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remqii's review
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-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
4.5
I really enjoyed reading this book. It felt rushed to me at the end though. I didnt like how long it was because I think it could've been shorter but I really enjoyed it. I liked around the end the most and showing christian beliefs. I wasnt to pleased with the ending because it felt me wanting more but it was good overall
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Torture, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Trafficking and Pregnancy
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
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
kristinwritesanovel's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Torture, Violence, Emotional abuse, and Death
mrswhiteinthelibrary's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
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? Yes
4.0
A YA fantasy that holds surprisingly moving, nuanced reflections on topics like grief, shame, and even the nature of good and evil and human ethics. While I loved Brandes' Romanov, the plot summary for this one didn't do much for me and I dragged my feet on it. But like a quench of water, I found the story of flawed people given, or forced, to have incredible powers, and the nature of those powers as forces of ultimate good or evil, powerful and moving in a way I didn't expect. My only complaints are the romance, which felt thin, and the cliffhanger ending, which I wasn't expecting. But if you want a story that doesn't follow a cookie cutter formula, full of complex characters, then this is the read for you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Ableism, Abandonment, and Torture
Minor: Sexual violence and Slavery
xandra_lyn's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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? Yes
4.0
Pros: This was such an exciting book! I could not put it down. The characters were well developed, but the plot still moved quickly.
Pro: the Christian allegories we're subtle. It was about half way through when I realized it. It was exciting to see how she built the world around it but didn't make it overt (at first).
Con: BUT once I saw it, I couldn't unsee it. Especially at the end, I had a hard time figuring out if what was happening was actually a good fit for the world she'd built, or if she was trying to force the allegory into her story.
Cons: the first two-ish chapters were pretty confusing as the author did some world-building. Part of the solution (about 10 chapters before the end) was a bit too deus ex machina for my taste. And it did end on a bit of a cliff-hanger. It was full of hope, and I was satisfied, but there is room for more.
Pro: the Christian allegories we're subtle. It was about half way through when I realized it. It was exciting to see how she built the world around it but didn't make it overt (at first).
Con: BUT once I saw it, I couldn't unsee it. Especially at the end, I had a hard time figuring out if what was happening was actually a good fit for the world she'd built, or if she was trying to force the allegory into her story.
Cons: the first two-ish chapters were pretty confusing as the author did some world-building. Part of the solution (about 10 chapters before the end) was a bit too deus ex machina for my taste. And it did end on a bit of a cliff-hanger. It was full of hope, and I was satisfied, but there is room for more.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Violence, Death, and Torture
Minor: Trafficking
Blood death and violence: typical fantasy violence with swords, etc. Torture: people are in the dungeon, and they allude to being beaten. It's not graphic, but she describes their pain and fear so it is sad. Trafficking: I only mention this because someone else did, and I want to address it. A character says her father sold her to men for money when she was younger. It is not graphic, and she has already begun her healing process by the time she shares this.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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