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adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Quicksilver was so fun! The narrators were amazing which always makes a difference. The book was full of great banter, badass characters, and lots of action. I'm so excited to read the next book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence
Moderate: Cursing, Classism
adventurous
challenging
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I’d recommend this book. It’s very spicy, and sometimes answers are annoyingly delayed, but overall a good book and a fun cliffhanger.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Sexual content, Violence, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
If you like to turn your brain off for a read, this may be a book for you, but if you care about following the plot, I would pick something else.
I haven't been this conflicted on a book in a while. If I weren't reading this for a book club, I would have DNFed. The beginning of this book is full of contradictions and plot holes. However, I think the last 15-20% of the book is better but not great. I typically am not picky about writing style as long as the banter and general concept are good, but I found most of these to be lacking.
Quicksilver has an interesting concept, but there were so many plot holes and inconsistencies that I never knew if what I was being told was true. So much of the early world-building was later changed. It seems like the author just forgot the setup of the world they created.Kingfisher is an Oath Bound Fae who can't lie, but he makes several statements that aren't true. I suppose you could say the lies were actually sarcastic comments, but that doesn't change that the statement wasn't true. It didn't work for me and added confusion to my understanding of how the Oath Bound Fae communicate.
I really struggled with all the content containing Saeris' mom. Whenever Saeris speaks of her, it is handled so callously, and I found it incredibly off-putting. On the first page, she briefly mentions her mother's "peasant blood" on the sand and then immediately talks about how handsome the guard is who has captured her. If someone you loved was murdered, I wouldn't be using degrading terms like peasant to describe them, then fawning and flirting over an authority who is part of the system that caused her death. It is very tone-deaf. In the first couple of chapters, it is said Saeris' mother was a librarian before she died and that the town loved her mother who was murdered and left to rot in the gutter with crows pecking at her corpse. However, later in the book, there is a jarring scene that instead states she was a sex-worker who was murdered and had her body desecrated by both guards and the townspeople. It's like the original story was forgotten. They also took her body and burned it in the morning, once again changing our understanding of the FMC's origins.
There were a lot of issues with misogynistic perspectives that were very apparent in any scenes with secondary female characters. Danya (who probably has the most scenes after the FMC) is characterized entirely as a bitch, who doesn't understand what matters in the war, and is permanently sent away after she single handedly causes issues with an all female clan of witches. Everlayne, whom we meet at the start of the book quite briefly, seems like a great, likable character. She's quite feminine but is capable of standing up for herself. Then we don't see her again until the last third of the book, where she's taken captive and used as a bargaining tool with the threat of sexual assault. Saeris our MC is a not like other girls character who hates dresses. The author also needs to make sure we're arware how thin she is multiple times through the novel. She barely eats at any meal and says she barely eats verbatim. I understood this take when food was scarce, but when it was openly available this should have changed, especially with how athletic she has to be (which is why she hates dresses).
Many characters were also written very similarly, personality-wise. I thought Carrion and Lorreth felt the most individual and they gave me most of my enjoyment for this read. Unfortunately, my likable character list dropped down to one after Lorreth out of character states 'next time she tries to hit him, he'll put her over his knee and spank her' about one of his fellow warriors.
Lastly the main vampire villain turns out to be gay and obsessed with Kingfisher, with all their interactions being incredibly uncomfortable, insinuating SA. Yes, Carrion has moments where it's implied that he is bi, but for the only clear queer representation in the book to be vilified made me really uncomfortable. I was considering continuing the series as the writting seemed to get better towards the end, but the villified queer dynamic with no positive queer representaation in the novel made me very uncomfortable.
I haven't been this conflicted on a book in a while. If I weren't reading this for a book club, I would have DNFed. The beginning of this book is full of contradictions and plot holes. However, I think the last 15-20% of the book is better but not great. I typically am not picky about writing style as long as the banter and general concept are good, but I found most of these to be lacking.
Quicksilver has an interesting concept, but there were so many plot holes and inconsistencies that I never knew if what I was being told was true. So much of the early world-building was later changed. It seems like the author just forgot the setup of the world they created.
