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kotletka_polina's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
It was a bit slow in the beginning but as the story progressed it grew on me and the last 150 pages I read in one sitting.
I think the world building lacked explanation so it was a little confusing. A huge part of the plot is a mystery and I believe the reader should also be able to guess the twist while reading; however I don’t think it’s possible to fully guess it here because of the confusing world building and lack of complete information.
But I liked this book a lot. It felt like fever dream in the best way possible and I fell in love with the love interest. The second half of the book was really intense and it was hard to put down the book.
Not sure what to expect from the sequel. I’m excited but also kinda scared.
Graphic: Death of parent, Murder, Rape, Miscarriage, Child death, Classism, Death, Gaslighting, Grief, Pregnancy, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Blood and Vomit
lizzie_beth98's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcoholism, Gore, Murder, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Grief, Pregnancy, and Death
Moderate: Miscarriage, Rape, Infidelity, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Vomit, Alcohol, Medical trauma, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Medical content
m_harbaugh'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Gore, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Body horror, Death, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gaslighting, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Violence, Alcoholism, and Blood
savanah's review
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
2.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Suicidal thoughts, Gaslighting, Miscarriage, Murder, Torture, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Suicide and Vomit
themissyreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This book genuinely surprised me. I thought ‘its a YA fairytale retelling I know how this goes. Theres the gorgeous mysterious dark haired love interest who’s gonna turn out to be the twist villain.’ I dont think its a spoiler to say i was Wrong in assuming the twist, because I genuinely didn’t know who the villain was until the protagonist did.
Graphic: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Pregnancy, Body horror, Blood, and Child death
Moderate: Gaslighting and Suicide
Minor: Murder, Vomit, and Death of parent
buzby72's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Death, Body horror, Grief, Child death, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
nightmarebees's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
i was actually more invested in the mystery and the gothic atmosphere than the romance. while cassius and annaleigh were cute and their scenes provided a respite from the tension around them, they did fall in love very fast and there wasn’t a lot to cassius as a character other than being the main love interest. that said, i’ve read way worse YA romances.
the horror/gothic elements were pretty well executed, and several of the visions were genuinely unsettling. i was especially uncomfortable having one of the hallucinations topped off by accidentally walking in on your dad boning your stepmom, which is its own kind of horrific. the main mystery was well written, and though the reveal of the perpetrator was kind of predictable, it felt balanced by the fact that both she and the person she was trying to hurt were complex and not entirely “bad” people. still glad she died in the end. for justice.
Graphic: Death, Gaslighting, and Child death
Moderate: Miscarriage
caramelcopp'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? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Death, Grief, Pregnancy, Child death, and Suicide
Moderate: Vomit and Gaslighting
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, and Miscarriage
emilyreads15's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
I randomly just decided to start this book one day, since I had recently gotten it in a giveaway and oh my gosh. I just didn’t expect this at all. Tbh it’s been so long since I read the synopsis, so I kinda just went in blind.
It was just the most interesting plot I’ve ever read. To start off the story is a creepy retelling of The Brother’s Grimm fairytale, ‘The Twelve Dancing Princesses.’ We read the story from Annaleigh’s pov and she is the 6th born of the 12 girls. Since I’m not too familiar with the fairytale, I didn’t know what to expect so ofc I looked up the original and it was already crazy itself. But the author took this twisted story and twisted it even more. I had no clue this book had horror elements to I was so shook while reading it.
On top of this, the author is a phenomenal writer. Like the level of writing and planning it takes to write a book like this is insane. So I definitely applaud her on that. There were so many twists and turns and I just kept being surprised. While I had my suspicions, I truly didn’t know who to trust and at times I didn’t even trust Annaleigh even though I was reading from her perspective. This book truly took gaslighting to another level.
Overall I really enjoyed this read! At times the world building lost me a little bit. Also because there were so many sisters, I sometimes lost track and often couldn’t remember what they were supposed to look like. Some of the characters also got on my nerves *cough* Camille and Morella 👀 *cough*. However, I still really loved the book and in the end I definitely recommend this read. It was truly unlike anything I’ve ever read before!
Read this book if you want some mysterious fantasy gothic vibes with a little bit of horror.
I also recommend this book to anyone who loves Belladonna by Adalyn Grace.
Graphic: Body horror, Gaslighting, Violence, Emotional abuse, Blood, and Death
Minor: Death of parent, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, and Animal death
eviemayhem's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
The world-building is fantastic, and the author really drags you in to the torture the sisters are going through as they await to see who will be the next to die. There are so many twists and turns that at a certain point even the reader is unsure of what is real and what is not.
Graphic: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Murder, Self harm, and Suicide
Moderate: Suicide, Gaslighting, and Mental illness