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graciejames's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Xenophobia
heather_freshparchment's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Domestic abuse, Xenophobia, Racism, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Antisemitism, Grief, Homophobia, and Murder
enchantressreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Racism, Death, Violence, Animal death, and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Torture, War, Child death, Blood, Gore, Domestic abuse, Antisemitism, and Xenophobia
Minor: Bullying
eugenicsk_galloway's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Religious bigotry, Body horror, War, Violence, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Gore, and Grief
Moderate: Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Racism, Kidnapping, Torture, and Medical trauma
therainbowshelf's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A fitting conclusion to this fun series! I loved the characters throughout (yes, even Evie, who I know some people hate). I don't usually read ghost stories/horror, but this one worked for me. Loved the queer rep (this is the first series I read with an explicitly ace character). The stuff with Isaiah felt a little cheapened in the end (so did the thing with Sam near the beginning), and there were just a few too many ambiance-building mini stories about the dead eating random people. There could have probably been about half of those and they would have achieved the desired effect without becoming a little repetitive.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Torture, Kidnapping, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Gaslighting, Animal death, Blood, Confinement, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Gun violence, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Cancer, Classism, Homophobia, and Physical abuse
Minor: Suicide and Colonisation
Seizure, drowning, Klu Klux Klanuyeb's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
this series means the absolute WORLD to me and i am so so upset that it’s over. (although based on the epilogue, i’ll be keeping my hopes up that perhaps there will be something to follow?). people advertised this book as being a letdown, a disappointment about their favorite characters, a bad ending to the series, etc, but i actually found it really enjoyable? it rivals the first book for becoming my favorite in the series, honestly, it was a solid ending to the series. so. i disagree there. i liked the different pacing of this book and the fact that we spent a lot of it getting to know the characters even better and seeing how they thrive (or fail) in different pairings and in different situations. the ending was a little anticlimactic and i liked it? i thought it made so much sense for the whole symbolism and purpose of this book and the series.
as for this series as a whole, let very mild character spoilers commence here. (you have been warned).
the characters are the thing that will always stick out to me about this series. if you’ve read six of crows and love the characters there, i think you’ll like this series, because they’re very similarly developed and characterized and i ADORE it. the books are very plot driven, yet there’s plenty of time and space for each character to share their story and make you obsessed with them. every relationship libba bray writes into this book makes sense, like romantic poetry type of love (i’m looking at you memphis and theta <3). the characters feel like home, and like a big hug (ling and henry especially) and their friendship and trust with each other is really why this series makes sense and why it’s so good.
then the setting and atmosphere is actually so good. i know my english teacher talked about setting as an important aspect to a mystery in the context of a different 1920s mystery we read and i didn’t believe her but boy is she right. even the descriptions from the first book carry over and inform the imagery in the last book. basically, the 1920s setting makes so much sense not only for the evil and plot in this series but also just the vibe. it’s glorious
the WRITING. miss libba bray, what have you done to me. i am so in love with the way this is written. from pacing to setting to language to dialogue to chapter length and format and everything in between, i think this is perfection on paper. i would not change a single thing about this writing and i may be ruined for every other series i ever read. (especially fantasy bc the standards for fantasy writing styles are low).
another thing i think was done really well and casually is the diversity here. and i don’t want to talk too much about it bc it’s not my place to judge most of this but i think adding casual diversity (or not so casual, bc it’s mentioned kinda frequently here, although the mentions are very appropriate) is so so important in fantasy because it’s the genre people seem to get away with the most when it comes to writing no diversity whatsoever. making the main cast of characters jewish and catholic, black and chinese (-irish), ace and gay/lesbian, disabled, and then having them save the world is so empowering and beautiful. this should the expectation and standard for all books but i feel it’s worth mentioning because so few authors do it at all. those words themselves (ie gay, ace, etc) aren’t used pretty much ever bc, well, it’s the 1920s, but the themes of being ~different~ are in everything in this book. i’m gonna say more about this in a second, but basically i mean that the characters are diverse and you can see how it affects their american experiences, so you can see racism, xenophobia, homophobia, and the like, but it’s also not a big deal? i think i’ve stopped making sense so moving on…
huge spoilers coming so don’t continue unless you have read the book. :)
this book in particular out of the series finally establishes and discusses the lengthy metaphor of this whole series and i just want to mention it bc i think it’s genius and amazing. so obviously you have the king of crows. and he represents the greed, bigotry, genocide, and other horrors that created america. and he’s basically the karma that americans have to deal with for messing up so badly. but he’s also working alongside buttholes like the KKK (butthole isn’t even close to a strong enough word), abusive boyfriends, people who are named after the founding fathers (not a coincidence), and eugenics fans. so it’s established that he represents the worst bigotry of all kinds that america has to offer. then enters a group of teenagers who have experienced this bigotry from sexism to racism to ableism to homophobia. and they not only destroy the king of crows and all his beliefs, but isaiah also looks him in the face and basically says ‘this huge secret of yours? it’s that you’re nothing. you’re just a coat and some memories’. and that’s so cool, first of all. but also it’s basically saying ‘all this prejudice and horrible stuff? shouldn’t have any weight. it’s stupid, it’s disgusting, and we’re gonna build a better world, one supernatural bigot at a time’. maybe i’m reading too deep, but i found this so cool. every line about finding a new normal is so interesting and just wow. also props to all the characters in this book for handling being different than each other so well? henry has to confront the awkward conversations around racism knowing his family had slaves but he’s learning and there’s memphis at the same time who’s a little uncomfortable with queer-ness but he’s trying too. just- if everyone worked like that in the real 1920s? life might’ve been better. just saying.
