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kaylastivers's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
ccpprrjj's review against another edition
3.0
This book wasn't what I was expecting. Instead f a dark fantasy set in medievalesque times, it was set in a modern underground fight club in the US. That would have bee fine, had it stayed there. I feel like it tried to make something small too big. Instead of the world-shaking plot twist, it would have been better kept as an individual story of strength. I did like the message about trauma and Vesper's powers though. Also, the God and prayer aspects of this book felt unnecessary. I probably won't read the sequel if there is one.
the_jessmarie's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars
Very entertaining. A little slow but I liked it. It felt like it was setting up a potentially very exciting series. Looking forward to the next one
Very entertaining. A little slow but I liked it. It felt like it was setting up a potentially very exciting series. Looking forward to the next one
kylareadssometimes's review against another edition
5.0
"Kolby tried to talk a couple more times during the ride, but eventually he got the hint. And by hint I mean I sneezed in his coffee"
"Abandon all hope, ye dumbasses who venture past this point"
"I sat there, letting the weight of disappointment settle over me like concrete. Heavy. Sticky. Lethal"
"I looked up, an ember of something like hope on the tip of my tongue"
"Oddity or not, some things are never simple"
"With everything that's happened..." Her eyes are far away as she thinks. "He's made me feel like I'm home. Like this life could still be mine, even though it's so different from the one before"
"She's not an Oddity, is she?... Nope. Just a regular badass"
"The shadows are a sanctuary. The light is my knife"
"It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul."
"But then, that night, surrounded by thousands of dollars of beautiful things, I was still alone."
"His words are foreign, a balm that sits on top of my skin but doesn't fully absorb in... the thought that I would add something to someone's life instead of just showing them the deep, fanged parts of themselves is something I can't understand"
"I know what it's like to stand over a casket and feel all the rage a person can feel and know there's nowhere to send it. Nowhere to put it so I didn't feel it. All I could do was bear it, and the thought was almost too much. But that's what we do. We bear it."
"He wants people to think that Oddities can be the masters of the world... but we're not. We're the masters of ourselves, and no more."
"The last words erupt from me, because I can't stand how true they sound. I can't stand how easy it was for me to start falling for him"
"I'm a liar, and the lie fills me so completely I wonder if I'll ever taste anything other than the bitterness of it. If I'll ever be able to open enough windows in my soul to air out the terrible stench it's leaving on my bones"
"He looks as broken as I feel"
"Everything is going to burn, so I'm going to have some fun tonight"
"There's so much death rattling around my heart, so much tragedy and darkness-I feel like I'm drowning in it. I thought I could chase the shadows away, but they are too deep to be scattered by a pink drink and some club music."
"Duncan believes there's something watching out for us, something that will make sense of all this chaos. My parents did, too. They named me after that hope. Right now, I don't feel it, but I want to. As I lie on the fire and stare up at diamonds, I want to believe in miracles."
"We're as normal as we've ever been. And man, does it hurt"
"It's what on the inside that matters. So you walk in there with your head held high. You're God's creation, and don't you forget that"
"Home, but at the cost of giving this power to someone who desires fear more than love."
"I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul. I couldn't control the fire. I can't control the fact that I'm a Harbinger. I can't control who Sam loves, and I can't control what happens tomorrow. But I can control this."
"I'm glad I didn't miss this. This strange, beautiful thing in the middle of my cell. Nothing has changed. My heart is still cracked like a piece of hard candy some kid stepped on. Everything is still sh*t. But here? In this moment? I'm alive, and for the first time in my life, I am calling the power inside of me mine"
"I was always afraid of the thing inside of me, this beckoning shadow that seems to powerful to ignore. But I know now that the worst monster one can become is the one you choose. I've spent to long fearing what's inside of me"
"I just wanted to tell you that I've been so focused on what I would change, what I would reverse, what I would have done differently, that I didn't stop to think about the things that were just... perfect"
"I forgot her. Her spirit. Her will. Her unshakable faith that everything happens for a reason, but that we're not powerless"
"I'm trying to tell you that I'm in love with you, dammit"
"I can't exactly put a finger on the feeling running through my chest right now. It's not courage, but it's something like it. I think it's the knowledge that there's a purpose to this. I am not a mistake. I am not something to be dulled."
"I finally raise my eyes to meet his, and a new spark lights in my chest. No. No. My father was right- it's dangerous. I've made huge mistakes. People have been hurt because of me. It makes me afraid of getting too close to someone. It's a burden. But my father is also wrong. This power isn't all evil. I used it to realize my family still loved me. I've used it to save Sam. Aldrick"
"fear is the mirror of love"
"That's what power is. The one with the least fear wins"
"And I didn't think I'd be laughing today. I didn't think I'd be laughing ever again. But here I am, in the shadow of rubble and destruction. And I'm happier than I've ever been"
"Abandon all hope, ye dumbasses who venture past this point"
"I sat there, letting the weight of disappointment settle over me like concrete. Heavy. Sticky. Lethal"
"I looked up, an ember of something like hope on the tip of my tongue"
"Oddity or not, some things are never simple"
"With everything that's happened..." Her eyes are far away as she thinks. "He's made me feel like I'm home. Like this life could still be mine, even though it's so different from the one before"
"She's not an Oddity, is she?... Nope. Just a regular badass"
"The shadows are a sanctuary. The light is my knife"
"It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul."
