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lani_sage's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
qdove's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
2.0
nerdy_reader_9571's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
itisclara's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
4.25
Seeing the current obsession with Romantasy and spicy books, the lack of romance and spice in this book felt refreshing. As always, Naomi Novik’s characters were nuanced and multidimensional and I especially loved the way Jewish culture was interwoven with fantasy elements. While reading I felt instantly reported to the fantastical world Novik created. The one thing that was kind of missing for me was the overall story arch. The plot seemed to trickle on little by little and I wish there would have been a clearer goal for the characters to achieve. Other than that, great big and a big recommendation!
sunny_610's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
3.0
emglange's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
thattheatrekid's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I really enjoyed this book! Similar to Rumpelstiltskin and Persephone. The world building was phenomenal.
I liked the POVs but the end wasn’t satisfying. I wanted to see the rest of Irina’s story!! And the tsar’s character arc. I was most invested in their story and then the end was unclear. I didn’t like how Wanda was never really fleshed out. She seemed naive and childish even though her childhood forced her to grow up fast. Sergey could have used development too. This book wasn’t what I was expecting but it was a good read. Just could have had less going on because it seemed too complex for the amount of pages it got.
I liked the POVs but the end wasn’t satisfying. I wanted to see the rest of Irina’s story!! And the tsar’s character arc. I was most invested in their story and then the end was unclear. I didn’t like how Wanda was never really fleshed out. She seemed naive and childish even though her childhood forced her to grow up fast. Sergey could have used development too. This book wasn’t what I was expecting but it was a good read. Just could have had less going on because it seemed too complex for the amount of pages it got.
klparmley's review against another edition
4.0
Mostly Rumpelstiltskin, a little Hansel and Gretel, a smidge of Bluebeard and Scheherazade.
This was really good.
This was really good.
irismessenger_'s review against another edition
5.0
Wow I really loved this, it took me a long time to get through it, but I loved a lot about it.