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bettysbookishworld's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I really enjoyed the book! It is not the best oneI have ever read but it has a potential to be one of my favourite series. Even though it did have some similarities with Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, it still had a different vibe to me (less dark, more adventurous and more fast-paced writing style than in SoC).
Let´s start with the things I loved - characters! I enjoyed all POVs and cared about all of them. My favourite one was Zofia as I loved her mathematical and only fact-based way of thinking. Laila was a sweetheart and I loved her! Enrique was smart and funny at the same time which I love about characters. Séverin was my favourite too until the end of the book. So I don´t know what to think about him anymore. Another aspect of the book I liked were all these riddles and puzzles and random facts. That is what made the story interesting and fast-paced. Also the magic system using forging was so fascinating!
But what ruined my excitement from the story was THE ENDING!!! Like why? Tristan´s death was not suprising really and I liked him the least but why did we need to know that he was a psycho killing birds after he died? It completely ruined the character, the vibe of the book and it was such an unnecessary information we could live without. Also, I hate "the love triangle" between Zofia, Enrique and Hypnos (it was unnecessary too and felt really forced). And Séverin being the biggest asshole was a cherry on top and Laila does not deserve to be treated like that!
Overall, I enjoyed reading the book, really liked it and even though it had its flaws, I still want to read the other books in this series becase it was very enjoyable read! :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Torture
Minor: Animal cruelty
linaisverytired's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
mysterious
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
I really adored this book. The different mythologies from different cultures, the patterns , the golden ratio, it was amazing. I loved the book's diversity and I loved the talk about colonialism.
I also really loved the 1800s paris setting.
I was not prepared for the emotional damage no one warned me about tristan's death
I believe the comparisoms to Six of Crows are wrong and unfair. I read both books and they are completely different. The similarities end with the diverse characters and the found family trope. (Both books have heists but the heists are completely different)
I also really loved the 1800s paris setting.
I believe the comparisoms to Six of Crows are wrong and unfair. I read both books and they are completely different. The similarities end with the diverse characters and the found family trope. (Both books have heists but the heists are completely different)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Racism
childoflight's review against another edition
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Cultural appropriation, Body horror, Kidnapping, Racism, Grief, Death, Colonisation, and Antisemitism
Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death
oliverreeds's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
i liked it. i just felt like the book lacked that extra step of vibrancy that really brings books to life. i felt as if something important- some greater substance was necessary for me to truly love this book
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, and Torture
lilifane's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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? Yes
3.0
I don't know how to rate this. Because there were things about the book I absolutely loved. And then there were things I absolutely hated.
What shines the most are the characters. They were basically what kept me reading. The story lives with these characters, their friendship is just so special and wholesome. So, I hated what happened at the end because this is just cheap writing.
And as much as I loved the setting and atmosphere of the story and the adventure of it, the writing felt very rushed and convenient most of the time. There was A LOT of world building crammed into a very small book. I could hardly keep up with every new description and magical object or power. When nothing else was going on, it was easy to imagine the magic and the locations, for example the amazing hotel. But as soon as there was action involved, I couldn't picture anything at all. Which is a shame because I feel these places were really cool. But I liked that riddles were included into the book, even though they were either too easy or too vague. And for someone who is interested in a lot of cultures and myths and history, there were a lot of references too (Maybe a little too many even...).
I'm not particularly interested in the plot anymore, but I will probably continue the series for the characters, their diversity and the discussions about colonialism and theft of art/cultural artifacts from other cultures. It's really cool that this is part of a YA series these days.
What shines the most are the characters. They were basically what kept me reading. The story lives with these characters, their friendship is just so special and wholesome. So, I hated what happened at the end because this is just cheap writing.
And as much as I loved the setting and atmosphere of the story and the adventure of it, the writing felt very rushed and convenient most of the time. There was A LOT of world building crammed into a very small book. I could hardly keep up with every new description and magical object or power. When nothing else was going on, it was easy to imagine the magic and the locations, for example the amazing hotel. But as soon as there was action involved, I couldn't picture anything at all. Which is a shame because I feel these places were really cool. But I liked that riddles were included into the book, even though they were either too easy or too vague. And for someone who is interested in a lot of cultures and myths and history, there were a lot of references too (Maybe a little too many even...).
I'm not particularly interested in the plot anymore, but I will probably continue the series for the characters, their diversity and the discussions about colonialism and theft of art/cultural artifacts from other cultures. It's really cool that this is part of a YA series these days.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Grief, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Colonisation, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, and Ableism
kennim's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
montagnetalarie's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
There's nothing i love more in life than this book and séverin 🥺
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Antisemitism
ksllim's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
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
3.5
zofia i love u
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Child abuse
thoseoldcrows23's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
I've read this book twice now and my experience has been the same both times. I find it to be fun, funny, and engaging when I'm actually reading it; however, I struggle to pick it back up once I've set it down. For me, this book is kind of like cotton candy: enjoyable at the time but intensely fleeting. I want to continue with the series, and I'm hopeful that, since I actually own the second book now, I will make progress in the new year; however, if I find myself forgetting about it again, I may just DNF the trilogy and call it done.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Child abuse
Moderate: Death and Animal cruelty
Minor: Antisemitism, Homophobia, and Racism
scarlettskyes's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Racism, Torture, Violence, and Xenophobia