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blakeandbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I feel mixed emotions about this one.
What I liked: I loved all of the representation in this book! Cade is a transgender prince, and Valencia/Gael is a bigender person who is both a dama for the princess and an assassin. There is also chronic pain and disability representation that I appreciated so much!! Cade uses an enchanted owl staff called Faolan + Val uses a cane. The scene where they are dancing? I loved it, getting their POVs of what it was like to dance with once another and be attentive to each others disabilities was so cool. I really enjoyed them falling in love too. I loved the time with the monks, and I wish those scenes were longer!!
What I didn’t like: There were so many parts where I had no idea what was going on in terms of placement in the story and plot. A chapter would end with Valencia and another would start with Cade, and I felt like I needed to go back because I didn’t understand and felt like I was missing information and context. It just felt so choppy, which was really disappointing! I think I would’ve enjoyed it more had it been a bit longer to create more world building and discussion around the enchantment that their parents were under + if the ending wasn’t so rushed.
Overall, I definitely think this is a read to still keep on your radar, especially if you’re wanting more representation in your reading experience.
What I liked: I loved all of the representation in this book! Cade is a transgender prince, and Valencia/Gael is a bigender person who is both a dama for the princess and an assassin. There is also chronic pain and disability representation that I appreciated so much!! Cade uses an enchanted owl staff called Faolan + Val uses a cane. The scene where they are dancing? I loved it, getting their POVs of what it was like to dance with once another and be attentive to each others disabilities was so cool. I really enjoyed them falling in love too. I loved the time with the monks, and I wish those scenes were longer!!
What I didn’t like: There were so many parts where I had no idea what was going on in terms of placement in the story and plot. A chapter would end with Valencia and another would start with Cade, and I felt like I needed to go back because I didn’t understand and felt like I was missing information and context. It just felt so choppy, which was really disappointing! I think I would’ve enjoyed it more had it been a bit longer to create more world building and discussion around the enchantment that their parents were under + if the ending wasn’t so rushed.
Overall, I definitely think this is a read to still keep on your radar, especially if you’re wanting more representation in your reading experience.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder, Transphobia, Violence, War, Death, and Ableism
kaylallavender's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia and Violence
Moderate: War and Ableism
Minor: Death of parent and Colonisation
betweentheshelves's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The best thing about this book was the characters, hands down. Not only do we have great queer representation, but also disability rep too. Of course, it's Anna-Marie McLemore, so that's kind of expected at this point. I appreciated all of the details and emotions that when behind our two main characters, Val and Cade. They had fabulous chemistry, and they felt like they could just be with each other. I absolutely loved every moment of that.
It's the world building that brought the story down for me. While usually I don't mind just beind dropped into the middle of the action, in this story, it didn't feel like there were enough details for me to fully grasp what was going on. There's a war between kingdoms and some sort of curse, but we switched points of view so much I felt like I never really got the full story. Adding a few more details definitely would have helped in this aspect.
Despite that, please keep bringing this kind of diversity to YA fantasy! It's great for all kinds of readers to see themselves in these magical worlds.
It's the world building that brought the story down for me. While usually I don't mind just beind dropped into the middle of the action, in this story, it didn't feel like there were enough details for me to fully grasp what was going on. There's a war between kingdoms and some sort of curse, but we switched points of view so much I felt like I never really got the full story. Adding a few more details definitely would have helped in this aspect.
Despite that, please keep bringing this kind of diversity to YA fantasy! It's great for all kinds of readers to see themselves in these magical worlds.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Ableism, War, and Blood
Minor: Death of parent
quinnyquinnquinn's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Transphobia, and Murder
Moderate: Ableism and Death of parent
metaphorsandmisc's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Ableism, Blood, Transphobia, and War
kari_f's review against another edition
4.0
Anna-Marie McLemore is an author whose books I always look forward to. They always use gorgeous language to tell stories woven with magical realism and heartbreakingly beautiful love stories. There is always action, but it’s typically a quiet sort of action. The beauty of the writing is in the character depth, relationships, and personal development.
Venom & Vow, the first joint novel between the McLemores, lived right up to every expectation I had! If you’re looking for an action-packed adventure, this isn’t the book for you, but if you’re in it for flawed characters learning how to accept themselves and others for who they already are, this book may be right up your alley!
Things I loved:
✨ A magical enchantment woven my mysterious means
✨ Neighboring kingdoms with very different cultures, beliefs, and values trying to figure out how to come together
✨ A look into familial responsibility, societal norms, and embracing all of oneself
✨ Rivals who try not to fall in love, and the POV from each of them
✨ Excellent representation on a few different levels, in a way that feels so relatable
Thank you so much to Macmillan and Netgalley for the advanced copy!
Venom & Vow, the first joint novel between the McLemores, lived right up to every expectation I had! If you’re looking for an action-packed adventure, this isn’t the book for you, but if you’re in it for flawed characters learning how to accept themselves and others for who they already are, this book may be right up your alley!
Things I loved:
✨ A magical enchantment woven my mysterious means
✨ Neighboring kingdoms with very different cultures, beliefs, and values trying to figure out how to come together
✨ A look into familial responsibility, societal norms, and embracing all of oneself
✨ Rivals who try not to fall in love, and the POV from each of them
✨ Excellent representation on a few different levels, in a way that feels so relatable
Thank you so much to Macmillan and Netgalley for the advanced copy!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
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