Reviews with content warning for Gore - The Crown of Gilded Bones

Definitely going to finish this series, but my interest is starting to wane (I started the fourth when it came out two months ago and have barely made it past the 10% marker)
I love love Poppy and Casteel, they're sweeties that deserve the world, but the whole "I have a question" "big surprise" banter is getting to me, as it seems to be the only way things are explained - I'm sure there are more effective story building methods out there
If I reviewed this right after finishing it (way back in Jan I think, now June) I might've given a 4.5 or closer to 5 star bc I was caught up in the swell of it all, which isn't a bad thing, but time and space has made me view it a little more critically lol

Content Warnings

saffyre's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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kaylahcc's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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eve_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense medium-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

2.0

Overall Thoughts:
⁕ If I could describe this book in one word, that word would be repetitive. Within itself and in comparison to the previous books in the series, the same scenes just keep repeating themselves over and over.... and over.

⁕ There's a lot of fluff without much consequence for the story. Romance books have to have romance, but after a while it stops adding value. I wish there was less of it and more of the political intrigue that is present in first book.

⁕ Poppy's character is too overpowered. Every time a new challenge arises she develops special abilities out of nowhere that perfectly address whatever the given situation is. It takes all the conflict and tension out of the story.

⁕ At this point, the only reason I will finish the series is solely because I need to know how it ends and not because I actually enjoy the act of reading it.

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morbookish's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious sad tense slow-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

4.5

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ceruleanshelves's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious 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? No

3.0

While enjoyable, my main complaint is the repetition in this book. JLA has a tendency to repeat jokes, phrases, and reiterate information a bit much in all her series, but this book really pushes it for me. Of course Poppy's going to have a million questions, she was raised in an extremely controlled environment and part of a society that's been lied to for centuries about their entire history and even the present day. Give her a break.
At this point, I'm feeling like books 1 & 2 should've been combined, and I have a feeling I'm going to think this book and book 4 should as well. The series needn't be drawn out the way she's deciding to go because it's sacrificing the quality of storytelling for readers in favor of selling more books.

I know you love to write JLA but I'm begging you to hire a new developmental editor again.

That being said, I still love Cas and Poppy (and no I won't lose my shit

when there's threesome/throuple Joining.

)

Content Warnings

sabrina22's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Content Warnings

alicew4k's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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