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graceheartsbooks's review against another edition
4.75
I wasn't sure if I was going to like this book in the beginning but I really enjoyed a lot. I had no idea Katee Robert was a queer author until today and this was my first book of theirs—I had just happened to come across as I’ve been trying to read as many queer books for pride month (and realized I needed to include more sapphic works into my reading).
Belladonna and Rusalka’s relationship was so sweet and I loved how this book discussed religious tramua—especially in relation to queer people (which as an asexual ex-Catholic, I related to heavily and has become one of my favorite genre niches/themes). I was especially enamored by the world building which I was not expecting to get so invested in—the politics, the intrigue, societal structures. I guess I just expected it from a short novel that mostly advertised itself as erotica😅
I’m still on the fence of whether or not I’ll actually purchase this book though so I might read the rest of the series first and then decide.
Belladonna and Rusalka’s relationship was so sweet and I loved how this book discussed religious tramua—especially in relation to queer people (which as an asexual ex-Catholic, I related to heavily and has become one of my favorite genre niches/themes). I was especially enamored by the world building which I was not expecting to get so invested in—the politics, the intrigue, societal structures. I guess I just expected it from a short novel that mostly advertised itself as erotica😅
I’m still on the fence of whether or not I’ll actually purchase this book though so I might read the rest of the series first and then decide.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry and Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Child abuse, and Homophobia
Minor: Cancer, Abandonment, Biphobia, Body shaming, and Sexism
ourxstorybegins's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
fast-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
3.75
Overall, I really enjoyed this! Katee Robert did a great job with touching on religious trauma that unfortunately many people go through.
One thing that is focused on during this series is the fact that part of the deal the women of the series make is that they might end up having a baby -- and that the baby would stay in that realm if the woman chose to return to her home realm. It's really emphasized that the leaders of these different realms would want to have a baby with a human woman because that baby would be more powerful for whatever reason. This was a HUGE focus of this book, to the point that it was a little exhausting. I loved Belladonna and felt for her, but would have loved to have seen more moments that weren't about her deciding whether or not she would agree to have a baby, whether or not her decision was based in past trauma, etc. etc. There was a lot of skipping past her experiences that weren't focused on those things, and I think it would've been really nice to get more of her outside of that pain.
Again, very much enjoyed it and I think Robert handled that experience really well. I just think the book could have really benefited from pulling back and giving us other experiences for Belladonna. (As always though, love the spice lmao)
One thing that is focused on during this series is the fact that part of the deal the women of the series make is that they might end up having a baby -- and that the baby would stay in that realm if the woman chose to return to her home realm. It's really emphasized that the leaders of these different realms would want to have a baby with a human woman because that baby would be more powerful for whatever reason. This was a HUGE focus of this book, to the point that it was a little exhausting. I loved Belladonna and felt for her, but would have loved to have seen more moments that weren't about her deciding whether or not she would agree to have a baby, whether or not her decision was based in past trauma, etc. etc. There was a lot of skipping past her experiences that weren't focused on those things, and I think it would've been really nice to get more of her outside of that pain.
Again, very much enjoyed it and I think Robert handled that experience really well. I just think the book could have really benefited from pulling back and giving us other experiences for Belladonna. (As always though, love the spice lmao)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Homophobia, Emotional abuse, and Pregnancy
gaymoonreader's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-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
3.75
Normally this doesn't bother me in Katee Robert's books but there needed to be another round of edits. The amount of typos could have been fixed with spell check, and it kept taking me out of the story. Other than that I really enjoyed this!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Body shaming, Child abuse, Fatphobia, Religious bigotry, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, and Homophobia
Minor: Pregnancy and Abandonment
singingshooter's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Child abuse, and Pregnancy
Minor: Abandonment and Cancer
lspbooks's review
hopeful
sad
medium-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? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Sexual content
Moderate: Cancer, Pregnancy, and Misogyny
Minor: Terminal illness
fairytalefootnotes's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-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
3.75
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
Writing: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Characters: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Tropes: Auction, Instalove, Monster Fucking, Sapphic, Shape-shifting, Non-Monogamy
3rd Act Breakup?: No
The Praise: I really enjoyed seeing Belladonna heal from her religious trauma through the love and acceptance of the Succubi and Incubi.
The Critique: I personally didn’t love the ethical non-monogamy but I understand why it made sense for the characters.
Final Thoughts: I really like this series in general, I think the concept is really unique and interesting. This was probably my least favorite of them, but I still enjoyed it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Religious bigotry, and Biphobia
Minor: Cancer and Pregnancy
wolvenheart's review
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- 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
4.0
As said in Katee’s dedication, this book is a little bit about religious trauma and working to overcome that. This book is just like self-care, it hits all the right spots.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Cancer, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy
darkdahlia9's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Sexual content
Minor: Pregnancy
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