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thalia_r's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
3.25
This book gives me mixed feelings. I enjoyed it for the most part and intend to continue reading the series. I like Paige as the protagonist, the world Shannon has built is interesting and the plot kept me guessing. It did feel a little long at times and the complexities of the world made things a bit confusing but on the whole it was a fun read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Kidnapping
roisinmarie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Death
Moderate: Blood, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Gore, Torture, and Violence
whatjasread's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-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
4.0
• was encouraged to read by a pal and was very scared but honestly all worked out
• I adore Paige and Arcturus and the entire gang
• I think I cried twice which surprised me
• bit info dumpy at the start but gradually improves once the action starts
• don’t know if or when I’ll get to the next book but I won’t rule it out!
TWs: blood, child death, vomiting, gore, gun violence, kidnapping, medical content (inc. needles), drugging, murder, sexual assault, slavery (inc. master/slave relationships), torture, violence, xenophobia
• I adore Paige and Arcturus and the entire gang
• I think I cried twice which surprised me
• bit info dumpy at the start but gradually improves once the action starts
• don’t know if or when I’ll get to the next book but I won’t rule it out!
TWs: blood, child death, vomiting, gore, gun violence, kidnapping, medical content (inc. needles), drugging, murder, sexual assault, slavery (inc. master/slave relationships), torture, violence, xenophobia
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Child death, Gore, and Blood
Moderate: Vomit, Torture, Violence, Physical abuse, Medical content, Sexual assault, Slavery, Kidnapping, and Gun violence
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Xenophobia
thecourtofreading's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
slow-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
4.0
"i can die when i want, become a spirit when i want. it makes people afraid of me. it makes me afraid of them."
i really liked the premise of this book. clairvoyants, avoiding the law, criminals, it seemed right up my alley, and the first chapters were; i was hooked almost instantly. i did enjoy this book, but i feel like i would have enjoyed it more if it wasn't set in sheol i and actually set in london and following paige's whereabouts and the gang. they were so much more interesting than the actual plot of the book, which is why i'm glad that the pale dreamer novella prequel is part of this book, because i found that so much more interesting. i also didn't like the romantic turn this book took toward the end. i didn't feel like paige and the love interest really had much chemistry at all and it kind of made me a little uncomfortable, because i just didn't feel like they fit. that's my one critique, i suppose. also that it was a little tiny bit predictable and cliche
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Kidnapping, and Sexual assault
Minor: Drug use
vicktorea's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I liked this; it reminded me of divergent but adult, but there were some things that were hard to wrap my head around - it was a little info-dumpy and i really had to pay attention in order to understand things. This was out of my comfort zone (dystopian sci-fi) but i liked it!
Really enjoyed the dynamic between Paige and Warden and the concept of dream-walking.
Really enjoyed the dynamic between Paige and Warden and the concept of dream-walking.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Death, and Kidnapping
karolinaz's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
0.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Slavery, Torture, Physical abuse, Murder, Medical trauma, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Death, Confinement, Blood, and Body horror
thewildmageslibrary's review against another edition
4.0
Okay I didn't know what to expect from this book, but wow it delivered! Can't wait to read more about Paige and her friends!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual content, Blood, Confinement, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, and Slavery
Minor: Body horror
aseel_reads's review against another edition
slow-paced
- 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
2.0
why in the WORLD WAS THIS PITCHED WRONG. the blurb was literally the first 3 chapters and then it pivoted so hard and i hated it. the plot was just icky and about halfway i noticed the urgent need for an editor because things just didn't make sense. the plot climax was not good and i hate the 'romance' please no. i definitely won't be continuing with the series.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Bullying, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Torture, Death, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Sexual harassment, Slavery, and Violence
bookishchef's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Okay. So.
Up until about 60-70% of this book, I was ready to give it five stars.
I absolutely loved it.
But then it slowly but steadily started shitting the bed.
1. The gold cord plot point thing came out of nowhere and was never really explained. It just seemed like a convenient plot device that did not feel like it belonged in the grim world the author has created.
2. The rebound turned SA scene was completely unnecessary, and seemed like a weird attempt to bestow the main character with more trauma than she already had (and make her be pitied by Warden and the reader).
3. Loss of virginity being described as "an uppercut to the stomach". I hate this trope so much. No, having sex for the first time does not feel like dying. It might hurt (for many people it does not even do that). But it won't feel like being torn in half god dammit.
The average period cramp feels way way way worse unless you have a medical condition like vaginismus.
4. The main character falling in love with her captor/slave master does not sit quite right with me. Even if he treated her nicely, that is still a weird power inbalance that should never lead to a relationship.
5. Teenagers falling for century old creatures just makes me roll my eyes at this point. It weirds me out a bit, and it has been done so so so many times at this point.
Maybe I could deal with it if both characters seemed to be at the same level mentally, but Warden is practically a deity compared to Paige. Not immortal, but infinitely more intelligent and quite obviously so so so much older (and not to forget, her literal owner). From the way he behaves, to the way he speaks: it has middle aged man dating teenager vibes.
So yeah. This was a fun but very mixed bag. I ordered book 2 when I was about 60% into the book because I was sure I would love it at that point. But now that love has become a begrudging like.
I enjoyed this book for the most part, but some things cannot be unseen once you see them.
Up until about 60-70% of this book, I was ready to give it five stars.
I absolutely loved it.
But then it slowly but steadily started shitting the bed.
2. The rebound turned SA scene was completely unnecessary, and seemed like a weird attempt to bestow the main character with more trauma than she already had (and make her be pitied by Warden and the reader).
3. Loss of virginity being described as "an uppercut to the stomach". I hate this trope so much. No, having sex for the first time does not feel like dying. It might hurt (for many people it does not even do that). But it won't feel like being torn in half god dammit.
The average period cramp feels way way way worse unless you have a medical condition like vaginismus.
4. The main character falling in love with her captor/slave master does not sit quite right with me. Even if he treated her nicely, that is still a weird power inbalance that should never lead to a relationship.
5. Teenagers falling for century old creatures just makes me roll my eyes at this point. It weirds me out a bit, and it has been done so so so many times at this point.
Maybe I could deal with it if both characters seemed to be at the same level mentally, but Warden is practically a deity compared to Paige. Not immortal, but infinitely more intelligent and quite obviously so so so much older (and not to forget, her literal owner). From the way he behaves, to the way he speaks: it has middle aged man dating teenager vibes.
So yeah. This was a fun but very mixed bag. I ordered book 2 when I was about 60% into the book because I was sure I would love it at that point. But now that love has become a begrudging like.
I enjoyed this book for the most part, but some things cannot be unseen once you see them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, and Violence
Moderate: Child death, Classism, Cursing, Kidnapping, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Animal cruelty, Gun violence, Police brutality, and Torture
foxonabook's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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: Kidnapping, Violence, Slavery, and Death
Moderate: Gun violence, Physical abuse, and Drug use