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violinknitter's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
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
4.75
Graphic: Gore
Moderate: Death and Violence
andriacarver's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Overall a very entertaining read. It took a while to get oriented into the world but picked up nicely once there. The main character is a bit of a mixed bag. It's hard to like her at first, she's rude to everyone and then wonders why she doesn't have friends. Later on the story gets more into the social hierarchy and classist system of the world and her attitude starts to make more sense. The world is intriguing enough that I'm definitely going to read the next one!
Minor: Death
fronk10's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-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
A good magic school, and really unique creature mythos that I enjoyed. The first bit is definitely a hard transition into first person, but as you ease into El’s narrative it’s a lot easier to immerse yourself in. A cute read but nothing to really grasp my imagination. I’m intrigued to read the sequel, but not sure how much milage the idea has for a whole series.
Graphic: Death
mabechel's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
4.5
Moderate: Death and Violence
Minor: Animal death
baestation's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Violence, Death, and Classism
katy_bee's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-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? It's complicated
4.25
I picked this up as an easy read before tackling something more weighty and my expectations were fairly low if I'm honest. I was expecting a fairly standard YA popcorn fantasy. I surprised myself because I really enjoyed it! I got swept up in the characters and the story and read it pretty fast as I kept coming back to it. Yes there are some tropes- lots of weird and wonderful monsters, unusual names and an overpowered main character- but I liked El, Orion and their spiky interactions and the set up of the way magic worked in this universe was entertaining. I also enjoyed the other characters and friendships that emerged. There's a bit of a cliff hanger to draw you into the next book but the plot of this one does come to a satisfying end. I'll definitely read the next one in the series and if it weren't for the weighty book hovering over my shoulder for book club, I would dive straight in
Moderate: Death, Bullying, and Death of parent
Minor: Animal death
vlouis11's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
CW lots of danger and death
Graphic: Death and Violence
literatellama's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death and Violence
haley_mil_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-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
4.75
Graphic: Violence, Death, and Vomit
Moderate: Death of parent
micallab's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
fast-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
Graphic: Vomit, Death, and Blood