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readwithria's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I really enjoyed reading this book! I read most of it in one day, and it was hard to put down and very easy to pick back up again.
That being said, I’m not sure that it’s as plot heavy as it’s advertised. It’s definitely *story* heavy, but Diem doesn’t have any strong goals that she works toward throughout the book. This felt like a lot of exposition, and that’s fine since it’s the first book in a four book series, but I wanted her to have a little more agency.
I will definitely be continuing with this series! 4 stars!
Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for the eARC and the opportunity to share an honest, voluntary review.
Graphic: Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Racism and Classism
Minor: Death, Sexual content, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
mj_86'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
4.5
Graphic: Violence, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment
Moderate: Child death, Death, and War
Minor: Rape, Suicidal thoughts, and Medical content
hazelgirl21'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
4.0
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Abandonment
amanda_reads13's review against another edition
- 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
This was a pretty decent romantasy. The world building was good, yet a little inconsistent. The concept of the plot isn't super original, but kept me interested. There were a lot of common plot devices used in this book - divided society, imbalance of power, secret rebel group, secretly powerful FMC, etc...
There is a lot of this discussion about the injustice of a divided society where one side has all the power and the other has none. Diem struggles between her oath to do no harm as a healer and her rage at the treatment of her people.
Diem is a very frustrating character. She is extremely reckless and doesn't think about the consequences of her actions.
Henri is a character similar to many others in this genre. I didn't have a great feeling about him from the begining. He is Diem's childhood best friends and wants to marry her.
I had mixed feelings about the second half of the book. I felt like it was too rushed. The romance was not set up well. As the author attempts to speed up the plot line, we miss out on all the buildup and angst of a slow burn. She really needed to spend more time developing the romance for it to make sense and for us to be invested.
I don't have much of an option of Luther yet, as his character was barely developed in this book. He went from casual conversations with Diem to being wildly protective of her for no reason that was explained.
Tropes: enemies to potential lovers, childhood friends to lovers, slow burn
Graphic: Blood, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
one_more_chapter96's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
The romance subplot is great and just enough to keep you interested without taking over the story. I think there are a lot of questions unanswered but hinted at.
Beautifully written and so easy to read - finished it within a day.
Excited for more in this series, a great new fantasy romance find.
Moderate: Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism
Minor: Body horror, Sexual assault, Blood, Abandonment, and War
soniajoy98'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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Child abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Murder, and War
Minor: Incest, Mental illness, Abortion, and Pregnancy