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haleymaas's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Sexual content, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault
avornell's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The first half of the book was harder for me to get through. The main character seemed to be very stereotypical and somewhat annoying with her stubbornness and attitude. The books pace picked up and introduced lots of twists by the middle making it much harder to put down. I was not fully prepared for the spicy parts and some of them felt awkward to read and a bit forced. I enjoy romance, but it felt like there was less “romance” and more like everyone was just lusting after each other (to put it lightly haha).
All that said, I enjoyed the overall plot and did purchase the next book in the series because I hear it gets better as it goes.
All that said, I enjoyed the overall plot and did purchase the next book in the series because I hear it gets better as it goes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Vomit, Toxic friendship, Death, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Murder, Violence, Grief, Gore, Torture, Blood, Body horror, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Rape
arson_9's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
**spoiler alert** i swore to the good lord above i wouldnt read this book BUT then i got attached to a character while watching a plot summary of the holiday novella
I have encountered SJM before by reading her Throne of Glass series which i have… opinions of thats for sure. Ive put way to much thought into this book so this will be quite a critical review
The positives first. It wasn’t the worst book ive ever read. The writing was sarah J mass but i don’t mind her style. The stakes were there and Feyre is a female main character i do like. in the first book.
Now the fun
I cant tell exactly what folk/myth sjm was basing this one off. Its marketed as vague beauty and the beast which yes! theres b&tb references and such but i also picked up on Eros and Psyche (the three trials under the mountain) Hades and Persephone (stealing the ‘naive’ or ‘innocent’ maiden. but acomf is also supposed to be H and P so??) The ballad of Tam Lin (this one is obvious) and Cinderella (picking the lentils out of the fireplace) so my brain was kinda going all over the place. I read acotar knowing what happens in the rest of the series so i was keeping eyes on Tamlin this read really solidified that idk WHY tamlin became the villain in the later books. Ive written many a essay about this on tumblr so i wont go too in detail but i feel his vilification very personally as sjm used anger issues to make him an antag (again. i have opinions on this) Also what was the point of Rhysand in this book??? By itself him in acotar makes sense but in acomf and on i just don’t get it. As a reader i can understand his motives and why he did some of the stuff he did but some i again don’t understand at all. We are supposed to forgive rhysand in the 2nd book for the downright gross stuff he did to feyre. The SA (yes thats SA. It wasn’t consensual end of it) was unnecessary as well as the sympathy i know sjm was trying to make me feel. I acknowledge the sexual abuse rhysand went through because of amarantha and its horrific and i feel for him but that does not excuse his gross actions to feyre and the random stuff he tells her. It didnt feel a natural way to gain support from readers.
Acotar could have been a standalone if you take out the hints of the mating bond between rhysand and feyre (again. why?) and i would have given it at least a 3.5 but no sjm does god knows what and why in acomf and beyond. I am not a poor reader who doesn’t understand nuance, i’ve been reading for years the last like 30% of this book just doesn’t make sense. I wont actually be reading acomf just making highlights for the Tamlin fix it fic i plan to make because the character dissolving just doesn’t make sense.
I have encountered SJM before by reading her Throne of Glass series which i have… opinions of thats for sure. Ive put way to much thought into this book so this will be quite a critical review
The positives first. It wasn’t the worst book ive ever read. The writing was sarah J mass but i don’t mind her style. The stakes were there and Feyre is a female main character i do like. in the first book.
Now the fun
I cant tell exactly what folk/myth sjm was basing this one off. Its marketed as vague beauty and the beast which yes! theres b&tb references and such but i also picked up on Eros and Psyche (the three trials under the mountain) Hades and Persephone (stealing the ‘naive’ or ‘innocent’ maiden. but acomf is also supposed to be H and P so??) The ballad of Tam Lin (this one is obvious) and Cinderella (picking the lentils out of the fireplace) so my brain was kinda going all over the place. I read acotar knowing what happens in the rest of the series so i was keeping eyes on Tamlin this read really solidified that idk WHY tamlin became the villain in the later books. Ive written many a essay about this on tumblr so i wont go too in detail but i feel his vilification very personally as sjm used anger issues to make him an antag (again. i have opinions on this) Also what was the point of Rhysand in this book??? By itself him in acotar makes sense but in acomf and on i just don’t get it. As a reader i can understand his motives and why he did some of the stuff he did but some i again don’t understand at all. We are supposed to forgive rhysand in the 2nd book for the downright gross stuff he did to feyre. The SA (yes thats SA. It wasn’t consensual end of it) was unnecessary as well as the sympathy i know sjm was trying to make me feel. I acknowledge the sexual abuse rhysand went through because of amarantha and its horrific and i feel for him but that does not excuse his gross actions to feyre and the random stuff he tells her. It didnt feel a natural way to gain support from readers.
