Reviews

A little hard to gather my thoughts on this one as I finished it at 4:15 this morning, because while I enjoyed it so much there were some immersion difficulties for me.

A very large part of the beginning made me wonder if I had missed another book, because what is presented as common knowledge is... well, not... and there sure was a lot of it. Only when I crept towards the middle of the book did I feel like I had a decent grasp of who and what everyone was, though some parts are just a little shaky -- especially the wars, the enslavement of "fallen" angels, and Bryce's abilities.

While not an unreliable character, a lot of things happen to Bryce that she conveniently has backstory for suddenly having skills in this book... and that's something readers will either love or hate from the beginning. Bryce isn't quite a Marysue, and her grief is authentic (something I absolutely love about Maas is her ability to write compelling emotional growth), but the chip on her shoulder also felt like a little personal finger wagging from Maas herself at critics. A lot of Bryce's "alphahole" mentions throughout (truly, almost an egregious number, up there with how often her hair was referred to as some iteration of silky"), something I'm sure Maas has received criticism for in the past, and so at times Bryce's attitude doesn't feel wholly authentic, as we are yet again in a world that needs to reinvent feminism but also this time abolition.

I have hopes that her passive attitude about enslavement and injustice evaporates more in the next novel, especially with such a vibrant world that's been created. I loved getting to explore a world that had technology and magic and science working hand in hand, but it felt positively archaic and disjointed that Bryce didn't seem to have any opinions about the world's affairs or the people fighting to disrupt those systems of injustice. In fact she actively tries to silence those talking about their enslavement or the rebellions.

From a romance perspective I was a little disappointed too, while I liked the pairing,

Spoiler

their constant getting interrupted right when things are heating up was like getting cock blocked as a reader... and I took that personally.

it felt like this book was written for Maas's critics instead of her fans and in doing so, it missed the mark in a few areas for me. I did enjoy the subversion of the romance genre's playboy trope by making Bryce the secretly reformed party girl who has learned to use people's perception of her to her advantage, in addition to Hunt as the actually secure in his masculinity love interest who is able to point out her logical fallacies and prejudices.

I'm willing to give the sequel a try, as there are a lot of bigger players in the wings I want to explore and I hope Bryce gets to grow a bit more before we shift to another character's perspective.

celaenasalvatore123's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny inspiring reflective 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? No

5.0

Was a bit hard to get into, but like all SJM books once you are in it, you are hooked. World is beautiful. Magic system very interesting, I love that they are houses for all the magical creatures. Characters are so loveable even villains are super enjoyable even tho you want them to die. Hunt and Bryce are such a slow burn through out the book but I love their dynamic and banter. Just beautiful. I didn't expect anything less from Sarah.

joeydelamonde's review against another edition

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To slow

kabrieshaughnessy's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

kathinka's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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

4.5

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