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faythfarrar's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Death, Grief, and Pregnancy
econcomics's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Terminal illness, Torture, and Violence
queenrivanni's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Vomit
tkatt20's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I have very conflicted feelings about this book. On one hand I loved it, on the other hand, there were some very random things that happened that caught me off guard. For the most part I did love this book and I was so excited to read it when I found out it was a retelling of the twelve dancing princesses. The story is extremely dark and gothic, bordering on demonic, and the writing style really made the characters come alive as they were all very interesting with each one having their own personality and quirks. The last 1/4 of the book became very fantasy heavy which I found could have been executed better if there was more of that element mentioned throughout the first part of the book, but that was my biggest issue and I got over it fairly quickly. This book had the perfect setup for a series but since it isn't the world-building as a little lacking and the ending seemed fairly rushed. There are some unanswered questions but with the story being first person I feel like it fits well with the narrator and I don't feel dissatisfied with the ending. All in all, I can definitely see myself coming back and rereading this book in the future.
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gaslighting, Grief, Murder, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Suicide
Minor: Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual content, and Vomit
dadimabookernow's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This book is so so good. It's so dark and twisty but so good. Very much reminds me of The haunting of hill house vibes.
Graphic: Child death, Death, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Gore, Mental illness, Murder, Pregnancy, Suicide, and Vomit
jojo_'s review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Pregnancy, Blood, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Alcohol, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Misogyny, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual content
bookishjenn15'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Blood, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
rachrreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The ending felt so out of pocket to the beginning of the story and I found myself trying to figure out what in the world was going on? The big plot twist, while hard to guess, was also at the same time predictable. I think this could’ve been resolved better or been more fleshed out.
Cassius is a dream though. We stan him and Annaleigh
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Grief, Murder, and Pregnancy
slimy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
There’s a romance that’s supposed to grab your interest in the early chapters that just disappears halfway into the book when a new romantic interest is introduced. There’s no explanation to this world’s government structure and thusly the MC’s family’s place in it. It’s an underdeveloped mystery that doesn’t really get resolved or avenged. The bad stuff happens, and then the people who did the bad things just… go back to where they came from… with no punishment, accountability, or remorse.
There are some really cute parts that I think reflect the sweeter, lighter side of YA, like innocent romances and the relationships between sisters. The MC is very relatable and reflects her age well.
I would place this book firmly in YA, with the exception of one seriously out of place scene that I don’t believe is age appropriate or fits the book.
* TW r@p£ and SA*
There’s one scene at the end, which marks the final climactic push before we wind into falling action. The stepmother (uncharacteristically and unconvincingly) has a change of heart and tries to undo a deal she’s wagered with a demon/devil (he’s confusing, I don’t know). The way that she makes this deal is by offering up herself to be pretty brutally raped in front of her two eldest step-daughters. The demon/devil then LITERALLY rapes her into a pile of bones. When I read this scene I literally had to take like 10 minutes to understand what was actually happening. Literally no precedence for this sort of content within this book or with its intended audience. Really really out of place. That should have been caught by content editors, beta readers, etc. It does not have a place in the book and only serves to shock/alarm the reader without furthering the plot or providing resolution.
Graphic: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Rape, and Murder
katrinarose's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Medical content, Miscarriage, Murder, Pregnancy, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Violence