Reviews with content warning for Injury/Injury detail - A Strange Hymn

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A Strange Hymn by Laura Thalassa

14 reviews

readyforit's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4⭐️2.5🌶️(a few fade to black scenes and a couple graphic scenes, overall spicier than book 1)

I didn’t like this one as much as the first book but we do get introduced to the fae Otherworld and a lot of new fae characters! This book exclusively takes place in the otherworld, whereas book 1 was mostly in the human realm. We learn a lot of backstory about des, his parents, and his childhood.

The first part of the story is des helping Callie come to terms with the fact that she doesn’t look human anymore and can’t return to earth. He takes her on a tour of his kingdom and begins the Training™ that is in every fantasy book. She slowly learns to love her body again because des loves her, regardless of what she looks like. She could probably transform fully into a bird and he would still be obsessed with her lol.

Temper storms her way into the otherworld looking for Callie so we get a lot more of their friendship in this book. Most of the story takes place over the course of a weeklong Solstice celebration in the Flora realm. We meet the flora queen and her weirdass mate. Rulers of the different realms clash, alliances are formed, and trust is broken. Des punches and murders people who cross Callie. We get a lot of “don’t even look at my mate” moments! All the while the thief of souls is back and kidnapping male soldiers this time. It’s a pretty good mystery and twist at the end!

This book had a lot more world-building in it and a lot less of des and Callie’s relationship. I would say that romance isn’t the forefront of this book. It’s still there, but it’s more about how Callie settles into the fae world and then the mystery of the thief of souls.

I am going to continue the series but probably won’t reread unless I forget the plot in the future!

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maddierandolph's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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katiecoconut21's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

A Strange Hymn was a vast improvement on Rhapsodic. This book had the elements I was missing from Rhapsodic, a true romantic development on the relationship between Des and Callie, and an intricate fantasy world that I could get swept away in.

Where A Strange Hymn felt like a unique world, with a romance I could root for, and an intriguing plot, Rhapsodic was the set-up of a "soul-mate" scenario to make this book flow better.

Honestly, my experience with A Strange Hymn is lessened due to the first book, Rhapsodic. I personally would have loved to see a more drawn-out, slow-burn romance, one where Callie truly admits her feelings for Des when she sees his world, one where the Bargainer would have kept the huge secret of "we're soulmates" a secret for a little while longer.

Having said that, this book elaborates on what Rhapsodic was missing, particularly in terms of plot. The plot of the Thief of Souls is incredibly interesting, and I am glad we got to focus more on that in this book.

Overall, I enjoyed A Strange Hymn, and am glad I stuck with the series long enough to get over where Rhapsodic fell short.

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wrensreadingroom's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

4.0

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kaadee's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

I giggle every time they call him “The Night King” but his name is Desmond Flynn. You’re gonna tell me that name is meant to be accompanied with a title? No.

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