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anoelle99'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
3.5
Graphic: Racism, Sexism, Violence, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Sexual content, Emotional abuse, and Sexual violence
Minor: Rape, Child abuse, and Animal death
ka_ke's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Racial slurs, Grief, Violence, War, Blood, Bullying, Classism, Colonisation, Cursing, Cultural appropriation, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Religious bigotry, and Animal death
Moderate: Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Trafficking, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Death of parent, Sexual content, and Genocide
Minor: Cursing, Sexual violence, Body horror, Body shaming, Child death, and Sexual harassment
mypatronusisajedi's review
- 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: Misogyny, Murder, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Child death, Classism, Racism, Religious bigotry, Child abuse, Death, Grief, Physical abuse, Blood, Hate crime, Sexual harassment, Death of parent, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Animal death, Bullying, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, and War
sshelbyreadss's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Oh my god if I have to hear a phrase about “lines” one more time I SWEAR.
“Caressing my lines,” sending heat through my lines, my knotted lines. My lines this, my lines that. Ahhhh!
I feel like the idea of “lines” is a cop out to actually describing the feeling of the elemental magic and its flow through the body.
I started reading this again (started at 70%) at the same time I was reading The Iron Widow which has a similar idea of elemental magic. And I felt that TIW did a better job of explaining the flow of magic/power (via meridians), and the connection of partners via/with magic.
Glad I stuck with it because
I KNEW HE WASN’T DEAD!
ps. Here is me again saying how much I hate love triangles.
Previous review 2021
*SPOILER ALERT*
Proceed at your own risk.
I LOVED book 1&2! Book 2 is probably my favorite. I made it 3/4 of the way through this one when I decided that I had had enough.
To preface, the love triangle is my least favorite trope. It makes my heart feel horrible. But if it’s for you, you might love this book. I felt strung along during books 1&2 almost to the point of it being too much with Elloren and Yvan. It’s sweet relief at the end of book two when Elloren and Yvan finally get together. And then we get to book 3…and there’s a short snippet of Yvan’s story and then he just dies*and Elloran goes all in (despite her heavily mentioned guilt) with Lukas because she must depend on him for her “safety,” (but she can’t grieve Yvan because apparently there is time for sex and cultic ceremonies celebrating the deflowering of virgins but not grief during wartime 🤷♀️…). It just felt so so lame to me (especially as a member of Team Yvan).
I think one of the things that I dislike about the love plot as well as the evolution of Elloren’s power is the pattern of the idea being too drawn out for far too long. We all saw it coming that Elloran is the black witch. I get it, I get it!… Elloran has no control over her power (as has been mentioned for the kajallionth time…), I get it, Elloren and Yvan CANNOT be together because it’s dangerous (book 2). If the author’s intent was to leave the reader feeling supremely frustrated, then mission absolutely accomplished for this reader. Like, Elloren, get it together! You can light a forest on fire with a toothpick, stop being so helpless! Maybe I’m being hard on her but it seems a departure from her go-getter attitude in the previous books where she empowers herself through knowledge and cleverness by taking her education into her own hands and concocting plans.
From a little spoiler research I did, it seems that Yvan, to my great relief, isn’t dead, so I’ll probably read the next book when it’s released. And it seems that Elloren also gets her girl power going by the end of this book. But life’s too short and I have too many books on my TBR to continue listening to the next 5 hours and feeling the way that I do.
Lastly, the books started with perspectives from others but then transitioned to a great portion dedicated to Elloren’s perspective. I wish they would have been tied together more (Six of Crows did this really well) or that the author had kept the same format as the first books or completely switched perspectives (like SJM did with Nesta in A Court of Silver Flames).
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual violence
rini's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Bullying, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, and Violence
Moderate: Alcohol, Animal death, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Slavery, and War
Minor: Rape