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It was small things but ‘trade me masks’ vs ‘trade masks with me’ little sentences like this really bothered me grammar wise and kept it from becoming a full 5 stars.
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Abandonment
Minor: Animal death, Death of parent
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
The romance is “fake courtship” (aka fake dating) and despite that was a little bit charged with just physical attraction at first, but I did like the way it develops into a deeper connection.
Definitely looking forward to the next book
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Violence, Blood
Moderate: Sexual content, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Infidelity
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Violence, Blood, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Terminal illness, Death of parent
This book was captivating, horrifying, magnificent, and romantic, and it had me holding my breath through the very last page. Every aspect of it felt so real, as cliché as that sounds - I felt as if I could smell the dirt and the mist, feel the Nightmare's breath down the back of my neck. Rachel Gillig has a command of description that authors with twice the experience she has still struggle to master. It makes everything about her writing feel incredibly lifelike. Every chapter works to help you unravel the mystery at the very core of the plot - I loved this book because it wasn't simple, but it didn't set out to purposefully confuse, like so many fantasy books seem to do, in the name of world-building.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy, especially historical and/or gothic fantasy with the most delectable splash of romance. The magic system is so unique and fascinating, and instead of just being there for the sake of being fanciful, it's a core aspect of the series' plot. It's a very quick read - which is a double-edged sword, because I can't even begin to tell you how badly I wish I were still reading it, rather than writing this review right now. Read if you're a fan of Hannah Whitten's For the Wolf, Allison Saft's Down Comes the Night, or Ava Reid's The Wolf and the Woodsman!
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Blood, Injury/Injury detail