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xtsukix's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.0
I found that this book had moments that were notably dark and grotesque, but that they didn’t necessarily FIT the book. Whenever they happened it would take me out of the book and have me wondering why it was necessary, I think purely because the suspense and tension was not kept throughout the book. The main cause of this, I think, is because the villain of this story is utterly underwhelming. He’s supposed to be cold, ruthless and cruel, but instead just comes across as a template for the evil character archetype. He has no real depth, his cruelty is seen few and far between and almost entirely happens offscreen, and although the book unravels his desires and what he wants, he really doesn’t showcase this himself at all, and seems utterly dispassionate about his desires.
I think all of the deaths that happened also happened offscreen, which created such a dissonance between the random moments of gore and the reality that the most horrific things were just told to us to have happened.
The mystery was interesting, although S feels like she’s ten steps behind the reader in understanding what’s going on. The romance was somewhat rushed and rooted in nothing but them both being alone and happening to find another person they can be with, no matter who that person is, which did not culminate in the most root-worthy or shippable romance, but it was not awful considering they were only together for about 5% of the book.
The book really picked up for the ending and I’m looking forward to reading the sequel, and seeing how the revelations play out, and if the various curses can be lifted. Also, it’s not often you see a ginger male romance lead, so that was very exciting. 10 points for that.
Also please do not let Gild’s real name be Rumpelstiltskin, I am praying for all that is good and holy.
Graphic: Death of parent, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Misogyny, Animal death, Body horror, Abortion, Blood, Kidnapping, Animal cruelty, Gore, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, and Sexism
Minor: Miscarriage, Vomit, Sexual content, and Bullying
bookish_bookerz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
1. I am a huge fan of fairytale retellings
2. I am huge fan of Marissa Meyer
To start this review, let me focus on the positive firsts and why I enjoyed this story so much. This Rumpelstiltskin retelling did have a dark spin on it while keeping some of the main details of the original, which I liked very much. I think Marissa Meyer did a fantastic job adding new elements to such a classic fairytale to create a new setting for it. Which in turns influence, my positive outlook of the characters in whom I enjoyed. I like going through the ups and downs with characters that I connected with emotionally.I did not find any of the characters flat and enjoyed how I can see the relationship of side characters with the main. Another thing I am fond of this story was the character development of the main character. Even though it was not a significant growth, I appreciated seeing the female main character growth in courage through the novel. I am also very fond of the stories told by our main character. I found it absolutely exciting that there were stories inside of a story. To me that added a nice touch and a glimpse into what our character was known for while sharing things about the plot without making it boring or overly informational. Lastly, I liked how the plot did focus on its main objective instead of deviating into a different direction. I though there was a good blend between world building, character driven, and plot. It was just enough to keep me engaged. Now to focus on the negatives. While reading there were some times I found myself a little uninterested due to some of the world building or descriptions. It was not overly heavy but, I found myself a little bored and would skim over the description parts when I wanted to get to the action. In addition, I disliked how our main character acted at certain times. Some of her action made me confused or asking why would she do that. She was infuriating at times, but nonetheless I stilled enjoyed her. Overall, I was satisfied with my read and enjoyed it enough to read the second book. I cannot wait to continue this story.
Graphic: Death, Blood, Death of parent, and Child death
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Kidnapping, and Pregnancy
Minor: Abortion, Cannibalism, and Sexual content
sunrae_booknook's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Murder, Suicide, Violence, Confinement, and Kidnapping
Minor: Animal cruelty, Pregnancy, Abortion, Gaslighting, Confinement, Slavery, and Panic attacks/disorders
k_galloway'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? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Death of parent, Colonisation, Slavery, Gore, and Pregnancy
Minor: Animal cruelty, Abandonment, and Abortion
dernhelms_bag's review against another edition
2.0
Moderate: Abortion, Pregnancy, and Misogyny
beckyyreadss's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book is told from Serilda’s point of view. She was cursed by the god of lies and has developed a talent for storytelling. When one of Serilda’s stories draws the attention of the Erilking, she finds herself swept away into a world of enchantment, where ghouls prowl the earth, and ravens track her every move. The king locks Serilda in a castle dungeon and orders her to spin straw into gold or be killed for lying. In despair, Serilda unwittingly summons a mysterious young man to her aid. And he agrees to help her, for a price. But as the months go on, she falls in love with the mysterious young man and yet there are too many secrets, and she doesn’t know who she can trust. This book is a young adult fantasy.
This book was difficult. The world building wasn’t there and there wasn’t much character building expect that Serilda is a storyteller and she’s got to go back to the “bad castle” every full moon. I think I also struggled with this book as I didn’t understand all the God analogy of it. Serilda was a damsel in distress that was trying to save herself but just couldn’t and then rejected help. Erikling’s got no back story and no character background or building expect he likes to hunt and be a dick. Gild sort of saved this book and I would have loved for him to be the hero and be the want getting the girl. I hated how it ended and hopefully it’s building for the next book.
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Stalking, Pregnancy, Animal cruelty, Violence, and Kidnapping
Minor: Sexual content and Abortion
liam_bennett03'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Pregnancy and Abortion
laneys_library's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Vomit, and Abortion
city_girl_writer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- 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
Graphic: Death of parent, Child death, and Blood
Minor: Pregnancy and Abortion
thecatconstellation's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Blood, Child death, Death, Murder, Animal cruelty, Violence, Confinement, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Abortion, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Physical abuse
Minor: Sexual content