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sunflower7skull's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I thought it was a good book! I went into it knowing a ton of people like it, which I think was my problem - I was expecting exceptionality, and though the book definitely was, it didn't live up to the hype in my head. I still would definitely recommend it though!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Murder, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Blood, Classism, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, War, and Violence
catinaflatcap's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death and Sexual harassment
lola218_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Sexism, Gaslighting, Death, Child death, and Genocide
Moderate: Animal death and Animal cruelty
bergha1998's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Not my favorite of the series, but it’s definitely not bad. It just feels rushed in comparison; there isn’t enough development of characters, plot, or the world building. Also, I get shipping the Darkling and Alina in the tv show, but book him is flat.
Fantasy, Magic System, Romance Subplot
“I’d catch myself walking around to find you, not for any reason, just out of habit, because I’d seen something that I wanted to tell you about or because I wanted to hear your voice. And then I’d realize that you weren’t there anymore, and every time, every single time, it was like having the wind knocked out of me.”
Fantasy, Magic System, Romance Subplot
“I’d catch myself walking around to find you, not for any reason, just out of habit, because I’d seen something that I wanted to tell you about or because I wanted to hear your voice. And then I’d realize that you weren’t there anymore, and every time, every single time, it was like having the wind knocked out of me.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Blood, Murder, Violence, Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, War, and Sexism
Minor: Sexual harassment and Rape
yasidiaz's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
4.75
When Alina Starkov unleashes a dormant power she is taken to train among the Grisha, the powerful elite army of Ravka. Longing for a place to belong and overwhelmed with the feeling of being Ravka’s last flick of hope, she gives it her all. However, she soon finds out the court is not what it seems and she must be careful who she trusts.
It has been a long time since I have read a YA fantasy like this. I’m surprised it took me so long to read this because this genre was my thing back when I was 15 and 16. Now my tastes have shifted significantly. I focus now more on romance, specifically queer romance, so being fully honest, I worried if I still enjoyed this genre. And as it turns out, I still very much do.
The amount of effort put into worldbuilding made me realize how much I missed a good fantasy book. I loved all the little details, the differences between different areas of Ravka, and the political complexities of the court and the Grisha (although I hope to get more of that in the next book).
The Darkling was also a very interesting character and I liked how the book kept you on your toes with his character. In contrast, I found it so easy to trust Mal. From the moment he first appeared he became my boy and wanted to give him everything.
Alina was a great protagonist as well. I love when characters are flawed and you see them grow as the story progresses. However, I do hope in the next and other books her powers and strength go beyond her love for Mal.
This was a good book to get back into the high fantasy genre and I can’t wait to read the rest of the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Misogyny
Minor: Sexual violence and Sexual harassment
michaelavanr's review
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I can’t decide whether or not to read the next two books. I set this book as a goal on a Christmas night shift and it took me 3 shifts. The main character is fine but I don’t feel the need to chase her to the end of the world. I feel the world and magic system is cool but a bit underdeveloped. Like I want to know more about the history and politics of Ravka but I don’t want Alina to be the one telling me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Slavery, and War
anni_swanilda's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Violence, Death, and Blood
Minor: Sexual harassment
mythicsage's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual harassment, Violence, and Animal death
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Child death, Classism, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Gun violence, Alcohol, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Genocide, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, and Slavery
Minor: Abandonment, Cursing, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Rape, Eating disorder, Alcoholism, Bullying, Confinement, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, War, and Xenophobia
toastyghosty13's review
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- 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
3.0
i watched part of the netflix series last year and then stopped close to the end of the first season once i learned it was based on a book series. i liked the series enough and adore ben barnes so i kept it on my TBR list.
i did really enjoy this and found it difficult to put down once i picked it up. it took me about 2 days to read through it completely. there are twists and turns, plus the world is so interesting that i just want to learn more.
i will say that i found alina a bit annoying in the book but loved her in the show. she seemed so self conscious in the book which irked me because the actress in the show is so full of confidence and did a great job.
i also feel critical of the differences between the tv show and book versions of mal and the darkling.
the darkling in the show was much more interesting to me as a character, but quite bland for me in the book. in the show it was not as obvious that he’s the baddy but in the book it was practically screaming that with every appearance he made. in the show, i wanted to see more of the darkling and was actually surprised and upset that he ended up being evil. i am still holding out hope for a redemption in the rest of the tv series, though i’m also not sure that i care that much about him in the book besides being curious about what his fate is after being left in the fold. i’m also wondering if there is some bigger motive or player behind all of this.
for mal, i found him extremely annoying in the show and much more endearing in the book. i wanted to see more of mal in the book and would groan whenever i saw him in the show. at the very least, this makes me excited for the next book with the way this one left off.
i was also frustrated that there was no mention of how if you spare the life of the stag it could grant you a wish. i was fully expecting that to happen as the main solution to alina wearing the collar rather than some self realization that she could have made at any time prior to entering the fold. it felt a little cheap as the big hero moment that turns the tides.
i am surprised at how many of the soldiers and grisha knew about the darklings plans and just went along with it. you would think some would be adverse to war, or even just attempt to stage a coup if they were so unhappy with the way the king rules. instead, they chose to completely wipe out a city of innocent people and will probably be at fault and responsible for the death and gruesome demise of countless others.
overall i did enjoy this but not as much as i thought i would. i have plenty of complaints about the characters and plot. however, i am still fully invested and plan on reading all of the books from the series and the two spin-off series’. it is still absolutely worth the time and is an exciting story that is difficult to pause once you have begun.
i did really enjoy this and found it difficult to put down once i picked it up. it took me about 2 days to read through it completely. there are twists and turns, plus the world is so interesting that i just want to learn more.
i will say that i found alina a bit annoying in the book but loved her in the show. she seemed so self conscious in the book which irked me because the actress in the show is so full of confidence and did a great job.
i also feel critical of the differences between the tv show and book versions of mal and the darkling.
the darkling in the show was much more interesting to me as a character, but quite bland for me in the book. in the show it was not as obvious that
for mal, i found him extremely annoying in the show and much more endearing in the book. i wanted to see more of mal in the book and would groan whenever i saw him in the show. at the very least, this makes me excited for the next book with the way this one left off.
i was also frustrated that
i am surprised at
overall i did enjoy this but not as much as i thought i would. i have plenty of complaints about the characters and plot. however, i am still fully invested and plan on reading all of the books from the series and the two spin-off series’. it is still absolutely worth the time and is an exciting story that is difficult to pause once you have begun.
Content Warnings
Minor: Kidnapping, Torture, Murder, Blood, Animal death, War, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Sexual harassment, and Fire/Fire injury
zoejjj's review
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Reading this for the first time in 2023 is such a fun trip because this book is the PINNACLE of 2014 writing. From the “she’s not as pretty as other girls” to the hot, powerful guy being being uncontrollably in love with her - it’s such a throwback.
Having read the author’s more current books (ninth house gave me abs from how tense I was) it’s so interesting to see where she started. This book is fun when you don’t take it too seriously and you just let it be a ya fantasy. The bones of it are fantastic. Overall, good book even if I’m not sure I’d re read it
Having read the author’s more current books (ninth house gave me abs from how tense I was) it’s so interesting to see where she started. This book is fun when you don’t take it too seriously and you just let it be a ya fantasy. The bones of it are fantastic. Overall, good book even if I’m not sure I’d re read it
Content Warnings
Minor: Violence, Sexual harassment, War, Toxic relationship, and Torture