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karapillar's review against another edition
Graphic: Chronic illness, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Torture, Gore, Hate crime, Physical abuse, and Violence
sarah984's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
However, the characters we spend our time focused on are probably the least interesting of the bunch. They spend a lot of time complaining and making impulsive decisions (and then complaining that people don't trust them not to make impulsive decisions) and you only kind of hear about other characters doing cool things in the background. The ending wraps up extremely fast so a lot of the victories don't really feel earned. I get the idea of noting every character’s skintone instead of making special note of who wasn't white, but it really drove home how white the core cast still was so I don't know if it helped.
Also this is a nitpick but if you're retelling Phantom of the Opera and you drop ZERO chandeliers? You're doing it wrong.
Graphic: Torture
Moderate: Animal death, Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Physical abuse, Violence, and Vomit
Minor: Abortion, Death of parent, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Police brutality, and Sexual content
starccato's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Animal death, Animal cruelty, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Medical content, Murder, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Gore, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Grief
Moderate: Stalking
Minor: Abortion, Confinement, Death of parent, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Vomit, Lesbophobia, Body shaming, Religious bigotry, and Sexual content
iorelyn's review
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Physical abuse, and Torture
callmrsmuise's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I find that the story is incredibly sad all the way through. I was getting kind of upset about it for a bit. With zero reprieve from the abuse inflicted on the protagonists I was waiting impatiently for it to end… or for something NOT sad to happen. Additionally, I was a little confused about the character’s motivations for doing certain things. In a way, this made their feelings seem contrived.
Audiobook review: Reading was somewhat monotone with only slight differences in the voices. Again, a nitpick. Audio was well produced.
Graphic: Physical abuse and Emotional abuse
valpuri's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
The concept of magic that is sung and a romance between two women that are on opposite sides of a rebellion are what convinced me to pick up this book, but it just didn't really deliver on either of those. There is very little world-building or character development, and the latter half of the book feels very rushed. :( The first half of the book is pretty good and promising... I just wish that there was something more to the end.
Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Medical content, Physical abuse, Torture, and Violence
Minor: Chronic illness, Grief, and Vomit
mushr00mcore's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Torture, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Blood, Animal death, and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Homophobia
caseythereader's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
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What I liked:
📚 Queer PHANTOM OF THE OPERA retelling? Yes, please!
📚 I loved the magic system here. I loved the idea of singing to marshal your magic, and that you could tell a lot about the mage by their voice.
📚 Such wonderful imagery, from the beauty of the Queen's stronghold to the horrors of the region where those expelled from the court are sent.
📚 The tension between the protagonists felt real - it wasn't insta-love, but also the barriers they faced weren't just pointless roadblocks. 📚
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What I didn't like:
📚 It's a pretty basic YA dystopia setup. This isn't necessarily a knock on the book, just something to know going in.
📚 I do wish some pieces of the world's history and nuances of the magic system were more detailed - I could tell there was more in the author's brain that didn't make it into the book. 📚
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Content warnings: alcoholism, blood, death, homophobia (mild), physical abuse, torture, violence, and vomit.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Blood, Death, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, and Vomit