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brimacca'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: Ableism, Child death, Body horror, Medical content, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Classism, Cursing, Animal death, Bullying, Chronic illness, Murder, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Violence, War, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Death of parent
devincold'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? It's complicated
2.25
Graphic: Gaslighting, Grief, Stalking, Torture, War, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Toxic friendship, Ableism, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Body horror, Body shaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Blood, Child death, and Chronic illness
megan_wy's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: War, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual content, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Vomit
nickileal's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Body horror, Child death, and Sexual content
Minor: Cursing
hjb_128's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
Graphic: War, Body horror, Bullying, Chronic illness, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Murder, and Sexual content
kitkatkatdog's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, War, and Violence
andmingmingtoo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Pros:
-The general premise is really fun. I was excited to learn more about the dragon, magic, and government systems of the world
-The action sequences actually felt tense, and they definitely felt like they would be cinematic if in a visual format
-The side characters were really fun (and often eclipsed the main character in likeability)
-Xaden is an interesting and actually respectful male lead
Cons:
-A lot of Violet's inner monologue feels jarring and sometimes detracts from a tense vibe in a scene
-A lot of scenes that would be interesting and would add to the characters' growth are left offscreen, like they were cut for time, despite this being an original work where the author could decide what did and didn't exist. For instance,
-A lot of visual descriptions of settings were left out, like
-For the most part, we have to take Violet's word for it that characters, including herself, have experienced growth. The growth seems to happen offscreen and is not substantiated by their onscreen actions
Additionally, this book is screaming to be part of a series (I am aware that the sequel is out and a series is in the works, as is a movie). In my opinion, there is no finite conclusion of the book's overall plot quest at the end, mostly because there is not one unifying plot quest. The extent of the book is defined temporally, not from a plot perspective, which can give the book the feel of a series of episodes, rather than a unifying experience.
Obviously, this book is popular! I did enjoy it, and I can see how others may enjoy it more than me. That being said, it is not a polished experience, but if you know to expect that, it may help you brace yourself and enjoy it more.
Graphic: Gore, Vomit, Torture, Violence, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Murder, Stalking, Blood, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Body horror, Bullying, Cursing, Chronic illness, Classism, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Physical abuse, and War
Moderate: Sexism, Toxic friendship, Child death, Ableism, Child abuse, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Alcohol and Drug use
tess_gee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: War, Sexual content, Violence, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Sexism, Body shaming, Bullying, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Blood, and Body horror
sdovi's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Body horror
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
hannahcstocks's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
TLDR: Overall, kept my attention, and I found the pacing to be done well. If you canāt handle the internal monologue of a somewhat rebellious lovestruck high schooler (I know thatās not the age of the characters but it is how it reads) or relatively predictable but intriguing enough plot, this book isnāt for you. Even you want an easy read to take you out of your own head and world for a while, and you can take the aforementioned characteristics in stride, then give it a shot.
Graphic: Animal death, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Death, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Xenophobia, Murder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Sexual content, Vomit, War, Death of parent, Body horror, Bullying, Chronic illness, Genocide, and Toxic friendship