then there’s the fact that i bawled my eyes out on multiple occasions and miss the characters that died so much. rip jericho. rip miss addie. rip woody, honestly, he was getting better too. <33. just seriously, as a whole, this book and this series are so good. all time fave for sure. :)
as for this series as a whole, let very mild character spoilers commence here. (you have been warned).
the characters are the thing that will always stick out to me about this series. if you’ve read six of crows and love the characters there, i think you’ll like this series, because they’re very similarly developed and characterized and i ADORE it. the books are very plot driven, yet there’s plenty of time and space for each character to share their story and make you obsessed with them. every relationship libba bray writes into this book makes sense, like romantic poetry type of love (i’m looking at you memphis and theta <3). the characters feel like home, and like a big hug (ling and henry especially) and their friendship and trust with each other is really why this series makes sense and why it’s so good.
then the setting and atmosphere is actually so good. i know my english teacher talked about setting as an important aspect to a mystery in the context of a different 1920s mystery we read and i didn’t believe her but boy is she right. even the descriptions from the first book carry over and inform the imagery in the last book. basically, the 1920s setting makes so much sense not only for the evil and plot in this series but also just the vibe. it’s glorious
the WRITING. miss libba bray, what have you done to me. i am so in love with the way this is written. from pacing to setting to language to dialogue to chapter length and format and everything in between, i think this is perfection on paper. i would not change a single thing about this writing and i may be ruined for every other series i ever read. (especially fantasy bc the standards for fantasy writing styles are low).
another thing i think was done really well and casually is the diversity here. and i don’t want to talk too much about it bc it’s not my place to judge most of this but i think adding casual diversity (or not so casual, bc it’s mentioned kinda frequently here, although the mentions are very appropriate) is so so important in fantasy because it’s the genre people seem to get away with the most when it comes to writing no diversity whatsoever. making the main cast of characters jewish and catholic, black and chinese (-irish), ace and gay/lesbian, disabled, and then having them save the world is so empowering and beautiful. this should the expectation and standard for all books but i feel it’s worth mentioning because so few authors do it at all. those words themselves (ie gay, ace, etc) aren’t used pretty much ever bc, well, it’s the 1920s, but the themes of being ~different~ are in everything in this book. i’m gonna say more about this in a second, but basically i mean that the characters are diverse and you can see how it affects their american experiences, so you can see racism, xenophobia, homophobia, and the like, but it’s also not a big deal? i think i’ve stopped making sense so moving on…
huge spoilers coming so don’t continue unless you have read the book. :)
this book in particular out of the series finally establishes and discusses the lengthy metaphor of this whole series and i just want to mention it bc i think it’s genius and amazing. so obviously you have the king of crows. and he represents the greed, bigotry, genocide, and other horrors that created america. and he’s basically the karma that americans have to deal with for messing up so badly. but he’s also working alongside buttholes like the KKK (butthole isn’t even close to a strong enough word), abusive boyfriends, people who are named after the founding fathers (not a coincidence), and eugenics fans. so it’s established that he represents the worst bigotry of all kinds that america has to offer. then enters a group of teenagers who have experienced this bigotry from sexism to racism to ableism to homophobia. and they not only destroy the king of crows and all his beliefs, but isaiah also looks him in the face and basically says ‘this huge secret of yours? it’s that you’re nothing. you’re just a coat and some memories’. and that’s so cool, first of all. but also it’s basically saying ‘all this prejudice and horrible stuff? shouldn’t have any weight. it’s stupid, it’s disgusting, and we’re gonna build a better world, one supernatural bigot at a time’. maybe i’m reading too deep, but i found this so cool. every line about finding a new normal is so interesting and just wow. also props to all the characters in this book for handling being different than each other so well? henry has to confront the awkward conversations around racism knowing his family had slaves but he’s learning and there’s memphis at the same time who’s a little uncomfortable with queer-ness but he’s trying too. just- if everyone worked like that in the real 1920s? life might’ve been better. just saying.
