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not_another_ana's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
A girl walks home alone, but not alone.
In a world where only women can wield magic three girls will cross paths thanks to a serial killer targetting witches. Jude is a rich heiress who accidentally cursed herself and is now suffering from a rotting soul. A pariah to her family and constantly in pain she will do anything and pay whatever steep price to fix the damage and go back to her normal life, and if she has to track down a killer then so be it. Zara is looking for a way to bring back her sister, Savannah, from the dead and if magic is the answer then she'll stop at nothing, including finding her sister's murderer. When they find themselves down the same path they start working together and come across Emer, an actual witch and the girl who gave Zara's sister her magic. She could cure Jude and maybe even reanimate Savannah, but there's a more pressing situation: her clients are slowly being killed one by one. Bound together by what they know the three of them will try to catch this serial killer before he comes for them.
I thought this would be such an easy 5 stars. A book about witches! With a serial killer! By the same author of House of Hollow! Saying I was hype is an understatement, I was genuinely counting down the days and yet... this did not hit 😔 and trust me, it hurts. Some of my frustration might be due to how much I loved House of Hollow, which I read twice last year, and to that I say my bad, sure, but even separating this from previous books I still think it's weak and not up to standard. There were still elements that I enjoyed so let's start with the good.
The prose was excellent in general. Easy to read, very descriptive without boring the reader, non repetitive. Nobody does gruesome in such an enjoyable way as Krystal Sutherland, tasteful amount of gore I would say. The central idea was solid, I was particulary captivated by the magic system in this world. Magic has a price, magic hurts, it's disgusting, it cannot do it all, it demands a sacrifice. Giving away part of your soul in exchange for power ties up nicely to the medieval beliefs of witches consorting with the devil. Emer's family history
Now to the bad parts. I knew this wasn't a 5 stars when I realized there were three points of view. It made the beginning too slow because we had to meet all of them, learn about their situation, and then connect them to the main plot and eventually each other. The pacing was a big issue, slow start that then picks up only to slump again to then pack all the action in the last 30%. At some points the girls were too similar and difficult to separate, at others some of them felt like they were just there and didn't contribute much to the story
Then there's the... romance.
I said a lot of shit for a book that I still ranked 3.25 but I stand by it all. I did enjoy it! Which makes everything I didn't enjoy so important for me to talk about. Even with all this if Krystal Sutherland handed me a new book in a similar vein I would sit my ass down and thank her for the meal. TL;DR: yeah you can still read this and enjoy it.
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Graphic descriptions of corpsesbellebeaumont95's review
- 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
3.25
Graphic: Body horror, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexism, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Chronic illness, Excrement, and Vomit
Minor: Death of parent
theycallmenana's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Excrement, Vomit, and Pregnancy
Minor: Sexual assault, Stalking, and Sexual harassment
brittonmc1221's review
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
4.0
While dark there were enough moments of levity to keep it from being a thoroughly depressing book.
Narrator Rating: 5 stars
The narrator did an excellent job with tonal shifts and giving each character a unique voice.
Elemental Levels: Fluff-0/5 Heartfelt-2/5 Helpful-NA Horror-3/5 Inspiration-NA
Love aka Romance-3/5 Mystery-2/5 Predictability-4/5 Spice-0/5 Suspense-2/5 Tear- 2.5/5
Thrill-3/5 Humor-2/5
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Excrement, Medical content, Cannibalism, Lesbophobia, and Alcohol
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, and Pandemic/Epidemic
narsere's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Graphic: Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Drug abuse and Death of parent
knightkikibeth'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
thereadedit's review
- 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
5.0
I love that Krystal gives the power to women in her books. This book embodied every dream of women being the ultimate badasses. They refused to let someone else take their lives away. They wanted to make a life for themselves and refused to allow no to be the answer.
I loved these three characters. They each brought so much to the story and showed how 3 very different women can come together to make dreams comes true. No matter what their dreams were.
I loved exploring London through the eyes of these women and how their perception involved their surroundings. Seeing something through someone else's eyes is always so much an interesting experience and I love being in their shoes.
Emotions run high throughout this book because of the war that is raging within their world. It's not a typical war, but a war nonetheless. Amidst fighting their hardest they find the most unlikely allies in people they never expected. Not just each other but also people in their lives that they would have never expected.
I loved this so much and I was beyond sad when it ended. I got so invested in this world and these characters and I can't help but want more.
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death of parent
kris386's review
3.0
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Death of parent, and Alcohol
rhhapsodos's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Violence, Stalking, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cursing, Excrement, and Vomit