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ethias's review against another edition
1.0
I wanted to like this one, especially with a trans author and what I thought would be commentary in some way on gender, but it was boring and utterly pointless. This was a series of “fight me” scenes leading up to an unearned bonding moment and an uncharacteristic departure of the main characters. I genuinely don’t know what the point of this was. The writing and characters were not compelling and the world building did not work. The POV characters were basically whiny children who were angry they weren’t getting what they want all the time.
Marfisa and Bradamente felt a ton more fleshed out than any of the other characters but by the end Bradamente had entirely lost the spark that made her interesting and Marfisa was a one note character spewing boring lines. Both of their brothers might as well have not been there at all.
I don’t understand what the point was of the contest if they weren’t actually going to address more than the combat portion. You could maybe argue that they were all telling each other stories at the end but there was certainly not dancing which to me was the most compelling part. Having to dance specifically with “abandon” was an interesting idea that literally never went anywhere.
Extremely disappointing. I’m not sure how this got published if I’m being entirely honest, it doesn’t even feel finished.
Marfisa and Bradamente felt a ton more fleshed out than any of the other characters but by the end Bradamente had entirely lost the spark that made her interesting and Marfisa was a one note character spewing boring lines. Both of their brothers might as well have not been there at all.
I don’t understand what the point was of the contest if they weren’t actually going to address more than the combat portion. You could maybe argue that they were all telling each other stories at the end but there was certainly not dancing which to me was the most compelling part. Having to dance specifically with “abandon” was an interesting idea that literally never went anywhere.
Extremely disappointing. I’m not sure how this got published if I’m being entirely honest, it doesn’t even feel finished.
gringe898's review against another edition
4.0
Felt a bit slow at the start but by the 3rd chapter I was thoroughly hooked. I really enjoy that the narrator is an active character in the story and helps drive the plot forward. My only complaint is that the ending felt a little bit rushed and the book could have used another 20 pages or so to even things out a bit. Still a very enjoyable book all in all though.
partytattoos's review
3.5
super clever storytelling and I love the characters but the ending felt a little anti climatic?
p_j_sanderson's review
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- 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
3.5
When I originally started this book through the prologue and the first chapter I was worried that I could see the direction of story. The start seemed as if it was going to be the kind of book with themes that beat the reader over the head. But it wasn't and in a way that was the point.
The chapters were far too long, there's 6 total in the entire book. 70 pages a chapter is just too long.
The character focus is definitely on the embodiment of nature rather than any of the twins themselves, where I think the blurb does not really convey that to a prospective reader.
It's definitely more of a social commentary than a character drama, but it is far more subtle than the first chunk may lead you to believe.
The chapters were far too long, there's 6 total in the entire book. 70 pages a chapter is just too long.
The character focus is definitely on the embodiment of nature rather than any of the twins themselves, where I think the blurb does not really convey that to a prospective reader.
It's definitely more of a social commentary than a character drama, but it is far more subtle than the first chunk may lead you to believe.
fennyisreding's review against another edition
3.0
"The twins will compete in the three areas of human ability - strong body, strong mind, strong spirit."
Personal rating: 3/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Two godlings, Nature and Nurture. Both can't live without each other. However, both were set to want to rule the world. With that in mind, they would bet their reign over the world by choosing themselves, each a set of twins for them to compete with one another at a certain age. One set was brought up by Nature, another by Nurture. We would read the book from the perspective of Nurture.
I feel that this was an okay read. Not the best, but not the worst. It was enjoyable but unfortunately not memorable. Best believe by the end of the week, I will forget what happens in this book.
Although the theme was Nature vs Nurture, I was rooting for all four twins. Marfisa and Ruggiero were brought up by Nature, with them calling him a demon. Then we have Ricardetto and Bradamante who were basically royals in some distant kingdom.
That's the thing, there is little to no world-building. All I know was that at one point their lives would intersect with one another and they will battle it out.
Honestly, there is a good premise to this story. However, I do think there were a lot of missed opportunities from world-building, character development, and the in-depth personality of every character.
Would I recommend this to anyone? Not really. As I said, it wasn't memorable as I wished it to be.
Thanks though, Netgalley and HarperCollins UK for providing me with this digital ARC. Deuces✌
Personal rating: 3/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Two godlings, Nature and Nurture. Both can't live without each other. However, both were set to want to rule the world. With that in mind, they would bet their reign over the world by choosing themselves, each a set of twins for them to compete with one another at a certain age. One set was brought up by Nature, another by Nurture. We would read the book from the perspective of Nurture.
I feel that this was an okay read. Not the best, but not the worst. It was enjoyable but unfortunately not memorable. Best believe by the end of the week, I will forget what happens in this book.
Although the theme was Nature vs Nurture, I was rooting for all four twins. Marfisa and Ruggiero were brought up by Nature, with them calling him a demon. Then we have Ricardetto and Bradamante who were basically royals in some distant kingdom.
That's the thing, there is little to no world-building. All I know was that at one point their lives would intersect with one another and they will battle it out.
Honestly, there is a good premise to this story. However, I do think there were a lot of missed opportunities from world-building, character development, and the in-depth personality of every character.
Would I recommend this to anyone? Not really. As I said, it wasn't memorable as I wished it to be.
Thanks though, Netgalley and HarperCollins UK for providing me with this digital ARC. Deuces✌
rsp99's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
unicornsndaisys's review
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0