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booksdogsandcoffee's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
5.0
This captivating realm of mystique and dark fantasy is a wild ride. Gillig pulls of a ground breaking magic system unlike any I have seen in other fantasy novels. The intricate card based magical system is nothing short of phenomenal and leaves me wanting to have an actual collection of my own of providence cards. This was utterly gripping until the very end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Vomit, Murder, Gaslighting, and Violence
Moderate: Grief and Sexual content
payton_layne's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Violence
Moderate: Murder and Death
Minor: Sexual content
alba_1994's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This had a great premise. I just felt the character design was very shallow which resulted in inconsistent actions and undeep relationships.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Violence
Moderate: Genocide, Murder, Child death, Death of parent, Child abuse, Blood, Death, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content
notbambi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I liked a lot about this book - the atmosphere, the creepy nursery rhymes, the relationship between Elspeth and Nightmare, the magic system. It started slow, but after a few chapters, I was hooked. It wasn't quite a five star for me, in part because the plot and worldbuilding lacked depth and the romance didn't come together in a satisfying way for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore
Moderate: Child death and Vomit
Minor: Physical abuse, Torture, and Murder
kaylamullarkey's review against another edition
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Murder, and Terminal illness
issiwerro's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Murder, and Blood
akia_nanashi's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Murder, and Violence
blewballoon's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
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
3.5
This was my second time attempting to read this book, and I'm glad I made it to the end. I tried it both on audiobook and as a standard book, and ended up going with the audiobook. I feel like the voice of the narrator doesn't really fit the story, but their reading is fine. (Although, I listened on 1.5 speed.) This book didn't work for me as well as I wanted, and I'm not sure why. I feel like things picked up a bit when we got more of the supporting cast. I like the spooky misty setting and the Nightmare. I thought the world building was pretty good. Overall I had a good time, just not a great time. I never got quite as invested as I wanted to be. I'll definitely be reading the sequel, and I would recommend this lightly. I would also recommend For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten as a book with a sort of similar vibe.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood
Minor: Sexual content, Death, Death of parent, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
kaylaswhitmore's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading the second one! Gillig’s prose is both elevated and easy to follow, invoking something similar in feel to classic Victorian literature with a distinctly modern twist. Her pacing was great—neither slow or fast, and with just enough action to keep readers excited. However, I will say that I felt her world-building lacked a smidgen of severity. While we are often told in the first 2/3rds of the book that it is quite dangerous to be an infected person in Blunder, I think the tension could have benefitted from an earlier example of the King’s brutality (i.e. someone Elspeth knew being taken away, or her witnessing a public execution). In that regard, I do feel as if some of the stakes fell a tiny bit flat due to the lack of “showing” in comparison to “telling.” Despite that, I easily tumbled into the magic of the woods and mist and cards, and thoroughly enjoyed the twists and turns of Elspeth’s journey through such a tempestuous town. Excited to see how this story concludes!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, and Blood
Moderate: Death, Murder, Child abuse, Cursing, Alcohol, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, and Sexual content
There is a slight, barely there mention of mind/body control of a man over a woman where it is insinuated to have been a very negative experience for the woman. It doesn’t mention any details about the nature of the mind/body control, but thought it was worth mentioning nonetheless.razalicious's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Terminal illness, Gore, Sexual content, Murder, and Blood