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julessssss's review against another edition
- 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
the only thing is that it is definitely ya and that bothered me just a bit a few times lol
Graphic: Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Murder, Gun violence, Death of parent, Animal death, and Blood
madmadmaddymad's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I liked the sapphic elements, and the magic. I liked that there was a love triangle with an ex girlfriend and the new girl in town. I liked the themes of being a witch and not being able to tell anyone, juxtaposed against being a lesbian and being out about it.
The story itself had incredible pacing problems - I felt like I barely had a chance to get to know the characters and the world before all hell was breaking loose and they were being attacked by vengeful blood witches, hunters, arsonists, and some mysterious stalker set on vehicular manslaughter. It was like watching one of those teen shows on the CW. We were just trying to decide what to do about our high school crush, the loss of a first love, being in the “closet” (magically, at least) with your best friend…. I just wish this book had given me more CHARACTER moments? Because there was so much potential. The plot was too in-your-face, and it didn’t even feel that high stakes, when your main character is surviving a house fire only to be in a major car crash less than a hundred pages later.
It gets an extra star for what it COULD have been, if the author knew how to take her time.
Graphic: Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, and Gun violence
Moderate: Stalking
Minor: Death of parent
karly_ackley's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Graphic: Sexual content, Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, Car accident, Alcohol, Animal death, Death, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Grief, and Blood
reading_and_rambling's review against another edition
3.75
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, and Car accident
annorabrady'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Overall, I'm not sure how I feel about the story. I gave it a 3 because it was entertaining enough. But this isn't one I am going to revisit.
If you have emotional triggers, be aware and proceed with caution. This hits on a lot of things that could get people. I've done my best to list the ones I can remember.
As an aside, this book is not diverse. Beyond the romance and the ex, there's one closeted character who gets little page time and one gay character who gets an even smaller part. Then there's nothing. Everyone is white. If there aren't white characters, they're not described. In real life, Salem has close to 18% of their population identifying as latine and nearly 4% as black. Surely there could have been a friend, family member, or other recurring character who wasn't white.
It also would have made more sense narratively if he hasn't died, especially in terms of Victoria being left alone after getting her magic back.
Hannah would have saved Victoria regardless of her father's death. She was just as invested in the identity of the witch hunter before and after his death. And his death didn't add to any of her struggles or character development. He just died. And then he had a funeral. And she said she was upset about it.
Losing a parent changes you. Especially if it's a parent you have a good relationship with. It fundamentally changes so much of your life, your beliefs, and your priorities. And I saw none of that reflected in what Hannah did at the end of the book. Hannah was still the same character, she was just down a parent.
Graphic: Hate crime, Grief, Medical content, Murder, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Medical trauma, Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Torture, and Toxic friendship
unicornofthesea's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Death of parent, Stalking, Car accident, Death, Lesbophobia, Murder, Animal death, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Violence, and Animal cruelty
agnela's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Biphobia, Emotional abuse, and Gun violence
auri_underthing's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Crackle. Power. Pain.
I was kind of expecting this book to be more on the gentle side, I did not expect it to rip my heart into pieces.
Brilliant. Must read the second one.
Content warning: (which is also kind of a spoiler)
Death of a parent.
Moderate: Car accident, Kidnapping, Blood, and Death
laurenlo29's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Grief, and Kidnapping
koraisreadingnow's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Death, Stalking, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Blood, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Genocide, and Car accident
Minor: Animal death, Outing, Kidnapping, and Gun violence