I really struggled with all the content containing Saeris' mom. Whenever Saeris speaks of her, it is handled so callously, and I found it incredibly off-putting. On the first page, she briefly mentions her mother's "peasant blood" on the sand and then immediately talks about how handsome the guard is who has captured her. If someone you loved was murdered, I wouldn't be using degrading terms like peasant to describe them, then fawning and flirting over an authority who is part of the system that caused her death. It is very tone-deaf. In the first couple of chapters, it is said Saeris' mother was a librarian before she died and that the town loved her mother who was murdered and left to rot in the gutter with crows pecking at her corpse. However, later in the book, there is a jarring scene that instead states she was a sex-worker who was murdered and had her body desecrated by both guards and the townspeople. It's like the original story was forgotten. They also took her body and burned it in the morning, once again changing our understanding of the FMC's origins.
There were a lot of issues with misogynistic perspectives that were very apparent in any scenes with secondary female characters. Danya (who probably has the most scenes after the FMC) is characterized entirely as a bitch, who doesn't understand what matters in the war, and is permanently sent away after she single handedly causes issues with an all female clan of witches. Everlayne, whom we meet at the start of the book quite briefly, seems like a great, likable character. She's quite feminine but is capable of standing up for herself. Then we don't see her again until the last third of the book, where she's taken captive and used as a bargaining tool with the threat of sexual assault. Saeris our MC is a not like other girls character who hates dresses. The author also needs to make sure we're arware how thin she is multiple times through the novel. She barely eats at any meal and says she barely eats verbatim. I understood this take when food was scarce, but when it was openly available this should have changed, especially with how athletic she has to be (which is why she hates dresses).
Many characters were also written very similarly, personality-wise. I thought Carrion and Lorreth felt the most individual and they gave me most of my enjoyment for this read. Unfortunately, my likable character list dropped down to one after Lorreth out of character states 'next time she tries to hit him, he'll put her over his knee and spank her' about one of his fellow warriors.
Lastly the main vampire villain turns out to be gay and obsessed with Kingfisher, with all their interactions being incredibly uncomfortable, insinuating SA. Yes, Carrion has moments where it's implied that he is bi, but for the only clear queer representation in the book to be vilified made me really uncomfortable. I was considering continuing the series as the writting seemed to get better towards the end, but the villified queer dynamic with no positive queer representaation in the novel made me very uncomfortable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Eating disorder, Homophobia, Infertility, Alcohol, War
adventurous
dark
medium-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:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Gore, Mental illness, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Genocide, Kidnapping
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The 2nd half of this book saved it. I also have never experienced a book with so much swearing... it's like the author didn't know another word other than fuck.
Undecided whether I listen to the sequel. Certainly won't buy it.
Undecided whether I listen to the sequel. Certainly won't buy it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-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:
Complicated
DELIGHTED. Can't wait for the next one, put it in my veins
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, War
Moderate: Body horror, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Violence
Minor: Body horror, Child death, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Alcohol
adventurous
dark
medium-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:
Complicated
Like several of the “brave annd ardent young woman is seduced by a male fae of unfathomable age gap” there were too many red flags for me to enjoy the romance. This is NOT an enemies to loves story, it is a “he’s picking on you because he likes you” story. The twist at the end wasn’t super predictable and that’s about the best I can say about it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Blood, Death of parent
Minor: Violence, Kidnapping, War, Injury/Injury detail
Sterilization
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
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:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Sexism, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Death, Sexual assault, Slavery, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Sexual harassment
Minor: Child death, Infertility, Rape, Vomit
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A fun read. Was surprised by some of the intimate expressions used by the author, particularly since it looks like they've built their career in the romance genre. Had to gloss over a few parts.
I'd like to learn more about some of the other characters, so I'll probably check out the next book. So far the universe that has been created is intriguing and I find myself curious to know more.
I'd like to learn more about some of the other characters, so I'll probably check out the next book. So far the universe that has been created is intriguing and I find myself curious to know more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, Violence, War
Moderate: Death, Gore, Blood, Medical trauma, Death of parent
Minor: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness