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ninxkr's review
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
0.25
This book was a 0.25 ⭐️ for me solely based on the potential it had with the concept of the Veil. Below are the reasons why this book failed to hit the mark for me
The characters
Both the FMC AND MMC are infuriating in their own way.
The MMC is a manipulative gaslighter who loves to coerce the FMC into sexual interactions with dubious consent whenever she as much as has a single thought. The fact that this is the MMC our FMC is made to fall for with her backstory of SA and grooming is baffling.
The FMC is set up to be a wild, intelligent woman longing for nothing but freedom after being groomed all her life. Yet, her actions paint her as an easily manipulated airhead. There was times when I had to put down the book due to the frustration caused by her level of dumbness. Somehow at the same time she knew things she had no business of knowing (not that it helped her figure out anything).
The side characters were written in a way that made you not care for them and noneq of the deaths impacted me (or the FMC, based on the writing).
The pet name
Some pet names in fantasy novels are bad and there's pet names that I would pay to get erased from my memory. Little One falls in the latter category. The use of this pet name feels more predatory and belittling than endearing, especially when used by the MMC when bossing the FMC around or, worse, in a sexual context.
The writing
This was very much a book where things were told to the reader and we were meant to just accept it. No prior hinting at things, showing internal struggles or doubts. When you are told randomly that the FMC is grieving her dead brother without ever having seen any signs of this in her behaviour or thought it simply does not have the impact it is intended to have. Same goes for being told the FMC has doubts about the MMC since his encounter with the cave beast 3 chapters before the end when this doubt had not been mentioned in her internal monologue at all since said encounter.
The dialogue is tediously bad. In a 420 page book there was maybe about 5 pages worth of actually meaningful dialogue. It becomes tedious to read when every conversation between the MCs ends in the MMC either making explicit sexual remarks or straight up coercing her into sex.
Overall the events, thoughts and dialogues seem disconnected from one moment to the next.
The pacing
The book starts off pretty strong with the worldbuilding and the fall of the Veil but quickly turns into 300 pages of the MCs wandering about the woods without much happening at all. They literally just walk around. The pace picks up a little bit when they meet the Resistance but once they go out on the mission to find the Marked towards the end of the book things feel incredibly rushed and there is no space left to explore what is really happening. Which brings me to ....
The plot twist at the end
The twist at the end had potential to be good if it wasn't all but spelled out about halfway through the book already. From the moment we met the MMC it was clear to me this was the fae mate the FMC had been running from. There is foreshadowing and there is spoiling the twist long before it's meant to be revealed.
I am usually a person who feels the need to finish a series once I have started it but after reading the first book I feel absolutely no rush to purchase the next book (if ever).
Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, Stalking, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Murder, Misogyny, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Sexual violence
cady_sass's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Graphic: Death, Gaslighting, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, Torture, Death of parent, Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Gore, Toxic relationship, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Murder, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Violence, and War
tguccione's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Murder and Violence
Minor: Sexual violence and Physical abuse
chaotic_hyperactive's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, and Violence
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Blood, Murder, Gore, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Classism, Grief, and Torture
rmorairty's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Murder, Classism, Sexual assault, and Violence
jadehusdanhicks's review
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Unfortunately it contains very consistent weird sexual content with a male MC calling the female one little one which didn’t sit right with me.
Additionally it deals with grooming, suicide, murder and SA.
Overall I was left disturbed especially by the graphic sex because of the phrasing and the uncomfortable nickname used. I wouldn’t reccomend personally.
And I’m not against spice in books. But this was just horrid to read
Also. Despite this book seemingly being set in an old dystopia landscape it kept bringing up modern clothing like leggings. Which just seemed so seperate and disconnected from what I understood to be the setting
Graphic: Grief, Toxic relationship, Violence, War, Cursing, Gaslighting, Murder, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Bullying, Child abuse, Classism, Suicide, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, and Sexual content
katvou'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, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Death of parent, Gaslighting, Animal death, Blood, Child death, and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Rape, Medical content, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Torture, Chronic illness, Grief, and Emotional abuse
allisonk9's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Violence, Physical abuse, and Murder
luliposatieris's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The world building is good, it represents the purity culture really well and it shows exactly how poorly women were treated and how the men had all the power. I also liked that Estrella wasn’t brainwashed to think like that. She hd her own opinions and beliefs, even if it didn’t show when Caelum was around.
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, War, Infidelity, Murder, Police brutality, Misogyny, Death of parent, Sexual content, Rape, and Sexism
cassie12_21's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Murder, Death, Abandonment, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Blood, Child abuse, Classism, Gore, Grief, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship