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elliott_the_clementine's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Murder, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
lovelykaidyn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
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
4.5
This book is amazing. As long as you can get past the small amount of world building in the beginning, you'll love it. A lot of plot twists that I was not expecting happened. Jude is a very good main character.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Violence, Murder, and Classism
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, and Grief
Minor: Death of parent
samflowerv6's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
I really liked this!!! The story is immediately interesting and never slows down. Jude is a one of my favorite FMC ever, she’s strong willed, passionate, protective and never gives up. Yes, she’s not perfect but that’s almost even better. We meet Jude and her twin, Taryn when they are about seven. They are living with their mother and father in the human world alongside their older sister Vivi, who is considered weird by those around them. A tale of blood, faery lore, magical lives and lands intertwined with determination and a VERY slow, slow burn. In this new land, we meet Cardan, a cruel manipulative prince *wink wink* who’s gorgeous beyond repair. Jude and Cardan hate each other so much…. Not sure it’s even hate anymore. Fuck that traitor bitch Taryn… yes, Locke sucks but HE DIDNT BETRAY HIS TWIN
If I cannot be better than them, I will become so much worse.
“Most of all, I hate you because I think of you. Often. It's disgusting, and I can't stop.”
“Have I told you how hideous you look tonight?” Cardan asks, leaning back in the elaborately carved chair, the warmth of his words turning the question into something like a compliment.
“No” I say, glad to be annoyed back into the present. “Tell me.”
"I can't.”
“If you hurt me, I wouldn't cry. I would hurt you back.”
“So I am to sit here and feed you information,” Cardan says, leaning against a hickory tree. “And you’re to go charm royalty? That seems entirely backward.”
I fix him with a look. “I can be charming. I charmed you, didn’t I?”
He rolls his eyes. “Do not expect others to share my depraved tastes.”
“I am going to keep on defying you. I am going to shame you with my defiance. You remind me that I am a mere mortal and you are a prince of Faerie. Well, let me remind you that means you have much to lose and I have nothing. You may win in the end, you may ensorcell me and hurt me and humiliate me, but I will make sure you lose everything I can take from you on the way down. I promise you this is the least of what I can do.”
“Instead of being afraid, I could become something to fear.”
“Father, I am what you made me. I’ve become your daughter after all.”
“Let's have a toast. To the incompetence of our enemies.”
“You really do want me,' I say, close enough to feel the warmth of his breath as it hitches. 'And you hate it.”
“Cardan looks at me as though he's never seen me before. He looks at me as though no one has ever spoken to him like this. Maybe no one has.”
“I get why he chose her. I just wish she had chosen me.”
“It's shocking," he says, as though he's giving me some great compliment. "I know humans can lie, but to watch you do it is incredible. Do it again.”
“I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe.”
“He stares at me as though I am a stranger, but I have never felt less like one. For the first time, we are both unmasked.”
“Faeries make up for their inability to lie with a panoply of deceptions and cruelties. Twisted words, pranks, omissions, riddles, scandals, not to mention their revenges upon one another for ancient, half-remembered slights. Storms are less fickle than they are, seas less capricious.”
“There is a pleasure in being with them,” he says. “Taking what we wish, indulging in every terrible thought. There’s safety in being awful.”
“Crowns of flowers on our heads, shooting bows and arrows at the sky. Eating candied violets and falling asleep with our heads pillowed on logs. We were children. Children can laugh all day and still cry themselves to sleep at night.”
If I cannot be better than them, I will become so much worse.
“Most of all, I hate you because I think of you. Often. It's disgusting, and I can't stop.”
“Have I told you how hideous you look tonight?” Cardan asks, leaning back in the elaborately carved chair, the warmth of his words turning the question into something like a compliment.
“No” I say, glad to be annoyed back into the present. “Tell me.”
"I can't.”
“If you hurt me, I wouldn't cry. I would hurt you back.”
“So I am to sit here and feed you information,” Cardan says, leaning against a hickory tree. “And you’re to go charm royalty? That seems entirely backward.”
I fix him with a look. “I can be charming. I charmed you, didn’t I?”
He rolls his eyes. “Do not expect others to share my depraved tastes.”
“I am going to keep on defying you. I am going to shame you with my defiance. You remind me that I am a mere mortal and you are a prince of Faerie. Well, let me remind you that means you have much to lose and I have nothing. You may win in the end, you may ensorcell me and hurt me and humiliate me, but I will make sure you lose everything I can take from you on the way down. I promise you this is the least of what I can do.”
“Instead of being afraid, I could become something to fear.”
“Father, I am what you made me. I’ve become your daughter after all.”
“Let's have a toast. To the incompetence of our enemies.”
“You really do want me,' I say, close enough to feel the warmth of his breath as it hitches. 'And you hate it.”
“Cardan looks at me as though he's never seen me before. He looks at me as though no one has ever spoken to him like this. Maybe no one has.”
“I get why he chose her. I just wish she had chosen me.”
“It's shocking," he says, as though he's giving me some great compliment. "I know humans can lie, but to watch you do it is incredible. Do it again.”
“I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe.”
“He stares at me as though I am a stranger, but I have never felt less like one. For the first time, we are both unmasked.”
