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bkschwartz's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Amazing stand-alone story that kept me guessing the whole way through
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry and Gaslighting
betweentheshelves's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Honestly, this book was a bit all over the place, both world building and plot wise. There was so much to remember about this world, and yet there wasn't space for it to be fully explored. I do appreciate that this appears to be a standalone YA fantasy (which is rare these days), but giving the world room to breathe would have helped with some of the confusion.
The characters are pretty well developed, at least the main cast. The side characters all tend to blend into the background. The magic system and god-pact system could have used a bit more explanation as well, because there were times where I thought a pact was being made and that didn't seem to be the case.
There are also heavy religious tones throughout, so just something to be aware of if you pick this one up! It wasn't really for me, but I could definitely see how others could connect to it.
The characters are pretty well developed, at least the main cast. The side characters all tend to blend into the background. The magic system and god-pact system could have used a bit more explanation as well, because there were times where I thought a pact was being made and that didn't seem to be the case.
There are also heavy religious tones throughout, so just something to be aware of if you pick this one up! It wasn't really for me, but I could definitely see how others could connect to it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Death of parent
Moderate: Body horror, Torture, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Religious bigotry
mlottermoser's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Went in expecting an epic fairytale/gods fantasy. It leaned a lot heavier on Christian and theology principles than I expected. Interesting views on devotion, love, and humanity. Light romance to keep things fun and provide balance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Religious bigotry
melissaslibraryy's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
soft(?) dnf at 74% bc I’m getting bored of the plot & the fantasy aspect of the book isn’t doing enough to keep me engaged rip. It’s a shame bc I was really looking forward to reading this when I put it on hold on Libby. Since I left off at chapter 28, I’m still counting it as read and leaving it at a 3⭐️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Terminal illness, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic
emlyy_who's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture, Religious bigotry, and Pandemic/Epidemic
bethanycrowepowell's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-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
5.0
I'm a huge fan of Hodge's work, and this is her best yet--delivering the wholly reimagined folktale she excels at with deeply felt questions about heroism and faith.
Lia thinks she's saving her world when she enters the briar to kill the sorceror Ruven. When she encounters a boy who recognizes too much about her own need to be a hero, she still kills him. But nothing is as simple as she was raised to believe--not saving the nation she loves, not being devoted to the gods, and certainly not forgotting the boy she killed. Because he's now haunting her, and their theological differences can't trump the way he alone understands what it is to be used when you want desperately to matter.
This is a dark fairy tale rich with complexity, haunting imagery, and a heroine so earnest it hurts.
Lia thinks she's saving her world when she enters the briar to kill the sorceror Ruven. When she encounters a boy who recognizes too much about her own need to be a hero, she still kills him. But nothing is as simple as she was raised to believe--not saving the nation she loves, not being devoted to the gods, and certainly not forgotting the boy she killed. Because he's now haunting her, and their theological differences can't trump the way he alone understands what it is to be used when you want desperately to matter.
This is a dark fairy tale rich with complexity, haunting imagery, and a heroine so earnest it hurts.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Blood, and Death of parent
Moderate: Body horror, Violence, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Religious bigotry
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