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baileymalaylee'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
5.0
Graphic: Death, Racism, and Grief
katdotniche's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Slavery, Classism, Death of parent, Death, Racism, and Grief
Moderate: Alcohol, Body horror, Car accident, Colonisation, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Misogyny, Mental illness, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, and Death
samellecooke'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
Getting to the real meat of the story and understanding the magic felt like a slog I couldn't overcome what with all the hype this book got. I felt lied to. I'll explain more, but...spoilers. All this said, the writing was good, characters well-developed, and the topics explored resonated with me personally. I especially loved how Tracy Deonn approached different topics of prejudice. I thought this was incredibly well done and I don't think we see enough of this in fantasy. Sure, we see a lot of underdog stories or female empowerment, but this is different.
I also was not at all expecting the twist at the end of this book, the true identity of King Arthur's line in Bree and Nick actually being of Lancelot's line.
Graphic: Racism, Death, Sexism, and Death of parent
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault
mae_dexter_author'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: War, Grief, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent, Racism, and Racial slurs
Minor: Rape and Slavery
celeste329's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
The whole plot of the book was fairly interesting as well. I could see the chosen one archetype being used, but with different nuances than one would usually expect.
Characters wise, there is a range of them. Bree is obviously the most fleshed out character and I absolutely loved seeing the book-world through her eyes. I really appreciated her journey of self-discovery, and elements of identity explored in the book. Nick is also a personal favourite of mine (what can I say, I love me a sweet and attentive boyfriend, and I think Nick was rather good in that aspect, with the slight question at the end
Sel was also a complex character - but as complex as his background can be, I didn't really vibe with him. Old man Davis is also a compelling character, I could really see and understand his motivations (though not necessarily the root cause). I thought Alice was rather under-utilised in this book.
I also liked Patricia and how she acted like a bridge for Bree and the heritage she was seeking. William was another absolutely fun character, but I was rather confused about his age/wisdom, as some of his personality traits seemed to vary throughout the book. The rest of the cast was fine, I think it was perhaps a tad too large to do specific things with each individual, but it would be interesting to see how/if they change for the remainder of the series.
I didn't quite understand/vibe with the setting. Part of me understood why it was used, given some of the themes explored (privilege, inherited wealth & power, etc), but it felt like the whole College aspect became a bit of a background decoration, with it there to justify some of Bree's interactions with specific characters. The school aspect took a backseat to the bigger setting of the
I would have LOVED to see the
Overall, it was a solid book nonetheless.
Graphic: Violence, Racism, and Death of parent
Minor: Rape
latashman's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The only reason I'm not giving it five stars is that the main love interest relationship. I found very frustrating with insta Love and I'm a little weirded out that Bree is technically a high school student and it sounds like the love interest is college aged. It was hard for me to get past even though I think it's only a year or two difference in age.
Graphic: Slavery, Death of parent, and Racism
74laura74'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
4.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Slavery, Violence, Racism, and Colonisation
Moderate: Death of parent, Child abuse, and Classism
Minor: Infidelity, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Rape, and Mental illness
sh3s_a_rebel'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
4.0
Graphic: Racism, Grief, Torture, and Slavery
emma6544'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
4.75
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, and Racism
Moderate: Racial slurs, Slavery, War, Medical content, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Bullying
sapphicamphibian'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
Moderate: Racism, Misogyny, and Death of parent