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nebraskanwriter's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This was middle of the road for me. Though this book was early in Schwab’s career, she already had the beautiful writing down pact. Lots of amazing descriptions, this book was very immersive. It was a super interesting concept as well that I found fascinating.
However, everything felt a bit rushed. We would meet a character and then a chapter later, they would be killed. The ending also felt very rushed as well, people were dropping like flies. I just felt like maybe we could have cut out some of the purple prose to flesh out the characters a little bit more.
I honestly found a lot of the more minor characters more interesting than Lila and Kell, who felt kind of cardboard-cut-out-esque in a way. They just felt very basic, they had their one character trait and that was that. But a lot of the other minor characters were way more complex and fascinating, morally gray. Yet we would only get them for a chapter or two.
So yup, just middle of the road for me. Schwab is starting to hone her craft here with her beautiful descriptions and vivid world building, the main characters just needed a little bit more fleshing out and the pacing to not be so rushed.
However, everything felt a bit rushed. We would meet a character and then a chapter later, they would be killed. The ending also felt very rushed as well, people were dropping like flies. I just felt like maybe we could have cut out some of the purple prose to flesh out the characters a little bit more.
I honestly found a lot of the more minor characters more interesting than Lila and Kell, who felt kind of cardboard-cut-out-esque in a way. They just felt very basic, they had their one character trait and that was that. But a lot of the other minor characters were way more complex and fascinating, morally gray. Yet we would only get them for a chapter or two.
So yup, just middle of the road for me. Schwab is starting to hone her craft here with her beautiful descriptions and vivid world building, the main characters just needed a little bit more fleshing out and the pacing to not be so rushed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Death, Violence, Torture, Gore, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
maryjames's review
adventurous
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Death
Moderate: Alcohol, Cursing, Sexual assault, and Sexism
Minor: Death of parent and War
the_wandering_wisp's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Alcohol
angela_geraci's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Alcohol
claudiamacpherson's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Lila Bard is a thief and a loner, stealing what she needs to survive on the streets of London. But her life is turned upside down when she pickpockets the wrong person. Kell also lives in London, but he is from Red London, a city in the same place as our London (known as Grey London), only it’s in another world. Kell is an antari, born with one eye that is completely black and the ability to travel between worlds. Though Kell is not supposed to carry objects from one world and another, he sometimes ignores the rules...and so a dangerous black stone is brought to Red London and threatens to destroy everything Kell holds dear. He and Lila must work together to get the stone back where it belongs: Black London.
I have been weirdly into the idea of the multiverse this year, so I liked how this story deals with worlds stacked on top of each other, with a few fixed points. It would be hard not to love Kell and Lila. I love how they work together and balance each other, Kell’s calm logic protecting Lila while her daring pushes him. Often I am turned off by characters that are entirely motivated by selfishness, but Lila treads the line perfectly because, though she is motivated by self-preservation and independence, she can’t help but care about a few people (against her better judgement, of course).
Happy ending meter (no specific spoilers, just the vibe of the ending): Cliffhanger-y, which comes as no surprise and left me wanting to get my hands on the next book ASAP!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood and Violence
Minor: Alcohol
rainbowshelves's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The premise really caught my attention, four parallel Londons, all with varying degrees of magic one of which has been long since lost...
I found it a pretty effortless read: funny, sharp and with magic integral in a way that I'm a total sucker for. I was taken with Kell, Lila and Rhy, though I found some supporting characters lacked a little that might have made me care more about the course of the story. The main story I felt was fairly straightforward but there are other aspects that remain a mystery...
I found it a pretty effortless read: funny, sharp and with magic integral in a way that I'm a total sucker for. I was taken with Kell, Lila and Rhy, though I found some supporting characters lacked a little that might have made me care more about the course of the story. The main story I felt was fairly straightforward but there are other aspects that remain a mystery...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Torture, Violence, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, and Blood
Moderate: Alcohol and Gun violence
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