“Faeries make up for their inability to lie with a panoply of deceptions and cruelties. Twisted words, pranks, omissions, riddles, scandals, not to mention their revenges upon one another for ancient, half-remembered slights. Storms are less fickle than they are, seas less capricious.”
“There is a pleasure in being with them,” he says. “Taking what we wish, indulging in every terrible thought. There’s safety in being awful.”
“Crowns of flowers on our heads, shooting bows and arrows at the sky. Eating candied violets and falling asleep with our heads pillowed on logs. We were children. Children can laugh all day and still cry themselves to sleep at night.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Hate crime, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
tiairamonnay's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
reflective
tense
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Blood and Classism
solaris_zip's review against another edition
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
5.0
I did not expect to like this book as much as I did. If you enter with the intention of looking for romance you’re severely mistaken, which I feel it’s an issue that many do. The book is set up to be a trilogy, book one introducing the characters and a bit of the world. The politics of it mostly. It can feel repetitive, perhaps even boring, but I personally found it very enjoyable. I give 4,5 rather than 5 simply because in some parts I truly struggled to understand what was going on and to remember all of the made up names.
Onto the characters. I adore Jude. A misconception of her character that I have seen a lot is people arguing “if she was so scared of the fae world why didn’t she just left?” She was scared, as she should be considering the morally grey beliefs those fairies hold, but the point is you have a girl, who saw her parents brutally pass away, and move to a world where she *doesnt belong*. But at the same time that’s the only place she knows. She has no connection to the human realm anymore. No education, nothing. She was raised to be a fae. It’s only obvious despite everything she keeps trying. And I found that admirable. How despite being scared, despite having people close to her like her twin sister, who constantly told her to stop trying to “rebel” and to just learn to live with it; she truly never gave up. She went on and fought for what she believed was right.
I liked how we saw a different face for Cardan, and I like how his and Jude’s relationship is already shifting somewhat. I despite Locke and Taryn, who went out and betrayed Jude, her own twin sister. We can argue that she was doing the same thing as Jude, survive in a world that doesn’t belong to you. But I like to argue she did the cowardly thing, of which betraying the only person who stood by your side, who almost got killed because she only wanted to defend you, the person who almost drown to make sure she was safe and what does Taryn do..? Ah yes, enstablish a relationship with Locke, of whom painted himself to be this nice guy, who helped Jude when the others tormented her and yet… perhaps he hurt her the most. Dating both her and her TWIN sister. And can we just focus on this for a second? You’re telling me, your guy wants to test your loyalty and so he decides to kiss and have a thing with your twin sister? Like Taryn… what the actual fuck? How was she even ok with this is beyond me 😭💀
Book one is a book about fighting what you want. Learning to never gave up. Learning that even family can betray you, even your own blood. Learning that friends and acquaintances might come from the most unexpected places. Learning that despite not fitting in, it’s ok. It’s ok to be different, it’s ok to fight against it. And it’s ok to feel you belong, despite people telling you otherwise.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Physical abuse, Blood, and Death of parent
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
2blueshoes's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
1. pacing is slow for most of the book, but there is enough complicated intrigue and weird world building to keep you reading.
2. It does not feel like a story or world that I have read in fantasy before, and that’s hard to do. I enjoyed that.
3. Romance is basically non-existent in this book, but it does feel like a very long and elaborate set up for future romance in other books maybe? If anything this is really a political intrigue book with a very subtle romance subplot. If that’s your jam, you’re going to love this.
4. The person I am fairly sure is the future hero is A LITERAL ASSHOLE for 99.9% of the book. Like zero redeeming qualities, not even described as attractive? If you aren’t patient with very long redemptive arcs for characters, or if you can’t tolerate not knowing who the true love interest is, maybe skip this book.
5. The heroine feels really young and also not particularly moral??? Like she is decidedly not justice-motivated. She seems really immature and self interested at times. This makes for a surprising read if I’m honest and I think we will watch her develop a lot in the books. This book feels a bit like a prequel somehow?
6.
7. I would have given up on this book entirely if it wasn’t for some really surprising shit that goes down around the chapter 26 mark that had me WTF-ing all over the place. It’s like it suddenly turned into the book I wanted it to be. The last four chapters are, in my opinion, amazing. They had me on the edge of my seat. I hope they reflect what future books will be like.
Oh, final thought: I think listening as an audiobook kinda made this book worse for me than it was, because the narrator didn’t do distinct voices for the characters, and it made it really confusing. Would recommend reading it as a book.
Lots of content warnings on this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Death of parent, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Bullying, Gore, Suicide, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Ableism, Body shaming, Vomit, Dysphoria, and War
chandlery's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Slavery, Death of parent, and Classism
Moderate: Physical abuse
Minor: Suicide
aysha_blake's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Infertility, Infidelity, Stalking, Fire/Fire injury, and War
melani_e4's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Death of parent, and Classism
catrose97's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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
5.0
This is honestly one of the best books I’ve read in a long time! I love this interpretation of the Fae World. This book had me on the edge of my seat so many times~ the characters written were amazing and made me feel sooo many emotions. Love, hatred; disgust, sadness, fear, etc. I can not recommend this book enough! The end has left me mouth agape and ready for the second book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Cursing, Blood, and Alcohol