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heather_freshparchment's review
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Cursing, and Death
Moderate: Classism, Blood, Suicide, and Pregnancy
Minor: Confinement and Vomit
toopunkrockforshul'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
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Cursing, Classism, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual content
Moderate: Rape, War, Alcohol, and Suicide
Minor: Vomit, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Infidelity
abnormal_shadow's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I started this book series like I start all the books i read: Bliond. I didnt know what i was getting into and i am happy to say that I had a wonderful experience with this book. The characters are all distinct and identifiable, all we it different interesting and complementing personalities. The twists that made me gasp the biggest gasps and the the loudest "omg nooooooooooo". Everyone seems to have this mutual queer understanding ang it thinks their entire friend group is astonishing. If I don't get to be the Addie in room with Violet, Maudie, Robion, Edwin, Alan and Jack, will I don't want the fucking group.
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Misogyny, Blood, Violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, and Classism
Moderate: War, Racism, Gore, Religious bigotry, Child death, and Torture
Minor: Alcohol, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gun violence, and Toxic relationship
hannahrogers's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Cursing and Death
Moderate: Classism, Blood, Torture, Murder, Grief, and Bullying
Minor: Rape, War, Alcohol, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Sexism, and Suicide
mrshays's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Death, Cursing, and Sexual content
Moderate: Murder, Suicide, Child abuse, Classism, Alcohol, Terminal illness, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Body horror, and Physical abuse
Minor: Self harm and Pregnancy
stardustandrockets'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
Graphic: Death, Child death, and Sexual content
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Grief, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Pregnancy, Gun violence, Alcohol, Cursing, Classism, and Fire/Fire injury
yourbookishbff's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
And first, I have to note how much I LOVED this audio production and narration by Josh Dylan. I would highly recommend this entire series on audio, but I particularly enjoyed this one.
This romance has a harder edge than any of our others, but also resulted in perhaps the most heartfelt declarations of the series. Role playing scenarios from Alan's erotic stories allows Alan and Hawthorne to navigate the class difference and power imbalance inherent to their relationship. Consent is well-navigated, with both establishing boundaries within scenarios and ways of withdrawing consent. I felt it was really well done, and allowed both characters to be vulnerable within a protected space as they begin revealing themselves to each other.
And the mystery! I loved that in each installment we get a new piece of the history of The Last Contract. In this, we get a deeper dive into the fae bargain with England's magicians, the ley lines, and magic houses (These! Magic! Houses!). I loved how this expands the world and magic system even further, and I thoroughly enjoyed every twist.
This is a book about mending and tending, and I absolutely adored it.
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Sexual content, Child death, Grief, Blood, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Classism, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Murder and Gun violence
Minor: Pregnancy and Sexual assault
Pregnancy and sexual assault in a side character's backstory.gondorgirl's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Stalking, Vomit, Murder, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Gun violence, Violence, Classism, Alcohol, Cursing, Infidelity, and Bullying
thecolouryes'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
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing, Classism, Death, Suicide, and Gore
Minor: Sexism, Self harm, Gun violence, and Mental illness
booksthatburn's review
- 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
The first chapter cements George as not only the detestable and power-hungry person shown into the earlier books, but truly vicious and uncaring in pursuit of his aims. There's something extra terrible in the way he destroyed Elsie and Jack's lives and then was so concerned with hiding what he'd done that he laid a secret-bind on both of them and didn't give a shit what became of them afterwards. Now, with a trail of the dead in George's wake, Jack and his strange new group of friends have one last chance to stop him once and for all.
Much of the magical worldbuilding was set up in the first two books, but there's a focus on class dynamics which is made possible by Alan's perspective when juxtaposed with the richer and titled members of the group. For all the Blythe's money troubles, they're on a vastly different scale than whether Alan's family will starve due to accident or injury. That perspective helps make obvious that the Last Contract was meant to accomplish something it's no longer really doing, and enables the group to come up with new solutions as things spin wildly out of control.
A POWER UNBOUND is (somehow) even sexier that A MARVELLOUS LIGHT and A RESTLESS TRUTH, or maybe this is just a sign that my tastes run closer to Alan's than any of the previous protagonists. Good sex scenes provide character development in addition to titillation. Great sex scenes are so seamlessly a part of character development that to skip them would be to miss something crucial, fervent, and deeply personal about the characters involved. Jack and Alan's relationship is one of playing with power dynamics and trusting that the other person won't cross any lines, that fantasies made flesh are a wonderful kind of vulnerability, and that consent can be withdrawn mid-scene. They get the thrill of fighting without being in true danger, though it takes a while for Alan to be sure enough of Lord Hawthorne that he can accept this vulnerability with Jack. For his part, Jack is enjoying the extra level of intimacy which comes from having unknowingly read Alan's work for years, now able to use that knowledge erotically and to devastating effect.
A POWER UNBOUND is a satisfying ending to a great trilogy. The epilogue is a perfect snapshot of everyone, I cackled at Alan's attempt at an interview after the big event. I'm eager for whatever Freya Marske writes next.
Graphic: Classism, Blood, Death, Sexual content, Violence, Murder, and Cursing
Moderate: Sexism, Suicide, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Torture
Minor: Rape, Gore, Vomit, Gun violence, Grief, Sexism, Racism, Infidelity, and War