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clarabooksit's review against another edition
While I enjoyed the mystery and horror elements, the constant insertion of romance really took me out of the story and the romances themselves were super cringey. This wasn’t for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Body horror, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Murder, and Child death
karelidz's review against another edition
DNF chapter 10.
There's nothing wrong with it, I actually think the story is pretty immersive. It's more of a me problem because knowing me and my brain, my brain will start making stories out of it and make me scared on it's own. Funny thing is, I was looking for something a bit spooky or october-y, but I can't really deal with ghosts stories for the sake of my sanity, so i'll just leave it there.
There's nothing wrong with it, I actually think the story is pretty immersive. It's more of a me problem because knowing me and my brain, my brain will start making stories out of it and make me scared on it's own. Funny thing is, I was looking for something a bit spooky or october-y, but I can't really deal with ghosts stories for the sake of my sanity, so i'll just leave it there.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Grief
Minor: Blood, Child death, and Gore
Retellings, ghosts, twelve dancing princessesnagem's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death, and Child death
Moderate: Suicide, Pregnancy, and Murder
Minor: Sexual harassment
kaitlin444's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Suicide
piperclover's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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? It's complicated
2.75
The trigger warnings on this one are long.
I'm not sure how to rate this. This book is not for me. I am not the demographic that should be reading this and I wish I knew that going into the book but unfortunately I didn't realize that until over 35% of the way through. Its definitely creepy, grotesque, and spooky alright. The last 25% really unravels and picks up speed but the first 75% are not boring by any means.
There's quite a few things that bothered me in this but a lot of that was just that this has a lot of genre/tropes I don't like so those gripes are excused by that- like Victorian era sexism. There are 3 things though that I did dislike regardless. (1) You never really find out how long ago most people died or how old some characters are which left me a little confused at the nature of certain relationships or details of the plot. (2) I also really dislike the resolution/the why this curse is happening. It's such a cheap and trite reason and I'm just so tired of everything boiling down to jealous woman exacts revenge . Here it was so obvious but it wasn't figured out until way too late which was obnoxious. (3) The last thing was that the gods are known to be real beings that exist about the humans until 70% through??? Theres a throw away line in the beginning of the book but its not clear they're real until it feels like a clunky plot device later on. I should know way sooner if gods are more than a religious system.
All of that being said, I did enjoy large portions of this and I enjoyed even some of the horror aspects because I found them entertaining and intriguing. It's just that horror and Victorian era are some of my least favorite genres and mixed with the 3 issues above, I just don't think I can rate it very high. The narrator was amazing though
I'm not sure how to rate this. This book is not for me. I am not the demographic that should be reading this and I wish I knew that going into the book but unfortunately I didn't realize that until over 35% of the way through. Its definitely creepy, grotesque, and spooky alright. The last 25% really unravels and picks up speed but the first 75% are not boring by any means.
There's quite a few things that bothered me in this but a lot of that was just that this has a lot of genre/tropes I don't like so those gripes are excused by that- like Victorian era sexism. There are 3 things though that I did dislike regardless. (1) You never really find out how long ago most people died or how old some characters are which left me a little confused at the nature of certain relationships or details of the plot. (2) I also really dislike the resolution/the why this curse is happening. It's such a cheap and trite reason and I'm just so tired of everything boiling down to
All of that being said, I did enjoy large portions of this and I enjoyed even some of the horror aspects because I found them entertaining and intriguing. It's just that horror and Victorian era are some of my least favorite genres and mixed with the 3 issues above, I just don't think I can rate it very high. The narrator was amazing though
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Pregnancy, Blood, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Child death, Gaslighting, and Grief
Moderate: Alcohol and Body horror
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Infidelity, and Suicide
sammymantis's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Blood, Body horror, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Miscarriage, Grief, and Pregnancy
Minor: Cursing, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Alcoholism, and Vomit
toriwatson's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Grief, Death, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Suicide, Death of parent, Body horror, and Blood
magellen's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This book wants to be too many things at once and only succeeds marginally at tying them all together. It is certainly a romance with gothic tones rather than a gothic, and the chapter content splits between the romance and plot to the point you can nearly skip whole chapters of purple prose. Bloated though it is, there are some very nice creepy moments - that are immediately scuppered because it's time to pivot the plot again!
The twist on a twist on a twist just...it feels like a beta reader should have gone 'this one works the best, lean into THIS angle' and instead the author piled up everything that ever crossed her mind. The cast sprawls, the descriptions drag on without being punchy, and any moment the mc knows herself is overridden, made malleable by others to progress the plot.
I've seen this described as an example of unreliable narrator - ehhhh I disagree. Literally all you need to know is in the narration. Information is not withheld by the narrator, the narrator's opinion does not color the facts, there is nothing unreliable about it. If people use 'unreliable narrator' I can see it applied to a couple endgame chapters where there's a gaslighting, but again, it's not unreliable narration, it is an mc set up to have no self when challenged by others.
It's a ya romance with gothic overlay. Does what it says on the tin, but by the end you are apt to be exhausted by the pivot twist pivot turn of the back third.
The twist on a twist on a twist just...it feels like a beta reader should have gone 'this one works the best, lean into THIS angle' and instead the author piled up everything that ever crossed her mind. The cast sprawls, the descriptions drag on without being punchy, and any moment the mc knows herself is overridden, made malleable by others to progress the plot.
I've seen this described as an example of unreliable narrator - ehhhh I disagree. Literally all you need to know is in the narration. Information is not withheld by the narrator, the narrator's opinion does not color the facts, there is nothing unreliable about it. If people use 'unreliable narrator' I can see it applied to a couple endgame chapters where there's a gaslighting, but again, it's not unreliable narration, it is an mc set up to have no self when challenged by others.
It's a ya romance with gothic overlay. Does what it says on the tin, but by the end you are apt to be exhausted by the pivot twist pivot turn of the back third.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Murder, Pregnancy, and Grief
capucapulet's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Death, Grief, Animal cruelty, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Gaslighting
merle_bookdragon's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
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? Yes
4.0
Really enjoyed this read and finished it in more or less 24 hours!
Definitely an interesting and more sinister take on the fairy tale of the 12 dancing princesses and it thoroughly messed with my head. When I thought I had figured out what was real and what was an illusion the whole thing was tipped over its head again.
I truly am happy that Cassius turned back up. I was scared for a while at the beginning that he might be the bad guy but I quickly he wasn't. Morella being the evil stepmother fit much better into the fairy tale but I thought maybe it would be a different take. It wasn't, but that's okay. I'm just happy that Verity lives because damn that girl had a rough time and I'm glad Cassius saved her.
ALSO so happy that Annaleigh got to be Keeper of Light at the end. It suits her so well and I think she will have a good future with Cassius there. Or at least that's what I'm imagining for them.
Definitely an interesting and more sinister take on the fairy tale of the 12 dancing princesses and it thoroughly messed with my head. When I thought I had figured out what was real and what was an illusion the whole thing was tipped over its head again.
I truly am happy that Cassius turned back up. I was scared for a while at the beginning that he might be the bad guy but I quickly he wasn't. Morella being the evil stepmother fit much better into the fairy tale but I thought maybe it would be a different take. It wasn't, but that's okay. I'm just happy that Verity lives because damn that girl had a rough time and I'm glad Cassius saved her.
ALSO so happy that Annaleigh got to be Keeper of Light at the end. It suits her so well and I think she will have a good future with Cassius there. Or at least that's what I'm imagining for them.
“Oh my darling Annaleigh, remember when you let the turtles go? Some things can't be kept." He cupped my cheek, and my tears trickled down his fingers. "Be brave. Be strong. You'll always have my whole heart.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, Child death, Grief, Body horror, Murder, and Miscarriage
Moderate: Blood, Suicide, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Death of parent