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delvie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
My feelings on this book are extremely similar to my feelings on Holly Black's debut adult novel: the critiques hold up. It IS slow. It IS boring.
I called the first half of the twist shockingly early along; I don't think that's due to me being clever so much as it being obvious. That being said, the second half of the twist wasn't so much of a twist as it was a lore dump. Books with mysteries that don't give the reader everything they need to solve them aren't mysteries so much as messy. And the plot threads that are left after the initial murder is solved are tied up by some piece of lore neither you or the main character had an idea about. It's supposed to be this mic drop "oh shit" moment that puts you onto the sequels, but I was left feeling annoyed that I had wasted energy trying to solve something that I couldn't have solved. It's not clever; it's not a trick question- it's annoying and poor writing.
Alex is extremely dry as a character. I couldn't tell you a thing about her that isn't her aesthetic or her trauma. Same goes for every other character in this book, unfortunately.
Check the trigger warnings; I don't think having to read/listen to the graphic scenes were worth what I got out of this book in ANY stretch of the imagination. I won't be reading the sequel.
Graphic: Drug abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Excrement, Trafficking, Murder, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Vomit and Alcohol
eni_iilorak'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
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Medical content, and Murder
Moderate: Bullying, Misogyny, Sexual content, Blood, Grief, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Gun violence and Antisemitism
art_books_chemistry's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Firstly, I loved the setting. Is New Haven a crime ridden city and not as nice as Yale-ites would like to pretend? Totally. But they get locked into their campus and can ignore it and the rest of us just avoid The Green and stick to the main bar area at night. I went to school at the other college in the Havens area and then stayed and worked for an extra year. I really loved the reference to the body found under the giant old tree after Hurricane Sandy since I was around when it happened. It's the little touches like that that help me immerse into a story when I know the setting.
This is peak Dark Academia. Secret Societies have always been shrouded in mystery and the potential of magic. The way Leigh Bardugo went about explaining it in this novel felt incredibly realistic from an outside perspective which allows you to get drawn into the story. I will say that there are a lot of moving pieces that could become confusing. I'm glad I read this on kindle instead of listening to it since I could flip around and make sure I was remembering names and associations correctly, especially since there were time jumps periodically.
I found the plot engrossing, the magic intriguing, and the mystery riveting. As far as characters go, I won't say they are lovable because they have many flaws, some of which are distasteful. This does, however, make them very real which is far more important than a lovable character that is too perfect for the plot to make sense. Plot and character development is top notch though.
TL;DR Amazing urban fantasy, I NEED THE SEQUEL NOW.
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Gun violence, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
ghulsona'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
5.0
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Violence
Moderate: Drug abuse and Drug use
Minor: Emotional abuse
bookhoe1'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? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Drug use, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
ginnymay's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
dannavarro'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
4.25
The positives first: The author did a wonderful job fleshing out the characters in a way that was easy to follow & retain without detracting from the main storyline. These side-stories gave insight & served to be value-added; not just filler. Most of the twists that developed were unexpected.
Now the negatives: There were at least two points where the author could've ended the book & picked up in a future installment, so to speak. Think, a long movie where you are mentally prepared for the ending based on the pacing & sequence of events up to that point but it continues, diving into another round. I just got the sense that things were ramping down for the end of the book a couple times but kept going, which got a little exhausting. This first book could've easily been 2-3 deep into a series already.
The characters, plot, & world building were solid. Loved it & looking forward to experiencing more from this author.
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Sexual content, and Vomit
reallyandromeda'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Addiction, Bullying, Cursing, Drug abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Vomit, Murder, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
katyfortner's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Murder, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
ebonycantread's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Rape, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Addiction and Mental illness