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marleywrites's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The prose of this story was magnificent. It felt simultaneously beautiful and fierce, which I appreciated. The way the religion was described by people who believed in it, contrasted with how the anger Roz felt towards it, was jarring in the best way.
Lobb wrote an engaging murder mystery, and I felt like the clues were enough that I understood the fact it was a clue, but I didn’t quite know what to do with it. And that to me was excellent because the build up to the ending and the reveal was that much better because of it. I did not see the ending coming.
I rated this a 4/5 stars because the beginning of the story was a bit slower paced for my liking, and because I felt frustrated with Roz. I understand she’s meant to be an unlikeable character, at times I felt frustrated by how easily she would throw herself into an unsafe situation for the sake of revenge. But I also understand that that’s who she is- she’s angry and seeking justice. So the character being written that way makes sense.
I will be excited to read the sequel, Disciples of Chaos. Looking forward to more by this author!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Classism, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, War, Cursing, Gun violence, Death of parent, and Sexual content
Minor: Alcohol, Child death, and Suicidal thoughts
catsandbookstacks's review
3.5
YA murder mystery fantasy set in an Italian inspired world controlled by guilds. The people are separated into two groups: disciples, those that have been favoured by the saints and have powers, and the unfavoured. Major themes include politics, classism, poverty, rebellion.
Damian is the standout character for me. He is living with PTSD, guilt and grief but is working towards being a better person, even with the hand he was dealt. Roz is very singular focused and filled with rage. I found her to be hard to read sometimes and somewhat flat. MCs are late teens and also quite horny so likely more of an upper YA read. One fade to black scene, but brief descriptions prior to the fade.
The first half read slow for me, I believe due to the more passive narrative voice. It did pick up 50% in and I overall enjoyed it enough to want to read book two. This one wraps up most major plots but leaves some questions open for the sequel.
Thank you Netgalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Damian is the standout character for me. He is living with PTSD, guilt and grief but is working towards being a better person, even with the hand he was dealt. Roz is very singular focused and filled with rage. I found her to be hard to read sometimes and somewhat flat. MCs are late teens and also quite horny so likely more of an upper YA read. One fade to black scene, but brief descriptions prior to the fade.
The first half read slow for me, I believe due to the more passive narrative voice. It did pick up 50% in and I overall enjoyed it enough to want to read book two. This one wraps up most major plots but leaves some questions open for the sequel.
Thank you Netgalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Death, Classism, War, Death of parent, Grief, and Violence
Minor: Child death
thenovelmaura's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
Thank you so much to the NOVL for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review! This is a tough review to write, because there are elements of this book that I really enjoyed and ones that just didn't work for me. On the positive side of things, the mystery plotline and the gothic/horror elements were intriguing and kept me turning pages. The pacing was good, and while I did guess the murderer before the grand reveal, I still enjoyed how all of the clues started stacking up throughout the story. I also appreciated the LGBTQIA+ rep from the main characters; Roz is bisexual and Damian is demiromantic (and this doesn't even include some of the minor characters).
On a more negative note, I wish the magic system had been explored more, especially since it was the foundation of their economy and the root of their societal rebellion. A key message of the book is that religious beliefs and faith are bad, which I'm not against, per se, but I don't think this discussion was done very well or with any finesse (cue Roz bludgeoning Damian over the head with a club that says "your faith is a lie" on it).
My main issue was that Roz and Damian's interactions contained so much angst that it detracted from everything else. There was a ton of yearning that alternated with "she hates me/I hate him so I shouldn't be thinking this" and almost every chapter ended with a bit of flowery prose about the love or the hate. I think some readers will love this, especially those who are drawn to the childhood sweethearts trope, but it was just too much for me and I wasn't fully convinced by their insistence that this was some grand romance. This debut has a lot of potential and some really good qualities; overall it wasn't the best fit for me!
On a more negative note, I wish the magic system had been explored more, especially since it was the foundation of their economy and the root of their societal rebellion. A key message of the book is that religious beliefs and faith are bad, which I'm not against, per se, but I don't think this discussion was done very well or with any finesse (cue Roz bludgeoning Damian over the head with a club that says "your faith is a lie" on it).
My main issue was that Roz and Damian's interactions contained so much angst that it detracted from everything else. There was a ton of yearning that alternated with "she hates me/I hate him so I shouldn't be thinking this" and almost every chapter ended with a bit of flowery prose about the love or the hate. I think some readers will love this, especially those who are drawn to the childhood sweethearts trope, but it was just too much for me and I wasn't fully convinced by their insistence that this was some grand romance. This debut has a lot of potential and some really good qualities; overall it wasn't the best fit for me!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, and Death
Moderate: War, Alcoholism, and Sexual content
Minor: Self harm
PTSD, see author website for full list of content warnings
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