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minnow's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This novel has many of the tropes I love: enemies-to-lovers, slow burn, lots of longing, gorgeous descriptions of food and clothing; additionally, the setting is lush and beautiful, with a rich lore. The plot is interesting and hints at mystery, and there are several love-based subplots. I should have loved this book. But I didn't.
It's entertaining and is, in parts, beautifully written. However, it's at best a snack, and not a very filling one. It takes some of the tropes I love and over-uses them until it made my eyes roll every time they popped up in the text--how many times can Jack rake back his hair with one hand? There are so many aching chests that this story needed a cardiologist more than it needed a bard. Every emotion is set at ten, every moment is The Most Dramatic Moment, which reduces every truly heightened emotion and moment to zero. If everything is in stereo, nothing is in stereo.
Yet the world-building is lovely and well-done. I wish it had been focused on more and there had been less romantic navel-gazing and reminiscing performed by secondary characters. The development of the main characters feels abrupt; it's handled better with the supporting characters Torin and Sidra. There is one mildly spicy scene that is well done but feels poorly placed in the narrative.
A beautiful premise that feels shallow. I won't read further into the series as it didn't enchant me.
It's entertaining and is, in parts, beautifully written. However, it's at best a snack, and not a very filling one. It takes some of the tropes I love and over-uses them until it made my eyes roll every time they popped up in the text--how many times can Jack rake back his hair with one hand? There are so many aching chests that this story needed a cardiologist more than it needed a bard. Every emotion is set at ten, every moment is The Most Dramatic Moment, which reduces every truly heightened emotion and moment to zero. If everything is in stereo, nothing is in stereo.
Yet the world-building is lovely and well-done. I wish it had been focused on more and there had been less romantic navel-gazing and reminiscing performed by secondary characters. The development of the main characters feels abrupt; it's handled better with the supporting characters Torin and Sidra. There is one mildly spicy scene that is well done but feels poorly placed in the narrative.
A beautiful premise that feels shallow. I won't read further into the series as it didn't enchant me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, Grief, Kidnapping, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Infertility, Miscarriage, Self harm, Blood, Murder, Torture, Death of parent, Infidelity, Child death, and Sexual content
sonja_maria's review against another edition
inspiring
mysterious
sad
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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Kidnapping, Violence, Child death, and War
reinspired_reader's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Frustrating to read. The concept was great, unique at times, and I adored one or two of the side characters, but the pacing was off and it was poorly written with stilted dialogue. Some of the rules of the magic system and the lore of the island were never fully explained and the rules/parameters of the magic system often contradicted each other.
The major adventure the two main characters undertake to find the missing girls is rendered almost pointless - by the time they get the answer they are looking for, they have nearly found it another way anyways.
I was left annoyed because I wanted better for this story. It *could* have been great, but it fell flat. I almost DNF'd it at 150 pages in. I ended up skimming a lot of it until I got to a place where I actually cared enough to keep reading to find out what happened. I will not be picking up the second book in this duology, and will likely avoid reading Rebecca Ross in the future.
The major adventure the two main characters undertake to find the missing girls is rendered almost pointless - by the time they get the answer they are looking for, they have nearly found it another way anyways.
I was left annoyed because I wanted better for this story. It *could* have been great, but it fell flat. I almost DNF'd it at 150 pages in. I ended up skimming a lot of it until I got to a place where I actually cared enough to keep reading to find out what happened. I will not be picking up the second book in this duology, and will likely avoid reading Rebecca Ross in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Child death, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
nutmegandselkie's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
sad
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? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence
Minor: Child death
whatthekatdraggedin'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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping
Moderate: Child death and Violence
Minor: Blood
rayreyes's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Wow wow wow. Killer. I’m so grateful I came across this book because of an instagram post by another favorite author. Truly fantastical and enthralling. I’ll sing this book’s praises all year. Reads like this give new weight to a five star read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Death of parent, and Kidnapping
Minor: Stalking, Grief, Torture, Pregnancy, Terminal illness, Child death, Abandonment, War, and Miscarriage
cakrolik's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Grief, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Death, Miscarriage, Torture, Violence, Sexual content, Child death, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
blueberry_waffle29's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
4.0
This is written for adults, but you can tell the author is used to writing for a more youthful audience. It’s fairly airtight, but some things seem to be brushed over, like Jack’s quick turn from the mainland life he lead (the passages about his struggle between Cadence and the mainland aren’t so convincing). The supposed hatred between him and Adaira is laughably weak. But the tangible growth Torin experiences with Sidra, continuing into the sequel, is incredibly done. His thread is by far my favorite. This book is incredibly encompassing, excellent and lush world-building. It’s rare for me to give 5 stars so 4 is no detriment to the author! Highly recommend if you like palace intrigue, magic, and exploration of masculinity like Torin’s.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Child death, Self harm, and Violence
kryzysowa_narzeczona's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping
Moderate: Miscarriage and Child death
marsh_mall0w's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
tense
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping and Blood
Moderate: Child death, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Miscarriage