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thelibraryskeeper's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I have to say the main reason for my rating is because of the care the author put into creating this world. I heard her speak to the time she put into the world and the magic system. That she got lost in it fully understanding it before creating the story of the main characters and beyond. I adored this book and cannot wait for book two. Although I want Sarah to take her time with it. With the amount of care that went into this book I know it's going to be good.
Graphic: Torture and Gore
christinastentzel's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Death, Torture, Sexual content, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty
kitbruin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
The beginning was written in a poetic prose/ waxed lyrical…. Some plot holes were not yet addressed in book 1.
The audio book gave more clarity through the male/female character voices. But had One not listened to the audio, there might have been some confusion.
The end of the book randomly began to swap from 4 different perspectives.
This is not a light read. Takes some concentration.
Graphic: Gore, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Violence, Emotional abuse, Grief, Animal cruelty, Abandonment, Cursing, Death, and Misogyny
Moderate: Sexual content
thecanadianbookworm'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
5.0
Wow. Such a beautiful writing style, and a sad tale.
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Animal cruelty, Grief, Torture, Sexual content, and Blood
Moderate: Animal death, Confinement, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, Medical content, and Slavery
Minor: Child abuse, Abandonment, and Pregnancy
lakinglaze'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
5.0
Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Classism, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual content, Violence, Vomit, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cannibalism, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Sexism, Torture, Gore, and Medical trauma
ashboutiette's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Physical abuse, Torture, Blood, Death, Violence, Gore, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual content and Trafficking
Minor: Sexual assault, Trafficking, Death of parent, and Rape
callistag1's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Emotional abuse, Animal cruelty, Gore, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Animal death, Grief, and Blood
Moderate: Sexual assault, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, and Sexism
Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Confinement, Pregnancy, and Child abuse
aengblom's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Gore, Murder, and Torture
Moderate: Animal cruelty
Minor: Animal death
booksalacarte'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
5.0
Fantasy Romance
Multi POV
Unique magic system
Assassin FMC
Dragons
Secrets
Politics
Flashbacks
I started out with all 3 mediums of consuming this book. I put the audiobook aside fairly quickly due to finding the female narrator to be to be lacking the inflection to keep my interest. I stopped listening and quickly went to my ebook to start over.
But I highly recommend listening to chapter 15, if you have the audiobook available. As well as any following that feature the characters in the chapter.
The prologue was so beautifully used to start the world-building and laying down the groundwork for this to be the start of a very intricate and intense series! Once I got to Chapter 15, I was all in. That was when the book differentiated itself from other assassin FMC books, for me.
The plot was very steady, providing the breath catching moments that kept me at the edge of my seat as well as moments settling in and showing the softer side of the characters. This made it so easy to relate to, and like, the characters.
I loved it. It lived up to all the hype I saw.
Graphic: Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Murder, Sexual content, War, Vomit, Confinement, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Violence, Death, Excrement, Body horror, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Animal cruelty, Blood, and Grief
marleyellise's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book was definitely only 🌶️🌶️ at most.
The glossary/guides were a nice feature to have, and allowed me to reference back when a character, or creature came into the story that I couldn’t remember, but the entire family tree and glossary contain spoilers for the characters and storyline that could have been removed and added to the glossary when the plot point features in the book.
Upon reflection, although I enjoyed this book, it seemed that not a lot happened plot wise. We spent a lot of our time learning about Raeve, her background and her obsession with Rekk Zharos but not much of the secret elements were shared by the author in this first book. I ended the read feeling a little bit frustrated that I didn’t have a big cliffhanger making me ITCHING for the next book. The book did end on what some would call a cliffhanger.. but not one that made me gasp in anticipation!
Will I read the next book, yes. But with an expected release date of August 2025, I’m not that disappointed that I have to wait.
Graphic: Murder, Violence, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, and Blood
Minor: Death of parent, Sexual content, Grief, Pregnancy, Animal death, and Animal cruelty