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mindsplinters's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
So... when is the second book coming out? February 2025? Um... I guess I can wait. Maybe! When it comes to cliff hangers, Heartless Hunter is like an enthusiastic leap off a short pier at the top of a mountain and you are only mostly sure you tied the bungee cord right. In other words, it is just the right amount of fear and anticipation for the next book to keep it bubbling until you get there. Magic, intrigue, romance, a not-quite love triangle that is thankfully not a real focus, and some lovely olfactory descriptions.
I just hope we don't go splat. Because this is a pretty strong book and it needs a very strong follow-up! While there were a few hiccups in world-building, the author still made things feel real enough and balanced between familiar and fantasy that my mind could overlook some of the minor gaps in the world logic to submerge into a world that is a mix of post-Revolution France, Regency England, alchemical fairy tales, and derring-do. I love derring-do. I enjoy it even more when the one doing the derring is not completely perfect at it but tries hard and doesn't make the stupid mistakes...
Other than the fact that, well, Rune and her accomplices are teenagers so there willl still be some inherent stupidity. Which is alright because they rarely tip into the kind that makes me eye-roll. Rune herself is an unsteady mess of guilt and bravery and brains and foolishness which works, given her background and all. You can't help but appreciate how she wants to do the best she can while also realizing that, wow, girl, you're unhealthy and probably need a qualified therapist to work through this baggage.
Ditto for Gideon. He gets more depth to him than you would expect in a YA Romantasy, helped by the alternative POV chapters. You can still think he's a bit of an ass but you understand where he is coming from. The fact that he opens up to Rune? Shockingly mature, despite his alleged reasons for it.
While I saw some of the reveals coming, I am pleased to say that there were still some surprises. One of which had me hollering "you dumbass!" at a character. He totally deserved it. I mean, I get it. Morals and all. But, dude, you had one job. (Don't worry. I still love you.)
Now for the real question... What would my magical signature be and what does one do if you're such a dominant rightie that carving casting marks with your left hand leaves you with scars that look like they were done by a drunken kindergartener?
I just hope we don't go splat. Because this is a pretty strong book and it needs a very strong follow-up! While there were a few hiccups in world-building, the author still made things feel real enough and balanced between familiar and fantasy that my mind could overlook some of the minor gaps in the world logic to submerge into a world that is a mix of post-Revolution France, Regency England, alchemical fairy tales, and derring-do. I love derring-do. I enjoy it even more when the one doing the derring is not completely perfect at it but tries hard and doesn't make the stupid mistakes...
Other than the fact that, well, Rune and her accomplices are teenagers so there willl still be some inherent stupidity. Which is alright because they rarely tip into the kind that makes me eye-roll. Rune herself is an unsteady mess of guilt and bravery and brains and foolishness which works, given her background and all. You can't help but appreciate how she wants to do the best she can while also realizing that, wow, girl, you're unhealthy and probably need a qualified therapist to work through this baggage.
Ditto for Gideon. He gets more depth to him than you would expect in a YA Romantasy, helped by the alternative POV chapters. You can still think he's a bit of an ass but you understand where he is coming from. The fact that he opens up to Rune? Shockingly mature, despite his alleged reasons for it.
While I saw some of the reveals coming, I am pleased to say that there were still some surprises. One of which had me hollering "you dumbass!" at a character. He totally deserved it. I mean, I get it. Morals and all. But, dude, you had one job. (Don't worry. I still love you.)
Now for the real question... What would my magical signature be and what does one do if you're such a dominant rightie that carving casting marks with your left hand leaves you with scars that look like they were done by a drunken kindergartener?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Physical abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Drug abuse
Minor: Sexual violence
pagesandtales's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- 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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Drug abuse and Addiction
irishpierogies's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Murder
Minor: Sexual assault, Drug abuse, and Alcoholism
bergelicious818's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- 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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Blood, and Genocide
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Drug abuse
Minor: Emotional abuse, Child death, and Sexual assault
mrsclappreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Spoiler free
I snagged my copy from the Owl Crate February book box, and let me tell you, the ribbon and sprayed edges added such a delightful flair to the story! It's like someone took the time to read the book and make a magical connection with the colors.
I decided to dive into this adventure with a buddy read on StoryGraph, and trust me, it's worth every page-turning moment. Picture this: a YA romanticy enemies-to-lovers type of book that'll have your heart racing and your emotions soaring!
Despite being a bit older reader, I found myself totally engrossed in the character development. Sure, sometimes YA can make my eyes roll, but it also whisked me back to my younger years in the most nostalgic way possible. Plus, the flow of the book was impeccable, with just the right length of chapters to keep me hooked.
