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blackcatkai'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
4.0
this was such a cute, sweet, slow burn romance with a bit of magic thrown in. it's written beautifully while also dealing with quite a few heavy topics. I loved it and would absolutely read from Saft again!
Graphic: Blood, Xenophobia, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Alcohol, Antisemitism, and Death
Moderate: Body horror, Gun violence, Grief, Mental illness, Abandonment, Violence, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Sexual content and Ableism
wilybooklover's review
4.0
The writing in this was absolutely gorgeous. So lyrical — poetic, almost — and atmospheric. I highly recommend reading this in autumn because it has perfect spooky, gothic vibes. Margaret and Wes's slow-burn romance was so romantic and tender and full of pining. They both felt like fully fleshed-out characters with realistic flaws and issues. I also enjoyed that they were both poor; usually fantasy romances will have at least one of the pair be royalty or aristocratic or blindingly rich, and that was refreshingly not the case here.
This is a very character-driven and introspective book, and while I loved that aspect, I do wish there had been a little bit more focus on the hala and the hunt. It's mostly squashed into the last 10% and it felt a bit anticlimactic and rushed given the build-up of the previous 90% of the book.
The worldbuilding was also a little bit shaky for me. It's very clearly based on 1920s New England with direct parallels in terms of religion, ethnicity, real-world events and tensions, etc. but then there are some more modern concepts and theories mentioned as well. I know it's fantasy but I think it was too close to the real world to work in terms of cohesion. I think it would have flowed better for me if the world had been a bit more distinctly its own thing or if there were a few more magical/fantastical elements outside of the alchemy and the hala.
Overall, though, this was a lovely heartfelt fantasy romance with some deftly explored themes of loneliness, persecution, trauma, and religion.
Graphic: Abandonment, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Violence, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Panic attacks/disorders, Religious bigotry, Blood, Bullying, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, and Animal death
Moderate: Ableism, Toxic relationship, Racial slurs, Classism, Gaslighting, Sexual content, and Grief
Minor: Child death and Death of parent
foreverinastory's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was fun. Was a little sad the MC didn't seem to be queer but oh well. The religious diversity was really well done in this. I also loved that Wes was an immigrant!
I don't want to put antisemitism as a CW because there are not Jewish characters in this, but the impression I got from the treatment of Sumic people closely resembles the treatment of Jewish people.
Rep: white half Yu'adir cishet female MC, Banvish immigrant dyslexic Sumic cishet male MC (also likely ADHD), Banvish immigrant sapphic Sumic female side character, side MLM pairing.
CWs: parental neglect, emotional abuse, bullying, religious bigotry, violence, gun violence, animal death, blood, xenophobia, panic attack, toxic relationship, grief, past death of parent, abandonment, injury/injury detail. Moderate: gore, sexual content, ableism, racial/religious slurs, hate crime.
Graphic: Blood, Xenophobia, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Religious bigotry, Violence, Gun violence, Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Abandonment
Moderate: Ableism, Hate crime, Gore, Sexual content, and Racial slurs
thoughttojot's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Antisemitism, Xenophobia, Animal death, Blood, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Ableism
Minor: Death of parent