Scan barcode
thefebruaryfriday's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Usually, when I finish a terrible book I feel so much hate and disappointment but this time instead of hating I laughed my ass off with this one.
First things first, let's talk about the plot. Cheerfully this book had one, but it was a complete mess, there were so many things happening and a lot of it was just random, some really bad stuff popping out of nowhere and being solved in the blink of an eye. I'm sorry, there was so much telling and not showing that it was hard to appreciate the feeling of being desperate to know what was going to happen on the next page. The dialogue made me cringe at many parts, it was more like Emilia asking stupid questions about something no one cared but the author wanted us to, than an actual conversation. And the way that something was suddenly important, like Emilia's parents, but it disappeared until it was convenient to appear again, like what?
But even though I hated these aspects, every awkward conversation made me laugh and the fact that every time you flip a page there's something different happening made me go through this very quickly. The ambience and the world-building are actually interesting but could be more explored and better explained.
Wrath is actually kind of funny with all of his lessons and grumpy personality, I like him.
Emilia is just like every other fantasy character, completely stupid and dull, she doesn't have a personality other than 'solving the mystery of her sister's death'. And what a hell of a plot twist, I found out everything in the middle of the book and wasn't even a little surprised.
Will I read the sequel? Of course, wasting my time is my favourite hobby.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Blood, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Alcohol
raypaws's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Gore and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual content, Vomit, and Alcohol
starofash's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
okay, so i really liked this book!
it was pretty fast-paced and the story began very quickly and had a mostly direct writing style which i really liked. also, the plottwist was unexpected in my opinion, i only guessed it while it was already being revealed lmao
the food themes and witchcraft were amazing, a bit more explantion about the magic system would've been nice but i feel like it's also realistic that emilia doesn't know a lot about it because her nonna seems to keep a lot of it secret
the main characters, wrath and emilia were lovable and i understood them, because although emilias stubbornness in regards to who the murderer was was a bit annoying, it was also understandable and in character. if i only want to scream at the character, that's fine for me. also, emilias character development was amazing
wrath was also really amazing, i loved his character. (i love me a smug asshole and he kinda was that)
but the romance really made me a bit uncomfortable? i really like enemies to lovers, but something about the romance in this book rubbed me the wrong way, idk.
another complaint i had was that i read it in german but the wicked were still called wicked which was kinda weird and definitely took some getting used to
still very excited for part 2!!!
it was pretty fast-paced and the story began very quickly and had a mostly direct writing style which i really liked. also, the plottwist was unexpected in my opinion, i only guessed it while it was already being revealed lmao
the food themes and witchcraft were amazing, a bit more explantion about the magic system would've been nice but i feel like it's also realistic that emilia doesn't know a lot about it because her nonna seems to keep a lot of it secret
the main characters, wrath and emilia were lovable and i understood them, because although emilias stubbornness in regards to who the murderer was was a bit annoying, it was also understandable and in character. if i only want to scream at the character, that's fine for me. also, emilias character development was amazing
wrath was also really amazing, i loved his character. (i love me a smug asshole and he kinda was that)
but the romance really made me a bit uncomfortable? i really like enemies to lovers, but something about the romance in this book rubbed me the wrong way, idk.
another complaint i had was that i read it in german but the wicked were still called wicked which was kinda weird and definitely took some getting used to
still very excited for part 2!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Confinement, Vomit, and Alcohol
anastashamarie's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
🕯️ If you want to read this, I GREATLY recommend the audiobook. This is one that I think is made by the narrator. I'm a sucker for a paranormal/fantasy murder mystery and for slow burn enemies-to-lover so I devoured this story and thoroughly enjoyed it...UNTIL the last 10% or so.
Tuck in, little witches and surly demons. This might turn rambling like I got stuck between worlds in a scrying session.
🐍The whole time I was reading/listening to it, I was thinking this would be a 4-star read for me. Yeah, it had some problems (which I'll get into). But I loved the magic system and the setting. I loved the concept of the 7 Deadly Sins embodied as demons and the ways that their powers manipulate humans. I loved Emelia's and Wrath's banter. (And okay, like I said, the narration really made this one.)
🗡️ I liked the characters, too. Some people complain about Emilia being dumb, and though I definitely think there certain things she did or didn't do only for the obvious sake of the story, I don't think "dumb" is the way I'd describe her. She thought these demons and dark forces were scary stories made up her Nonna to scare little witches into saying in bed at night. She was very traumatized by seeing the brutalized bodies of people she cared about and by witnessing multiple graphic attempted murders. I don't blame her if she didn't always ask the right questions or if she fell prey to immortal beings who spend their whole lives trying to trick humans. 2 months ago, she didn't even know they existed. She's pretty adaptable, all things considered.
I also liked Wrath and the ways that he wasn't nearly as stoic or good at hiding his emotions as he might have thought. I liked his insistence on consent and choice and the ways that the demon magic just enhances what people already feel or desire. I liked that he clearly had his own motivations and seemed genuinely ambiguous throughout much of the story. I wouldn't call him morally grey, per say, because he doesn't actually do anything bad. Maybe morally shadowed...I'm still not totally sure what his ploy is, but I'm very curious as to where his story will go next.
