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julian7's review
adventurous
mysterious
slow-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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Blood, and Deadnaming
Moderate: Murder, Homophobia, and Violence
Minor: Abandonment and Pedophilia
orchidd's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Misogyny, Blood, Death, Homophobia, and Murder
h_howell's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I never usually write reviews but since this a new book and has so few on here I wanted justify my score so as not to potentially put anyone off who might enjoy the book!
Summary:
Characters: 5*
Plot: 4*
Pacing: 2*
Firstly the good things that kept me reading to the end despite what I'll talk about below (I am not a person who is afraid to DNF). I love the characters, Shrike and Wren were both well defined and interesting. But more than that I loved the supporting cast particularly Nell and Daniel. I also thought the dialogue was well written and interactions between the characters both verbal and otherwise were great.
Now on to what lead me to mark it down...
This book is full of rich and beautiful descriptions of both Victorian London and the magical fae realm, unfortunately I have aphantasia (no mental images) so I tend to get a little frustrated by lots of description of visuals and it does affect my enjoyment of a story this is a personal thing and not a reflection on the book at all. Some people love this kind of writing, it's just not for me personally and this is my personal rating.
Secondly, this felt like two books smushed into one. A historical romance set in Victorian London and a fantasy romance in the fae realm, the two plotlines didn't intertwine at all other than them occurring to the same characters. Because of this it felt like I was reading two books at once and it made the whole thing very slow moving. The thing is I did enjoy both stories, I just wish I could have read them separately.
Finally, the ending felt incredibly abrupt. After 521 pages of build up the entire fae realm plot line is resolved in 2 pages and then it just ends. I honestly couldn't tell you what more I wanted from it but it felt like there should be at least a few more pages of winding down from the big fight.
Summary:
Characters: 5*
Plot: 4*
Pacing: 2*
Firstly the good things that kept me reading to the end despite what I'll talk about below (I am not a person who is afraid to DNF). I love the characters, Shrike and Wren were both well defined and interesting. But more than that I loved the supporting cast particularly Nell and Daniel. I also thought the dialogue was well written and interactions between the characters both verbal and otherwise were great.
Now on to what lead me to mark it down...
This book is full of rich and beautiful descriptions of both Victorian London and the magical fae realm, unfortunately I have aphantasia (no mental images) so I tend to get a little frustrated by lots of description of visuals and it does affect my enjoyment of a story this is a personal thing and not a reflection on the book at all. Some people love this kind of writing, it's just not for me personally and this is my personal rating.
Secondly, this felt like two books smushed into one. A historical romance set in Victorian London and a fantasy romance in the fae realm, the two plotlines didn't intertwine at all other than them occurring to the same characters. Because of this it felt like I was reading two books at once and it made the whole thing very slow moving. The thing is I did enjoy both stories, I just wish I could have read them separately.
Finally, the ending felt incredibly abrupt. After 521 pages of build up the entire fae realm plot line is resolved in 2 pages and then it just ends. I honestly couldn't tell you what more I wanted from it but it felt like there should be at least a few more pages of winding down from the big fight.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Blood
Moderate: Violence, Homophobia, and Deadnaming
rachratesreads's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Sexual content
Moderate: Homophobia, Deadnaming, and Animal death
Minor: Violence and Pedophilia
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