Scan barcode
lmcarr0314's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
I enjoyed this book, it was pretty good. I was really into the challenges, The characters and their backstories. I enjoyed reading it
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Death of parent, Slavery, and Death
Minor: Vomit
faithsbookreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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? It's complicated
4.5
I liked this book! It was entertaining & really easy to read. I will say that I never really expected Nehemiah to have anything to do with the murders & I suspected it was Cain the entire time. I’m not sure if that aspect was supposed to be a plot twist but if so, it was a little disappointing that it was that obvious. Regardless, I enjoyed this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Cannibalism, Body horror, Blood, Death, Gore, and Violence
bree_h_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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
I read this a few years ago and refused to read the rest of the series because the ending upset me so much. And while it obviously didn’t change over the years I was interested to see how my views of the book changed.
To start, the prose has moments of being less than great, but overall I think read pretty well. Which was an interesting contrast to ACOTAR. I definitely think to narrator was a big help with that as she had a great performance and I felt like she added a lot of personality to it. Her skill as a narrator also really elevated the characters and helped them stand out a bit more to me. Finally, Celaena and Dorian’s dynamic is amazing. While between the two love interest options I think he’s the BEST, I’m not mad about them remaining friends.
However, the book had its flaws that I had a hard time looking past. The biggest was the POV changes. I was frequently lost on what POV we were in as they all sounded very similar and there was no clear marker for the change in POV. It also felt unnecessary, like SJM didn’t know how to deliver all the information from one POV and was compensating with these POV changes. I also wasn’t a fan of the love triangle and it felt HEAVILY skewed towards Dorian. Which wasn’t helped by Chaol and Celaena’s dynamic changing so quickly and feeling unearned in the shift to friendship. Also both the guys were kinda sexist and it was hard to get behind either one of them being with Celaena.
Overall the book was just okay. I enjoyed it more than I thought which was a nice surprise.
Content Warnings
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
adventurous
dark
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Suicide attempt, Murder, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Slavery, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Grief, Vomit, and Death
angelreads_13's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
I devoured this book! Every page, every chapter, had me holding my breath! One of the absolute BEST books I've read!
I'm afraid it would take forever for me to compose a review that would be half as good enough as I would like, and even then, it wouldn't do this book or this series justice. Till then, let me just sa...WOW.
If you're still on the fence about reading this series, I'd tell you stop being a flaming idiot and pick up the first book YESTERDAY!!!
I'm afraid it would take forever for me to compose a review that would be half as good enough as I would like, and even then, it wouldn't do this book or this series justice. Till then, let me just sa...WOW.
If you're still on the fence about reading this series, I'd tell you stop being a flaming idiot and pick up the first book YESTERDAY!!!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, and Death
Minor: Grief, Slavery, Drug use, and Violence
ladybeehyde's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Unpopular opinion: I liked this more than ACOTAR. Maas isn’t my usual cup-o-tea and I’m slowly working my way through her stuff because my sister and friends give rave reviews and so far this is the first one I’ve been invested in enough that I can’t start the next one until I can actually focus (not during the week at work).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Violence
markedwithanm's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Grief, Death, Murder, Classism, Vomit, Violence, War, and Slavery
sharlapeggy'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? No
4.0
I liked this but think I preferred Assassins Blade. I will definitely read the next one!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Death of parent, Slavery, Death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Trafficking
savvyrosereads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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? No
4.0
Updated review (March 2024):
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.
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.
Content Warnings
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
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, Murder, Torture, and Vomit