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intoxicatedflower's review
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Myrthe was frustrating and annoying, and the insta-love interest was not fun to read. Miscommunication, or lack of communication, to make the characters have conflict also irritates me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Death, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Rape, Torture, War, Emotional abuse, Grief, Death of parent, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Misogyny and Domestic abuse
soph22's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
slow-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? Yes
4.0
Meh. I loved the rest of the book, but the ending kind of infuriated me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Grief, Violence, Ableism, Emotional abuse, Murder, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Child abuse, and Death of parent
chloelj27's review
adventurous
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Grief, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual assault, Torture, Child death, Emotional abuse, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Pregnancy
janallan's review
adventurous
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I felt like the pace was pretty medium until like 60% and then it was high intensity for the next 30 chapters! It was a bit grueling. I felt like she kept moving the goal posts further back. We have to get to the place! We have to get through the things! There’s more challenges! There’s a bear!! And now there’s a flood!!!
I did like the exploration of different human motivations: some who need to feel power, who need to feel heard, who want control because of jealousy. And I loved the premise of not being able to cry — maybe it’s a girl thing, but having to maintain control of your emotions (until I can go somewhere else to cry) was something I could relate to.
The ending… was a little… not my favorite.
I did like the exploration of different human motivations: some who need to feel power, who need to feel heard, who want control because of jealousy. And I loved the premise of not being able to cry — maybe it’s a girl thing, but having to maintain control of your emotions (until I can go somewhere else to cry) was something I could relate to.
The ending… was a little… not my favorite.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
A character tells about being sold as a prostitute by a parent repeatedly in the past when she was 13-14.lastblossom's review
adventurous
challenging
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
Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
tl;dr
A very traditional good vs. evil tale with distinct and interesting characters. Plot is a little contrived in places.
About
Myrthe's tears can grant wishes, a power that has served others more than her for most of her life. When an attempt to use it for herself goes terribly wrong, she finds herself cursed to die the next time she cries. But with the king suddenly dead and a struggle for power on the horizon, everyone wants one of Myrthe's wishes - even if it costs her life.
What I Liked
A well-paced book about the responsibility and consequences of power. The writing is clean and easy to read, with each of the character voices and POVs distinct. Despite a magic system rooted pretty clearly in good vs. evil, the characters themselves were allowed a little more moral complexity, with heroes making mistakes, and several antagonists having sympathetic motives. Character development is slow, but steady, and I was impressed by how much the two leads grew over the course of the book. The ending will probably be pretty divisive, but I appreciated how open it was, and I think it was a better place to finish than pretend that the day is saved and everything is good now.
What Wasn't For Me
The plot came together in a lot of very convenient ways that take a bit of suspension to really accept. Anouk's story in particular felt like it had to be reworked to fit everyone else's storylines. It also hits my personal peeve of people keeping vague secrets so the plot can be more dramatic and go longer.
tl;dr
A very traditional good vs. evil tale with distinct and interesting characters. Plot is a little contrived in places.
About
Myrthe's tears can grant wishes, a power that has served others more than her for most of her life. When an attempt to use it for herself goes terribly wrong, she finds herself cursed to die the next time she cries. But with the king suddenly dead and a struggle for power on the horizon, everyone wants one of Myrthe's wishes - even if it costs her life.
What I Liked
A well-paced book about the responsibility and consequences of power. The writing is clean and easy to read, with each of the character voices and POVs distinct. Despite a magic system rooted pretty clearly in good vs. evil, the characters themselves were allowed a little more moral complexity, with heroes making mistakes, and several antagonists having sympathetic motives. Character development is slow, but steady, and I was impressed by how much the two leads grew over the course of the book. The ending will probably be pretty divisive, but I appreciated how open it was, and I think it was a better place to finish than pretend that the day is saved and everything is good now.
What Wasn't For Me
The plot came together in a lot of very convenient ways that take a bit of suspension to really accept. Anouk's story in particular felt like it had to be reworked to fit everyone else's storylines. It also hits my personal peeve of people keeping vague secrets so the plot can be more dramatic and go longer.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Torture
Minor: Grief, Trafficking, and Rape
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