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abookwormspov's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Cannibalism
ireadinbed's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
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? Yes
5.0
First 5 star of 2023!
Really enjoyed this book start to finish! Great characters and a world i still want to explore with plenty of mysteries left at the center.
I am so tempted to move on immediately even though i have a book i have been looking forward to waiting for me aleady lol.
Really enjoyed this book start to finish! Great characters and a world i still want to explore with plenty of mysteries left at the center.
I am so tempted to move on immediately even though i have a book i have been looking forward to waiting for me aleady lol.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Violence
Moderate: Xenophobia
Minor: Racism
leahfoko's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I enjoyed this book, I have only read Uprooted as the other Naomi Novik book and I think I liked this one more because it moved a bit faster in my opinion and I found the relationship to be a lot less problematic and I really enjoyed their dynamic of Orion just being an oblivious himbo and Galadriel starting to kind of like him but refusing to admit it. Also the end of chapter 12 had me absolutely cracking up. When you read it you’ll know. I really thoroughly enjoyed Orion and just the dynamic between him and Galadriel throughout the book was so gosh darn entertaining to me. Big fan. Wonderful variation to the enemies to lovers idea. That was my favorite part of the book by far was those two.
That said, one line about dreadlocks really is god awful and should not have been written. Yikes. Just completely unnecessary. But the rest of the book I personally didn’t find to be as racist and problematic as some people have said. I am white however and therefore don’t feel I can speak on the topic, it’s not my place to say whether this book is harmful when I am not the affected party. I had to take off at least 0.5 stars for that problematic section though for sure.
I really appreciated the world building once again. The whole world is super elaborate and interesting and I really felt like I was placed into the school. That said, a lot of the time this book felt kind of bogged down with descriptions of things that has happened in the world. I think it was necessary to make this world as rich and interesting as it was, but it sometimes slowed down the story. I think the future books might be better pace wise because hopefully there will be less of that world building slog. Another 0.5 stars off from me for the long explanations.
The reviews that I saw that described this book/world as Hogwarts but actively trying to kill you felt veryyy accurate to me. A great description so if you are intrigued by that I say read this book. I will definitely be reading the second one when it comes from the library. 4 stars.
That said, one line about dreadlocks really is god awful and should not have been written. Yikes. Just completely unnecessary. But the rest of the book I personally didn’t find to be as racist and problematic as some people have said. I am white however and therefore don’t feel I can speak on the topic, it’s not my place to say whether this book is harmful when I am not the affected party. I had to take off at least 0.5 stars for that problematic section though for sure.
I really appreciated the world building once again. The whole world is super elaborate and interesting and I really felt like I was placed into the school. That said, a lot of the time this book felt kind of bogged down with descriptions of things that has happened in the world. I think it was necessary to make this world as rich and interesting as it was, but it sometimes slowed down the story. I think the future books might be better pace wise because hopefully there will be less of that world building slog. Another 0.5 stars off from me for the long explanations.
The reviews that I saw that described this book/world as Hogwarts but actively trying to kill you felt veryyy accurate to me. A great description so if you are intrigued by that I say read this book. I will definitely be reading the second one when it comes from the library. 4 stars.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Violence, Vomit, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
pages_with_panda's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I want to start off by saying that I did read the diversity controversy regarding this book and I don’t think it was intentionally malicious. That being said, I’m not a part of either culture that was being affected.
There was criticism from some about having a Welsh/Desi character who didn’t shower often and how that may have played into negative stereotypes for that culture. There was also a section of world-building that included bug monsters that would love in dreadlocks, feeding into a negative stereotype about locs being unclean that was harmful.
The edition of the book that I read had the entire section of dreadlocks removed.
I think it’s important to note that the entire school had monsters filled in every nook and cranny, and that this section was talking about the lack of cleanliness for ALL students, because of the monsters that lived in shower-heads, shower drains, everywhere. Not to mention that El lived in a hippie commune with her Welsh mother before moving to the school. I’m not making excuses, but think the context is important for her lack of cleanliness. I don’t think it’s fair to say that this was a negative statement against Desi people when none of the students could shower for fear of their lives.
OKAY, now to the rest of the book: I think the slow pacing for this made me feel like I keep waiting for the book to start and it never did.
It was very different from her fairy-tale stories that I really liked. The action scenes seemed to be over too quickly, contrary to the rest of the book and there was a mix of monologuing and info dumping and getting side tracked before getting back to the point or plot. There was a lot of information that I had a hard time keeping straight especially with names of monsters.
I did like the premise, and did find it interesting. However, Orion was a bit bland and boring and even though we’re introduced to him from the first page of the book, I feel like we didn’t really get to see much of him. He was loyal and dumb to our heroine's smart and cunning which was fun. El’s personality was great, I loved seeing a heroine who was mean and bitter and just cunning.
