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sammymilfort's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Torture, Fire/Fire injury, Ableism, Death, Suicide attempt, Violence, Murder, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Gore, Alcohol, Body horror, Child abuse, Vomit, Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Animal cruelty, Blood, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, Grief, and Addiction
Minor: Death of parent
pgmoon's review against another edition
- 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
The setting of Victorian London is very interesting to me as a history nerd, and I overall found these characters, especially Jem, Will, and Jessamine, to be very compelling. I admit Tessa was not my favorite at the beginning, but I really grew to appreciate her at the end (the fight at the end had my jaw on the floor!)
Although overall I enjoyed the setting/atmosphere, I do have a couple issues with this book. Mostly the plot had me compelled, although the pacing was a bit odd. The story does drag in places, mostly due to the first book doing much of the world building. As stated above, I didn't read TMI, so some things that might have come naturally to readers were new info to me. Additionally, some of the story beats did come back predictable to me, and some characters felt like a plot device and tropey more than a nuanced development.
Overall, I really enjoyed this story though! The jokes genuinely made me laugh, there were some beautiful prose in there, and I look forward to reading the next book!
Graphic: Violence and Murder
Minor: Racism and Xenophobia
rafacolog's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Moderate: Murder, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Death, and Death of parent
Minor: Addiction, Racism, Torture, Drug use, Alcoholism, and Chronic illness
sandwiiche's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Graphic: Murder, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Torture
bookthief's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Tessa was a brave and courageous character, who had a very unique power where she could Change. I am really curious to find out what Tessa actually is and the rest of her powers. Her brother, Nate, unexpectedly betrayed Tessa, by conspiring with Mortmain. At this point I felt bad for Tessa as she still loved Nate even though he doesn’t anymore.
Will was an interesting character, with major mood swings. The best chapter with Will was when he fought with De Quincey. This is because it was intense and done so well I felt like I was actually there watching the fight. I really want to find out what happened to his parents and what he was talking about to Magnus Bane in the epilogue.
Jen was a sweet character who I thought we didn’t see enough of. I really hope in the next book he is in it more, so I get to find out more about Jen. I also feel really bad for him and his illness considering there is no cure and he is suffering badly.
Overall, I thought this was a great book and I highly recommend for any YA Fantasy readers.
Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Drug use, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, and War
alisasreads's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Torture, and Murder
krisalexcole's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Chronic illness, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Confinement, Infertility, Alcohol, Body horror, Death of parent, Racism, Drug use, Gore, Kidnapping, Sexism, and Torture
Minor: Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, and Vomit
Gamblingbookswithlauren's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Gore, Addiction, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Blood, Chronic illness, Confinement, Drug abuse, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Abandonment, Kidnapping, Torture, Body horror, Death, Suicide, Animal death, Drug use, Gun violence, Infertility, Violence, Bullying, and War
britwalsh16's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Grief, Terminal illness, Torture, Murder, War, Kidnapping, Confinement, Death of parent, Blood, Death, and Stalking
Moderate: Drug use and Infertility
Minor: Alcohol
literaryinluv's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, and Drug use
Moderate: Death, Addiction, Alcohol, and Blood
Minor: Alcoholism, Infertility, Rape, Colonisation, Sexism, Abandonment, Ableism, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Misogyny, Murder, and Physical abuse