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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
gartimar's review
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
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
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Blood
Minor: Emotional abuse, Violence, and Child 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
kaycanread4's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Gore
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Rape
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
aisleyreads's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I LOVED WISHTRESS. The relationships were so complex. There was no "right answer" for anything. Evey tiny choice had enormous consequences and the characters were frequently forced to level with them. I loved how the author upped the stakes with every plot beat and threw multiple twists in. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for an germanic fantasy that has complex character relationships and magic that has far reaching consequences.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gaslighting, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Violence, War, Grief, Addiction, Fire/Fire injury, and Emotional abuse
johnboscoreads's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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
3.0
Would have been 4 stars but went randomly Aslan-y and shoved in some weird Evangelical-ese into the climax.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Minor: Blood, Death, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Classism, Misogyny, Body shaming, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Grief, Chronic illness, and Violence
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.emmasbookdiary's review
medium-paced
4.0
This book intrigued me from the moment I saw the synopsis. A girl who has a Talent where she can grant wishes from her tears and a boy who has a Talent where he can stop time? That just sounded so cool. And it was!
In the beginning, it took me a while to understand what was going on. But once I understood, I got invested. These characters lives were basically turned upside down from the moment this book started. A happy ending seemed nearly impossible. I was really interested in how this story would end. Well, it was a long journey and I was surprised at every turn! There were plenty of plot twists and plenty of action to keep me turning pages.
Both of the main characters were interesting, flawed, and complex characters. I loved Bastiaan! He was just so kind and understanding towards Myrthe even when he didn’t completely understand her. And I love his desire to do right. He was such a great character!
I liked Myrthe too. I did struggle a little bit with liking her when her personality was ever-changing as she went back and forth between hardening herself towards people and then softening again. But it was understandable since she had a good reason for it— if she let herself feel emotions, she risked crying… and if she cried, she died. Also the fact that she had been used by her aunt for most of her life made her attitude understandable. In the end, I did like her.
Runt was really cute and Anouk was interesting.
The romance was really sweet! It felt a little insta-love on Bastiaan’s part but it didn’t bug me like it does in other books.
This story was very well-written! Nadine Brandes is an amazing writer and storyteller! Her writing style kept me intrigued. Also, the way she ends each chapter with a bit of a cliffhanger is genius!
I liked that the magic concept was clear about which was the good magic and which was the bad. I really like good vs. evil stories and this one did it well! I also really liked the themes of healing and surrendering. There’s a good message in here and I think I must reread it at some point to get the full impact of it.
To be honest, some parts of this story confused me. It was probably because I was reading through it too quickly or distracted but some things didn’t make total sense to me, like what was going on in the allegory. I often get confused in fantasy books so it was probably just me!
On another note, I thought the setting/world was really neat! The wintery setting would make this a good winter, fantasy read!
Also, the trials were super interesting and intense!
As for content, this book does have some violence. Nothing too gruesome or overly-detailed though. The romance is clean, only a few kisses. No language.
Overall, I thought this was story was super neat! While a few parts were a little slow for me, I did enjoy it. I’d recommend it to those who enjoy a clean, YA fantasy book with a unique plot!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Death of parent, and Grief
Minor: Trafficking
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