then there’s the fact that i bawled my eyes out on multiple occasions and miss the characters that died so much. rip jericho. rip miss addie. rip woody, honestly, he was getting better too. <33. just seriously, as a whole, this book and this series are so good. all time fave for sure. :)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Xenophobia
ellanarose's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Hate crime, Racism, Animal death, Antisemitism, Gun violence, Child death, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Sexual content, and Grief
Moderate: Violence, Xenophobia, and War
Minor: Ableism
peytonktracy's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
4.0
Wow, this series has been a *journey.* The finale of this one wandered into a territory I definitely could not have expected from when I started this series back in May. It went from a couple of kids with some singular supernatural powers in a battered museum of the occult to a found family battling the self-proclaimed king of the land of the dead and reckoning with the legacy of the United States.
Overall, I'm pretty satisfied with this last book. I liked the character growth throughout, their roles in the ongoing battle for good. I liked that they were all able to work together while individually motivated by their own aspirations and fears. While all the still large cast of characters got bigger (rather than smaller) over the course of this book, the author did a good job of not letting the narrative get too chaotic. I was able to keep track of everyone for the most part. The author also did a fairly good job of tying up most of the loose threads by the end of the book, though I felt like some of them didn't get the due attention I thought they might have gotten, or perhaps even deserved to receive. Without going into details, I felt this story went a little off the rails (did not expect to spend time with a traveling circus, let's put it that way), and I also feel like the fight against the big bad... was barely a fight against the big bad. I think I expected it to be much more difficult than it was, but it also felt fitting as was so, I guess it worked out?! It was a fairly good if occasionally perplexing finale.
As a series, I enjoyed these four books overall. The characters are diverse in so, so many ways that will never not be appreciated for me. I loved how the big bad grew and grew with every book, and the world and characters grew with the challenges. While the reckoning with the beautiful ideals and the horrific history of the United States was perhaps overdone at times, the number of angles and perspectives that were incorporated into this fixated examination was intriguing enough that it was easy to forgive for perhaps even the fixated honesty in it. And it's a creative idea overall - I certainly haven't read anything like it. And these characters are definitely going to stick with me past this series. And if that's not successful storytelling, I don't know what is!
Overall, I'm pretty satisfied with this last book. I liked the character growth throughout, their roles in the ongoing battle for good. I liked that they were all able to work together while individually motivated by their own aspirations and fears. While all the still large cast of characters got bigger (rather than smaller) over the course of this book, the author did a good job of not letting the narrative get too chaotic. I was able to keep track of everyone for the most part. The author also did a fairly good job of tying up most of the loose threads by the end of the book, though I felt like some of them didn't get the due attention I thought they might have gotten, or perhaps even deserved to receive. Without going into details, I felt this story went a little off the rails (did not expect to spend time with a traveling circus, let's put it that way), and I also feel like the fight against the big bad... was barely a fight against the big bad. I think I expected it to be much more difficult than it was, but it also felt fitting as was so, I guess it worked out?! It was a fairly good if occasionally perplexing finale.
As a series, I enjoyed these four books overall. The characters are diverse in so, so many ways that will never not be appreciated for me. I loved how the big bad grew and grew with every book, and the world and characters grew with the challenges. While the reckoning with the beautiful ideals and the horrific history of the United States was perhaps overdone at times, the number of angles and perspectives that were incorporated into this fixated examination was intriguing enough that it was easy to forgive for perhaps even the fixated honesty in it. And it's a creative idea overall - I certainly haven't read anything like it. And these characters are definitely going to stick with me past this series. And if that's not successful storytelling, I don't know what is!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, and Violence
Minor: Acephobia/Arophobia, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Genocide, Homophobia, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Slavery, Toxic friendship, and Xenophobia
The KKK is regularly mentioned in this book. Most of these tags are allusions to these topics, not a primary feature of the plot.danaleelin's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Antisemitism, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Medical trauma, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, Violence, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Ableism, Acephobia/Arophobia, Animal cruelty, and Death of parent