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mboucher96's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- 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? No
3.5
This book was totally bananas. It's up to you to decide whether that is a good thing or a bad thing. I felt like I got whiplash in my brain from trying to figure out what was even happening, but I'm still intrigued enough to be on the look out for further novels in what is supposed to be a series.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Blood, and Sexual harassment
lizzye33's review against another edition
I found this book at my local little free library with no expectation for the story, but the appearance intrigued me, and I have not read a book of this genre in some time, so I thought, why not?
Before reading the book and adding it to my TBR, I hesitated because of the many vague and negative reviews that needed to be more encouraging. Also, this story has vampires, which I have had a bad run with lately in books. But aside from that, I wanted to give it a chance.
25% I am really glad Astrea has friends who are not only willing but more than capable of helping her if their motives are true. That being said, this book is very tense, and I don't love being constantly on edge or emotionally trampled. It's not ideal for escapism, but I do like the story's complexity, though I understand why many stopped reading, finding it confusing. I think it is fairly well written in getting into Astrea's perspective. Perhaps that is because of vaguely similar reliability on my part. That said, reviews saying it is a try-hard book with too many tropes are both true and false. It does feel like trying to put a little too much on one page without giving what we need at this point in the book, but the characters are not wanting too badly in that way yet. The premise is rather predictable; we have a clear idea of what she is, and Hecktors controls more than she realizes with her medicine and forcing her under even though they have not addressed it yet. But I'm still curious enough to see where this goes. (Nyte for the win; Hecktor, there are special places for you.)
Okay, I DNF'd!!!
I tried not to, but I could not continue!
I tried to connect with the characters and visualize the settings and their perspectives, but this story is vague in the places it needs detail, the characters lack substance, and there is very little actual chemistry.
The worst part is that I was bored. It felt like a chore, and there was no direct plot to follow. It also never really had too much clear plot or motivation aside from leaving Heckor in the first part and reeling from it. Of course, there is more after, but I could not bring myself to care, and I wanted to.
This book had potential, but it was so dark. For once, I pushed that aside to try to get into a story I wanted to like, but it was definitely not worth it!
It was a little confusing, and I did not route it to anyone. I tried to find some answers online to what was happening, and it turns out there is no real resolution!?
No one has many more answers than Astrea does by chapter 15, even in the end. I skimmed through the rest and felt disappointed in the time I spent trying to get out of my reading slump with a book that did not provide escapism but trigger warnings without anything a book should to make it worth it or able to overlook them.
The writing was also lacking the more the book continued.
Anyway, enough about my rant. I am glad some people enjoy it, but sadly, I am not among them.
Before reading the book and adding it to my TBR, I hesitated because of the many vague and negative reviews that needed to be more encouraging. Also, this story has vampires, which I have had a bad run with lately in books. But aside from that, I wanted to give it a chance.
25% I am really glad Astrea has friends who are not only willing but more than capable of helping her if their motives are true. That being said, this book is very tense, and I don't love being constantly on edge or emotionally trampled. It's not ideal for escapism, but I do like the story's complexity, though I understand why many stopped reading, finding it confusing. I think it is fairly well written in getting into Astrea's perspective. Perhaps that is because of vaguely similar reliability on my part. That said, reviews saying it is a try-hard book with too many tropes are both true and false. It does feel like trying to put a little too much on one page without giving what we need at this point in the book, but the characters are not wanting too badly in that way yet. The premise is rather predictable; we have a clear idea of what she is, and Hecktors controls more than she realizes with her medicine and forcing her under even though they have not addressed it yet. But I'm still curious enough to see where this goes. (Nyte for the win; Hecktor, there are special places for you.)
Okay, I DNF'd!!!
I tried not to, but I could not continue!
I tried to connect with the characters and visualize the settings and their perspectives, but this story is vague in the places it needs detail, the characters lack substance, and there is very little actual chemistry.
The worst part is that I was bored. It felt like a chore, and there was no direct plot to follow. It also never really had too much clear plot or motivation aside from leaving Heckor in the first part and reeling from it. Of course, there is more after, but I could not bring myself to care, and I wanted to.
This book had potential, but it was so dark. For once, I pushed that aside to try to get into a story I wanted to like, but it was definitely not worth it!
It was a little confusing, and I did not route it to anyone. I tried to find some answers online to what was happening, and it turns out there is no real resolution!?
No one has many more answers than Astrea does by chapter 15, even in the end. I skimmed through the rest and felt disappointed in the time I spent trying to get out of my reading slump with a book that did not provide escapism but trigger warnings without anything a book should to make it worth it or able to overlook them.
The writing was also lacking the more the book continued.
