I managed to get through this book because I needed to read it in order to give it a fair review; however, i have read wattpad smut with better plot and character development. The characters are barely two dimensional, and the world building is nearly nonexistent. I understand that this is an erotica novel, but even the sex was underwhelming, with childish descriptions of sexual organs, poor imagery, and disturbing themes of bestiality and incest. Furthermore, there is a scene involving sexual assault, and the way it is depicted is a disservice to those of us that have experienced it.
Heather Fawcett writes with intention and elegance. Her characters come to life on the pages, and the unique structure of Emily Wilden’s Encyclopedia of Faeries enhances this. I found myself laughing at Wendall’s witty remarks and smiling fondly at Emily’s nature. The portrayal of autism in Emily is good-natured and free of harmful stereotypes, which is refreshing. I could not put it down.
I absolutely loved the romance part; it was soul wrenching. I do wish it was developed a little more; it felt a little disjointed, and it would have flowed better with more development. The plot is easy to follow, but again I wish it had more development.
There’s some weird thing about her being engaged to her cousin??? And also she is studying to become a physician in the victorian (i think) era, so there is some corpse dissection, etc.
The way Kingfisher writes has me in a chokehold. Each character is intentionally developed, and the language is nothing short of beautiful. I felt like I was watching a D&D campaign play out before my eyes, characters making friends and teasing each other in the way only found family can. The characters felt like my friends; I felt as if I could reach into the page and shake their hand.
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy
There are heavy themes of domestic violence, misogyny, pregnancy and miscarriage/child death that serve as motivation for the main character and make a statement about women’s assigned role in history.
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I will say I read this book in a few days and i was wet the entire time 💞. The sex was just kinky enough and just romantic enough, though I have some questions about the use of words such as: core, globes, taught muscle et. cetera to describe body parts.
I was confused throughout the entire book, so be prepared to just be along for the ride on your first read. The reread potential however is astronomical.
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Once again, Muir is an artist of the highest degree. Harrow is devastating in all the right places, and just confusing enough to keep me engaged. I also want to fuck Ianthe, unfortunately.
I viscerally want to fuck Gideon. Furthermore, the imagery regarding the setting and characters is intentional and beautiful, and the most devastating emotional whiplash is softened by the occasional unhinged yet masterful vine/meme reference
I found the ending underwhelming, and I wish there was more character development instead of Spoilerexposition of Sid’s past. Spoiler That being said, I can’t wait for the next book to come out.