💀 But oof, the ending just left so much to be desired that I had to take another star. I get that it's meant to set up the storyline for the rest of the books. But so many of the characters motivations seemed loosely strung together by the end and nothing is as well tied-up as I thought it might be. New characters are introduced up until the last few pages, but in a "better shove this in my hidden pocket before I forget it like Emilia keep forgetting her chalk" sort of way, not in a necessarily intriguing sort of way. Personalities seem to suddenly flip flop. Clues that were presented seem to now be forgotten.
And speaking for clues, I feel like I needed a Handy Dandy Notebook to keep track of the spells and symbols and other hints littered throughout, because Emilia was finding paw prints I couldn't even see (I think because they're as invisible as a umbra demon). Meanwhile, Emilia is out here just drawing connections out of thin air. She suddenly remembers seeing symbols before that I don't remember ever being mentioned (because they weren't) and is like "oh, a clue!" I feel this could have been solved by more showing and less telling in the book; more descriptions of the scenes and interactions and behaviors. In other words, I wish more clues were dropped so the audience could play detective, too.
🍝 Still, even though I didn't rank this as highly as I hoped, I'm very excited to read the next one. I borrowed this from Libby and will probably buy an actual copy of it to keep on my own shelf I liked it so much. I'm just hopeful the next ones redeem some of the ending of this one for me, otherwise I'm sending them back to the summoning circle.
Tuck in, little witches and surly demons. This might turn rambling like I got stuck between worlds in a scrying session.
🐍The whole time I was reading/listening to it, I was thinking this would be a 4-star read for me. Yeah, it had some problems (which I'll get into). But I loved the magic system and the setting. I loved the concept of the 7 Deadly Sins embodied as demons and the ways that their powers manipulate humans. I loved Emelia's and Wrath's banter. (And okay, like I said, the narration really made this one.)
🗡️ I liked the characters, too. Some people complain about Emilia being dumb, and though I definitely think there certain things she did or didn't do only for the obvious sake of the story, I don't think "dumb" is the way I'd describe her. She thought these demons and dark forces were scary stories made up her Nonna to scare little witches into saying in bed at night. She was very traumatized by seeing the brutalized bodies of people she cared about and by witnessing multiple graphic attempted murders. I don't blame her if she didn't always ask the right questions or if she fell prey to immortal beings who spend their whole lives trying to trick humans. 2 months ago, she didn't even know they existed. She's pretty adaptable, all things considered.
I also liked Wrath and the ways that he wasn't nearly as stoic or good at hiding his emotions as he might have thought. I liked his insistence on consent and choice and the ways that the demon magic just enhances what people already feel or desire. I liked that he clearly had his own motivations and seemed genuinely ambiguous throughout much of the story. I wouldn't call him morally grey, per say, because he doesn't actually do anything bad. Maybe morally shadowed...I'm still not totally sure what his ploy is, but I'm very curious as to where his story will go next.
💀 But oof, the ending just left so much to be desired that I had to take another star. I get that it's meant to set up the storyline for the rest of the books. But so many of the characters motivations seemed loosely strung together by the end and nothing is as well tied-up as I thought it might be. New characters are introduced up until the last few pages, but in a "better shove this in my hidden pocket before I forget it like Emilia keep forgetting her chalk" sort of way, not in a necessarily intriguing sort of way. Personalities seem to suddenly flip flop. Clues that were presented seem to now be forgotten.
And speaking for clues, I feel like I needed a Handy Dandy Notebook to keep track of the spells and symbols and other hints littered throughout, because Emilia was finding paw prints I couldn't even see (I think because they're as invisible as a umbra demon). Meanwhile, Emilia is out here just drawing connections out of thin air. She suddenly remembers seeing symbols before that I don't remember ever being mentioned (because they weren't) and is like "oh, a clue!" I feel this could have been solved by more showing and less telling in the book; more descriptions of the scenes and interactions and behaviors. In other words, I wish more clues were dropped so the audience could play detective, too.
🍝 Still, even though I didn't rank this as highly as I hoped, I'm very excited to read the next one. I borrowed this from Libby and will probably buy an actual copy of it to keep on my own shelf I liked it so much. I'm just hopeful the next ones redeem some of the ending of this one for me, otherwise I'm sending them back to the summoning circle.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, and Grief
Moderate: Cursing and Religious bigotry
Minor: Sexual content, Vomit, and Alcohol
troll_for_initiative's review against another edition
The book is incedibly boring to me. I am half way through the book and I don't like a single character, the worldbuilding is limited to mostly italian food, and the plot is fully dependend on the stupidity of the main character. Once this girl has a single intelligent thought, the story would be over and the world would be saved, because apparently she's an all-powerful witch without even trying. I do not care for anyone or anything in this book and I really tried to.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Grief, and Alcohol
bootsmom3's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Murder, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Cursing, Blood, and Kidnapping
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Sexual content, and Alcohol
zabeishumanish's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.25
I was confused from nearly cover to cover, but oh so entertained.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
katvou's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Child death, Gore, Grief, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual content and Vomit
faitherslibrary's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Self harm, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Grief
Minor: Alcohol
cluckieduck's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
2.75
Not as enthralling as other fantasy series’s debuts, but interesting enough that I’ll continue on to book two. The plot was fairly predictable but also quite scattered…riddle me that. I just didn’t connect with any of the characters, so we’ll see what book two brings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Religious bigotry
Minor: Vomit and Alcohol