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alite428's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Animal death, Antisemitism, Abandonment, Religious bigotry, Animal cruelty, Racism, and Blood
Minor: Sexual content
samsanator's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Animal death, and Racism
Minor: Sexual content
taynicole2698's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Antisemitism, Blood, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Islamophobia, Racism, Xenophobia, Racial slurs, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Violence, Classism, and Gaslighting
bookishflower'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: Abandonment, Animal death, Antisemitism, Bullying, Racism, Religious bigotry, Violence, Emotional abuse, Xenophobia, Gaslighting, Grief, and Hate crime
Moderate: Blood, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent and Child death
melaniereadsbooks'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? Yes
3.5
Maggie wants nothing more than to live a safe and simple life with her alchemist mother--who is never home. Wes dreams of becoming an alchemist politician to make the world a better place, and to do that, he needs to become Maggie's mother's apprentice. But since her mother isn't home, Maggie and Wes concoct a plan to catch a magical creature during the Halfmoon Hunt to impress Evelyn.
This book is a little bit The Scorpio Races, a little bit Shadow & Bone. I really liked the plot and found the world building and magic systems very interesting. I was not a big fan of the characters or relationship. I had issues with some of the things that happened in the romance between Maggie and Wes. Nothing so bad it would ruin the book but definitely knocked it down a peg in my mind. Characters are really important to me in a story, so even though I loved this plot, the lack-luster character building hurt this for my rating.
Graphic: Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Grief, Death of parent, and Sexual content
abookishwasp's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I liked that the book discussed some important themes such as immigration and racial/religious prejudice. Also i'd say TW for that.
The book is generally slow, it focuses on both plot and characters and there's some character growth. The romance was adorable and I rooted for both characters, which are clearly flawed but also very loveable in their own way.
The setting in the book is also quite vivid and aesthetically pleasing, it painted a sort of 20s inspired with a bit of steam punk and alchemy heavy world.
Lastly, I wouldn't exactly call this a YA book, I'd say more like NA or just very upper scale YA.
Graphic: Animal death and Grief
Moderate: Hate crime and Racism
enasbookshelves'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
AFWM was one of those books I tried to start, put down after the first page, then finished in one sitting the next time. By the time I was ten pages into this romantic fantasy, I knew I was not going to return to the real world until I had reached the very end of the story. By the time I was ten chapters in, I’d fallen completely in love with the underdog characters Margaret and Wes. They were utterly imperfect, and thus so utterly real. Their respective journeys were made all the more engrossing with the author’s descriptive, immersive storytelling: autumn is a nonexistent phenomenon in my corner of the planet, but even I felt every stray sunbeam, every gust of wind, every scent of wild animal.
The book was very rich in detail about alchemy, hunting, different religious denominations. It had a lot to say in the romance aspect, but it had just as much to say on family, identity, and belonging. What an honor it’s been to hype this book to the rest of the world!
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Racism, Antisemitism, Racial slurs, and Xenophobia