't seem to be there (the spark between me and their story, not between the characters themselves). But then in the second half of the book I found myself really shipping them. That tender scene next to the villain's corpse being eaten by the monstrous pet is going to live in my head rent free for a while, I'm telling you, and not just because of the stark contrast.
I am also absolutely enamored by Adam/Rig. I liked him in the previous book, too, but as a narrator he really opens up, and I love love love his personality. He's the best kind of good guy: the sort who will do the right thing even if he knows it's beyond the scope of his abilities, because it needs to be done, damn it, and no else cares to do it, so might as well be him. The world would honestly be a much better place if more of us adopted that outlook. That's my hill and all.
So, yeah, I've had plenty of fun with this one and I'm excited for what comes next!
Graphic: Confinement, Slavery, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Torture and Cannibalism
fuzzywilson's review
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Minor: Cannibalism and Alcohol
inadequacyinabucket's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Torture, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, and War
black_hellebore_reviews'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? It's complicated
5.0
Adam, eternal sweet heart. The world always needs one Adam.
Gloam, bae. He gets the leaves, does the big hammer and cares for our hurting boy.
Last sentence - purple boi. YASSS!!
Wyn so far is my favourite, but Gloam is a close second. Not that I have favourite children.
Graphic: Sexual content and Slavery
hariboreads's review
- 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
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Slavery, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Torture, Violence, and Cannibalism
whatthefridge's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Beginning is slow because its retreading beats from the previous book. Considering I just finished the previous book, it felt repetitive even though I understand why it was necessary. Once it got past that point, my interest was piqued again.
I'm very much enjoying all the pairings in this series as well as the worldbuilding.
Admittedly, my biggest nagging thought about aytorins as a species
Graphic: Gore, Slavery, and Murder
Moderate: Torture and Cannibalism