Scan barcode
rae1ear'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
5.0
Moderate: Slavery and Violence
Minor: Vomit, Drug abuse, and Sexism
cameronmh'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? No
4.25
Graphic: Body horror, Suicide attempt, Vomit, Torture, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Death of parent, Death, Gore, Violence, War, Blood, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Slavery, and Animal death
Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Cursing, Rape, Addiction, Alcohol, Grief, Gaslighting, and Drug abuse
There is poison! Both a theoretical poisoning (a controlled environment, but still theoretically very dangerous) and a second scene with a purposeful poisoning with an agent that can cause death. There are also hallucinations (which end up to be technically real) caused by the poisoning.heathersinkwell's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Also, keep in mind this is a YA book, not an adult fantasy book. It's comparable to GoT but it's not GoT (which is adult fantasy). There is a decent amount of telling, not showing. Again, I expect that in a YA book.
People complain about Celaena being whiney or "not assassin-like."
So, despite the hype, I tempered my expectations and enjoyed the book for what it is. I'm excited to read the rest of the series!
Tropes:
-enemies to lovers
-love triangle
-chosen one
-banned magic
-good vs evil
-reluctant hero
-orphan hero
Graphic: Slavery, Grief, Classism, Death of parent, Murder, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Torture
Minor: Cannibalism, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Drug use, Rape, and Sexual harassment
aklovekorn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Slavery, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Blood, Drug abuse, Gore, and Misogyny
csmall73'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: Death, Death of parent, Racism, War, Drug abuse, Vomit, Gore, Child abuse, and Violence
sdemo08'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
I devoured these first time I read them and I still enjoyed the strong female protagonist this time around. I can't wait to continue.
[Eye of Elena on "black currant" crocheted blanket.]
Minor: Confinement, Gore, Blood, Drug abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, Violence, Vomit, War, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Grief, Medical content, and Slavery
chloe_silk1810'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
4.5
Graphic: Death of parent, Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Blood, Grief, Kidnapping, Violence, Genocide, Murder, and Death
Moderate: War, Torture, Drug abuse, Vomit, and Drug use
nerdkitten's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Violence, Blood, Death, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Drug abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Grief
Moderate: Colonisation, Torture, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Vomit, Physical abuse, Body horror, Drug use, Medical content, Slavery, and Addiction
Minor: Animal death, Trafficking, Xenophobia, Rape, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Classism, Alcohol, Confinement, Death of parent, Deportation, Genocide, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
arys_library'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
Another Sarah J Maas book that was pretty good. I'll be honest, I am still waiting (very impatiently) for some more diversity to be added to her books. I feel uncomfortable buying so many books from her when the diversity is so low. Because of that, the rating of this book has gone from probably a 4.5 to a 4-star book.
Overall, I really liked this book. I loved the characters and their relationship, I feel like we got a great glimpse into what's to come, I felt so immersed almost instantly into the book. I read this pretty fast, it's definitely a gripping and intriguing book, and one that I'll most likely recommend soon!
Moderate: Death, Vomit, Murder, Blood, Physical abuse, Torture, Confinement, Violence, and Slavery
Minor: Cursing, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, and Gore
paulaks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was my first book by SJM and I quite enjoyed it! The world building was stunning and the plotlines interesting. My only problem are the characters: Celaena, Dorian and his father were just flat and annoyed me quickly. I had no big problem with everyone else but these three got on my nerves. Excluding them, I had fun reading and started to ignore these flaws. Because of that I will be giving the second book a read too! 4 stars.
Second read (2024):
Had to reread the first book before starting the second book. Definitely worth it because I underestimated the amount of plotlines this book had. I agree with most of my thoughts from 2 years ago. The plot is the strongest aspect, even though it felt really spontaneous and not planned. Great atmosphere. The characters weren´t as deep as I wanted them to be but this time Celaena wasn´t as annoying. It just suffered from telling and not showing a lot. Dorian and his father continued being unpleasant, and my "favorite" characters so far are Chaol and Nehemia, even Kaltain has potential.
Knowing that I had forgotten most of the plot tells me a lot about the book: It´s forgettable. However, it works as a fantasy setup and I´m excited to see what the next books have in store. 3.5 stars.
Graphic: Death
Minor: Drug abuse and Drug use