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ajslifelibrary's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Xenophobia, and Blood
leafilys's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Effy and Preston are interesting and developed characters, and the romance was well paced with lots of chemistry. This book has lots of detailed descriptions and prose, which can be hit or miss with a lot of people, but I loved it. It was so atmospheric and immersive.
Unfortunately the last quarter of the book let me down a bit. The pacing felt too fast then too slow, and the mysteries were wrapped up a bit clumsily in my opinion.
Graphic: Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Stalking, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, and War
torrentsofhayl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, and Abandonment
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Death and Death of parent
cherchercheryl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Minor: Death, Sexual assault, and Xenophobia
scarlett_librarian's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Misogyny
Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
arialuna's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Effy, as a character, isn't usually my usual heroine — she's a lot more withdrawn and resigned to begin with. But as the story progresses, it becomes more apparent it is in response to a heavy amount of trauma she's gone through. Only thing I would've liked to see was her fighting back against her mother, because damn that woman deserved to be stood up to and told off.
Despite figuring out the plot twist early due to context clues, I had fun seeing what else could be thrown at me. I was pleasantly surprised to see that I hadn't figured out everything, and I still have more to explore!
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child abuse and Car accident
pandemonicbaby's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Bullying, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Blood, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Alcohol, and War
ali_k0's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
There was so much in this book I wanted more of: the Drowning, The Sleepers and their museum, the war between the nations. I know a second book is coming and I hope she tells us more, but I feel she missed a lot of foundations here. To pull from the book, I think we'll find it filled with water come morning.
Effy's trauma define her as a character, and how she responds to this trauma, not by taking up a sword but simply surviving, I think is very relatable to a lot of people. Although my version of survival and hers are very different, I still saw myself in her, and I think many others will too. I just wish she had been given more time to grow. Past her trauma, but also her prejudices.
The mystery itself was timeless in its own way. Anyone who knows literary history can guess the true author of Angharad from the moment the question is posed, but I don't think the obviousness is what the mystery suffers from. The book is sold as "part historical fantasy part rival to lovers romance and part Gothic mystery" and although it was all of those things, I think breaking it into so many parts made all of them suffer. None really has the time to shine, as the authors commitments to written aesthetic seemed to be the most important thing here.
Lastly, although the tale of stolen works is one that needs to be told, the starting evidence for the case Myrddin wasn't the author is, "a southerner is not smart enough to write this, so it must be a northerner" which then turns out to be true. Myrddin did write works, but they were bad middling poetry and one unsuccessful romance. In the end, it was the ingenious Northerner who wrote Angharad, only she was a women, which was the twist. I really think this book could have been better if the author went the route of, "it was a Southern girl, which everyone thought would be to much to believe, so it was given to a southern man." That the male lead Preston is so against how his people, the Argantians, are stereotyped, but is fine with the ones around southerners, leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
In the end I still liked it. It's dark and dreary but also enchanting, a perfect book for cold nights by warm fires. I don't know if I'll pick up the second book, but I don't regret that I picked this one up.
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, Stalking, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death, Grief, Death of parent, and Colonisation
becinneverland's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
This was also wildly predictable. Like, within the first couple chapters I knew the answer to “who actually wrote the book” - and so the slow, repetitive nature of the story was exhausting at points.
What pushed it from a 2 to a 3 was the ending - if only because it was cathartic and I enjoyed their relationship.
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
kghunter's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
“[…]the truth was very costly at times. How terrible, to navigate the world without a story to comfort you.”
If you were to remove all of the sentences in this book that described one of the characters blushing, it would probably be about half its current length. I don’t know if this is just a more common experience of fair skinned people or what but I think a group-read of this in which everyone took a shot every time someone blushes would be a pretty fun way to get absolutely shittered with your friends if they also happen to be into horny fantasy mystery novels that involve a lot of quivering and clenched fists.
Blushing and quivering aside this was a truly enjoyable read. Reid is brilliant at capturing the “dark academia” imagery and I loved how she used such a beautifully painted, fantastical storyline to examine themes of misogyny, victim-shaming, childhood trauma, and isolation, as well as gender-based violence, bigotry, and oppression. As a reader who originally chose to read this book to scratch my annually occurring wintertime dark academia itch, its depth and sincerity came as a pleasant surprise.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation