Reviews with content warning for Rape - Winter

I find myself let down quite often by the ending of a series if I feel the stories weren’t concluded well or if I have too many questions left unanswered, but this book pleasantly surprised me. I felt like it was an excellent wrap up for all the characters and I am very happy I stuck it out to the end even after my first impression of the series. There was just enough danger that it kept me engaged through the majority of the story and I didn’t feel like getting through it was a chore even though this book is over 800 pages long. I was very pretty shocked about how graphic the violence got but I feel like it did a good job showing how brutal war is and the toll it took on the characters which is something I find many other books tend to gloss over especially in the YA genre. I also liked how things weren’t just immediately "perfect" for the characters at the end, you finish knowing that the characters would have a lot more to get through and I feel like that type of ending is very natural and satisfactory.

One thing I did note while reading, is this book is the most inclusive in the series when it comes to the fairytale crossover that takes place in each book prior. Although I’m not a huge fan of Snow White as a story, Winter included a lot more of it’s classic compared to the others in the series. While I did enjoy it, I do feel like it was a tad too much and part of that storyline was almost completely unnecessary and just made the book drag on. The ending would have been the same without the 10+ chapters the characters spent dealing with this issue. This book easily could have been a 5 star read for me if it wasn’t for the little details like that, and by the end I still feel like there were too many plot holes and a few poorly executed storylines that just weren’t redeemed by all the good this book did. With that being said, I do still think this was a very strong ending to the story and I will truly miss reading about these characters now that I have finished, but I can definitely see myself coming back and rereading this series in the future.

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erovelo's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad 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

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mndy's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

It was so fulfilling to see all the characters reunited. There was definitely a sense of closure to the series, but this book did put me in a bit of a reading slump because I was discouraged by its length. Some parts could probably be omitted. Definitely worth my time, but Cress will always remain my favorite book.

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brynn_books's review against another edition

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5.0

This book has to be my favorite in the series!! I loved it so much. I want to write a full review but I don’t think I can properly form words to describe my feelings towards this book.

I love all the characters (well, maybe not Levana or Aimery) and I loved Thorne and Cress and Kai who are all my favorite characters.

I really liked seeing how the whole Snow White retelling part of it all played out. It was done in a really interesting way.

I just love this book. Okay. Go read this series because they are all amazing books!!

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