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flavoredfaeman's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Physical abuse, and Murder
samanthabreading's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
When I first started reading, I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this book. For some reason the writing style took a little getting used to, but once I did, it was tough to put down! Lots of mystery and intrigue, but that snowflake scene in the beginning is what hooked me. I really adored Edwin’s journey of vulnerability over time. The Edwardian setting was really fascinating and Marske interlaced the magic system and secret society within this timeframe beautifully. I didn’t like the sprinkle of sexist and racist undertones within this book, but thinking this may have been attributed to the time/english aristocracy during that period? I am also not much of a spice reader, but the care and consent that took place during these spicy scenes as well as the development of romance and the pining beforehand were quite enjoyable for me! Will give the second book a go!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Kidnapping, and Murder
Minor: Racism, Sexism, Death of parent, and Classism
booksncats_mec's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Bullying and Blood
memeraryfiction's review
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- 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
I loved this book! It's an enjoyable read if you like fast-paced, relatively light-hearted, queer historical fantasy with diverse, likeable characters and incisive but not-too-heavy social commentary. (And/or sexy content, because this one is spicy! Not usually my thing, but the characters are so likeable I couldn't help but be happy for them.) It's a very exciting debut and beginning of a series; I've already requested the second book from the library. I'm excited to read more from Freya Marske in the future!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Racism and Xenophobia
kimzeyk's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I had trouble keeping the two MCs straight - I was constantly going back to check who said that. I liked the story, but it was more sexually explicit than I expected. Didn’t enjoy it enough to continue with the sequels.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism
terranstorm's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- 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
4.75
This one had it all, plot and characters and worldbuilding. I loved the magic system, the sinister house parties, the way the talents of magical women were overlooked, Edwin discovering of his "affinity" with Sutton, the whole other kind of magic women taught themselves in secret. It was all so elegant!
Then I loved Edwin and Robin's dynamic with each other. I truly felt both of their surprise and wonder at each other, the mutual fascination and respect, Robin's bravery and Edwin's precision, and the sheer headiness of the two of them feeling that desire spin out into something bigger and beyond their control (particularly on Edwin's side, when control was a lifelong necessity). Their intimacies with each other, and how that very, VERY new bond spiders through their relationships with all the other characters, somehow touching everything, moving everything. Their entanglement made the plot, in a way that's delicate enough to be hard to explain. I thought the plot events themselves were clever as hell but it was the characters' web of ties that made it all WORK. Exactly the kind of book I desperately want more of.
A brilliantly fun piece of fiction and I can't wait to read the next two books.
Then I loved Edwin and Robin's dynamic with each other. I truly felt both of their surprise and wonder at each other, the mutual fascination and respect, Robin's bravery and Edwin's precision, and the sheer headiness of the two of them feeling that desire spin out into something bigger and beyond their control (particularly on Edwin's side, when control was a lifelong necessity). Their intimacies with each other, and how that very, VERY new bond spiders through their relationships with all the other characters, somehow touching everything, moving everything. Their entanglement made the plot, in a way that's delicate enough to be hard to explain. I thought the plot events themselves were clever as hell but it was the characters' web of ties that made it all WORK. Exactly the kind of book I desperately want more of.
A brilliantly fun piece of fiction and I can't wait to read the next two books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Bullying, Torture, and Murder
Minor: Misogyny
havenraven23's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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
4.25
Not perfect, but enjoyable and a fun world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Sexual content
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Violence, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Toxic relationship and Grief
kain47's review
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Bullying, Death, Misogyny, Blood, and Murder
wardenred's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Apparently magic was as inherently fiddly as Latin grammar, and required the same sort of attention to detail even when constructing what Courcey described as a minor object imbuement.
I had such high hopes for this book, but for the most part, it just kind of left me confused. I think it's because of certain structural choices, especially in the beginning. There's this prologue (I don't care it's called Chapter 1 when it is, for all intents and purposes, a prologue) that introduces a character in a stressful, emotionally charged, obviously high-stakes situation, provides a glimpse of his personal history, and makes the reader wonder what happens next. Then it ends, and we get to meet the actual leads in a situation that is a lot more mundane, sort of awkward, and involves lots and lots of telling about the magic system. And apparently the character from the yes-that's-a-prologue is basically just a plot device to build a mystery around. Though of course the mystery is now undermined by the information given away in the definitely-a-prologue-whatever-you-call-it.
Honestly, I feel this beginning did the story a huge disservice. It also kind of undermined Robin and Edwin, the actual protagonists, for a while there. At least for me. Instead of just, you know, meeting them on the page and getting to know them and becoming invested, I felt let down by their presence because they weren't really offering me what the beginning of the book teased. And the structural problems didn't fully stop there, they just became less glaring. But honestly, the balance between the romance and the mystery was rather off at times, and the relationship felt kind of oddly paced, as if the author really, really wanted to rush the slow burn but stopped herself from doing so for some reason. Or, well, that was the vibe for me.
I did really enjoy the worldbuilding, especially the magic system. It's intricate and fascinating and has some great depth. The main characters, once I got over that "let down" feeling, were really fun to follow. I empathized with Robin a lot, and Edwin had some beautiful moments. I overall enjoyed how the "opposites attract" trope was handled here. The journey had its pacing-related hiccups, but the ending still felt well-earned. And the external plot also delivered its share of interesting moments. It was just that, sadly, I had to constantly make an effort to stay in the loop, and I attribute it mainly to the book's structural flaws overlapping with my usual "fix it" attitude. I loved the idea of it, I just kept thinking about ways to tweak the execution.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Misogyny, and Sexual content
Moderate: Homophobia
merc_birb's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Sexual content, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Self harm, Sexism, and Suicidal thoughts