Reviews

I really liked this book. I liked the atmosphere it provided the most, and think it was a good story, if a little confusing at times and with a couple loose threads

tinywitcher's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Some have said that this book is often described as "slow burn" but I read through it within a week. I think its more accurate to describe the romantic relationship between FMC and MMC as slow burn. If anyone feels like they "just can't get into it" try reading the physical book and if you aren't enticed by page ~115 then maybe it's a DNF for ya and that's okay!
I'm very satisfied with the way the book unfolded and how it ended! Some twists I didn't see coming.
I loved every moment of pomegranates and orange groves ❤️❤️

kat_inkstained_realms's review against another edition

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3.0

I really wanted to LOVE this book. Truly. But unfortunately, it was just enough for "like." And even that only happened in the last third... To be completely honest, in the first third, I wanted to put the book aside, in the second third, it was "tolerable," and in the third third, I thought, "At least now it's quite okay."

There are some things I liked:

- Writing style
- Everything is well thought out
- The FMC goes through a significant development
- The magic is interesting (although not very deeply explained)

But unfortunately, some things didn't work for me at all:

- The romance between the main characters... I don't know if it was because both sounded so unattractive to me (in my mind's eye, Santangel just looked sick and half-decayed...) or if it was simply because there was no chemistry between them...
- Luzia's development is great on the one hand, but on the other hand, it's not comprehensible to me. It felt like going "from shy to heroic" overnight...
- The tension - there is hardly any.
- The story reads very slowly in parts. It took me a long time to get into the story.
- The magic is not explained enough for me. I would have liked to know more about it.

Overall, it's not a bad book - you can definitely read it and find joy in many parts! But it just wasn't enough for 4 or 5 stars... :-/

PS: I have to say that this is my first book by Leigh Bardugo. I've heard that her other books are very different from this one, so I will definitely read one of her other books to get to know this author better. :-)

kaitlinrm15's review against another edition

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emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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