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bakergirlsbooks1999'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
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Death, Drug use, Gore, Sexual content, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
cuddleemily'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
4.75
Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, Violence, Vomit, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Alcohol
evarinya's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
Moderate: Chronic illness, Sexual content, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
Minor: Misogyny, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, and Murder
maries_reads's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Murder and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Death of parent
vagrantheather's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
There were a lot of plot devices I disliked. Death's fascination with (and interference on behalf of) our MC feels like grooming. A wealthy orphan girl being passed along to a home full of constant ribald parties - unlikely, given the time period, but plausible for a smutty regency book. However it doesn't go there - it ISN'T a smutty regency book where our innocent young heroine finds herself in a scandalous situation. So it feels unnecessarily edgy on part of the author.
The garden fiasco and overall vibe (mansion estate, ghosts, death, a sexy servant boy) summon The Secret Garden. And I love TSG! But the garden ends up being basically unnecessary. There's some waffley excuse that spirits can't communicate well when removed from their place of (death? Burial? Can't recall), but the whole "ahh I must find this secret garden then KILL MYSELF to gain entry" was so unnecessary. Surely the spirit could talk to you from, idk, the other side of the wall? And could you really not think of a single other way to enter a locked garden than by poisoning yourself to summon death's powers of intangibility? Maybe try looking under a rock for the key? Or ask the servant for a key? Or look for a key in the mansion? Maybe try scaling a nearby tree? Maybe stand on the horse's back to hop over? So many options that don't require summoning your professed enemy.
I was very disappointed by the author's tendency to distinguish characters by hair and skin color. The characters were mostly thin/flat.
The author puts in place a mechanism for Signa to play God by taking one life to spare another, but ultimately does very little with this theme. She was essentially A-OK with having murdered an old aunt to spare her young cousin. Sure, she didn't know what she was doing, but after finding out her power the guilt was a short lived thing, easily shrugged off. Flimsy.
It's an enjoyable read, but shallowly developed and ultimately forgettable.
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Self harm, Sexual content, and Death of parent
aecoralie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Terminal illness, Vomit, and Grief
Moderate: Body horror
Minor: Alcoholism and Fire/Fire injury
calicat42's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Drug use, Self harm, Terminal illness, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
honeycomb_system's review against another edition
3.5
Moderate: Death, Vomit, and Fire/Fire injury
xtsukix's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.5
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Vomit, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Body shaming, Sexual content, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic
introverted_reads's review against another edition
- 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? No
3.75
Graphic: Death, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Terminal illness, and Vomit
Minor: Eating disorder, Infidelity, and Fire/Fire injury