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sweetordinary's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Death, Violence, War, Torture, Drug abuse, and Drug use
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Alcoholism, Racial slurs, Suicide attempt, and Murder
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Alcohol
nikkihill22's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
4.0
Where she does shine though, is writing characters and their interpersonal relationships. I won't say that was perfect in these books either, although i do think it was a lot better than the ACOTAR series. I didn't expect to be as emotionally involved as i was throughout the climax of the story. Which is maybe a knock against the overall quality of the book that i didn't even realize i cared until it was too late.
The pacing of the book was a little slow for me, it's mainly following one macguffin to another and another and another in the hopes of finding a criminal. Although i do think SJM does a decent job of explaining all that when we finally learn what's really been going on, i think most of it she just wanted the story to go to certain settings or explore certain relationships and found a convenient explanation for why the criminal really led them to go those places after the fact.
Graphic: Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, and Death
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Sexual content
Minor: Racism and Racial slurs
spicycronereads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
4.0
I found the first book House of Earth and Blood to be enjoyable. Bryce the FMC is kind of a mess but which was kind of endearing - I mean, who among us has not had a secret resume file on our work computer? I appreciate that she is a bit older (has finished college) and is seggs positive. The development of her friendship and eventual romance with Hunt, the MMC, was sweet. There was a maturity to the progression of their relationship that was more recognizable than the insta-love, fated mates relationships in other books.
The blending of magic, science, and technology were interesting. The plot twists were…ok? Some of them were predictable. There were so many characters that when something was revealed about someone, it generally was not someone you thought you “knew.” So the twists kept the plot moving but didn’t feel really like a betrayal. There were other places where the plot was a little convoluted and didn’t seem to go anywhere or payoff after the buildup (ex: that character in the tank).
As I was finishing the book I saw someone say to be sure to read ACOTAR before reading CC. So far I can’t figure out how they are connected. Maybe in book 2 it will become apparent (*fingers crossed for a Bryaxis sighting*)
Ruhn and the absent Danika are the only secondary characters with any kind of depth though others like Lehabah, June, and Declan add bits and pieces to the narrative.
The question of diverse representation is a hard one to answer. Bryce is repeatedly described as curvy. And she and other characters are described as having golden or tan skin. Race is a social construct so the racial categories of this fantasy world would not map onto race as we understand it. So there is a variety of skin tones but I don’t know that I would necessarily call it racial diversity. Hypaxia seems like the only definitely not-white character.
The spice is a definite slow burn. There are a few moments of buildup where you think it is going to happen, only to have things delayed.
So, overall, likable characters, a cool magic system, with a sometimes convoluted plot, and a slow burn. I enjoyed it and will definitely read book 2 in anticipation of the release of book 3 next month! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/🌶️🌶️
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Gore, and Slavery
Moderate: Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Racism, War, Suicide attempt, and Racial slurs
Minor: Gun violence
ladydeathnesta's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
I love them equally.
Graphic: Child death, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Dementia, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Medical trauma, War, Xenophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Police brutality, Ableism, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Medical content, Misogyny, Classism, Cursing, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Death, Hate crime, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Colonisation, Body horror, Child abuse, Animal death, Body shaming, Dysphoria, Genocide, Grief, Bullying, Car accident, Murder, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Pandemic/Epidemic, Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, Animal cruelty, Blood, Drug use, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Deportation, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Self harm, Trafficking, Abandonment, and Addiction
sarahyjackson's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Murder, Racial slurs, Blood, Violence, Classism, Abandonment, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Death
cady_sass's review against another edition
- 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
To think I almost DNFed this after 50 pages!!! Which is why I deduct half a star. The first few chapters are really hard to read, they’re nonsensical, lazy world building and make almost zero sense to the point where I felt compelled to put it down. Some friends convinced me it was worth the push so I started over and pushed through part 1, at which point I absolutely *devoured* the rest of the book. I didn’t guess any of the twists, I fell in love with all the characters, my heart broke and pieced itself back together and broke over and over again. Loved this. ACOTAR who?
Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, Racial slurs, Medical content, Vomit, Slavery, Alcoholism, Bullying, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual harassment, Torture, War, Blood, Classism, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Body horror, Child abuse, Sexual content, Sexism, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Cannibalism, Cursing, Death, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
icy_queen's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Grief, Gore, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Blood, and Death
Moderate: Alcohol, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Cursing, Slavery, War, Classism, Vomit, Sexual content, and Drug use
Minor: Sexism, Racism, and Racial slurs
ka_ke's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Classism, Drug use, Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Violence, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Blood, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Bullying, Colonisation, Cursing, Murder, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Medical content, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Addiction, Panic attacks/disorders, and Slavery
Minor: Torture, War, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Vomit
tiana_king's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
I was really worried SJM wasn’t gonna be able to pull off low fantasy as well as she does high fantasy but I am so glad to be wrong. I cried, I gagged, I cried happy tears, and I cried some more. This was a wild ride with lots of tissues and I can’t recommend it enough, I loved it with my whole shattered heart.
Graphic: Classism, Slavery, Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Medical trauma, Grief, Racism, Racial slurs, Alcohol, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, War, Gun violence, and Torture
dragonqueen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Racism and Racial slurs
Minor: Abandonment and Physical abuse