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arys_library's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
- 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
Great start to a hopefully amazing series!
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!
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!
Content Warnings
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
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- 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
First read (2022), original review:
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Minor: Drug abuse and Drug use
matt_1984's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Physical abuse
Minor: Drug abuse
basicnikki's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- 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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Drug abuse
katvou's review against another edition
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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Murder, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Torture
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Drug abuse and Vomit
valereads2105's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is amazing! It's rare that a book can keep me up until nearly midnight 2 nights in a row, but this book managed it.
I loved Celaena's friendships with Nehemia, Chaol and Dorian.
I love the setting. It's a medieval style castle with similar era weapons and attire. Need I say more.
C- 9
A- 9
W- 9
P- 10
I- 8.5
L- 9.5
E- 10!!!!!!
I loved Celaena's friendships with Nehemia, Chaol and Dorian.
I love the setting. It's a medieval style castle with similar era weapons and attire. Need I say more.
C- 9
A- 9
W- 9
P- 10
I- 8.5
L- 9.5
E- 10!!!!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Death, and Gore
Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Slavery, and Suicidal thoughts
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