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hrtlss_grl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Death of parent, Medical trauma, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Animal death, Blood, Cursing, and Violence
Moderate: Abandonment, Cursing, Misogyny, Blood, Animal death, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Violence, Child abuse, Bullying, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, Death of parent, Murder, Racism, and Stalking
mothie_girlie'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? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Animal death and Kidnapping
aileron'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
3.0
Graphic: Death, Kidnapping, Murder, Animal death, and Blood
Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, Gore, and Medical content
Minor: Slavery, Terminal illness, Classism, and Racism
luckylulureads's review
- 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
Moderate: Cursing, Animal death, and Animal cruelty
Minor: Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Rape, Sexual content, Colonisation, Grief, Homophobia, Blood, Abandonment, Death, Murder, Kidnapping, Sexual harassment, and Transphobia
purplepenning's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Mortal Follies is narrated by Puck / Robin Goodfellow (of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" fame) with lots of nods, winks, and digs about Shakespeare and Shakespearean faerie chaos. It follows the misadventures Miss Maeylis Mitchelmore, a young society darling who has had the mysterious misfortune of being cursed by a goddess. Miss Mitchelmore, to her friends' mixed reaction of dismay and delight, turns to the alluring society outcast, Lady Georgianna Landrake (the "Duke of Annadale"), for advice, protection, and what comfort a brooding heiress who is also a possible witch and murderer may give a stricken innocent with hidden strength and spirit.
This should've all worked for me, but alas — I found the main relationship to be somewhat tedious. The pacing and character development didn't work for me and there was entirely too much brooding and badgering for my taste. But I did love the whole idea of this book, enjoyed the heck out of the narrator's perspective, and am happy that Alexis Hall just keeps writing whatever they want and I keep reading it.
Check the content notes — there are some surprisingly brutal sacrifice scenes (old gods, you know), some inner LGBTQ transphobic nonsense, and a little murder and debilitating disease.
Graphic: Murder, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
Moderate: Cursing, Physical abuse, Gore, Blood, Sexism, Transphobia, Body horror, Death, Sexual content, Violence, and Classism
Minor: Grief, Racism, Gun violence, Death of parent, and Terminal illness
robinsong'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? It's complicated
2.0
Positives:
- Setting/world building
Negatives:
- Character voice
- Homophobia/transphobia
- Narration
- The Ick
Any time a character talks about sex outside of the sex scenes I want to break my feet with a hammer. I have no desire to read 19 year olds sexual fantasies. Also, making up silly ye olde terms for shipping your friends is just as cringe as telling your real life friends that you ship them.
- Pacing
- Desperate attempts to not seem problematic
There were SEVERAL moments throughout the book where it felt like the author paused and turned to face the reader to say Worry Not Dear Reader, My Wealthy British Aristocrats Are Not Bigots Or Racists. They all feel just as shoehorned as you might imagine. This adds nothing and just exists to relieve some imagined hand-wringing over whether the characters are acceptable by modern standards.
Overall, this book was fun briefly and in spurts. I wish the characters didn't make me want to rip my hair out. I also wish that it wasn't so fucking weird to gay and trans people. 2/5 stars.
Graphic: Homophobia, Sexism, Blood, Lesbophobia, Transphobia, and Misogyny
Moderate: Death of parent, Abandonment, Animal death, Classism, Murder, Sexual violence, Cursing, Religious bigotry, and Sexual content
Minor: Incest, Outing, and Grief