Scan barcode
brickwall27's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Medical content, Cursing, Death, Gore, Adult/minor relationship, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Kidnapping, Murder, Stalking, and Trafficking
Minor: Self harm, Suicide, Cannibalism, and Vomit
annettewolf's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
The ending of this book really had me questioning my decision to read all of them after I didn't like the first one. But a friend gifted them to me and I figured since they're quick reads, I could get through them fast. And I have, but wow, I could've been reading something way better.
Friends, the racism gets WORSE in this one. Our sole character of color is the primo villain in this one, and literally described at one point as a "dog". Not directly cause of his race, it's supposed to be because of the heinous acts he's committed (murdering babies), but come on, the optics here are NOT good when every other character is white.
The ending left me supremely unsatisfied, because the mentor/apprentice relationship was just...never fully challenged? Even with a literal character questioning it and trying to throw wrenches into the whole process, our protagonist just always manages to yell and storm off and get exactly what she wants. She reads as spoiled, entitled, and really really frustrating for lacking depth. Oh, I'm sorry, the childhood best friend who died of suicide, and the friend who died more recently in front of her, those are her sole claims to depth. And they don't read as genuine, because instead of getting depressed about it, the protagonist just has nightmares and then she is comforted by another character and like...that's it? Cool.
One more book to go, since the fourth one which isn't connected to this trilogy but is told in the same world was gifted to me at the same time. I'm too far in to stop now, but for the love of the gods please go read The Invisible Library series by Genevieve Cogman instead.
Friends, the racism gets WORSE in this one. Our sole character of color is the primo villain in this one, and literally described at one point as a "dog". Not directly cause of his race, it's supposed to be because of the heinous acts he's committed (murdering babies), but come on, the optics here are NOT good when every other character is white.
The ending left me supremely unsatisfied, because the mentor/apprentice relationship was just...never fully challenged? Even with a literal character questioning it and trying to throw wrenches into the whole process, our protagonist just always manages to yell and storm off and get exactly what she wants. She reads as spoiled, entitled, and really really frustrating for lacking depth. Oh, I'm sorry, the childhood best friend who died of suicide, and the friend who died more recently in front of her, those are her sole claims to depth. And they don't read as genuine, because instead of getting depressed about it, the protagonist just has nightmares and then she is comforted by another character and like...that's it? Cool.
One more book to go, since the fourth one which isn't connected to this trilogy but is told in the same world was gifted to me at the same time. I'm too far in to stop now, but for the love of the gods please go read The Invisible Library series by Genevieve Cogman instead.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Gun violence, Body horror, Violence, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Grief and Suicide
More...