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tifftastic87's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
First off, this book needs content warnings (I know they're below but they need to be here too).
⚠️ Self-harm (cutting)
When presented with her destiny as a human sacrifice, Redarys appears to take it on the chin. Really she's hiding from magic that wants to consume her. Eammon, the Wolf, is Warden of the Wilderwood where Red is destined for. But the Wilderwood is dying and Eammon is determined to save and Red and he is not accepting applications for assistants.
Supposedly, this is a Beauty and the Beast retelling, but I fail to see it. The only similarities is a curse that makes the town think a man is a monster and love breaking that curse. The two main characters are both stubborn martyrs and that is where most of the conflict comes from. If they could be honest and communicate from the beginning things would have been better. But the main story is politics and religion.
The actual plot of the story, which is shadowed a bit by the romance plot, is one of religious fanaticism that is actually really well done. There's a dark versus light magic trope used where the religious use the dark magic and are out for power. The damn athiests only wantinf peace, love, and healthy trees.
That being said, the magic system was a little confusing. Its clear that is blood magic but it reacts different in different settings and different people. It isnt predictable unless it is. I would have liked to have seen this worked out a bit better.
Oh ya and the age gap, centuries to 20 years....
⚠️ Self-harm (cutting)
When presented with her destiny as a human sacrifice, Redarys appears to take it on the chin. Really she's hiding from magic that wants to consume her. Eammon, the Wolf, is Warden of the Wilderwood where Red is destined for. But the Wilderwood is dying and Eammon is determined to save and Red and he is not accepting applications for assistants.
Supposedly, this is a Beauty and the Beast retelling, but I fail to see it. The only similarities is a curse that makes the town think a man is a monster and love breaking that curse. The two main characters are both stubborn martyrs and that is where most of the conflict comes from. If they could be honest and communicate from the beginning things would have been better. But the main story is politics and religion.
The actual plot of the story, which is shadowed a bit by the romance plot, is one of religious fanaticism that is actually really well done. There's a dark versus light magic trope used where the religious use the dark magic and are out for power. The damn athiests only wantinf peace, love, and healthy trees.
That being said, the magic system was a little confusing. Its clear that is blood magic but it reacts different in different settings and different people. It isnt predictable unless it is. I would have liked to have seen this worked out a bit better.
Oh ya and the age gap, centuries to 20 years....
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gore, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Eating disorder, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, and Murder
zuha_kh's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Self harm, and Injury/Injury detail
hbae's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Self harm, and Blood
jaymehunt's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The writing is super pretty and I was kept intrigued, but the world-building was confusing, and all the action was packed into the last 30 pages. It felt like the author just went with the vibes as she wrote. Was it a Red Riding Hood, Beauty & the Beast, or Snow White retelling? Your guess is as good as mine. The characters got on my nerves most times.
Also CW - the way they access their magic is with blood, so be prepared for a large portion of the plot to revolve around self-harm.
Also CW - the way they access their magic is with blood, so be prepared for a large portion of the plot to revolve around self-harm.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm
chloescozycorner's review against another edition
4.5
I feel like some of the world building could have been tightened up a bit. Also there were moments where the confusion I felt was not caused with a reason, but from lack of clarity in the writing. BUT I loved Red and Eammon. I loved the themes of religion and nature. Loved the eerie vibes, and I was sucked in to all of that. If the first aspects mentioned were tightened up this would be 5 stars for sure.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm and Blood
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
luckylulureads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Self harm, Blood, and Abandonment
Minor: Death of parent and Alcohol
Self harm aspects are not for suicidal reasons but for Magic reasons. Still, it can be hard to read, especially as some characters martyr themselveswiddlemun's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
It's okay, the lore is nonsensical and boring but it's not a bad book. It's just nothing exciting or new. Also I'm very over a lot of these tropes. I do wish the author used less confusing wording when describing action scenes, it makes them harder to visualize.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm
hokinka's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Violence, and Blood
noxernia's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Death of parent
Minor: Self harm, Violence, and Grief
margaret_k30's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual assault and Abandonment
Minor: Drug abuse, Sexual content, and Kidnapping