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thenovelmaura's review against another edition
- 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
2.5
Unfortunately, this book was a huge letdown simply because it was such a generic fantasy that I was hardly motivated to finish it. There wasn't anything specifically wrong with it, but I found the plot to be painfully predictable as someone who reads a lot of fantasy. The characters so perfectly fit into stereotypes that I knew who would live, who would die, how certain conflicts would be resolved, etc. From reading other reviews of this book, Zhao wanted to shed light upon the issue of human trafficking, but I didn't get any of that from a generic "magical people are enslaved and oppressed" storyline that is already rampant in fantasy stories. It's not bad, per se, but I have no desire to read the 2nd book. It's honestly kind of funny to me that this book was so mired in controversy when it's otherwise so entirely forgettable.
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Trafficking, Torture, and Slavery
singalana's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
The main characters are exactly as you would expect them to be: a wilful princess and a silver-tongued criminal. As the story progresses, we get more and more glimpses into the past that shaped these characters into who they are today. Other than the two main characters, there’s a host of other characters, who all have a role to play in the story.
The story started strong with an interesting, action-packet setup. Unfortunately, I soon became tired of the structure of action packed chapters followed by slower chapters about the characters’ past. That was not the only thing I grew weary of, since these two can’t seem to stay out of trouble for two seconds. The author tried to pack so much action and so much emotion into every possible scene, especially towards the end, that it became tiresome.
I’m afraid that despite the interesting concept, the story tried to do way too much and piled on obstacle after obstacle. With better pacing and allowing the characters more time to breathe in the present timeline, this story could have been improved.
Moderate: Death, Medical trauma, Torture, Blood, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Abandonment, Alcohol, Death of parent, Murder, Slavery, Kidnapping, Chronic illness, and Fire/Fire injury
r1vana's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Violence, Death, Death of parent, and Child death
Moderate: Trafficking
Minor: Drug use
tkhenry99's review
3.25
i kind of liked ramson, kinda didn’t. i thought all the pet names were cringey and didn’t like that part of his characterization. it didn’t really seem to fit him. i wanted more chapters from his POV. he warms up to ana pretty fast for someone who was complicit in human trafficking just 4 months prior to the beginning of the story. literally spends like 3 days with her before he’s a changed man, and most of the time they’re just sniping at each other.
ana was too impulsive and that got annoying fast. i kept wishing she would be more …. ruthless? cutthroat? idk i felt like it was weird that she kept torturing people for no reason and letting them live bc she “couldn’t control her power”. i know it had to do with her whole “i can’t be a monster thing” but these are literal human traffickers?
all the other characters were so insignificant i literally did not care about them at all.
plot is unoriginal, very cliche, and suffers from having too many things going wrong. how are yaegers so rare and yet every time ana is doing something one shows up? of course theres also big scheme by the villains and secret affinites and mind control.
Graphic: Blood, Slavery, Trafficking, and Child death
Moderate: Gore
Minor: Death of parent
xerlynz_reads'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? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Death, Trafficking, Gore, Blood, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
ghostlyprince's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Trafficking, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Blood, Child death, Child abuse, Grief, Hate crime, and Torture
Moderate: Abandonment and Kidnapping
Minor: Sexual violence and Confinement
sqacedvst's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Blood and Murder
Moderate: Death, Medical content, Violence, Trafficking, Slavery, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement, Death of parent, Gore, and Grief
gingerale06'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? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Trafficking, Torture, Slavery, and Suicidal thoughts
booknerdbetty's review
3.75
Graphic: Trafficking, Violence, Torture, Slavery, Death of parent, Child abuse, and Blood
valenpolack's review against another edition
5.0
The character development, the world building, Ramson, everything wass just... *chef's kiss*
Can't wait to get my hands on the rest of the series.
P.S: Ramson is the newest love of my life and I'm not complaining.
Graphic: Blood and Death
Moderate: Child death, Violence, and Trafficking
Minor: Death of parent and Kidnapping