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kristinallard'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? Yes
4.75
Moderate: Animal death, Animal cruelty, Abandonment, Blood, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Child death, Death of parent, and Panic attacks/disorders
alexijai98's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Be warned, this is definitely a ROMANtasy. The fantasy aspects are throughout the whole book, but the action mostly revolves around the protagonists’ romance - which I didn’t mind because I loved them both! Reading this made me feel fuzzy inside, the way it felt to read a stunning fanfiction back in 2014 (you know the ones with the titles in all lowercase, don’t pretend not to!). There is also some heavy-hitting Mommy Issue content in here that had my feeling some kind of way, so keep that in mind!
Graphic: Bullying, Religious bigotry, Violence, Alcohol, Xenophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Child death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Abandonment, Animal death, Classism, and Death of parent
Moderate: Colonisation
bohemianhermit04's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Antisemitism, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Death of parent, Sexual content, and Alcohol
kendal_reads's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Xenophobia, Death, Religious bigotry, and Animal death
Moderate: Grief, Sexual content, Abandonment, and Emotional abuse
jessereadsthings's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
1.0
Graphic: Religious bigotry and Xenophobia
Moderate: Bullying, Hate crime, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Animal death
florecita_lectora's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Death, Animal death, Bullying, Hate crime, and Grief
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, and Abandonment
mpbookreviews'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? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Blood, Death, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, and Grief
Minor: Sexual content and Child death
bree_h_reads'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? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Xenophobia, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Abandonment and Death of parent
rjkadlick's review against another edition
4.75
maybe it was the yearning lol
Graphic: Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, and Abandonment
Moderate: Animal death
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