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sdonelan's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Beautifully written, and a lovely story. Agree with others that there aren’t many surprises, but it was a fun read.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault
Not gratuitous but does have a minor scene involving SAemquartz15's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
The amount of CHILLS I got from listening to this book. A must, must, MUST read for honestly anyone. These characters, and this story, will live in me forever. I NEED a copy of this on my shelf! P.S. I loved how queerness was nonchalantly yet prominently included throughout the book, which as a queer person, made me enjoy it that much more. Just… go see for yourself. <3
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault and Violence
hdoomk's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Addiction, Alcohol, Rape, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Cursing, Grief, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, and War
nineinchnails's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
this is definitely a no plot just vibes type of book and very slow paced so i can absolutely understand why so many people didn't enjoy this or even manage to get through it, HOWEVER i loved this. i am a sucker for pretty prose though and the prose was gorgeous in this book so i'm a little biased. most of the criticism for this book is warranted but this story and its characters really appealed to me. i wish we got more on addie's time in new orleans though, it seemed like it would have given some more insight into her and luc's relationship + would've given luc more depth. it feels like we barely got to know him .
it definitely could have been condensed just a little because "no plot just vibes" isn't much of an exaggeration and i'm not sure how it managed to be 500+ pages long but i can enjoy a slow book when i like the writing. the ending did feel slightly anticlimactic but it was more bittersweet than anything else to me. not sure if i would recommend this because the it really is slow but i definitely enjoyed this!!
it definitely could have been condensed just a little because "no plot just vibes" isn't much of an exaggeration and i'm not sure how it managed to be 500+ pages long but i can enjoy a slow book when i like the writing. the ending did feel slightly anticlimactic but it was more bittersweet than anything else to me. not sure if i would recommend this because the it really is slow but i definitely enjoyed this!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Violence, Addiction, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Grief, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Death of parent, Drug abuse, and Drug use
Minor: Alcoholism, War, Biphobia, and Child death
Maternal mortality/Death during childbirthariparip's review against another edition
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault and Toxic relationship
carefulfearanddeaddevotion's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Having read two V.E. Schwab books now, there is just something about her plots/characters/writing that's hard to describe. Just like with ADSoM, there was something missing. Unlike ADSoM, it didn't really matter. This book should have been boring, there is basically zero plot besides "girl lives 300 years of a slightly different day." If you asked me why I gave it 5 stars, I'm not sure I could answer in any logical way. It just did not feel like 400 pages. I think the concept of two timelines is a really interesting literary device, but it's really hard to make the two timelines equally as interesting. Schwab was really clever to make the switches between timelines as often as she did. It made it difficult to choose a point in the story to put the book down because I always wanted to know how the story in the other timeline would continue.
I hate to say this becausehe literally traded his soul for one year of being loved , but I really think Henry was my least favorite part of this book. Sorry bro.
I hate to say this because
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt and Mental illness
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Death, Grief, Violence, Misogyny, Alcohol, and Sexual assault
Minor: Kidnapping, War, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
mrsdragon's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
I like magical realism, pretty prose, and slow burn stories so this one has popped up in a lot of places as I book I might like. And I did greatly enjoy the pieces of it, but it just didn't quite live up to what it could have been.
The author uses flashbacks and dual story lines to slowly dole out information and uses that mechanic well to up the intrigue and the mystery of the book. Unfortunately, sometimes she got so wrapped up in the details that even I started to wish she would move it along already. There were also "mysteries" that were so obvious it was painful how long it took for the truth to be recognized/explained.
I was here for the "dark mysterious god of the woods, maybe devil, kinda conjured from your drawing" trope, but aspects of Addie's relationship with the dark seemed forced, illogical, or contradictory. Despite the prose, there was a heavy-handed bit of "telling instead of showing".
And then there's the fact that while the main story follows Addie, a large chunk of the story follows another main character who is never mentioned in the jacket descriptions which...isn't really *wrong* but did seem weird.
The author also sets up a narrative device within the story that mimics the structure of the book (clever!) but which makes the first couple of chapters in the last section seem weirdly navel-gazey and self-referential. And the final chapter left me...sad.Addie, saves Henry and instead give herself over to tormenting Luc. And yes, I get the "finally free!" arc, but there is nothing that says that counteracts her first contract, she didn't renegotiate for her soul, so she will still be cursed to be invisible?
I also just, generally had a lot of questions about Addie + Henry (300+ year old + 29 year old find love because...they are curse compatible?), Addie's humanity (is she turning into a god? If that's true, how does the whole Henry thing square?), Luc's nature (he's a god not a human! No, but he loves her! No but he's incapable of love!). I can squint and see answers, but I think it could have been handled more gracefully in the story.
That said, the conceit was a fun one, the "holes" the author found in the curse, she did a fabulous job with how the dark both granted and twisted wishes in a way that felt both natural and inevitable once the downsides were understood.
The author uses flashbacks and dual story lines to slowly dole out information and uses that mechanic well to up the intrigue and the mystery of the book. Unfortunately, sometimes she got so wrapped up in the details that even I started to wish she would move it along already. There were also "mysteries" that were so obvious it was painful how long it took for the truth to be recognized/explained.
I was here for the "dark mysterious god of the woods, maybe devil, kinda conjured from your drawing" trope, but aspects of Addie's relationship with the dark seemed forced, illogical, or contradictory. Despite the prose, there was a heavy-handed bit of "telling instead of showing".
And then there's the fact that while the main story follows Addie, a large chunk of the story follows another main character who is never mentioned in the jacket descriptions which...isn't really *wrong* but did seem weird.
The author also sets up a narrative device within the story that mimics the structure of the book (clever!) but which makes the first couple of chapters in the last section seem weirdly navel-gazey and self-referential. And the final chapter left me...sad.
I also just, generally had a lot of questions about
That said, the conceit was a fun one, the "holes" the author found in the curse, she did a fabulous job with how the dark both granted and twisted wishes in a way that felt both natural and inevitable once the downsides were understood.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug use, Alcohol, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Drug abuse
Minor: Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Child death, War, Death of parent, Addiction, and Sexual content
effervescent_4909's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The concept and writing is beautiful. The set up and the last 25% of the book I really enjoyed, but it made me realise just how slow everything in between was. A bunch of the chapters could have easily been left on the cutting room floor. Still a nice read but slow to get through.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide attempt
Minor: Sexual assault
raginsagein's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual assault
Minor: War and Sexual content
youthofpandas's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Addiction, Suicidal thoughts, Death, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Death of parent, Sexual content, Alcohol, Sexual assault, and Drug abuse
Minor: War, Rape, and Sexual harassment