Scan barcode
jl23's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
I really enjoyed this book and have continued on in the series. The beginning of the book was relatively slow for me. I had a hard time really getting into it due to heavy world building which I still enjoyed.
About halfway through the book is where things really begin to pick up. There are some LGBTQ+ themes. It is a slow burn romantasy with strong plot lines. There are many lovable characters and it very much has found family vibes. I really enjoyed the character development.
If you are looking for something that is smut heavy this isn’t it. If you like strong stories with some spice this might fit the bill. This book is more timid in the spice department book two has more but still pretty tame. So if you aren’t comfortably with any now you know.
I feel like overall the cast is relatively diverse. There are themes of discrimination amongst races of fae, elf, halfling, and mortals.
The main character very much gives me Aelin from “Throne of Glass” vibes. She is strong but jaded and has certain level of self loathing that plays heavily into her character arc.
*spoilers below related to LGTBQ+ themes*
The main character is bi-sexual however, the end-game relationship is female-male. If reading about female-female love interest isn’t your thing (which is the case for me typically) I would still say give this a try. In book 1 there is mainly just mentions of her past relationship and there isn’t much detail. Book two goes into that story line a little more but I found it was relative and very well written. There was one scene that wasn’t for me personally but I just skimmed a couple pages. I’m happy there is diversity in these books and I know that some may not be as open to certain themes or may feel uncomfortable or maybe it just isn’t for you and that’s ok. I just wanted to put it out there for those who may not be interested in these themes or may be new to them.
About halfway through the book is where things really begin to pick up. There are some LGBTQ+ themes. It is a slow burn romantasy with strong plot lines. There are many lovable characters and it very much has found family vibes. I really enjoyed the character development.
If you are looking for something that is smut heavy this isn’t it. If you like strong stories with some spice this might fit the bill. This book is more timid in the spice department book two has more but still pretty tame. So if you aren’t comfortably with any now you know.
I feel like overall the cast is relatively diverse. There are themes of discrimination amongst races of fae, elf, halfling, and mortals.
The main character very much gives me Aelin from “Throne of Glass” vibes. She is strong but jaded and has certain level of self loathing that plays heavily into her character arc.
*spoilers below related to LGTBQ+ themes*
The main character is bi-sexual however, the end-game relationship is female-male. If reading about female-female love interest isn’t your thing (which is the case for me typically) I would still say give this a try. In book 1 there is mainly just mentions of her past relationship and there isn’t much detail. Book two goes into that story line a little more but I found it was relative and very well written. There was one scene that wasn’t for me personally but I just skimmed a couple pages. I’m happy there is diversity in these books and I know that some may not be as open to certain themes or may feel uncomfortable or maybe it just isn’t for you and that’s ok. I just wanted to put it out there for those who may not be interested in these themes or may be new to them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Self harm, Violence, Racism, Colonisation, Classism, Blood, Alcoholism, Addiction, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, and Death
Moderate: Abandonment
kingkiller99's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
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
4.0
I really enjoyed reading this book. It reminded me of the first three TOG books all in one, but to be honest, I may like Keera a little more? Her addiction was hard to read but there were also parts that I appreciated too. Looking forward to reading more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism and Addiction
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
ems_book_shelf's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
It actually pains me to rate this 2.75⭐️ but i did not enjoy reading this book. The story is very tropey, like one after the other after the other. The betrayal was pretty obvious but at the same thing, it wasn’t even really a betrayal ? There were so many typos in this book, the pacing was all over the place, the characters felt very surface level, and the plot was not anything to write home about. I can love a fantasy series based on vibes, but I didn’t feel like the main love interests had any connection, it felt very forced. I didn’t feel the tension in the way you’d expect from an enemies to lovers. I wish we had more world building and saw more of the Shades training.
I did really like Keera’s character arc and I liked the action portions of this book. I think if the writing had another pass through it could be a super great NA fantasy book
I might read the next book to give it another shot!
I did really like Keera’s character arc and I liked the action portions of this book. I think if the writing had another pass through it could be a super great NA fantasy book
I might read the next book to give it another shot!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Alcoholism, Addiction, and Alcohol
fr3ckls's review against another edition
4.25
i find keera such a breath of fresh air. she was complex, brave and smart, struggling with her past and her traumas but still so caring for those around her.
i found the side characters compelling and interesting as well, although i felt like sometimes the writting was to descriptive.
i found the side characters compelling and interesting as well, although i felt like sometimes the writting was to descriptive.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Alcoholism, Sexual harassment, Death, and Self harm
adoptedbuttons's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Racism, and Alcoholism
jocogr's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction and Alcoholism
Moderate: Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Classism, Death, Racism, and Violence
sasclostchild's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
So the first third of the book was very depressing, focusing on our protagonist living the American dream: doing a shitty job they don't like to barely live and to drown their sorrows in alcohol, all while harming a lot of people.
She then turns her life around by quitting alcohol (good for her) and siding with a rebellious group to eat the rich.
This is all accompanied by a very icky straight romance which is not icky because it's straight (although that is a sad part because i was hoping for a sapphic romance but that only exists in a short flashback) but because the dude forces himself on her all the time and the only chemistry they have is some weird interaction between their types of magic that acts as an aphrodisiac making them horny for each other.She still somehow falls in horny because idk if you can call drug addled make outs love
Then the book also fails to close its main arc during the book but fuck I'm not buying the second book.
Still 2.25, because the unfinished story got kinda interesting in the second half
This is all accompanied by a very icky straight romance which is not icky because it's straight (although that is a sad part because i was hoping for a sapphic romance but that only exists in a short flashback) but because the dude forces himself on her all the time and the only chemistry they have is some weird interaction between their types of magic that acts as an aphrodisiac making them horny for each other.
Then the book also fails to close its main arc during the book but fuck I'm not buying the second book.
Still 2.25, because the unfinished story got kinda interesting in the second half
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, Trafficking, Alcoholism, Racism, Murder, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Slavery
Moderate: Genocide, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship
razalicious's review against another edition
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use, Alcoholism, Death, Torture, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Violence, Blood, Sexual content, and Injury/Injury detail
caphine's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Colonisation, Alcoholism, and Slavery
dairyscary's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- 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? It's complicated
0.5
Not to be a hater but Lord this took me ages to finish. It was very obviously a first publish by this author and was pretty poor quality. I can’t even think of any redeeming qualities. Keep practicing, but also take note of how other authors tell a story and try that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction and Alcoholism