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barbarianmissy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I felt like this book was trope city and reminded me of a bunch of other YA books from my highschool years. We have the competition of the hunger games, the love triangle of twilight, the royal prince having a crush on the poor girl from the selection series. Felt very nostalgic even though I’d never read it.
It was a very easy read and the story was sweet and very easy to follow but I’m excited for it to get more interesting cause it felt very surface. I liked seeing the connection to Crescent City though with the mention of my girl, Wyrd (Urd!)
And…. I’ve seen tik toks hating him so I know he’s probably about to flip a switch and be a D-bag that I loathe, but if I’m being honest….. right now…. I’m team KA-CHAOL!
Idk Dorian is a little too full of himself for my liking. But also seriously how TF did ka-Chaol get the job of Captain of the Guard at 22 having never killed a man????? UNREALISTIC IF YOU ASK ME!
Anywho, CROWN OF MIDNIGHT, YOURE UP, BABYCAKES!
Minor: Blood, Body shaming, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit
bree_h_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Graphic: Murder, Blood, Death, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Slavery, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent, Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Physical abuse, Child abuse, Classism, Colonisation, and Racism
aas's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Blood, Suicide attempt, Murder, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Slavery, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Grief, Vomit, and Death
lqne's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Vomit
Moderate: Colonisation, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Sexism, Slavery, and War
Minor: Child abuse, Infidelity, Death of parent, Drug use, Eating disorder, Police brutality, and Sexual harassment
magraymusic'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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Death of parent, Gore, Slavery, Violence, Vomit, Genocide, Misogyny, Animal death, Body horror, Classism, and Kidnapping
A great book. Can’t wait to start the next one!sharlapeggy'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
4.0
Graphic: Torture, Death of parent, Slavery, Death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Trafficking
savvyrosereads'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
4.0
This was my lowest ranked SJM book on my first read, and while it is staying in place (purely because everything else is SO MUCH BETTER), I definitely appreciated it more the second time around. ToG Dorian and Chaol are frankly underrated, imo, and Nehemia grew on me here too. I’ve never been a huge rereader, but I’m starting to think that for SJM it is almost crucial—there are just so many small details that you only pick up with a second look.
Lastly, just screaming this from the rooftops one more time…READ THE ASSASSIN’S BLADE FIRST. I intentionally tallied and every SINGLE major reveal from that is spoiled if you start with this book instead. It truly boggles my mind that anyone could advocate a different reading order for first time readers (and yes, I am directing this towards SJM herself as well).
Original review (March 2023):
Rating: 4/5 stars.
Really good but honestly not great? If you compare it to the later books this is much slower and harder to get into. But it’s still very fun, and VERY worth it for what will come.
Graphic: Death, Murder, Blood, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, and Gore
Minor: Death of parent, Sexual violence, and Torture
thefickleinkdrinker's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, Murder, Torture, and Vomit
nicklybear's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Graphic: Blood, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Genocide, Slavery, Vomit, and Death of parent
There are a lot of problems with the books. The characters are paper thin, the "mystery" is as easy to solve as a mystery in a child's book. Celaena frankly, isn't that good of an assassin if people can keep sneaking into her room at night, etc. Those are just the more egregious problems that kept nagging at me. But, despite the problems, I enjoyed this book. It's nothing great, in fact, I would say at best, it's mediocre. It's enjoyable, though. I had fun reading it, and at the end of the day, that's good enough. 2.5/5 = Mediocreearthie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Unique in some ways, but felt very much like the Tamora Pierce Tortall universe, both in writing and character development (and even plot, now thinking about it more). Fun in a way that isn't complicated.
I'd recommend this book for YA audiences, or adults who don't mind the mushy feelings of youth.
I love that the book has an overly talented female main character *and* that she is extremely unique in her talents and backstory.
Graphic: Blood, Slavery, Murder, Violence, Death, and War
Moderate: Physical abuse, Confinement, Torture, Misogyny, Genocide, Classism, Sexual content, Death of parent, Colonisation, and Islamophobia
Minor: Genocide, Kidnapping, Alcohol, Cannibalism, Confinement, Police brutality, and Xenophobia