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margaret_k30'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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Physical abuse, Blood, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Self harm and Toxic relationship
Minor: Pregnancy, Animal cruelty, Adult/minor relationship, and Violence
valpyre's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
i'm not super familiar with russian mythology and folklore, and i appreciated the way this wasn't just a beat for beat retelling of a fairy tale. the way magic was intertwined with the way of life in the country, and with the main character in particular, just made sense -- i never felt too overwhelmed by new information, but there is a glossary at the end for reference.
i wasn't sure how to feel when i saw that the narrative involved multiple pov's but i really appreciated them all in the end as they lent sympathy to all the characters. the chapters/sections of different pov's were also brief enough that i appreciated the information i was learning, as opposed to just wanting to get back to the main character. even the omniscience of the prose was so smoothly written that it didn't break flow for me.
i'm really interested to see the development of the mc's magic so i'm diving right into the second book!
Graphic: Animal death and Gore
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Death, and Child abuse
Minor: Sexual assault
geminisoul's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Self harm, Violence, Pregnancy, Mental illness, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Grief, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
the_rabble's review against another edition
- 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
Takes until about halfway through to get going, but you've been primed with so much lore you're still having a good time before some of the set up action hits.
When it does hit, it's hard to put down and stays true to the style of the book.
I'm not big on kid protagonists, but this was like if Anne of Green Gables was a horse girl who had a cadre of friends from Russian folklore and maybe
Narrator: the Kathleen Gati recording is really clean. Voice acting was good- deploys Russian accents in dialogue. The pace could have been faster at times in prose. She's got an excellent fairy tale quality to the read.
Who I Wouldn't Rec This To: Misogyny and casual domestic violence is part of the setting, so if you're not in a headspace to deal with that allll the way through, wait on reading this one.
Graphic: Sexism, Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
anna_the_literasaurus's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Animal death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Violence, Body horror, Child death, and Death of parent
mmmmirrose's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Blood, Violence, Animal death, Death of parent, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault
megan_pristineprose's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Death of parent, Misogyny, Death, Pregnancy, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Gore and Physical abuse
Minor: Murder, Child death, and Infidelity
bookycnidaria's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Moderate: Blood, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Sexism, Violence, Mental illness, and Rape
chloebaboey's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Animal death, Death, Violence, Religious bigotry, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Blood, and Sexism
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, and Rape
Minor: Animal cruelty
moonneedstoread'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? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, Murder, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Grief and Violence