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erwikka's review
- 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
3.75
Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Death of parent, Religious bigotry, and Animal death
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
ghostlyprince's review
- 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
Graphic: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, and Suicide
Moderate: Death of parent, Murder, Religious bigotry, Animal cruelty, Blood, Colonisation, and Abandonment
Minor: Domestic abuse, Alcohol, Child abuse, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Child death
*There is a scene where someone poisons their cow on purpose to expose another character but it's the only on page depiction of animal harm/cruelty *There is a scene that implies a character is in a abusive marriagefolkofthebook'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? It's complicated
4.25
“You are not a monster, Liska Radost. You are sunlight, and you breathe life into everything you touch.”
beauty in the beast meets howl's moving castle with much polish folklore & cultural influence and a whole lots of magic & forest 💚
there are lots of cozy cottagecore vibes and its a slower pace standalone, but it's an impressive debut novel. the magic system was intriguing with its interweaving of folklore creatures, and i found myself surprised at some revelations. there was a solid romance with some fun banter and a surprisingly charming found family. shoutout to the queer rep as well!
it was bittersweet but very touching, and i look forward to more stories from Poranek.
“There is a thing we do,” the Leszy says, “where we rearrange ourselves, cutting off pieces here and there to fit a mold that was never meant for us. I know something of that. But becoming the Driada’s warden taught me one thing: if the world had not prepared a place for you, you must take up a hammer and chisel and carve one out for yourself.”
Graphic: Blood, Death, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Grief and Death of parent
mzquirk's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
Graphic: Grief and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Violence, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death, Death of parent, Murder, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Religious bigotry, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Self harm, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, and Sexual content
katievallin'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? Yes
3.5
I didn't like the body horror
Graphic: Bullying, Grief, Murder, Religious bigotry, Blood, Violence, Body horror, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Medical content
Minor: Animal death and Sexual content
creolelitbelle'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? It's complicated
5.0
Liska's motivations entirely understandable, even if she diverts almost immediately off the forest path, a foreboding act in any dark fantasy or fairy tale, going back to "Little Red Riding Hood" and "Hansel and Gretel". The Leszy is harsh but mysterious and kind enough that I kept wanting to discover more about him and the house with Liska. Actions are committed rashly at times, but that is to be expected for a teenager and by superstitious villagers that run high on emotions regarding magic and witchcraft. The ending left me wanting more, wishing for one more page, but the note it dropped on provides hope. I loved how well multiple pieces of Slavic culture were woven into the book without my feeling lost or overwhelmed. I definitely recommend. This could be a wonderful book for spooky fall vibes.
Graphic: Blood and Gore
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Death, and Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent