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browniebby's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Honestly my favorite chapter was the first foray into hell. The glimpses into how they all got there was well done. (Although I definitely am side eyeing the shit out of Bardugo writing a POC in the situation Turner was in. I understand it from a narrative point but I'm not sure that as a non POC thus is her place).
Could have done without the dozen of mentions of Darlington's glowing dick too. Like after the first, maybe second time, it was too much.
I do hope we get to see more Mercy and the rest of this tiny found family. They are all messy and damaged but I think they all balance each other out.
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Cursing, Death, and Drug abuse
frantically's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Police brutality, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Gore, Grief, Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Sexism, Blood, Confinement, Death, and Death of parent
Minor: Self harm, Torture, Sexual assault, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Classism, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Rape, Slavery, and Suicide attempt
victoriamark's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Drug use, Murder, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, and Drug abuse
wardenred'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
4.0
He’s gone, Alex. It’s time to accept that. Even if you were right, whatever survived in hell wouldn’t be the Darlington you know.
Well, this was a trip! I confess I didn't fall in love with this installment as much as I did with the first book, but this was still incredibly engrossing and entertaining. I loved getting to know the familiar characters more and seeing their relationships redefined. All the storylines held a lot of tension. The dark academia vibe was thick as ever. So much lore about the societies and the dark, death-soaked magic. And so many demonic puzzles to solve and dangerous libraries to survive! In other words, all the thrills.
I think the storyline I particularly enjoyed was the one where Alex had to work through that one big part of her past—I really don't want to start talking about it in more detail, because I will just start spewing spoilers. But then there was all the magic, too, and assembling the crew to go into actual hell, and lots of characters from the first book getting to be more front and center. I loved Alex's friendships with Dawes and Mercy, and getting to know Turner better.
What I didn't fully love was how all of this was pulled together. The "making plans and assembling the party to go into hell" part dragged on for entirely too long, and then things started moving a bit too fast and, more importantly, unevenly. It was like the intermediary resolutions and plot points were coming at entirely the wrong places. The juggling of multiple timelines and gradual reveals didn't work nearly as effectively as it did in The Ninth House. I was also not a fan of certain aspects of Darlington's storyline, but that's something I can chalk up to taste. The book's weird composition, though, objectively detracted from my enjoyment, even though it's SO full of things I enjoy.
Graphic: Violence and Death
Moderate: Police brutality, Panic attacks/disorders, Drug use, Cursing, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Drug abuse, Rape, and Vomit
franzis's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Murder
Minor: Drug abuse
littlekingleo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Gore, Animal cruelty, Death, Drug abuse, Violence, Racism, Drug use, Suicide, and Animal death
Minor: Rape, Torture, Sexual assault, and Slavery
fionamatilda'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
4.75
Graphic: Murder, Animal death, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Drug use and Drug abuse
wayside's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Moderate: Drug use, Drug abuse, Cursing, Addiction, Death, and Animal death
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Slavery, Rape, Classism, Murder, Racism, Police brutality, Grief, Alcohol, Blood, Violence, and Stalking
emmanating'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
5.0
Graphic: Drug abuse and Animal death
Moderate: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Racism, Addiction, Death, Police brutality, Self harm, and Suicide attempt
laelolou's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Murder and Death
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Animal death