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eeriewater'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
5.0
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Homophobia and Torture
Minor: Sexism
jupiterlee'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
5.0
I don't think you can ever go wrong with a secret society and I love when the magic and non-magical worlds cross over but it is a delicate balance due to having to have a few chapter of the non-magical individuals being introduced to it, but I think Freya does and amazing job of having Robin be accepting of the magic quickly but also with it being realistic and not dragging it out.
What I also admired about this book is that it is set in the past and Freya does an amazing job of introducing true facts and attitudes: homosexual individuals were not accepted and they had to be careful (I wanted to hug Edwin and Robin) and women, especially of colour, were over looked even if they were capable of doing the job (you tell them miss morisey).
The relationship and growth between Edwin and Robin I lived for and I could read more about just them.
I do think this is what I might struggle with in the rest of the series if it changes people and I don't really get anymore from their POVs but I am interested in the world and will look forward to reading more about this world and finally finding out where the other items of the contract are!
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Homophobia, Self harm, and Xenophobia
marina_michelle'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: Bullying, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, and Classism
Minor: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Blood, Alcohol, and Colonisation
jillian_reads'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
4.25
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Sexual content, Torture, and Classism
danreadsitall'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
4.0
Read by David Thorpe, I found the sudden tone changes to the next chapter hilarious. Must have been a hoot to record.
Published by Macmillan Audio.
Reasons to read:
-Be gay, do magic bureaucracy
-Miss Morrissey!
-I too want to survive a murder attempt and get a manor
-Spice that starts exactly when you go into a grocery store but don't have signal enough to put on something else so you just let it rock
-Wow character X really needs to be struck about the face
-Sequel in November
Cons:
-OK a little blasting of folks that deserve it would have been nice
Graphic: Sexual content and Torture
booksthatburn'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
4.5
The rapport between Edwin and Robin slowly builds, lagging behind the intensity of each man’s buried attraction to the other. Robin adjusts pretty quickly to the existence of magic (a situation made much harder to ignore by the harsh nature of his introduction). Edwin’s focus is on trying to remove Robin’s curse, initially thinking of their acquaintance as very temporary and somewhat reversible. Much of the book is spent on Edwin’s family’s estate, with his siblings whose pranks range from frustrating to cruel.
The worldbuilding is pretty subtle about placing the era, the setting is one where magic exists within the otherwise real history of the British Isles. Since I wasn't trying very hard to place it I was content to know it's a while ago, but after the invention of cars. I'm sure there are clues to place it more precisely if I looked hard, but the story wasn't trying to trouble me with those. It did more with the ways that magic could be secret, and the key seems to be that (in England, specifically), it's tied up in old money and old families since magic is passed through bloodlines.
I enjoyed this immensely and will definitely read the rest of the series. The ending sets up a clear idea for the arc of the series, and I'll happily read more in this setting even if Edwin and Robin don't stay as the protagonists.
Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Sexual content, Torture, Kidnapping, and Murder
Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Chronic illness, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, and Grief
Minor: Child death, Self harm, Suicide, Vomit, and Death of parent
onthesamepage'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? No
5.0
There are a couple of steamy, sexy scenes in here, some of which involve magic and very explicit consent (to which I say, yes, more please).
Robin managed to hold his tongue on something truly unwise like You look like a Turner painting and I want to learn your textures with my fingertips. You are the most fascinating thing in this beautiful house. I'd like to introduce my fists to whoever taught you to stop talking about the things that interest you. Those were not things one blurted out to a friend. They were their own cradles of magic, an expression of the desire to transform one thing into another. And what if the magic went awry?
The magic system was fascinating, if a bit hard to picture. I liked that Edwin, as the main character with magic, isn't considered a powerful magician by most standards. Where most magicians can perform magic using hand gestures called cradling, Edwin relies on a piece of string as a crutch to help him perform similar spells. And it's not something he really overcomes during this story, either.
Robin isn't a magic user, so we get introduced to that aspect of the world alongside him. There's no infodumping, just a steady exploration and broadening of what we know about the world, and I thought this was really well done.
"And we are but feeble women," said Miss Morrissey. "Woe."
"Your sister is a magician," Robin said, pointing out what seemed the largest hole in this story.
"Woe," said Mrs. Kaur firmly, and Robin recalled what Miss Morrissey had said about the assumptions made by men.
The writing was really good, and I particularly enjoyed the banter. There is a lot of humor in the conversations, and the dialogue is snappy, clever, and amusing. It made me really like the characters, even a couple that didn't have a very big role to play, which makes me very excited for the other books in the series. I also just liked the way the relationships developed, and how a moment from earlier in the book would lead to an inside joke between Edwin and Robin later on. These are small details, but they made everyone feel so wonderfully real to me.
Graphic: Bullying, Misogyny, and Torture
Moderate: Child abuse
breadbees's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, and Sexual content
Moderate: Misogyny, Torture, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Outing, and Abandonment
emilyspex'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
3.5
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Torture, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Physical abuse and Sexism
salainen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Torture, and Injury/Injury detail