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misszoe's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Now this has been a wild ride. There were points while reading it where I wanted to give it 4 or 5 stars, but in the end, I decided on 2 stars because the ending.. Wasn't for me. I'll elaborate on that later.
Spoilers from here on! Also: tw suicide
What I enjoyed: I liked the general idea and while I would have liked to know more about Annev's magic, it was a fun journey to be left in the dark just as much as Annev. The book kept making me want to know more, not only about Annev but also about what would happen next. I thought the world building with its religious system was super interesting! Also, MC with a disability was also a nice thing to have, it's not often.
What I did not enjoy: Generally, there weren't MANY things that I didn't enjoy, they were simply consistent and important for me.
Let's start with Myjun's and Annev's relationship. To me, it felt forced. They never really had any chemistry, Annev was like "alright, I suppose I will marry her now" and I mean, yeah, maybe kind of a teenager move. But still!!! Even when she's like "let's stone him", Annev is like "She's kind of pretty though".
Then, a major turn off: while there were competent women, none of them was very likable and none of them was a heroine or, if it wouldn't have fit, a main character like Therin, Titus or Fyn even. Then the conclusion to the monsters destroying the village is "the women were evil and then committed mass suicide". That felt kinda lazy, had no prior hints and also upset me. Why were the women evil, why did they simply kill themselves? Why is there not ONE good woman? I don't mind a female villain but this is a bit much. And the epilogue.. Hints at even more of the two problems I just mentioned. There may only be two issues I really had but to me, they were important and kind of put me off.
Spoilers from here on! Also: tw suicide
What I enjoyed: I liked the general idea and while I would have liked to know more about Annev's magic, it was a fun journey to be left in the dark just as much as Annev. The book kept making me want to know more, not only about Annev but also about what would happen next. I thought the world building with its religious system was super interesting! Also, MC with a disability was also a nice thing to have, it's not often.
What I did not enjoy: Generally, there weren't MANY things that I didn't enjoy, they were simply consistent and important for me.
Then, a major turn off: while there were competent women, none of them was very likable and none of them was a heroine or, if it wouldn't have fit, a main character like Therin, Titus or Fyn even. Then the conclusion to the monsters destroying the village is "the women were evil and then committed mass suicide". That felt kinda lazy, had no prior hints and also upset me. Why were the women evil, why did they simply kill themselves? Why is there not ONE good woman? I don't mind a female villain but this is a bit much. And the epilogue.. Hints at even more of the two problems I just mentioned. There may only be two issues I really had but to me, they were important and kind of put me off.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Bullying, and Murder
Minor: Suicide
dips's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Death, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Alcoholism, Child death, Cursing, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, and Stalking
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