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darlenechatt's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
lidialosada's review against another edition
5.0
“each time his tongue touched mine, it felt as if the ground beneath me quaked” THIS QUOTE
linacamarego's review against another edition
4.0
True rating: 3.5
I loved the premise of this book! I’m a huge fan of any depiction of the seven sins, and I thought Maniscalco’s sexy, subtle versions of the princes were subverted and interesting takes. I also love the hint at Italian witchcraft and heritage, and the descriptions of food were the best part of the book.
My trouble with this book was with it’s execution. While certain descriptions were verbose, there was often a lack of description, and the plot moved too fast to really feel entrenched in the atmosphere. Additionally, a lot of the characters fell flat for me. We were told by the MC how they might be feeling, rather than the author showing us what was happening for them that might indicate the MCs suspicion. I also felt hot and cold about the MC, Emilia. I liked how much agency she had over her choices. And while some of her mistakes were annoying, it was clear that they were driven by grief. However, we did not get to fully explore a lot of that grief and pain. And then there were many moments where her decisions didn’t feel genuine, but were a “the plot told me so” moment.
I will be reading the sequel, since the cliffhanger did give me some hope that the plot might be worth the time. Hopefully, in the next installment, we will get a more vivid picture of the world, and of the characters as 3 dimensional beings.
I loved the premise of this book! I’m a huge fan of any depiction of the seven sins, and I thought Maniscalco’s sexy, subtle versions of the princes were subverted and interesting takes. I also love the hint at Italian witchcraft and heritage, and the descriptions of food were the best part of the book.
My trouble with this book was with it’s execution. While certain descriptions were verbose, there was often a lack of description, and the plot moved too fast to really feel entrenched in the atmosphere. Additionally, a lot of the characters fell flat for me. We were told by the MC how they might be feeling, rather than the author showing us what was happening for them that might indicate the MCs suspicion. I also felt hot and cold about the MC, Emilia. I liked how much agency she had over her choices. And while some of her mistakes were annoying, it was clear that they were driven by grief. However, we did not get to fully explore a lot of that grief and pain. And then there were many moments where her decisions didn’t feel genuine, but were a “the plot told me so” moment.
I will be reading the sequel, since the cliffhanger did give me some hope that the plot might be worth the time. Hopefully, in the next installment, we will get a more vivid picture of the world, and of the characters as 3 dimensional beings.
mallowtee's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
lyssabetty's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
nonbinarylibrarianwitch's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
kykyhernand's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
x_st3phreadsfantasy_x's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0