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rosesbelair's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, and Alcohol
lexi_readsbooks'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
Minor: Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Alcohol, Blood, Bullying, Cursing, Murder, Violence, and Alcoholism
zoeelora's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Stalking, Blood, Violence, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Gore, Kidnapping, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Murder, and Bullying
ali_debookness'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
3.75
Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Body shaming, Death of parent, Murder, Violence, Death, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Alcoholism, Hate crime, Gore, Self harm, Abortion, Alcohol, Child death, Suicide attempt, Grief, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, and Infidelity
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Vomit, and War
booksmoviesandstories'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: Domestic abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Animal death, Grief, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Death of parent, Alcohol, Abandonment, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, War, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Slavery, and Violence
lucia_without_j's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Murder, Self harm, Slavery, Torture, Violence, and War
Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, and Child abuse
litkive's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
I blame booktok for entering this book with certain expectations that were not met. Either way, I cannot say I am completely disappointed, yet I am not too convinced about this book. I undoubtedly like the world, the cold sharp ruthlessness of the Folk. I like the scheming, the betrayal and blunt selfishness not masked under falsity. It leaves room for plot twists and exciting scenes. Nevertheless, I felt that there was so much potential left hanging.
I am sure Jude will turn into a strong character and she will learn from her mistakes, but she acted so rashly, so arrogantly. Her arrogance blinded her to so many opportunities and made her act so foolish sometimes. She is not the great spy she believes herself to be, though I think we are slowly getting there. Excited to see how she will handle everything in the next books. Personally, I think she still has a lot to learn from herself and how things work at Court. The hatred that drives her will end up firing her pursuit of power but it will also end up consuming her. I hope she learns that power does not only come in the form of fear but also as kindness. Kindness does not equal being naive. Having said that, I cannot help but despite Taryn. I don't want to see her change and lose her kindness, but she truly cannot be so naive as she appears to be.
As for Cardan, he made it very difficult for me not to despise him. I am all for the morally grey characters but some things just don't sit right with me. There is no excuse for the despicable things he has done, no matter how much he has been suffering on his own. I still think I need to know more, to learn about his thoughts more to truly understand him as a character. Despite his facade, I doubt he truly enjoys what he does.
This book is led by two characters that are too afraid of themselves, of what they can do, of what will be done to them and turn fear into a thorn-filled shield. Hurting others but ultimately hurting themselves too. Although I found the very detailed descriptions gorgeous, sometimes they were a bit too much for me. I enjoyed the last third of the book more than the rest due to some things happening in the end. Nice plot twist, though I cannot help but feel like there are some plot wholes.
I am very much looking forward to book two because I think this was a perfect yet solid start for a very thrilling story in Faerie.
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death of parent, Murder, Blood, and Bullying
leahpaige's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I will say the main downfall would be the pacing of the novel. While there are some fast-paced scenes, they are overshadowed by the slower build-up of world building. Alongside this, many people expect an enemies-to-lovers novel but end up with a book about faerie politics. I found the main plot around politics to be very entertaining though!
Overall, I'm drawn to realistic fiction and character-driven stories, but I couldn't help but love this story.
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
Moderate: Bullying and Violence
Minor: Alcohol and Alcoholism
abby_shupe'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
4.25
But I love Cardan and Jude, and the author definitely has a talent for world building. I think I owe Holly Black my life for just including that “Jude Jude Jude” page in this book. I wasn’t sure I’d like the relevance of the modern world & it’s connection to Faerie but the way the two worlds coexist played out better than I expected. I’m a sucker for morally grey characters, and both Jude and Cardan are pretty much the definitions of that. Jude is a total badass and I absolutely cannot wait to start reading the next book.
Graphic: Alcohol, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Physical abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Pregnancy and War
Minor: Alcoholism
ieryka_magic's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Gaslighting, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Torture, and Vomit
Moderate: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, Self harm, Torture, Violence, and Vomit
Minor: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Gore, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Violence, and Vomit