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adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
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: Blood, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gore, Violence
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I liked this way more than I thought I would and the spice level was just right - a low simmer with a passionate scene with consent. I actually thought this would go an entirely different way where Elspeth would absorb all the cards and then recreate the Twin Alders somehow, but I love the way it twists and the return of the Shepherd King (although the heartbreak about Ravyn 💔). The characters are complex and although there were some spots where we clearly just need to follow along a little blindly, it all makes for a good story in the end. I’m looking forward to reading the sequel…
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, Violence
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
Moderate: Death, Genocide, Mental illness, Misogyny, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was so unique and dark, and i loved every second of it. Ravyn and Elspeth are just 😍
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Violence, Blood, Grief
Minor: Child abuse, War
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Mental illness, Sexual content, Police brutality, Classism
Minor: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Gore, Infidelity, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol
challenging
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Elspeth is the daughter of a man who should have turned her in as a child for having a magic infection. Her infection she calls the Nightmare who helps her when she is too weak to take care of herself. She lives with her maternal aunt, her uncle who is unscrupulous, cousin Ione who is like a sister to her, and two ruffian boys. Her stepmother is unpleasant, her younger sisters sound like teeny boppers, her father is absent at best.
The magic system is different, based on Providence Cards, which sound like tarot cards. Tapping a Providence Card three times will enact its magic for the bearer, and three times again will end the magic, and all the magic comes with a price. If anyone steals the card, they own the magic. Meanwhile there is old vengeful magic in the mist that is ticked for being forgotten in favor of the magic in the Providence Cards.
At the beginning of the book Elspeth is held up by highway men in the forest near her home searching for a card. The highway men turn out to be the prince, Elm Rowan, and his cousin and captain of the king's guard (called Destriers) Ravyn Yew and what they're doing - collecting cards - is high treason. So of course she joins the search for the Providence Cards while also trying to remain under the radar of the Destriers with her magical infection, evade high prince Hauth Roan (who Elspeth maimed during a bid to retrieve another Providence Card), and fight her literal inner demon the Nightmare and her deterioration.
It was fun to hate the antagonists, so many of my notes were "Hauth needs to die." Elspeth was frustrating in her inability to open up to Ravyn, and really anyone else, about her magic until it was literally too late to save her. I really enjoyed this book though I hate to end on a cliff hanger.
The magic system is different, based on Providence Cards, which sound like tarot cards. Tapping a Providence Card three times will enact its magic for the bearer, and three times again will end the magic, and all the magic comes with a price. If anyone steals the card, they own the magic. Meanwhile there is old vengeful magic in the mist that is ticked for being forgotten in favor of the magic in the Providence Cards.
At the beginning of the book Elspeth is held up by highway men in the forest near her home searching for a card. The highway men turn out to be the prince, Elm Rowan, and his cousin and captain of the king's guard (called Destriers) Ravyn Yew and what they're doing - collecting cards - is high treason. So of course she joins the search for the Providence Cards while also trying to remain under the radar of the Destriers with her magical infection, evade high prince Hauth Roan (who Elspeth maimed during a bid to retrieve another Providence Card), and fight her literal inner demon the Nightmare and her deterioration.
It was fun to hate the antagonists, so many of my notes were "Hauth needs to die." Elspeth was frustrating in her inability to open up to Ravyn, and really anyone else, about her magic until it was literally too late to save her. I really enjoyed this book though I hate to end on a cliff hanger.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Forced institutionalization
Minor: Death of parent, Abandonment
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-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:
Yes
Listen! This book is chef's kiss. I'm glad I decided to bring it home and get lost with it. I didn't have any expectation upon diving into the world of The Sheperd King Series ( This consists of 2 books.) but I love the mystery within ths world. I love the magic system, the slow paced in building this immersive world of Blunder. The riddles! Makes me play like a detective trying to decode it lmao.
The "Villain" here is something that I did not expect I'd grow to love as the story progress.
The "Villain" here is something that I did not expect I'd grow to love as the story progress.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Hate crime
If you want to dive in a completely unique world, where cards (like tarot) exist along with magic, with spirit, powerplay between different beings. Dive into this book, it's not for someone with no imaginative skills though, there's a lot of world play that might not be too hard for some to imagine for an immersive experience but for someone that has the ability to play each words like a movie in the head? Dive in and enjoy this series.
P.S I enjoyed the book 2 more 🖤💛✨
dark
mysterious
sad
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
A very interesting fantasy book different from a lot of other books I read in the genre has some gothic themes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Toxic friendship, War, Classism
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The ambience was immaculate. It had all the perfect tropes of the traditional gothic brought into modern writing. The characters were beautifully vivid. I only had two complaints: for someone so clever, Elspeth was deliberately obtuse about some things (though I guess fear does that); <also, for how often Hauth poked at Ravyn in public about his supposed secret, you’d think Hauth would have suspected when people who shouldn’t have known didn’t bat an eye.>
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood
Moderate: Gore