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svnsn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Tldr: Men, men, men, why so many male characters. But the plot was very exciting.
Now, a bit more elaborately for those who care:
The imbalance between male and female characters really started to annoy me at some point. (Almost) anytime a new powerful character was being introduced it was a man. Now if the book had somehow acknowledged and commented on the magician society being a patriarchial system, that could have been an interesting point (maybe even a plot point for future books) but instead it felt like male was just the default for all the characters and then there were some female characters sprinkled throughout. Most of them, especially the human ones, were somehow weak and/or victims somehow. The powerful players (Richard Drahk, Morden, Levistus, Verus, Abithriax, Talisid, Helikaon, Onyx ) are all men.
Side note, but I was also side eyeing the scene were severe violence was committed against women, described in gruesome detail. It was giving torture corn.
The magic system is also a bit wishy washy. There is no hard magic system which led to Alex abilities conveniently working or not working however it fit the plot. But it honestly didn't bother me too much.
Which leads me to the good parts!
While my criticism stands, I ended up enjoying the book. The plot was fast paced and didn't linger too long on scenes it didn't have to. I found myself pretty much excited throughout the entire book. Even though, as I said, I wish there had been more well developed female characters, I did like the characters a lot.
I'm especially excited to find out what Rachel and Cinder are up to, Starbreeze was dumb but adorable, Sonder was cute as well, I was also very intrigued by Talisid. While I didn't exactly love Luna, I think her story might become very interesting in the next books. Alex is still a bit of a blank sheet to me at this point, but very well could become a very interesting character in the future with his struggle of not belong to either the light or the dark side, not wanting to succumb to thriving for more power but also detesting being a plaything for the light and dark mages
Now, a bit more elaborately for those who care:
The imbalance between male and female characters really started to annoy me at some point. (Almost) anytime a new powerful character was being introduced it was a man. Now if the book had somehow acknowledged and commented on the magician society being a patriarchial system, that could have been an interesting point (maybe even a plot point for future books) but instead it felt like male was just the default for all the characters and then there were some female characters sprinkled throughout. Most of them, especially the human ones, were somehow weak and/or victims somehow. The powerful players (
Side note, but I was also side eyeing the scene were severe violence was committed against women, described in gruesome detail. It was giving torture corn.
The magic system is also a bit wishy washy. There is no hard magic system which led to Alex abilities conveniently working or not working however it fit the plot. But it honestly didn't bother me too much.
Which leads me to the good parts!
While my criticism stands, I ended up enjoying the book. The plot was fast paced and didn't linger too long on scenes it didn't have to. I found myself pretty much excited throughout the entire book. Even though, as I said, I wish there had been more well developed female characters, I did like the characters a lot.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Physical abuse, Torture, and Violence
Minor: Sexual harassment, Blood, Rape, and Sexual assault
lbelow's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
4.5
I picked this up on the recommendation of a friend and I'm glad I did! This book had me on the edge of my seat. With a series this addictive on my hands, with complex female characters with agency, I know I'll binge through these books!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Minor: Rape, Mental illness, and Slavery
lzad's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Child abuse, and Torture
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Rape
littletiramisu's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
wyrmbergsabrina's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
- 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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Physical abuse and Emotional abuse
Minor: Rape
tessamcevan's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- 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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Murder and Slavery
Minor: Bullying and Suicidal thoughts
terriaminute's review
adventurous
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This is a Very Good Story. I stayed interested all the way through this fairly long novel. When I brought it up again in amazon, (I got it from my library), I was startled to see there are many more novels in this series. Be reassured that this one ends really well. I'm intrigued and may continue on, but I don't need to immediately. That's nice. I appreciate that.
I really enjoyed all of the characters, a lot. I can see potential for future books, without any of it being overt.
I was annoyed reading a scene early on (first conversation with Lyle) in which a phrase is repeated three times in four or five pages, something an editor should've flagged. I was afraid there'd be more things like this, but there weren't, so that's good. But the author does have a habit I find irritating: a side character says something, MC has an internal reaction, then the side character continues in the same paragraph with MC's reaction. But the reaction was about the previous thing said. Most people won't notice, but it throws me off, so if you're like me, there's your heads-up.
But seriously, if the blurb intrigues you, give this one a try.
I really enjoyed all of the characters, a lot. I can see potential for future books, without any of it being overt.
I was annoyed reading a scene early on (first conversation with Lyle) in which a phrase is repeated three times in four or five pages, something an editor should've flagged. I was afraid there'd be more things like this, but there weren't, so that's good. But the author does have a habit I find irritating: a side character says something, MC has an internal reaction, then the side character continues in the same paragraph with MC's reaction. But the reaction was about the previous thing said. Most people won't notice, but it throws me off, so if you're like me, there's your heads-up.
But seriously, if the blurb intrigues you, give this one a try.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Toxic relationship
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