Scan barcode
moondragon8's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
I'm gonna be honest: I picked this one up mostly because I dabble frequently in Fallen London, and the premise of more Weird Londons seemed very in line with my taste. Unfortunately, this was not nearly as Londony as I had hoped, despite the high rate of Londons per London, and I had forgotten I kinda hate high fantasy.
Okay, hate is a strong word. To the book's credit: the prose is strong, there's a few really beautiful lines, and the worldbuilding is very solid and interesting, and conveyed in a way that isn't overwhelming but doesn't leave you in the dark. However, to me it seemed that the focus given to the (very rich and engaging!) world meant that the characters were sort of left to the wayside.
That's not to say there weren't some fun characters. Lila, the top hat wearing wannabe-pirate, was very fun, and arguably had a little character arc. I also liked the rakish Prince Rhy, when we saw him, and there were a couple very classically Londony side characters. (The weird (Danish?) regents of White London were good villains but deeply unpleasant characters– they gave me Game of Thrones vibes, which is a part of the British literary canon I could do without. Also, vaguely weird that they're Fantasy Danish and their magical attack dog is named Holland?? Were there Implications there I wasn't getting?)
Kell, though, was kind of a blank slate, which was a bit disappointing. He did spend a good portion of the book
My final note is that I was initially a bit concerned to see that this was a trilogy, but in the end was quite satisfied with how all the plot threads wrapped up. This book was a fun step outside my comfort zone, but it didn't force me to keep reading if I wasn't feeling it, which I really appreciated. I was a little disappointed to
(...Actually, I just realized they do leave one mystery hanging— something about Kell's special knife having K. L. on it, and the mystery of his origins, is mentioned at the beginning and then kinda dropped throughout and never explained or even brought up, which is probably why I didn't recall it until literally just now. Ah well.)
Graphic: Torture, Body horror, Murder, Cursing, Gun violence, Gore, Death, Grief, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Alcohol, Blood, and Child death
Moderate: Sexual harassment
Minor: Sexual assault, Cannibalism, and Colonisation
jannarae26's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Gore, Self harm, Torture, Violence, and Murder
babyvirgo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Moderate: Violence and Gore
Minor: Sexual violence
Female lead mentions sexual harassment and assault in the past, acts strong and dismissive on it.moonchild_cos's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Blood, Death, Murder, Violence, Body horror, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gun violence, Gore, and Self harm
Minor: Cursing, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Torture, and Sexual harassment
cowardlyteaman's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The plot was good, the characters were good, and I really like its pace.
Especially in the end, I felt like some of the battles were a bit short and shallow? However, I am aware that this is a trilogy, and will give the end game a chance to be tension I'm looking for.
I would very much recommend this to any fantasy fan who likes a bit of a blood bath and very interesting world-building. There's elemental magic, alternative worlds, humorous dialogue, and a small romance sub-plot that doesn't take up tedious space at all.
Graphic: Self harm, Alcohol, Blood, Addiction, Murder, Gore, and Torture
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Drug use and Sexual content
donatio's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
She is one of my favourite authors and in my opinion just a master of storytelling, I can picture clearly in my head what happens and feel with the characters who feel a little like home by now.
This is a book for the ones who like elemental magic, multiple POVs, thieees and adventures.
100% recommend
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Alcohol, Gore, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Grief, Hate crime, Torture, Cursing, Death, and Murder
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, and Grief
tallnecked_pancakeface's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Self harm, Torture, Blood, Gore, Death, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
zoeelora'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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Murder, Blood, and Self harm
Moderate: Alcohol, Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death of parent, Sexual content, Stalking, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Sexual harassment, Death, Gun violence, Murder, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Abandonment, Addiction, Child death, Child abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Self harm, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Misogyny, and Violence
seastheday's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
2024: decided to revisit this book- I had forgotten everything except for how icky the Dane Twins made me feel. The beginning was slow and the end was almost too fast. Things weren’t built up much and resolved way too quickly. The world building was excellent though. I like V.E. Schwab and I’m going to give the second book in the trilogy a chance. I found myself not really liking any of the characters, which is supposedly unusual for this book. I think I will like Lila more as the story continues. Kell just is a sacrificial idiot & I have hopes that he will grow more as a character.
Graphic: Self harm and Violence
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Gore
Minor: Rape
asiaunique'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? No
4.5
Graphic: Blood and Death
Moderate: Self harm, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Gore
Minor: Sexual assault