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fieldofhats's review against another edition
- 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
Spoiler warning from here on.
I was skeptical with this book at first, but it grew on me with every chapter. I read this via Audible and it took me a couple hours to get into this book, but once I did, it was smooth sailing. The YA writing style threw me off a little at first since the themes seemed pretty mature, but I quickly got used to it. We are seeing this story told through the perspective of a young adult/old teen, so it makes sense, and it’s done very well.
It also took me a while to get into the court politics, because that’s just not my thing, but I was sufficiently engaged and understood 85% of what was going on! The spy and intrigue plot was so-so for me; I didn’t care much for it at the beginning, although I thought Jude and Dane’s relationship was very interesting; but after Dane was killed and we got to see the whole Court of Shadows at their lowest, I was invested. I’m very excited to see where that plot goes in the coming books! I’m still not the biggest fan of all the politics in general, but I love all of the characters and their dynamics (and my best friend assures me the sequels are amazing), so I’m going to go on with the series.
Jude is an amazing main character. She has relatable flaws and deals with them in such a realistic way. She’s headstrong, which is both a strength and a weakness, since she’s bold but doesn’t know when to stop. She has a great sense of pride, which makes her a brave and determined, but also gets her in trouble with both her enemies and her family, especially towards the end when she duels Madoc. This may not be universal, but I related to her so much so I really enjoyed being in her head the entire time.
Cardan’s journey is also one that I did not expect at all. He was so cruel in the beginning, but by the end we see him in an entirely new light. He’s been through so much by the end that we pity and feel for him — especially because he’s being screwed over by Jude. I can’t wait to see that dynamic play out later on.
Overall, I think it definitely lives up to the hype! It’s more focused on politics and drama rather than romance, but the romance that’s present is done very well!
Graphic: Murder, Death, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
thelibraryofjen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
lovers. I loved the plot and the overall political intrigue which really kept me entertained. Some people find this book boring because of that aspect but personally me I really enjoyed it. I will be continuing on to the second book whenever I get around to that.
Jude was an absolute badass and I was rooting for her through the whole book
If you Love:
-found family
-bully-to friends-to lovers
-knife to throat
-batter
-lots of tension between love interests
Genre/Type: Fantasy Fiction 15+
(paperback)
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Spice: 🌶️
Series or Standalone: First book in a trilogy (has a spin off series with oak this needs to be read first in order to understand the spin off series)
Graphic: Alcohol, Bullying, Alcoholism, Death, Death of parent, and Gore
Moderate: Child death, Gaslighting, Grief, Mental illness, and Kidnapping
starryeyedreads'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
4.25
The spoiler bit:
Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Murder, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Torture, and Death of parent
Moderate: Body shaming, Drug abuse, Alcohol, and Alcoholism
Minor: Incest
wrensreadingroom's review against another edition
5.0
Minor: Addiction, Mental illness, Vomit, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Violence, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Sexual content, Self harm, Racism, Murder, Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Grief, Gore, Gaslighting, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Death of parent, and Death
ericius'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? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Murder, Death, Death of parent, Bullying, Kidnapping, and Racism
Moderate: Alcoholism, Gaslighting, Self harm, Alcohol, and Toxic relationship
giulianalb99'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
4.5
⚠️Esta reseña contiene spoilers⚠️
Este libro es fantástico. Ya entiendo el hype que tiene, está totalmente justificado y merecidísimo.
Me encanta cómo escribe Holly Black, nunca había leído ningún libro de ella y la verdad es que su pluma es increíble y preciosa. El mundo de Faerie es súper original, pero me hubiera gustado saber más acerca de él. Si que es verdad que al principio se me hizo un poco lento y, a veces, me pareció que los capítulos eran demasiado largos, pero se me ha pasado volando y lo he disfrutado un montón.
Jude (la protagonista) es genial. Me encanta que la autora plasme sus defectos y cómo va evolucionando su personaje a medida que va avanzando el libro, y su relación con Cardan es un enemies to lovers 100% que he amado y que no puedo esperar más a leer cómo va tomando forma su relación. Al principio Cardan no me gustaba tanto por el tema del bullying (ya que es un tema que no puedo apoyar bajo ningún concepto) pero al final van saliendo a la luz varias cosas que te hacen cambiar de parecer. Los demás personajes, en general, me han parecido buenos (menos Taryn obviamente, y Locke🤮), y es súper curiosa la relación que tienen Madoc y Jude teniendo en cuenta su situación extraña.
Poco más tengo que decir al respecto. No puedo esperar más a seguir con esta trilogía y ver cómo los personajes van creciendo/evolucionando y cómo su relación se va creando.
No le doy 5 estrellas porque creo que el segundo me va a gustar mucho más y porque he sentido que este libro ha sido más bien un “calentamiento” para los que se vienen.
Si te gusta la fantasía y el romance, tienes que leer este libro sí o sí.
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This book is fantastic. I understand the hype it has, it’s totally justified and well deserved.
I love how Holly Black writes, I've never read any of her books and the truth is that she writes so beautifully. The world of Faerie is super original, but I would’ve liked to know more about it. Yes, at first it was a bit slow for me and, sometimes, I thought the chapters were too long, but I read it so fast that I didn’t even noticed and I enjoyed it a lot.
Jude (the mc) is amazing. I love that the author captures her flaws and how her character evolves as the book progresses, and her relationship with Cardan is a 100% enemies to lovers that I loved and I can't wait to read how their relationship evolves. At first I didn't like Cardan so much because of the bullying issue (I cannot support that under any circumstances) but in the end several things come to light that make you change your mind. The other characters, in general, were really good (except Taryn obviously, and Locke🤮), and the relationship between Madoc and Jude is super curious considering their strange situation.
I have little more to say about it. I can't wait to continue with this trilogy and see how the characters grow/evolve and how their relationship takes shape. I'm not giving it 5 stars because I think I'm going to like the second one much more and because I've felt that this book was more of a "warm-up" for the other books that are coming.
If you like fantasy and romance, you have to read this book no matter what.
(English is not my first language, if you find any mistakes, please let me know)
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Violence, Vomit, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Murder, Alcohol, Blood, Bullying, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Body shaming, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Mental illness, and Torture
praaliine's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Alcohol, Drug use, and Gaslighting
rylin_marie'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
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Murder, Drug abuse, Death of parent, Death, Cursing, Grief, Alcoholism, Alcohol, and Bullying
Moderate: Blood, Child abuse, War, Domestic abuse, and Kidnapping
Minor: Gaslighting, Gore, Vomit, Addiction, Kidnapping, and Mental illness
princessrory's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Gore, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Death, Murder, Violence, Bullying, Alcoholism, Blood, and Alcohol
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Stalking, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Body shaming, Suicide, Drug use, Slavery, Grief, Infidelity, Child abuse, and Physical abuse
Minor: Sexual content, Miscarriage, Infertility, Fire/Fire injury, and Excrement
ari_rose'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
3.75
Graphic: Violence, Death, Murder, and Bullying
Moderate: Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Death of parent, and Kidnapping