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k8buysrum's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
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
4.5
The story was so good, it just took a little while to get it going. There’s quite the lull of world building information in the early to middle section that was a little dull. But the main characters are great. The unfolding of information and plot is great. I leave the first book all twisted up inside for how things may go in the second. I’m looking forward to reading it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Body horror, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Abandonment, Confinement, Toxic relationship, Classism, and Animal death
im_basil's review
dark
mysterious
tense
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? It's complicated
I spent the whole book just (0 o 0)
Lots of really interesting plot twists and I liked the way all of the characters had their own time to shine, not a big fan ofmaking only your villains openly gay with “sexy” as a personality but other than that, it was a great read. :)
Lots of really interesting plot twists and I liked the way all of the characters had their own time to shine, not a big fan of
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Homophobia
offthecarousel_'s review
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Hmm.... this book left me pretty conflicted. I liked the characters, the plot seemed teased throughout the book so things seemed to come along mostly naturally, though a couple things felt a little choatic. Once again, I've stumbled into a book that's probably too dark for me, but I want to trust the author that there will be comfort at some point later in the trilogy (I've read something of theirs before). Based on reviews of the second book though it seems like I'll be waiting for book 3 for that lol. I've tipped it to 4 because I realize I think parts of this book just aren't aimed with me as the audience in mind.
One thing that seemed strange to me were that the events of the book seem cyclical. The main characters would sneak out of the sanctuary to do something dangerous and then go back in. Then they'd sneak out again to do something and go back in. Then, wouldn't you know it, the book ends with a character sneaking out once again. It just felt repetitive when those are the big moments in the book.
The other thing that frustrates me is when a character is one of the main POVs of the book but a good chunk of their thought process is hidden from us because of plot twist reasons. I felt like for Violet's POV, we got a lot of internal thoughts and feelings, but Will's POV was more distant with lots of his thoughts and feelings hidden from the reader. Will's full thoughts are only revealed after he's made a decision or done some action. When that happens I'm very tempted to say, "Just don't have things from his POV then," but... I feel that it's done deliberately so the reader's feelings echo Violet's in the end. It's frustrating for me, and not a stylistic choice I'm a fan of, but it's done fairly well.
That said, I do enjoy a lot of the dialogue between characters and the way their friendships and trust developed. I'm semi-interested in reading the rest of the trilogy.
One thing that seemed strange to me were that the events of the book seem cyclical. The main characters would sneak out of the sanctuary to do something dangerous and then go back in. Then they'd sneak out again to do something and go back in. Then, wouldn't you know it, the book ends with a character sneaking out once again. It just felt repetitive when those are the big moments in the book.
The other thing that frustrates me is when a character is one of the main POVs of the book but a good chunk of their thought process is hidden from us because of plot twist reasons. I felt like for Violet's POV, we got a lot of internal thoughts and feelings, but Will's POV was more distant with lots of his thoughts and feelings hidden from the reader. Will's full thoughts are only revealed after he's made a decision or done some action. When that happens I'm very tempted to say, "Just don't have things from his POV then," but... I feel that it's done deliberately so the reader's feelings echo Violet's in the end. It's frustrating for me, and not a stylistic choice I'm a fan of, but it's done fairly well.
That said, I do enjoy a lot of the dialogue between characters and the way their friendships and trust developed. I'm semi-interested in reading the rest of the trilogy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Torture, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Animal death
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
Major Character Death is definitely applicable here.fishindices's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault and Genocide
diana_raquel's review
adventurous
dark
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
4.75
“I think what people were is less important than what they are. And what people are is less important than what they could be.”
[Moment of fangirling: WHAT WAS THAT ENDING???? ALSO, PACAT, JAMES AND WILL BETTER BE ENDGAME!!]
Look, its very simple: everything Pacat writes, I read! I love every single book! This book is filled with mystery, intrigue and truly unexpected plot-twists. It also has a well-structured plot and well-developed characters. It has everything to be a favorite of mine! And it is! I loved it!
I can't wait for Dark Heir. Totally recommend!
