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discarded_dust_jacket's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
I didn’t know much about it going in, and it threw me for a bit of a loop when the world was far more “modern” than I was expecting (they drive cars and use phones). I thought it was going to be a full-blown fantasy story with like horses and swords for some reason, so it confused me for a second before I got my bearings.
“Love is not the sharp-edged thing [Margaret] always believed it to be. It’s not like the sea, liable to slip through her fingers if she holds on too tight. It’s not a currency, something to be earned or denied or bartered for. Love can be steadfast. It can be certain and safe…”
The only reason it didn’t get a higher rating from me was because the pacing for the middle 1/3 of the book was a bit slow for my taste. It kind of lagged a little bit, but found it’s stride eventually. I definitely enjoyed it, but it didn’t blow me away.
Graphic: Bullying, Gore, Hate crime, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, and Abandonment
Moderate: Death of parent
r1vana's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Gun violence, and Blood
Moderate: Bullying
lanid's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Blood, Religious bigotry, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
chichisode's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
neni's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I loved Trouble the hound, especially because my own dear dog is of the same breed so I kept picturing her in the book :)
The pacing was a bit all over the place. The first third of the book felt slow and like nothing was happening, the middle was satisfying in that we finally had some progress in both the plot and the relationship between the main character's, but then the ending, while entertaining, was a bit rushed and left quite a few issues that had been brought up either unresolved or fixed so quickly it didn't feel believable.
I must say as well: the fact that the whole character's main thing was being a huntress and loving it, didn't sit quite well with me as I don't agree with hunting for sport. The descriptions of fox killing as a sport (both the magical/mythical type and the plain normal animal) bothered me.
Overall, this was an okay read, especially vibesy for autumn and with some good romance and pining in the middle but not particularly strong either in plot or character complexity.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
aformeracceleratedreader's review against another edition
3.5
I'm also not a fan of white, raised Christian people writing about marginalized people when they haven't had those experiences. I know the author is LGBT+ and probably has faced prejudice because of it, but the discrimination and oppression one experiences based on religion and race/ethnicity is quite different. I don't like white authors saying that racial and religious minorities need to take the high road to be better than their oppressors like what has been illustrated in this book.
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Hate crime, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Classism
lujisa's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Bullying, Hate crime, and Antisemitism
Moderate: Child death, Religious bigotry, and Injury/Injury detail
thecourtofreading'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
4.0
anyway, this book did start off a little slow, but allison saft definitely knows how to create delicate settings and atmospheres and it was very vivid and enticing. the alchemy was a really interesting magic system alongside the halla.
Graphic: Animal death, Religious bigotry, and Abandonment
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Sexual content
annierose'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? Yes
4.25
However, the slowburn, the pining and the playful banter hit the right spot for me and I found myself turning the pages, eager for more interactions between the two leads. Maggie and Wes do feel like real people with their desires and dreams and anxieties, so it's easy to get invested in their blooming relationships and their vastly different family dynamics. And despite the story including some more mature themes like xenophobia, religious bigotry, emotional abuse, and child abandonment that have the characters going through complex emotions, the sweet romance at the centre of it makes the story feel light-hearted and addictive to read. And sometimes that's all you need from a book.
Graphic: Bullying, Xenophobia, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Child abuse and Emotional abuse
Minor: Sexual content
campisforever's review against another edition
- 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? No
3.75
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, Blood, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Classism