Anyway, enough about my rant. I am glad some people enjoy it, but sadly, I am not among them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Minor: Drug use, Eating disorder, Rape, and Self harm
frawst_disasta_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Look this is messy in spots. But I loved the entire book even the messy parts. I really think what the author attempted completely worked for me.
The words felt lyrical, the story absolutely gorgeous, and I didn’t want to leave the world.
The words felt lyrical, the story absolutely gorgeous, and I didn’t want to leave the world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Blood
jaijai230's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Self harm and Blood
cryosphinx's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This had so much potential that I feel like the author didn't fully grasp at the beginning. The first half was meandering and oddly paced (and I caught some typos, ugh). It did finally find it's footing and the twist towards the end was fine and I do like call backs to puzzles, but it took half the book to get there. With editing, this book could have been 100 less pages and all the points could have gotten home all the same. The biggest bother was random one off paragraphs where Astraea would remember something about her past, trying to relate it to whatever was happening, and then would move on. There was no need and it kept happening.
I did enjoy Astraea and Nyte's banter though Astraea's motivations seemed off they she just accepted Nyte's tagging along without questioning anything and the whole first relationship was really confusing. She was TOO naive. They also didn't really "grow" and were the same in the beginning as the end. And Astraea gets ONE friend who does early on. We get a setup for a second on but clearly isn't as developed.
It seems like most of the care went into the physical art of the book, which is gorgeous. I'll probably read the next one because by the end I was definitely invested and the writing did improve, I just hope the next one is cleaner and we get some more character attention because I DO love the world and the magic concepts.
I did enjoy Astraea and Nyte's banter though Astraea's motivations seemed off they she just accepted Nyte's tagging along without questioning anything and the whole first relationship was really confusing. She was TOO naive. They also didn't really "grow" and were the same in the beginning as the end. And Astraea gets
It seems like most of the care went into the physical art of the book, which is gorgeous. I'll probably read the next one because by the end I was definitely invested and the writing did improve, I just hope the next one is cleaner and we get some more character attention because I DO love the world and the magic concepts.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement and Drug use
Minor: War
babwans's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Moderate: Gore, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Kidnapping, Toxic friendship, and War
Minor: Rape
katvou's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Grief, Gaslighting, and War
Minor: Toxic relationship and Toxic friendship
noellelovesbooks's review against another edition
3.5
Content Warnings: Physical abuse, emotional/mental abuse, confinement, toxic relationships, toxic friendships, sexual content, violence, blood, murder, death, gaslighting, forced substance abuse, sexual assault, and loss of body autonomy.
This was a buddy read pick with some friends ^^
Total honestly...the MC drove me batty...a lot. I think I'm just used to reading mentally strong women regardless of circumstance or physical limitations...I personally hate the years that I felt weak and unable to escape my own nightmare...so it's really hard for me to see fictional women who remind me of that 😅
The history and lore is interesting in this universe...really hoping as the series continues we get more and more information. Also can't wait to see our MC's evolution to finding she's strong and has been strong the entire time.
I feel like there were still too many mysteries left in this first book...like I expect some from a first book but I felt like I needed a few more questions answered in order to feel more invested in the story. I do look forward to reading the second book and hopefully finding what I need to fully be invested and cheering for the characters. 🤞🏽
This was a buddy read pick with some friends ^^
Total honestly...the MC drove me batty...a lot. I think I'm just used to reading mentally strong women regardless of circumstance or physical limitations...I personally hate the years that I felt weak and unable to escape my own nightmare...so it's really hard for me to see fictional women who remind me of that 😅
The history and lore is interesting in this universe...really hoping as the series continues we get more and more information. Also can't wait to see our MC's evolution to finding she's strong and has been strong the entire time.
I feel like there were still too many mysteries left in this first book...like I expect some from a first book but I felt like I needed a few more questions answered in order to feel more invested in the story. I do look forward to reading the second book and hopefully finding what I need to fully be invested and cheering for the characters. 🤞🏽
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship
nytefall_library's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- 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
Chloe has done it again. This is a compelling fantasy story loosely based on the Greek mythology of Astraea.
We follow Astraea as she learns who she is with the aid of Nyte. When something happens she must enter a game to find the truth.
There are twists and turns and once you think you know something, it turns into something else. If you want a story that keeps you on your toes and wanting more, this is the book for you.
You’ve got some spice, romance, friendships, trials, vampires, fae and do much more.
Please check the trigger warning.
We follow Astraea as she learns who she is with the aid of Nyte. When something happens she must enter a game to find the truth.
There are twists and turns and once you think you know something, it turns into something else. If you want a story that keeps you on your toes and wanting more, this is the book for you.
You’ve got some spice, romance, friendships, trials, vampires, fae and do much more.
Please check the trigger warning.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual content, and Blood
Moderate: Toxic relationship