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sofcole29's review against another edition
adventurous
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Gaslighting, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Death of parent
betwixtbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- 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
4.0
This book was such a fun read! I really enjoye the characters and the plot. I wanted to pick up book two immediately after I finished it. There was a section near the end where I couldn't put it down because I was so nervous about the conclusion!
I got strong hunger game vibes from this book and I'm here for it!
I got strong hunger game vibes from this book and I'm here for it!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death and Toxic relationship
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Death, and Sexual content
nora_s's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Death
justabookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Initial thoughts
Started off a little slow and didn't particularly enjoy some of the 'not like other girls', 'mean girls' and 'her looks are attached to her power because women's looks are always intrinsically linked to their worth'. However, engaging plot, finished it the fastest I had finished a book in a long time, beautiful worldbuilding (if slightly lazy research on Russian culture) and characters that I could root for.
Started off a little slow and didn't particularly enjoy some of the 'not like other girls', 'mean girls' and 'her looks are attached to her power because women's looks are always intrinsically linked to their worth'. However, engaging plot, finished it the fastest I had finished a book in a long time, beautiful worldbuilding (if slightly lazy research on Russian culture) and characters that I could root for.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Death
Minor: Animal death, Blood, Torture, Violence, Murder, Emotional abuse, and Death of parent
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-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
I think this is a great introduction into this world, and there's a lot of information in here that I wish I would have known reading Six of Crows. Plus, with the way that it ended, I need to know what happens next. Good thing I checked out all three from the library!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Death, Gore, Torture, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, and Murder
Moderate: Slavery, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Death of parent, Rape, and Sexual content
oliviadeltufo's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
It was an enjoyable read and I was left surprised at the fast pace in the beginning of it. However,the timing in this book turns out to be a bit odd. In reality this book moves quickly but there is awhile where you feel as if the character is stuck in the same routine forever. Only to find out it wasn't very long at all in the scheme of things. It had all of the fantasy world building you could want but I personally found it wasn't very attention grabbing. Overall it was a mediocre read but I will be finishing the series. I found the Darling to be really disgusting and some of the things he did to Alina and their world unforgiveable. I don't see how anyone could wish them to be together. I highly doubt anything that will come up in the next books will redeem him for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Violence, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body shaming, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gore, Mental illness, and Sexual content
gothicmoon's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
To start positively, I praise Bardugo for the Darkling. I'm a lesbian and tend to find male characters boring or unworthy of the hype or generally not sexy. But not the Darkling. Every scene between Alina and he had me hoping for a kiss, hoping for something – and boy did I get it! I kept hoping he had ultimately good intentions (I still do) because he's just SO hot. The idea of him is really appealing and really sexy. He's all about black and darkness and a vampiric everlife – damn it, he's hot! Of course, he's also a manipulative, nearly undying emotional abuser engaging in a semi-sexual relationship with a minor with the specific purpose of "distracting her," dampening all his layers.
I like the idea of this world. They're bender-type people, rather similar to the world of Aveyard's Red Queen, though this book came first. I also found it supremely satisfying both times Alina discovered her powers: first by letting go of her hopeless crush, and secondly by realising her good deed also gives her power. It's brilliant. </spoilers>
More negatively, I found the beginning boring, the middle slow, and the overall motion of things really bland. This read like Red Queen, as I mentioned before, and also many other fantasy novels. This entire book really feels like a drawn-out prelude to the series.
I also found it difficult to connect to characters on a deep scale. Alina, the main character, falls under the curse of main characters who have to be bland enough to let a story unfold through their eyes. Mal is hardly known and I'm not a fan (Only know you love her when you let her go, really?). Characters like Genya and Alina's bending master are just what they need to be to lighten or darken a scene, respectively. The first-person narration from Alina's perspective doesn't help. After reading books like Carry On and The Raven Cycle, it just feels cliché, boring, and uninspiring – I don't know any characters who aren't Alina well, and I don't know Alina herself well, because she has to be the vessel of a story accessible for all.
I had to cringe at the scene when the Darkling's mother comes and basically gives her son's evil speech for him, just spewing all his plans. It came all of a sudden and in full! A slow understanding that his plans weren't ultimately good rather than a sudden evil speech would've been preferable.
I like the idea of this world. They're bender-type people, rather similar to the world of Aveyard's Red Queen, though this book came first. I also found it supremely satisfying both times
More negatively, I found the beginning boring, the middle slow, and the overall motion of things really bland. This read like Red Queen, as I mentioned before, and also many other fantasy novels. This entire book really feels like a drawn-out prelude to the series.
I also found it difficult to connect to characters on a deep scale. Alina, the main character, falls under the curse of main characters who have to be bland enough to let a story unfold through their eyes. Mal is hardly known and I'm not a fan (Only know you love her when you let her go, really?). Characters like Genya and Alina's bending master are just what they need to be to lighten or darken a scene, respectively. The first-person narration from Alina's perspective doesn't help. After reading books like Carry On and The Raven Cycle, it just feels cliché, boring, and uninspiring – I don't know any characters who aren't Alina well, and I don't know Alina herself well, because she has to be the vessel of a story accessible for all.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Slavery
poisonousbibliophile's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
While reading this I was unable to connect to the characters which may be because there wasn't really a chance to get to know them through their back story. I also was unable to fully immerse myself into story which made it very difficult for me to get through.
Reading this story reminded me of every other fantasy story that was made before there was a big push for more diversity in the writing industry. The biggest differences between this book and older fantasy books is that it seems to be based off Russian culture/ settings as well as the fact that while some characters of color at mentioned they don't appear except for maybe a few pages. Except for in the second though mainly last book in the series.
For me personally I wasn't fully invested in this book because I felt as if I had ready read thousands of times before. Where the white young heroine is here to save the day and thenher and her best friend turned soulmate are in a relationship after he realized what he had all along and that he almost missed out on it.</ spoiler>
I felt that this book had potential and it just didn't live up to it for me.
Reading this story reminded me of every other fantasy story that was made before there was a big push for more diversity in the writing industry. The biggest differences between this book and older fantasy books is that it seems to be based off Russian culture/ settings as well as the fact that while some characters of color at mentioned they don't appear except for maybe a few pages.
For me personally I wasn't fully invested in this book because I felt as if I had ready read thousands of times before. Where the white young heroine is here to save the day and then
I felt that this book had potential and it just didn't live up to it for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Animal death and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Death of parent
wasabi_poptart's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Racism, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Ableism, Child abuse, Death of parent, Genocide, Trafficking, and Xenophobia
mandkips's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Toxic relationship, and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Blood and Adult/minor relationship