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bergha1998's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
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? Yes
3.75
That cliffhanger should be illegal, go into this book knowing you’ll need to start the next one soon after. Séverin still pissed me off in this one, but the other main characters are top tier. The more treasure hunting/Indiana Jones vibe was so fun in this book. I liked the plot just a tad bit more than the first one. Can’t wait to see where the story goes.
Treasure Hunt, Romance Subplots, Diverse Characters, 1 🔥
“He wanted someone who would enter a room and look for him first, to behold him as though the secrets of the world lay somewhere in his gaze, to finish his sentences.”
“When a man cannot see a person as a person, then the devil has slipped into him and is peering out of his eyes.”
“I envy you because you can look at yourself. You can bear your own reflection, knowing you can shoulder the weight of every choice you made and regret you carry. That is a rare thing as one gets older.”
“Gods burned cities and spared a child. Gods put gold in the palms of the wicked and left that miserable currency of hope in the hearts of the good.”
Treasure Hunt, Romance Subplots, Diverse Characters, 1 🔥
“He wanted someone who would enter a room and look for him first, to behold him as though the secrets of the world lay somewhere in his gaze, to finish his sentences.”
“When a man cannot see a person as a person, then the devil has slipped into him and is peering out of his eyes.”
“I envy you because you can look at yourself. You can bear your own reflection, knowing you can shoulder the weight of every choice you made and regret you carry. That is a rare thing as one gets older.”
“Gods burned cities and spared a child. Gods put gold in the palms of the wicked and left that miserable currency of hope in the hearts of the good.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child death, Colonisation, Cursing, Death, Grief, Murder, Violence, and Xenophobia
oliverreeds's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
FUCK
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Kidnapping, Confinement, Murder, Physical abuse, Torture, and Racism
bookling_thoughts'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? Yes
4.75
This book made my heart hurt. The ending is utterly gut wrenching. The writing in this book is incredible and the characters are extraordinary. Please read this book ❤️
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Torture, and Violence
achingallover's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Antisemitism, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Miscarriage, Rape, Terminal illness, and Xenophobia
luckykosmos's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Most characters were more fleshed out - in particular, I'm much ore invested in Severin - and most puzzles were more interesting. My personal pet peeve of linguistic clues that may not hold to scrutiny persists. But that isn't what marks this down for me - I'm still frustrated at how repetitive Zofia's characterization feels in regards to her autism. Yes, we understand that there are certain things that she interprets differently; I don't think Chokshi has succeeded yet in deviating from stereotype, especially when she does introduce interesting facets of her personality that aren't mentioned again. To Chokshi's credit, I much preferred Hypnos this time around, him feeling like a much more fleshed out character, but the Hypnos/Enrique/Zofia triangle drags to me, likely because I don't think Zofia's character is done justice. And I want her to be! She's still one of my favorite characters, but is it because of what she is or what she could be?
Content Warnings
Minor: Antisemitism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Violence
plumpaperbacks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I absolutely adored this book. The characters are some of my favorites; they’ve all got a special place in my heart, which is thoroughly broken right now. I’m distraught. Roshani Chokshi is an evil genius. She put a brilliant ensemble cast, heartwarming friendships, agonizing romantic tension, mysterious treasure hunts, multiple explosions, banter aplenty, intriguing magic, unbelievably high stakes, and relevant discussions on many topics including racism and antisemitism all in one book barely over 400 pages. She really did that. I don’t even know what to say. I can only express myself through sad memes as I wait desperately for book three.
Representation:
Representation:
- Séverin is biracial (French-Algerian)
- Laila is Indian, has anxiety
- Enrique is queer, biracial (Spanish-Filipino)
- Zofia is Jewish, autistic
- Hypnos is biracial (Black), queer
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Self harm, Violence, and Grief
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Blood, Antisemitism, and Infertility
Minor: Animal cruelty, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
There’s one scene where a character remembers witnessing a stranger’s suicide as a child.starshynebrite's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
If you love an amazing squad with great dynamics, the feeling of wanting to punch a character for being so incredibly frustrating but also understanding them, just absolutely amazing characters that deserve hugs, a really intriguing magical system, a really angsty couple, and of course, a little bit of mystery and a bunch of heist you should definitely pick up this incredible sequel!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse
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