Reviews with content warning for Murder - The Crimson Moth

There was a lot to this book that was easy to guess which made it a little less fun to read. The magic was interesting but I still feel like there is more too it than was explained. I like the characters, the relationships made sense as well as their motivations. The world felt both familiar and Victorian as well as completely new. I wish there had been more from Gedions POV. I felt like his experiences added a ton to the story. If only we could have had an Alex POV too. The storytelling was so good I couldn't put the book down and finished it in a day.

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ewatt33's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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mr05e's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-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

3.75

This book had a great set up to be an amazing story, but it ended up falling short for me.

The world-building didn’t seem very well thought out. Some of the details made it sound like it was a Victorian-inspired fantasy story, but then the author uses words like “leggings,” “bralette,” “sundress,” and “hooded sweater” (what’s wrong with just a cloak 🥹). Those parts would take me right out of the story.

I also wish Rune was given more time to shine as a vigilante-witch! It’s just explained that she has saved a bunch of witches from prison and helped them escape. I wanted part of the plot to be her saving people and being a badass. It’s a lot of talking about what her plan is and her internal struggle as a witch in hiding. Just wish there was more of her taking action/vigilantism to supplement her internal conflict.

The plot twist with

Verity actually being Cressida in disguise

was a bit predictable so I found myself wanting the characters to hurry up and get with the program.

And sadly, I think we all knew Alex wasn’t going to be long for this world, the enemies to lovers plot is obviously going to favor the enemies lmao

The enemies to lovers aspect of this romantasy was solid, probably the best part of the book. A little more “cat and mouse” action would’ve made it even better (aka more scenes where Gideon and Rune interact as blood guard vs crimson moth,

like when he sets up the trap in the mines

). I feel like it would’ve added more interest to their enemies dynamic. And once we get to the actual “lovers” part of the trope

it was well written: good balance of angst, consent, communication, intimacy, and spice that definitely made the way they parted ways at the end more emotional as opposed to just being fanservice-y

📚TLDR: Good enemies to lovers plot, just wished the characters and the world they are in were fleshed out better—more “show” and less “tell”.

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saretta02's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional tense medium-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? Yes

4.5

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nova_lilias's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense fast-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? Yes

5.0

First 5 star of the year!! I absolutely loved this book and yes, it made me cry.

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llychu's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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? Yes

3.75

would i recommend this? sure go for it
however kinda disappointing 😭

this book lowk tore me apart at the end
ima say it was good…. and i loveeeeeelovelove the witches and i think the magic system is super cool and interesting
and the plot twist at the end was just like crazy
HOWEVER…
for the book’s actual content (my opinion could be different because i have the BOTM version, not the regular one) it was a bit too long
like if ima be totally honest there wasnt a lot that happened… but something abt the book was js so entertaining that i barely even noticed it at times

also wish Rune was more of a girlboss like my expectations were that she was some vigilante going out at night and knows how to fight to save these witches yadayadayadaaaa
like dont get me wrong she was def a girlboss at times but dont go into this book expecting her to like kick ass all the time

overall fine, js a bit of a let down from the hype online, sadly, even tho it sounds SOOOSO up my alley with all the witchy stuff
+ i felt like the beginning set us up for a mystery as to what Seraphine needs to tell Rune, but i was disappointed at the end like nothing was even revealed 💀
love cressida’s character (not cs shes likeable but js cs she seems to have so much depth compared to the others)

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capsandclauses's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

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dcnireads's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

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