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emily_mh's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Violence, Animal death, Death, and Murder
Moderate: War, Death of parent, Blood, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Medical content, Confinement, Sexual content, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Colonisation, Abandonment, Addiction, Excrement, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Vomit, and Ableism
Moderate: insects, mind control, loss of a loved one Minor: sick parent, gentrificationbluejayreads's review
4.75
Graphic: Violence and Death
Moderate: Grief, Mental illness, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Animal death, Emotional abuse, and Colonisation
Minor: Death of parent, Alcohol, Murder, and War
Mind control, betrayalknockoffrainbow'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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, War, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent, Blood, Alcohol, and Grief
readingthroughinfinity's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content warnings for general violence and violence against animals, death of family members and friends.
Moderate: Death of parent, Violence, and Death
bookwormbi's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Murder, Animal death, Death, Child death, and Death of parent
albon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Moderate: Death, Animal cruelty, and Violence
josb's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Set in a world based on Filipino culture and customs, I loved the world-building and felt it holds up against many other fantasies I have read. I can't begin to say how important it was for me to read something Filipino-inspired and sapphic. A story like this would have been critical in my youth.
Besides the personal importance, the story was also very well paced. Lots of action mixed in with learning about the world as well as a variety of complex perspectives. There were lots of questions about what was right and who was being affected by doing the "right" thing.
The other thing I really liked was the willingness to move on from certain plot points, using them as a way to fuel future plot points instead of teasing the reader for a big reveal at around the 70% mark. Some stuff stays until the end and some stuff is dealt with right away and actually creates more problems. It kept my attention and is my preference compared to the classic big reveal 80% into the book that you know is coming.
The romance is certainly a slow burn, with a bunch of angsty bits in the middle. I enjoyed how it was portrayed, but it was secondary to the other main plot points. I did wish there was more time for the love interest to grow as much as other characters. I felt like that story was a little more rushed and is why I hesitate to give an easy 5 stars.
If you're a fan of YA fantasy and would like to read something a little different I can't recommend this enough.
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Animal death and Death
qraveline'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
4.75
Graphic: Violence and Grief
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
Minor: War, Physical abuse, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
starrysteph's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
(I received an advance reader copy of this book; this is my honest review.)
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Gore, Animal death, Colonisation, Death of parent, Violence, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Suicidal thoughts, Classism, Death, Grief, Mental illness, Murder, and Physical abuse
betweentheshelves'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? It's complicated
4.0
Seri thought the divide between people and beasts would always be there. Separated by violence. But when she meets Tsana, Seri realizes things could be different. After all, Tsana can communicate with the beasts. And maybe there doesn’t have to be violence after all. If they can get everyone else to understand.
Thanks to NetGalley and Swoon Reads for an advanced copy of Dauntless to review! I’m always on the lookout for a good new fantasy. Especially when it’s a debut author! This reminded a lot of Beasts of Prey, though it is one of those rare YA fantasy standalones.
What I liked about this book from the beginning is the way the world is described. Yes, you’re dropped right in the middle of the action, but for the most part, I didn’t feel confused. Bonnin does a good job making sure you’re up to speed on the intricacies of this world, unfolding details exactly when you need them. This isn’t always an easy thing to do, so I was impressed!
While I did enjoy the world building, after the initial scene at the beginning, the plot does take a bit to really get going. However, when it does, you’ll find that this book is difficult to put down! If you like your fantasy with a lot of action, you’ll find that in the second half of the book.
The only other thing that put me off is that there are technically three points of view, but they didn’t necessarily feel different enough from each other. I wanted something that better signaled when I was with a specific character. For the most part, all of their voices really blended together.
Despite the pacing and the voices, the rest of the story and the characters were interesting enough that I would definitely read another book by Bonnin. Can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!
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A solid fantasy debut that I think a lot of teens will love! Stay tuned for a full review to come soon.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Death
Moderate: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Suicidal thoughts