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kathrynok's review
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Classism, Emotional abuse, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, and Ableism
Minor: Death of parent
mmefish'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
2.5
It could be a nice, heart-warming fantasy romance but ended up being an OK-written underbaked Disney-like adventure with a shaky background instead.
Graphic: Ableism, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Child death and Murder
callmemartiall'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse and Child death
Moderate: Classism, War, and Ableism
Minor: Death of parent and Murder
amanda_mh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: War, Body shaming, Toxic relationship, and Murder
januaryt123's review
- 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? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Murder, Toxic relationship, and Bullying
Minor: Kidnapping and Child abuse
evarinya's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Slavery, Emotional abuse, War, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Kidnapping, Blood, Misogyny, and Sexism
Minor: Ableism, Alcohol, Child death, Death of parent, Death, Medical content, and Terminal illness
angelsfw's review
- 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: Murder, Child abuse, Child death, Medical content, Death, Blood, and Kidnapping
Moderate: War
Minor: Pregnancy
lotte5322's review
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Death of parent, Murder, War, Child abuse, Grief, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Ableism, Kidnapping, and Trafficking
chrisljm's review
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Classism, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Slavery, Trafficking, and Blood
Moderate: Death of parent, Medical content, Pregnancy, Sexism, Torture, Toxic relationship, War, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Ableism, Abandonment, Bullying, and Confinement
rickosborne'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? Yes
4.75
I cannot help but see this book as being about being on the autism spectrum and/or dealing with PTSD. Dora has reduced emotional presentation, and struggles to read and react to the emotions of others. The vast majority of her internal monologue is fixated on passing for normal, until she gets to be herself around the people who don't need her to pass. It me. It so, so me.
Some reviewers gripe about how "Dora cannot feel emotions, except when she can". Look, that's what everyone gets wrong about autism. People think that just because autistic people struggle with interpreting and expressing emotions then it must mean they can't actually feel those emotions. Which is crap. We feel just as much and as deeply as anyone else. It just doesn't surface as easily or as quickly. Like Dora. The fact that "Dora doesn't feel emotions" isn't a fact — it is what she is told about herself by others, so she internalizes it on her pile of mistreatments.
Elias is his own thing, and as I haven't read his book I will refrain for now. Suffice it to say, there's a huge, huge overlap between the reduced presentation that comes from autism and that which comes from PTSD, especially from childhood trauma.
The romance is well done. I loved that Dora matched Elias snark for snark ("kind but never nice"), and only later figured out that Elias was one of the people around whom she didn't need to pass. Elias, too, very slowly figured out that not only was Dora more interesting than he assumed, but also more capable and more empathetic. Two people slowly seeing more of each other and getting closer because of it — romance, y'all.
It's not epic fantasy with hundreds of pages of world-building. The faerie stuff is kindof nonsense, but it's clear that's intentional from the very first page. It's a nice, light fairytale, with a few standout grim twists, just like any fairytale should have.
Tags: #DismissiveFearfulPair #FamilyIssues #FightingCrime #HardOutsideGooeyInside #Kidnapping #Mystery #Neurodiverse #Regency #SinglePOV #ThirdPersonPOV
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Murder and Violence