[Moment of fangirling: WHAT WAS THAT ENDING???? ALSO, PACAT, JAMES AND WILL BETTER BE ENDGAME!!]
Look, its very simple: everything Pacat writes, I read! I love every single book! This book is filled with mystery, intrigue and truly unexpected plot-twists. It also has a well-structured plot and well-developed characters. It has everything to be a favorite of mine! And it is! I loved it!
I can't wait for Dark Heir. Totally recommend!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Confinement, Child abuse, Torture, Gore, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Genocide, Death of parent, War, and Violence
lilifane's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book broke me. So if this sounds appealing to you, and you read it based on my review, please don't complain afterwards.
The start was very promising, but then there was a lot of world building and getting to know characters for like 30-50% of the book. Enough action and plot twists to keep me interested, but also very few bread crumbs of what I really wanted to read about to make me impatient. The second half is just a wild ride.
It is supposed to be YA and I recognize the typical tropes coming with a YA fantasy books. But most of them have a spin or are resolved in a new way, which I really loved. You expect things to happen, and then they do happen, but in unexpected ways to mess with your head. In fact, I truly believe, the author just wrote this book to mess with my head specifically. Especially with the ending, which makes me question everything I thought I knew about myself.
Anyway, this book also seems a little too brutal for YA? The stakes are definitely higher than usual, and the author isn't afraid of showing it.
The world building is interesting, and the mysteries are intriguing, but what I loved the most were the intense and intimate scenes between the characters. I held my breath so many times I lost count, tbh. Thank goodness, the sequel is coming out next month. Can't wait to get my heart ripped out and trampled on again.
The start was very promising, but then there was a lot of world building and getting to know characters for like 30-50% of the book. Enough action and plot twists to keep me interested, but also very few bread crumbs of what I really wanted to read about to make me impatient. The second half is just a wild ride.
It is supposed to be YA and I recognize the typical tropes coming with a YA fantasy books. But most of them have a spin or are resolved in a new way, which I really loved. You expect things to happen, and then they do happen, but in unexpected ways to mess with your head. In fact, I truly believe, the author just wrote this book to mess with my head specifically. Especially with the ending, which makes me question everything I thought I knew about myself.
Anyway, this book also seems a little too brutal for YA? The stakes are definitely higher than usual, and the author isn't afraid of showing it.
The world building is interesting, and the mysteries are intriguing, but what I loved the most were the intense and intimate scenes between the characters. I held my breath so many times I lost count, tbh. Thank goodness, the sequel is coming out next month. Can't wait to get my heart ripped out and trampled on again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Slavery, Torture, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, Grief, and Violence
dreyy's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, Physical abuse, Blood, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Animal death, and Abandonment
aexileigh's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- 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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, War, Death of parent, Blood, Classism, Genocide, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Torture, Child death, Racism, and Adult/minor relationship
justineaxelle's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I’m struggling to form my thoughts on this book. I like some aspects of it and others I wanted to like but didn’t. The writing is good but doesn’t hook you in either, or only at some points throughout the story. I did like the characters but none of them stood out either. I think the plot and its complications overtook the characters and their dynamics completely, and I wanted to see more of the relationships developing. We literally got crumbs for a romantic ship and it was absolutely not enough. The plot twists were good, but there was also too much death. I wish C. S. Pacat would use other things to get her characters to develop other than experiencing deaths of loved ones. You shouldn’t have to kill 80% of your characters to make the plot move along and make your MC develop in some way.
It also didn’t go the way I thought it would in terms of storyline. Reading the first half of the book feels like listening to a song, waiting for the beat to drop and then suddenly it skips to another song and your brain is struggling to switch to another rhythm. I wanted to give the book 3 stars but the ending and the plot twists made it better.
It also didn’t go the way I thought it would in terms of storyline. Reading the first half of the book feels like listening to a song, waiting for the beat to drop and then suddenly it skips to another song and your brain is struggling to switch to another rhythm. I wanted to give the book 3 stars but the ending and the plot twists made it better.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Blood, Child abuse, Violence, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
thelittle_seokmin's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Violence, and Death
Moderate: War and Blood
Minor: Racism, Animal death, and Kidnapping