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carlyjoann's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
2.5
I’ll start with my positive thoughts. I like the main couple together still. I like some of the side characters. Some of the lore is intriguing.
Now for my not so positive thoughts. The lore is confusing and it feels like it changes a lot since the FMC doesn’t know much of it and we learn as she does. The plot is very slow moving. There are so many “reveals” that nothing is surprising and most of them are then “revealed” to be something else entirely pages later. It feels like you can’t trust anything said or done because it could change or be a lie. The characters have the same conversations so many times in this book and they are STILL having the same conversations from Book 1 and 2. Being inside of the FMC head is mind numbing at this point in the series. I want to like her but being in her head is frustrating as a reader.
There is potential for a good story if only the writing was better. It is just so hard to read and enjoy it when the book feels repetitive and slow. All of these books in the series so far could have been hundreds of pages shorter or just combined.
All of the plot twists and changes to what Poppy is and who her parents were was confusing and unnecessarily repetitive.
The ending was so cheap and parts of it felt obvious as the story progressed that I wasn’t very surprised by the twists or by the cliffhanger.
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Child death
glddstwmn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I feel like there was so much potential for a good story and it was completely wasted.
I enjoyed the basis of the plot and the conflicts I felt made sense to the story line, but good lord, the dialogue is some of the worst I've ever read. Genuinely Ive read ao3 fanfics written better than this. Everytime I started to think the story was getting good or it was redeeming itself, the dialogue ruined it.
Idk how Casteel puts up with Poppy but honestly he is just as insufferable. All the characters personalities are flat, Poppy is "nOt liKe oThEr GiRls", a huge pick-me, and everyone just eats it up??
It took me until a few chapters into this book that there are two guys "Malec/k", I thought she was misspelling the name the entire series. Also both opposing queens names are too similar and it was confusing. These are all side characters that are only talked about we don't really meet them throughout the story so I felt that made it more confusing.
The ending was a cop out, imo. once the twist happened in chapter 46, I just skipped ahead to the last chapter and read from there.
I was really hoping that since they were married now, there would be some good smutty scenes but there was like 3? 4? and they were mid at best.
Tbh, I think I'm avoiding this author from now on.
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Blood, Grief, Gaslighting, and War
Moderate: Confinement, Infertility, Sexual content, Torture, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Car accident, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Classism
chocolateturtle's review
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual content, Blood, Murder, and War
Moderate: Child death, Panic attacks/disorders, Kidnapping, and Death of parent
Minor: Animal death, Bullying, Rape, Sexual content, Vomit, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting
bvanness428'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
4.25
Graphic: Child death, Death, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, and War
vettechmama3'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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Sexual content, Blood, and War
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Torture, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Physical abuse, Terminal illness, and Pregnancy
infinity7211's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.25
Graphic: Child death, Sexual content, Torture, and Murder
thelongroadtosanity'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
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Heart-pounding, gut-wrenching from the first chapter. So much lore, history, and backstory has built up to such a crescendo with an epic conclusion to this book. I am desperate to know what happens next. My heart is not okay. (03/2024)
5 out of 5 stars
Graphic: Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Child death
lysstea's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Graphic: Sexual content and Violence
Moderate: Child death and Death of parent
Minor: Infidelity, Physical abuse, Torture, and Blood
dr4manrx'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? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Child death, Death, Death of parent, and Murder
prairieraven's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Moderate: Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism