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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
There's glamour, thrills, and glitz in this novel, and I got through it in two days. It was a fun read, and I loved the look at politics and power through a jazzy, exciting setting. I also liked the characters. While sometimes reading a little juvenile for my tastes, it was still a lush and fun read.
I was actually really excited to read this book in the beginning. I read the first 3 pages in the store and was instantly hooked. I quickly read the first half of the book. After that, it started to fall off and the storyline changed focus. It quickly became a different book than the one I had started. It almost became a DNF but I kept going with hopes that the story would come back to how it was in the beginning. It did not.
emotional
hopeful
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
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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:
Complicated
It was okay
Got more exciting after reaching about the halfway mark and took time to get into it. I didn't care for the characters until Alex came into the picture. I liked Ingrid much more after she finally let go of her thoughts for the future and ambitions.
Got more exciting after reaching about the halfway mark and took time to get into it. I didn't care for the characters until Alex came into the picture. I liked Ingrid much more after she finally let go of her thoughts for the future and ambitions.
adventurous
lighthearted
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:
No
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
inspiring
reflective
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
Political fantasy isn't my favorite, and that was definitely the case here. It was also probably not the most complex political fantasy, most of the ideas seemed to be rather thin analogies for real world situations. There were some plot holes/things in the worldbuilding that didn't make sense. (Ingrid goes from wearing a suit to wearing a dress in one of the last scenes. Also, I don't know why Gwendolyn even has a chance if the amount of flare you have determines how much your vote is worth, and only wealthy people have flare). Also, Ingrid made A LOT of less than ideal decisions for someone who was supposed to be really smart, and that was kind of immersion breaking. The prose was a giant step up from Tarnished are the Stars, but it's a little to melodramatic for me (it totally fits the 1920's tone though!)
I really liked the representation (Ingrid is demiromantic, and there are ace and aro ace side characters) and lack of amatonormativity in the novel though! That was the best part. Ingrid has complicated feelings towards romantic love the entire time, and there's a strong emphasis on other types of love as well. It doesn't bring up her being demi too much—but again, the way the book talks about love is from very aro-spec perpective, which is nice to see.
I really liked the representation (Ingrid is demiromantic, and there are ace and aro ace side characters) and lack of amatonormativity in the novel though! That was the best part. Ingrid has complicated feelings towards romantic love the entire time, and there's a strong emphasis on other types of love as well. It doesn't bring up her being demi too much—but again, the way the book talks about love is from very aro-spec perpective, which is nice to see.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Police brutality
Minor: Homophobia, Transphobia
Cannot get into this. The Magic system is exactly what you’d think from the cover but it also fundamentally isn’t working for me.