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lexifram's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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
3.5
gssmith7's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- 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
moonyreb's review against another edition
emotional
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
3.0
sketchclouds's review against another edition
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
fatheraki's review against another edition
dark
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
4.0
I was not quite as thrilled by this as I’d hoped to be. I guess I shouldn’t have very high expectations going into books — it hits harder when they aren’t able to live up to them.
The good stuff:
•I liked Santángel’s character. I liked the complexity, the layers, the way he treated Luzia.
•I liked the historical aspect to it all. I liked how raw and real it felt.
•Luzia was a good character. A solid main character.
•Minor sapphic storyline, let’s gooooo.
•I liked the ending.
The not-so-good stuff:
•I would have appreciated an author’s note in the end, explaining her inspirations/historical facts.
•It was kind of predictable. The whole magical tourney thing is a little overdone, I’m afraid.
•A little boring. I wasn’t on the edge of my seat about it.
And other stuff I can’t think of right now.
The good stuff:
•I liked Santángel’s character. I liked the complexity, the layers, the way he treated Luzia.
•I liked the historical aspect to it all. I liked how raw and real it felt.
•Luzia was a good character. A solid main character.
•Minor sapphic storyline, let’s gooooo.
•I liked the ending.
The not-so-good stuff:
•I would have appreciated an author’s note in the end, explaining her inspirations/historical facts.
•It was kind of predictable. The whole magical tourney thing is a little overdone, I’m afraid.
•A little boring. I wasn’t on the edge of my seat about it.
And other stuff I can’t think of right now.
melissannie24's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
liroa15's review against another edition
4.0
I was a little wary because Alex Stern has not been it for me, but I enjoyed this one. It was sad at places, but the story was compelling and it seemed well researched and Luzia was genuinely likeable.
lizblan's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
bern_loves's review against another edition
DNFed at p36 (9%). I’m not sure that this is my kind of fantasy, and I’m not a huge fan of overtly religious books. This also hasn’t really gripped me and I’m a bit bored - not something I want to push through given the state of my reading over the last 6 months! Maybe I’ll give it a try another time, but as much as I love Bardugo’s other works, I don’t think this one’s for me.