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julesadventurezone's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Murder, and Kidnapping
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Slavery
amberinbookland's review
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Grief, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts
kaiulanilee's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
hmmmm....okay. I’ve had time to gather my thoughts since yesterday so here goes.
overall, I liked the book. it was definitely enjoyable to read and the plot, characters, and world were engaging and intriguing enough to keep me invested. I think the strongest and most enjoyable aspects of this book were the world it’s set in and the relationships between a lot of the characters. I haven’t read more in the series yet and I’m hoping they’ll explore this more but what I wished we had more of was a more in depth look at the world itself and how it came to be the way it is. the special powers, the class dynamics, etc. it all felt very surface level. I think on the whole this book kind of falls into the trap that a lot of fantasy (esp YA) fantasy does where it all just feels familiar. A love triangle with a “good guy” childhood friend and a “bad boy” with a ton of power who is “misunderstood” and sad, an ugly duckling main character who is SURPRISE!....not really ugly she just has brown hair and pale skin, a vague feeling of “I’m not like other girls” throughout the entire book, mentions of class issues without ever fully going in depth, the typical chosen one narrative, etc...it’s all there.
This book has moments that are truly good. The scene with the stag in particular has stuck with me. That being said, I feel like if you read a lot of fantasy this will just feel like a retelling of a lot of other stories with not a ton to distinguish it. I would recommend giving it a shot and I’m hoping the other books will make it more distinctive, but on the whole I think it’s missing some fleshing out. On to the next books!
overall, I liked the book. it was definitely enjoyable to read and the plot, characters, and world were engaging and intriguing enough to keep me invested. I think the strongest and most enjoyable aspects of this book were the world it’s set in and the relationships between a lot of the characters. I haven’t read more in the series yet and I’m hoping they’ll explore this more but what I wished we had more of was a more in depth look at the world itself and how it came to be the way it is. the special powers, the class dynamics, etc. it all felt very surface level. I think on the whole this book kind of falls into the trap that a lot of fantasy (esp YA) fantasy does where it all just feels familiar. A love triangle with a “good guy” childhood friend and a “bad boy” with a ton of power who is “misunderstood” and sad, an ugly duckling main character who is SURPRISE!....not really ugly she just has brown hair and pale skin, a vague feeling of “I’m not like other girls” throughout the entire book, mentions of class issues without ever fully going in depth, the typical chosen one narrative, etc...it’s all there.
This book has moments that are truly good. The scene with the stag in particular has stuck with me. That being said, I feel like if you read a lot of fantasy this will just feel like a retelling of a lot of other stories with not a ton to distinguish it. I would recommend giving it a shot and I’m hoping the other books will make it more distinctive, but on the whole I think it’s missing some fleshing out. On to the next books!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Death
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Violence
Minor: Blood, Fatphobia, and Sexual violence
lucy12345's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Blood and Violence
Minor: Sexual violence and Sexual assault
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