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noellegrace8's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I really loved this plotline. I started with Folk of the Air, not knowing this was the first Elfhame novel. I'm glad I read it in the order I did, because I think I would have put down this installment if I weren't already so invested in the world of Elfhame. I loved that this had a small-town folktale vibe. The legends surrounding the boy in the glass coffin and the folk in the forest were perfect. I also loved Sorrow's story and description. Again, a truly clever tale.
I was disappointed at how quickly the action was resolved and how we got such a bird's-eye-view of Severin and Ben's relationship with him. In my opinion, Ben would have been a far better main character choice than Hazel. Hazel was basically the Wish.com version of Jude Duarte. And Jack was, unfortunately, not very well developed. Altogether, the characters in this book either fell flat or weren't explored enough. I also really dislike the high school approach, mostly because it always focuses on partying and stupid decisions, which I couldn't even relate to while I was actually in high school.
I give Lauren Fortgang 4/5⭐. Sometimes she had it down so well - the vocal choices, the gender switching, all of it. Other times, like with Severin, her voice did not really match the character and description well.
I was disappointed at how quickly the action was resolved and how we got such a bird's-eye-view of Severin and Ben's relationship with him. In my opinion, Ben would have been a far better main character choice than Hazel. Hazel was basically the Wish.com version of Jude Duarte. And Jack was, unfortunately, not very well developed. Altogether, the characters in this book either fell flat or weren't explored enough. I also really dislike the high school approach, mostly because it always focuses on partying and stupid decisions, which I couldn't even relate to while I was actually in high school.
I give Lauren Fortgang 4/5⭐. Sometimes she had it down so well - the vocal choices, the gender switching, all of it. Other times, like with Severin, her voice did not really match the character and description well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Self harm, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Racism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Medical content, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Classism