The climax and end of the book was a bit boring and despite the slow pacing for the whole book, the ending felt rushed. Felt like an interesting start to a whole series.
There was criticism from some about having a Welsh/Desi character who didn’t shower often and how that may have played into negative stereotypes for that culture. There was also a section of world-building that included bug monsters that would love in dreadlocks, feeding into a negative stereotype about locs being unclean that was harmful.
The edition of the book that I read had the entire section of dreadlocks removed.
I think it’s important to note that the entire school had monsters filled in every nook and cranny, and that this section was talking about the lack of cleanliness for ALL students, because of the monsters that lived in shower-heads, shower drains, everywhere. Not to mention that El lived in a hippie commune with her Welsh mother before moving to the school. I’m not making excuses, but think the context is important for her lack of cleanliness. I don’t think it’s fair to say that this was a negative statement against Desi people when none of the students could shower for fear of their lives.
OKAY, now to the rest of the book: I think the slow pacing for this made me feel like I keep waiting for the book to start and it never did.
It was very different from her fairy-tale stories that I really liked. The action scenes seemed to be over too quickly, contrary to the rest of the book and there was a mix of monologuing and info dumping and getting side tracked before getting back to the point or plot. There was a lot of information that I had a hard time keeping straight especially with names of monsters.
I did like the premise, and did find it interesting. However, Orion was a bit bland and boring and even though we’re introduced to him from the first page of the book, I feel like we didn’t really get to see much of him. He was loyal and dumb to our heroine's smart and cunning which was fun. El’s personality was great, I loved seeing a heroine who was mean and bitter and just cunning.
The climax and end of the book was a bit boring and despite the slow pacing for the whole book, the ending felt rushed. Felt like an interesting start to a whole series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, and Death of parent
lanid's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Violence, Murder, and Classism
lgummy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
shannnne_reads_words's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
Moderate: Child death, Death, Gore, Violence, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Murder
eni_iilorak's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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? No
3.0
Interesting concept of an unusual magical world. Not only the magic system but also the society with its complex mechanisms of privilege are well thought out. Thinking through the details of a complex society is Naomi Novik's strength.
Writing emotions is not.
A first-person narrator with little interest in other people is a baffling and unfortunate choice. As a result, most of the other characters are completely forgettable. As the protagonist rarely talks to anyone, there is very little dialogue. The narrator takes us through the details of this fictional world. Very little is shown or discovered, almost everything is explained. Large parts of the book read less like a novel and more like an essay that details the rules of its universe. This style of writing left me detached from the story and characters.
I'm not sure I would have finished the book if it hadn't been for the excellent audiobook narration.
With one single sentence, the very last one in the book, Naomi Novik made me want to read the sequel, and I don't know if I am impressed or angry.
Writing emotions is not.
A first-person narrator with little interest in other people is a baffling and unfortunate choice. As a result, most of the other characters are completely forgettable. As the protagonist rarely talks to anyone, there is very little dialogue. The narrator takes us through the details of this fictional world. Very little is shown or discovered, almost everything is explained. Large parts of the book read less like a novel and more like an essay that details the rules of its universe. This style of writing left me detached from the story and characters.
I'm not sure I would have finished the book if it hadn't been for the excellent audiobook narration.
With one single sentence, the very last one in the book, Naomi Novik made me want to read the sequel, and I don't know if I am impressed or angry.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Gore, Violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Racism, Vomit, and Medical content
Minor: Drug use, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
the_quickening_tree's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Fantastic book, Naomi Novik truly is a master wordsmith. Fast paced and engaging- I've never read a book before that actually triggered and adrenaline response! Very witty, you will be drawn in from the first page.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Blood, Vomit, and Murder
saramcaps's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
A complex and unique magic system and dark academia setting. The Scholomance school is a character in and of itself and plays both teacher and villain. While the school’s character was laid out right from the start, actual character-building was lacking until the back half of the book.
The stream of conscious, sarcastic ramblings of the stubborn main character El and the massive amount of info dumps was not my favorite writing style. Most of the book lacked the heart to balance the darkness, but by the end, I found that missing piece in the well-rounded group of seniors and the clear setup for a grumpy/sunshine romance in the future. I’m hoping the second book digs more into those friendships and less into world-building.
The stream of conscious, sarcastic ramblings of the stubborn main character El and the massive amount of info dumps was not my favorite writing style. Most of the book lacked the heart to balance the darkness, but by the end, I found that missing piece in the well-rounded group of seniors and the clear setup for a grumpy/sunshine romance in the future. I’m hoping the second book digs more into those friendships and less into world-building.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death and Violence