"But then, that night, surrounded by thousands of dollars of beautiful things, I was still alone."
"His words are foreign, a balm that sits on top of my skin but doesn't fully absorb in... the thought that I would add something to someone's life instead of just showing them the deep, fanged parts of themselves is something I can't understand"
"I know what it's like to stand over a casket and feel all the rage a person can feel and know there's nowhere to send it. Nowhere to put it so I didn't feel it. All I could do was bear it, and the thought was almost too much. But that's what we do. We bear it."
"He wants people to think that Oddities can be the masters of the world... but we're not. We're the masters of ourselves, and no more."
"The last words erupt from me, because I can't stand how true they sound. I can't stand how easy it was for me to start falling for him"
"I'm a liar, and the lie fills me so completely I wonder if I'll ever taste anything other than the bitterness of it. If I'll ever be able to open enough windows in my soul to air out the terrible stench it's leaving on my bones"
"He looks as broken as I feel"
"Everything is going to burn, so I'm going to have some fun tonight"
"There's so much death rattling around my heart, so much tragedy and darkness-I feel like I'm drowning in it. I thought I could chase the shadows away, but they are too deep to be scattered by a pink drink and some club music."
"Duncan believes there's something watching out for us, something that will make sense of all this chaos. My parents did, too. They named me after that hope. Right now, I don't feel it, but I want to. As I lie on the fire and stare up at diamonds, I want to believe in miracles."
"We're as normal as we've ever been. And man, does it hurt"
"It's what on the inside that matters. So you walk in there with your head held high. You're God's creation, and don't you forget that"
"Home, but at the cost of giving this power to someone who desires fear more than love."
"I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul. I couldn't control the fire. I can't control the fact that I'm a Harbinger. I can't control who Sam loves, and I can't control what happens tomorrow. But I can control this."
"I'm glad I didn't miss this. This strange, beautiful thing in the middle of my cell. Nothing has changed. My heart is still cracked like a piece of hard candy some kid stepped on. Everything is still sh*t. But here? In this moment? I'm alive, and for the first time in my life, I am calling the power inside of me mine"
"I was always afraid of the thing inside of me, this beckoning shadow that seems to powerful to ignore. But I know now that the worst monster one can become is the one you choose. I've spent to long fearing what's inside of me"
"I just wanted to tell you that I've been so focused on what I would change, what I would reverse, what I would have done differently, that I didn't stop to think about the things that were just... perfect"
"I forgot her. Her spirit. Her will. Her unshakable faith that everything happens for a reason, but that we're not powerless"
"I'm trying to tell you that I'm in love with you, dammit"
"I can't exactly put a finger on the feeling running through my chest right now. It's not courage, but it's something like it. I think it's the knowledge that there's a purpose to this. I am not a mistake. I am not something to be dulled."
"I finally raise my eyes to meet his, and a new spark lights in my chest. No. No. My father was right- it's dangerous. I've made huge mistakes. People have been hurt because of me. It makes me afraid of getting too close to someone. It's a burden. But my father is also wrong. This power isn't all evil. I used it to realize my family still loved me. I've used it to save Sam. Aldrick"
"fear is the mirror of love"
"That's what power is. The one with the least fear wins"
"And I didn't think I'd be laughing today. I didn't think I'd be laughing ever again. But here I am, in the shadow of rubble and destruction. And I'm happier than I've ever been"
demimancy's review against another edition
4.0
A kickass teenage girl with the power to bring her enemies’ fears to life? An underground fight club?? Monkey flips and arm bars??? YES, PLEASE. Worthy of a Becky Lynch Dis-Arm-Her.
jasperw's review against another edition
4.0
I ended up giving this book a 4 because I enjoyed it. I do agree with other reviewers that there are some overused tropes, and Vesper spends a LOT of the book just in her head, but I enjoyed enough of it that it felt worth the read to me. The writing is not bad, but not my perfect cup of tea. I think it's a fun read, but probably won't be a lot of peoples new favorite book.
caelmcwilliam's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
myb1023's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
bookyogi's review against another edition
4.0
While this book doesn’t bring anything completely new to the table (and it was not a cover buy for me), I liked it all the same, especially the last half. It was a little slow to start in getting interesting but by the time Vesper Montgomery comes across the Tournament of the Unraveling things kick up a notch. The book turns to the tournament and the Oddities (those with powers) and an underlying second story takes form. Clever friendships are begrudgingly created and romance grows. What started as maybe three stars ended at 3.5, worth rounding to 4 and looking forward to book 2.
bookish_princess's review against another edition
5.0
2nd favorite book I’ve read in 2020 thus far! I loved every aspect of this book! The characters are deep and real and the romance is heart wrenching in the worst and best ways. I liked the incorporation of faith within the story and the world building. The pacing was great filled with fabulous twists! It was one of those book you just wish you could read for the first time again!