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glowingrabbits's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
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? N/A
5.0
I'm not great at writing book reviews, and even after finishing this I am not sure exactly what to say that would be any help to someone looking to pick this up, but I don't think I can just put this book down without talking about it. My God, this book is beautiful. There is something so deeply touching and human about this story. It's beautifully written, and in many ways I think it touches on the ugliness and desperation of war without forgetting that there is beauty to be found even when it seems like the world is ending. It has also got to be one of the most genuinely romantic stories I've read.
YA books aren't normally what I go for, but I was pleasantly surprised to find the kind of story I didn't know I needed. I finished it in one day!
YA books aren't normally what I go for, but I was pleasantly surprised to find the kind of story I didn't know I needed. I finished it in one day!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Alcoholism, Death of parent, and War
Moderate: Vomit and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Sexual content
wordsofclover's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Iris and Roman are each other's competition as they both compete to become a columnist at their local paper. But with war looming beyond the city between gods Enva and Dacre, Iris finds herself alone when her brother goes to fight and begins to write letters to him - that mysteriously disappear. When someone begins to write back, Iris forges a deep connection with this mysterious stranger and this follows her as she leaves home - and Roman - behind to become a war correspondent.
This was a really enjoyable, and romantic read. We follow two people who are the outside are very different but their souls are the same as they both face family struggles, loss, grief and the terrifying realities of war and what this means. I thought the world was great being so similar to ours but just that bit different with the inclusion of gods and a war between them that drags in innocent humans on either side. I did wonder how this works out for the humans who are actually doing the fighting. How can you win against a God? It did feel all a little bit hopeless at times.
I loved the relationship between Roman and Iris and how it developed, as well as that between Iris and Carver. There was a soft romance on the verge of great between them, and you can't help but completely fall for it. I do think they moved from 'oh I like you' to love and marriage very, very quickly but at the same time I do kind of get it as they are literally only a town away from war and enemy forces. I think I would have liked a bit more time with them as they got to know each other in different ways before everything went to hell.
I think the mystery between Enva and Dacre is a really big intriguing part of this story and it's just lightly touched on and will hopefully be explored more in the next novel. I'm looking forward to reading it very soon!
This was a really enjoyable, and romantic read. We follow two people who are the outside are very different but their souls are the same as they both face family struggles, loss, grief and the terrifying realities of war and what this means. I thought the world was great being so similar to ours but just that bit different with the inclusion of gods and a war between them that drags in innocent humans on either side. I did wonder how this works out for the humans who are actually doing the fighting. How can you win against a God? It did feel all a little bit hopeless at times.
I loved the relationship between Roman and Iris and how it developed, as well as that between Iris and Carver. There was a soft romance on the verge of great between them, and you can't help but completely fall for it. I do think they moved from 'oh I like you' to love and marriage very, very quickly but at the same time I do kind of get it as they are literally only a town away from war and enemy forces. I think I would have liked a bit more time with them as they got to know each other in different ways before everything went to hell.
I think the mystery between Enva and Dacre is a really big intriguing part of this story and it's just lightly touched on and will hopefully be explored more in the next novel. I'm looking forward to reading it very soon!
Content Warnings
Moderate: War
Minor: Death of parent, Child death, and Alcoholism
fantasycorner's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Grief, and War
kermittuesday's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
fast-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? Yes
4.0
Used the word raiment far too much. Just say clothes every once in a while.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Medical content, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Blood, and Grief
Minor: Child death, Sexual content, Alcoholism, and Vomit
Despite the amount of triggers I listed, this is not a horror book but it does involve war so it has this stuff. The sexual content is very minimal but because it’s a YA book, you might want to know it’s there.melist6's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Grief, Death of parent, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Death
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Blood
jessnotjen's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
sad
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? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: War, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Death of parent, Alcoholism, and Grief
creatureof_nature's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
slow-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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Alcoholism, and Death of parent
maddy707's review against another edition
emotional
funny
tense
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
5.0
Here’s what I liked:
The writing style. It’s exactly what I look for in a book. A balance between lyrical and not. The flow of the writing and the pacing of this book is perfect.
The character’s. I loved all of the main characters in this book, especially Iris and Roman.
The exploration of grief. It was beautifully written.
Here’s what I didn’t like (none of these things were enough to drag the book down for me):
Once the romance actually turned into a romance it went EXTREMELY QUICK. At first I didn’t like it but then the themes of the book came into play. This story tells us that life is fleeting because of the threat of war and how so much can be ripped away from someone in a single day. So the choice of Roman and Kitt getting married straight away actually makes sense when you think about it.
The ending is a bit miffy. It was so… abrupt. But again that’s what the book told us. I think it felt so rushed and quick because the author needs to lead into the next book, which I imagine is going to focus a lot more on the war. She just wasn’t able to do it as smoothly as it should’ve been. Maybe an extra 50 pages would have helped.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Grief, War, Classism, and Alcoholism
crunchycrystals's review against another edition
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and War
Moderate: Alcoholism and Blood
Minor: Sexual content and Vomit
starrfishandcoffee's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-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? No
5.0
OMGGGG what took me so long to read this??? Idk but I LOVED IT.
Roman and Iris… SWOON. The tender, simple but sweeping love between them. Ughhhhh.
This was so engaging, romantic, adventurous, thrilling… the perfect romantasy.
Roman and Iris… SWOON. The tender, simple but sweeping love between them. Ughhhhh.
This was so engaging, romantic, adventurous, thrilling… the perfect romantasy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, and Alcoholism