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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
purrson's review
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I enjoyed reading this so much and was really pleased with how the characters and story was handled—not that I should be surprised, having read some of the author’s other work before this one. The beginning, of the Oak King’s predicament and how he comes for Lofthouse’s help, is a strong starting point; a natural halfway point forms in the story when we meet the Holly King, and the finally the book wraps up resolving things for both Kings. Those three events make for very strong anchors for the story to weave itself around as the characters grow. In between the main plotpoints, smaller storylines naturally emerge as our characters get to know one another and have various adventures in both the human and fae realms. It works together very nicely, and even when the story meanders, it does so pleasantly, so you get lots of time with the two main characters as they grow truly comfortable together, enjoying their romance, and begin to hope for new futures. The ending is very satisfying, nicely resolving not only smaller plots but the main ones as well. However, I’m quite happy Book 2 of short stories was there for me to jump into—I wasn’t ready to leave this world or it’s characters yet.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Classism, and Sexual content
Minor: Murder, Violence, Abandonment, and Grief
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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