Acotar could have been a standalone if you take out the hints of the mating bond between rhysand and feyre (again. why?) and i would have given it at least a 3.5 but no sjm does god knows what and why in acomf and beyond. I am not a poor reader who doesn’t understand nuance, i’ve been reading for years the last like 30% of this book just doesn’t make sense. I wont actually be reading acomf just making highlights for the Tamlin fix it fic i plan to make because the character dissolving just doesn’t make sense.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Violence, and Torture
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
ahoyitsjoy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-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? Yes
2.5
Tamlin is so dull and you cannot convince me he had any chemistry with Feyre. Rhysand and Nesta saved this book from being 2 stars, honestly. I cannot understate how much more I enjoyed this book when Tamlin was kept as a silent prisoner lol.
The author really likes to grab onto a phrase and run it deep into the ground. Tamlin's jaw is always tensed, or tensing. Feyre could never paint that otherworldly, beautiful thing no matter how much she tried. Something scary happened and her bowels became watery. He brushed off a non-existent speck of dust. His eyes flickered. His throat bobbed. On the upside, this is a great book to make a drinking game for.
The author really likes to grab onto a phrase and run it deep into the ground. Tamlin's jaw is always tensed, or tensing. Feyre could never paint that otherworldly, beautiful thing no matter how much she tried. Something scary happened and her bowels became watery. He brushed off a non-existent speck of dust. His eyes flickered. His throat bobbed. On the upside, this is a great book to make a drinking game for.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Murder, Torture, Blood, Sexual assault, and Violence
Moderate: Gore, Slavery, and Alcohol
Minor: Rape
syvanahlouise's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-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? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, and Violence
charleerae_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Gore, and Vomit
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual content
onyxreads_'s review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment
notsailingalone's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Blood, Confinement, Vomit, Body horror, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Violence
satanichris's review against another edition
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
the main character had no personality, the main couple no development they just suddenly were in love for no reason, the first half of the book is a bunch of just nothing happening and what dies actually happen plot-wise so incredibly cliche, fast, and unserious that I struggled to finish it out of sheer frustration it was BAD. it is also a book with awful gender essentialism which was… so weird.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Violence, Alcohol, Misogyny, Sexism, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Kidnapping, and Vomit
ekcd_'s review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This is a very mixed review - I started it as a hate read, so I could properly roast it. But I wound up devouring the book, really. It is essentially beauty and the beast meets twilight, with a double scoop of toxic relationships on top.
The MC is incredibly bland and at first none of the plot or relationships made any sense. I had a LOT of eye rolling and it wasn't until the end that I realized that MC is bland for a REASON. Having a blank canvas character allows the reader to project themselves into the story more easily...which is probably why people like it so much. Yearning, romance, sex - its all much more fun when you can imagine your self as the recipient.
And for that the book did its job. Its a wonderful YA y/n self insert self indulgent book. The spice level is pretty low - the 1.5 scenes were short, laced with metaphors and not particularly racy. But I come from the land AO3.
The plot was kind of weird, especially the last third with the trials. It seems the second and third books are better BUT i will not be reading them because there are more compelling love stories with muh better sex, slow burn and enemies to lovers.
The MC is incredibly bland and at first none of the plot or relationships made any sense. I had a LOT of eye rolling and it wasn't until the end that I realized that MC is bland for a REASON. Having a blank canvas character allows the reader to project themselves into the story more easily...which is probably why people like it so much. Yearning, romance, sex - its all much more fun when you can imagine your self as the recipient.
And for that the book did its job. Its a wonderful YA y/n self insert self indulgent book. The spice level is pretty low - the 1.5 scenes were short, laced with metaphors and not particularly racy. But I come from the land AO3.
The plot was kind of weird, especially the last third with the trials. It seems the second and third books are better BUT i will not be reading them because there are more compelling love stories with muh better sex, slow burn and enemies to lovers.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Sexual content, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Slavery, Terminal illness, Vomit, Abandonment, Medical trauma, Body horror, Blood, Toxic relationship, Genocide, Murder, Rape, Cursing, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, and Chronic illness