Scan barcode
20sidedbi's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Sexual content, Sexism, Outing, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Violence, Murder, and Homophobia
Minor: Racism
quitegood's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I'm conflicted over my appraisal of this book, because I was genuinely loving it to begin with. I found its version of magic to be unique and interesting, I appreciated how the book got straight into the story without making you feel lost, and I found the burgeoning relationship between the two protagonists to be heartwarming and beautiful.
Things started to come apart when (SPOILERS) Robin finally has the curse removed. The pursuit of the cure had been the emotional core of the story, and while I understand they couldn't keep it going for ever, what then becomes the focus of the novel doesn't hold up. It turns out (further SPOILERS) the macguffin they're trying to locate could spell doom for every Magician in Britain, while also not making it terribly clear what this 'doom' is until the last quarter of the novel. Call it Marvel fatigue, but I am a little sick of how stakes can't be centered on just the characters. I cared deeply about Robin having the curse removed, because I knew him as a character, and wanted to see him cured. This vague threat combined with the various conspirators being revealed rather haphazardly did make the final third of the novel a slog. Edwin's job is to investigate and neutralize potential magical anomaly and misuse, the macguffin could have simply been something that the Magical Assembly didn't want out in the world freely for anyone to use because it could hurt people. That's a fine reason for why the heroes need to retrieve it. It even justifies Robin's curse because people can be brutal even in the pursuit of small financial gain. By all means, reveal down the line that actually these innocuous magical items are actually more powerful than we expected, once you have a full cast of characters who'd be affected that we care about. But I don't want to dictate how the book should have been because I am but one person, and its just my opinion which is entirely subjective.
I however do think mention should be made to the (SPOILERS, CONTENT WARNING) various sex scenes depicted in this novel. If you're a little squeamish reading sex scenes, you may want to skip over their respective chapters. The sex scenes are isolated to their respective chapter, and while they contain some character development, they did feel a little frivolous and only there for titillation. Perhaps it's because I'm ace, and I'm not experiencing the right emotional responses to seeing the sex, but I do feel a more coy approach would have been preferable than the explicit sticky detail.
Things started to come apart when (SPOILERS) Robin finally has the curse removed. The pursuit of the cure had been the emotional core of the story, and while I understand they couldn't keep it going for ever, what then becomes the focus of the novel doesn't hold up. It turns out (further SPOILERS) the macguffin they're trying to locate could spell doom for every Magician in Britain, while also not making it terribly clear what this 'doom' is until the last quarter of the novel. Call it Marvel fatigue, but I am a little sick of how stakes can't be centered on just the characters. I cared deeply about Robin having the curse removed, because I knew him as a character, and wanted to see him cured. This vague threat combined with the various conspirators being revealed rather haphazardly did make the final third of the novel a slog. Edwin's job is to investigate and neutralize potential magical anomaly and misuse, the macguffin could have simply been something that the Magical Assembly didn't want out in the world freely for anyone to use because it could hurt people. That's a fine reason for why the heroes need to retrieve it. It even justifies Robin's curse because people can be brutal even in the pursuit of small financial gain. By all means, reveal down the line that actually these innocuous magical items are actually more powerful than we expected, once you have a full cast of characters who'd be affected that we care about. But I don't want to dictate how the book should have been because I am but one person, and its just my opinion which is entirely subjective.
I however do think mention should be made to the (SPOILERS, CONTENT WARNING) various sex scenes depicted in this novel. If you're a little squeamish reading sex scenes, you may want to skip over their respective chapters. The sex scenes are isolated to their respective chapter, and while they contain some character development, they did feel a little frivolous and only there for titillation. Perhaps it's because I'm ace, and I'm not experiencing the right emotional responses to seeing the sex, but I do feel a more coy approach would have been preferable than the explicit sticky detail.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Domestic abuse
Minor: Classism
horns_and_ember's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Classism, Kidnapping, Ableism, and Bullying
Moderate: Physical abuse, Murder, Misogyny, Sexism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Death of parent
More...