Now, I'll admit, a few events that popped up later in the story threw me for a loop, but overall, it was an absolute joy to read.
And guess what? I'm already counting down the days until I can get my hands on book two! 😏
I snagged my copy from the Owl Crate February book box, and let me tell you, the ribbon and sprayed edges added such a delightful flair to the story! It's like someone took the time to read the book and make a magical connection with the colors.
I decided to dive into this adventure with a buddy read on StoryGraph, and trust me, it's worth every page-turning moment. Picture this: a YA romanticy enemies-to-lovers type of book that'll have your heart racing and your emotions soaring!
Despite being a bit older reader, I found myself totally engrossed in the character development. Sure, sometimes YA can make my eyes roll, but it also whisked me back to my younger years in the most nostalgic way possible. Plus, the flow of the book was impeccable, with just the right length of chapters to keep me hooked.
Now, I'll admit, a few events that popped up later in the story threw me for a loop, but overall, it was an absolute joy to read.
And guess what? I'm already counting down the days until I can get my hands on book two! 😏
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, and Violence
Moderate: Grief, Confinement, Child death, Death, and Death of parent
Minor: Addiction and Drug abuse
olyviatb's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Death, Blood, Violence, Self harm, and Sexual content
Minor: Sexual harassment, Child death, Child abuse, Drug abuse, and Toxic relationship
The main type of magic system is blood magic so they obtain blood by either cutting themselves or other people so that might be triggering for some people.sydnik3's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
i LOVED this book! the perfect mix of adventure, mystery, and romance for me in a fantasy world.
i absolutely adored the main characters! our heroine was written very well I’d say. my only complaint about Rune is she mentions not really knowing who she is beyond her societal mask or the duty she feels to her Nan, but that was really it in the big picture, so I hope that’s expanded on in the second book, though with her predicament at the end I absolutely expect it to come back up.
I also really loved our two main love interest. I think this is the first time I have EVER read a love triangle that I truly enjoy, and I think that has something to do with Rune not realizing one part of the triangle until practically the end of the book. It was just so well done and didn’t feel like cliche love triangles. It was also the first one I read where I wouldn’t mind Rune ending up with either interest. So good and so excited for the romance in the next one.
Finally, I loved the dual but third person POV of this book. It was definitely YA writing, but I still really enjoyed it. For me it wasn’t a big deal, but I could definitely see people complaining about the plot twist being pretty obvious, but I think that was the point - to figure out the mystery. And I loved it because it made me want to keep reading to find out what was really going to happen and I had no less of an emotional reaction to the final chapters.
I am so excited for the second book :) 5/5⭐️
i absolutely adored the main characters! our heroine was written very well I’d say. my only complaint about Rune is she mentions not really knowing who she is beyond her societal mask or the duty she feels to her Nan, but that was really it in the big picture, so I hope that’s expanded on in the second book, though with her predicament at the end I absolutely expect it to come back up.
I also really loved our two main love interest. I think this is the first time I have EVER read a love triangle that I truly enjoy, and I think that has something to do with Rune not realizing one part of the triangle until practically the end of the book. It was just so well done and didn’t feel like cliche love triangles. It was also the first one I read where I wouldn’t mind Rune ending up with either interest. So good and so excited for the romance in the next one.
Finally, I loved the dual but third person POV of this book. It was definitely YA writing, but I still really enjoyed it. For me it wasn’t a big deal, but I could definitely see people complaining about the plot twist being pretty obvious, but I think that was the point - to figure out the mystery. And I loved it because it made me want to keep reading to find out what was really going to happen and I had no less of an emotional reaction to the final chapters.
I am so excited for the second book :) 5/5⭐️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Blood, Addiction, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Alcoholism
justagrlandherdog's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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
5.0
I loved this book. It felt like a cross between Serpent & Dove and The Bridge Kingdom, both of which are some of my favorite books. I loved both main characters Rune & Gideon and I’m excited to see how the climax of this book shapes them and where they are in the next one.
And I will be making this book my whole personality until the next one comes out.
And I will be making this book my whole personality until the next one comes out.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Classism, Death, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Child death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Torture, and Sexual assault
oakairi's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Violence, Sexual assault, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual content, Addiction, and Drug abuse
suzi_is_cake's review against another edition
Cannot believe this book is so hyped. I’m stopping this book for my own sanity and am gonna leave it at my local station reading library cause omg the triggers in this book that are not mentioned and the fact this is a YA when it should obviously be an NA. I don’t mind enemies to lovers but this was not that it was basically just everyone needs therapy and instead are awful to each other. I was gonna try and power through to the end but it was just too much.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Sexual assault, Torture, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Drug abuse, Sexism, Toxic friendship, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, and Self harm