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sereia8's review against another edition
5.0
"A haunted forest. A cursed castle. A girl running from her past and a man who’s more than he seems to be. A tale of love, betrayal and redemption." When I pick up one of Juliet Marillier's historical fantasies I have the hardest time putting it down! This one, set in Ireland, has shades of Beauty and the Beast.
sork's review against another edition
3.0
finished in a day: breif thoughts bc its 2 am and i am tired
3.2 stars
positive stuff
- the plot twists just kept coming , like just around whenever i was getting kinda bored, so i was able to keep reading
- the earlier parts of the romance between cait and anl omg they are literally so cute ummm little emo man and his #empath gf come through- like the tension created was so adorable and also felt natural
-everything was connected lore wise and it was very smoothly put together
negative stuff
- the split between cait and anl towards the end of the book was just super boring to me ?? I'm not a big fan of like the whole "I'm protecting you you need to leave" sorta thing :') , plus the miscommunication of feelings just felt off bc of the progress they made as a couple (i also am not a fan of the miscommunication trope)
-cait switching between being super clueless and hyper aware was kinda annoying to me , like it seemed more for the sake of plot convenience ?? like she is supposed to be smart but then will do things , like demand to stay alone at the estate when she knows its just gonna stress anl out more, get him to summon the host so she can say thank you even though right before he explained to her how tiring all this stuff was for him
- the whole sacrificing a pure soul thing was very confusing to me given that aislinn willingly watched/ participated in torture ?? i get she was groomed to like normalize that kinda stuff so ig she was "unaware" but see still witnessed the reactions of others etc??
- when they actually ended up **doing it** the whole scene felt very rushed like all the build up and for :|
3.2 stars
positive stuff
- the plot twists just kept coming , like just around whenever i was getting kinda bored, so i was able to keep reading
- the earlier parts of the romance between cait and anl omg they are literally so cute ummm little emo man and his #empath gf come through- like the tension created was so adorable and also felt natural
-everything was connected lore wise and it was very smoothly put together
negative stuff
- the split between cait and anl towards the end of the book was just super boring to me ?? I'm not a big fan of like the whole "I'm protecting you you need to leave" sorta thing :') , plus the miscommunication of feelings just felt off bc of the progress they made as a couple (i also am not a fan of the miscommunication trope)
-cait switching between being super clueless and hyper aware was kinda annoying to me , like it seemed more for the sake of plot convenience ?? like she is supposed to be smart but then will do things , like demand to stay alone at the estate when she knows its just gonna stress anl out more, get him to summon the host so she can say thank you even though right before he explained to her how tiring all this stuff was for him
- the whole sacrificing a pure soul thing was very confusing to me given that aislinn willingly watched/ participated in torture ?? i get she was groomed to like normalize that kinda stuff so ig she was "unaware" but see still witnessed the reactions of others etc??
- when they actually ended up **doing it** the whole scene felt very rushed like all the build up and for :|
beckymrtn's review against another edition
2.0
This book started marvelously, but halfway through, DNF. It just became so wordy, that I couldn't follow it anymore. Sadly... time to move on... oh well, it happens...
dmoony's review against another edition
4.0
Didn't think I would like this because period dramas, historical romances and emotionally immature men aren't my thing, never was too big on Beaty & the Beast either. But somehow the author managed to make it work for me. Great atmosphere and moving themes, imperfect but endearing characters, found family of misfits, unique male lead with red hair and disability. Near the end fell off maybe a little but still a good read.
hagiasophia's review against another edition
2.75
Nothing extraordinary here, but the audiobook was good entertainment for me while working.
sonicdamage2019's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
heathermcintire13's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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? It's complicated
4.5
djinnduffy's review against another edition
3.0
This book was fine. I read it (listened to it) for a book club, and it wasn't a book I otherwise would have chosen for myself. It's well written with well developed characters. But when I read romance, I just want romance, not external plot. I know what I'm about, son. So the first 2/3 of the book I liked--it was setting up external plot to an extent, but felt more focused on the relationship growing between the main heroine and the other characters, including her love interest. Once the plot showed up, my interest waned, and given this is a long book, I started skipping around the end. Definitely satisfying on the romance front. Wouldn't read again, but might recommend if I knew this genre was someone else's preference.
crimsonpetal's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
4.0