Scan barcode
hippievamp'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: Blood, Murder, Addiction, Death, Gore, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Classism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Sexual assault, and Pedophilia
Moderate: Gun violence, Sexism, Domestic abuse, Vomit, Cursing, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Misogyny, Racism, and Violence
Minor: Alcohol, Antisemitism, and Addiction
folkofthebook'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? It's complicated
4.75
Mors irrumat omnia. Death fucks us all.
i INHALED this book, omg. this was a VAST change of pace from shadow & bone and i much preferred it. it was very reminiscent to vicious but more complicated with it's worldbuilding and lore and a stronger theme of sexism and corruption in academia and society.
“I let you die. To save myself, I let you die.
That is the danger in keeping company with survivors.”
i LOVE alex, she's a fighter, a survivor. she is grit and teeth and isn't afraid to bite. it was really cool to see sephardic jewish rep and seeing ladino used in magic. darlington is naively pretentious but unavoidably loveable. this is yet another case of i don't know who i want to be or be with more lol. let the bi panic ensue.
“All you children playing with fire, looking surprised when the house burns down”
i would say the first maybe 10-20% or so was slow for me. not bad but i didn't feel driven until a certain point was hit - and then it took off from there. bardugo's creativity in constructing the houses of lethe and crafting how certain magics fit in with them, intermingled with an undercurrent of demonology and other deathlore, and the weaving of race/class/gender politics within a town and society that is very much built for a specific demographic to come out on top was masterful. i also, despite the sometimes grim scenarios, found myself still huffing in a laugh at the dry humor that tended to come from alex.
“I want to survive this world that keeps trying to destroy me.”
i'm excited to jump into book 2 asap!
Time to go to hell
Graphic: Sexism, Alcohol, Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Grief, Drug abuse, Addiction, Classism, Drug use, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Misogyny, Cancer, Gun violence, and Racism
jacksons_books_and_music's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
The story itself is masterfully crafted. It’s more ingenious than Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom, which I loved. There are amazing, well-developed characters and profound themes. I am excited to dive into the sequel.
Graphic: Sexual content, Alcohol, Violence, Drug use, Rape, Excrement, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual assault, Vomit, Gun violence, Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Medical content, Sexual violence, Racism, Addiction, Antisemitism, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
strixy16's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Definitely read trigger warnings for this book.
Graphic: Death, Alcohol, Gun violence, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Rape, Sexual violence, Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Drug use, Excrement, Gore, Grief, Murder, Violence, and Vomit
emilywemily6'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Sexism, Classism, Terminal illness, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Death, Gaslighting, Medical content, Gore, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Body horror, Grief, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Rape, Vomit, Racism, Addiction, Misogyny, Police brutality, Sexual violence, and Stalking
stephliljazz'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
4.75
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Violence, Blood, Toxic relationship, and Murder
Moderate: Rape, Panic attacks/disorders, Classism, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Vomit, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death, Gun violence, Self harm, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Alcohol, Blood, Emotional abuse, and Fire/Fire injury
orlafitz14's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Bullying, Sexual assault, Drug abuse, Grief, Rape, Vomit, Death, Physical abuse, Blood, Kidnapping, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Classism, Gore, Gun violence, Alcoholism, Animal death, Miscarriage, Murder, and Sexual violence
alexijai98's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.0
Bardugo’s venture into adult fantasy was a good read! Weirdly predictable in the end, but still enjoyable. I’ll be reading Hellbent!
Graphic: Blood, Death, Excrement, Rape, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, and Murder
themdash'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
4.75
Graphic: Trafficking, Murder, Pedophilia, Alcohol, Self harm, Stalking, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Racism, Sexual assault, Classism, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Alcoholism, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Vomit
sunishi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
The beginning of the book felt more like a history lesson with constant information being thrown at me and it lead to the pace of the book slowing down. While I normally do not mind background information being presented in this case, Leigh Bardugo may have went too far. It was also the case that most of the history was not understandable in the first read, I found the short explanations of the different societies at the end made it easier to understand the inner workings of Yale. Therefore through out the first half the book I was not extremely enthusiastic.
However, this changed when the plot began to unravel more, allowing me to completely focus on what is happening and think about how each of the characters will react to their predicaments. The two twists at the end were not something I expected, while I was close to getting one twist the other was completely unexpected. This sudden shift if the focus and dynamic is the reason I continued reading the book, along with my compulsion to finish and book that I start.
Overall, I would say that this book has been written well and while the information in the beginning may not have been useful to me it may useful to others. I believe that second half has convinced me to read the next book. We will see how I faire with this!
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Addiction, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Alcohol
18+