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reading_ani's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
“There are monsters in the world. There are monsters in the woods. There’s a monster in the shadows, and now it knows my name.”
I have to confess I had zero expectations towards this book. When I received my edition in an Owlcrate box I read the blurb and was intrigued, but didn’t expect great things from it. But oh boy was I wrong! I absolutely loved and wholeheartedly enjoyed this book! When I finally picked it up to read it, I knew that it would be part of a series, but honestly, even if I hadn’t, there were a lot of things foreshadowing this fact very early on. Anyone familiar with Greek mythology would pick up the not so subtle hints of Violeta sacrificing pomegranate… this in combination with a “Lord Under” point pretty obviously to a Hades and Persephone retelling . And all in all, I have to say that even though I saw the ending coming, I enjoyed every single moment of getting to it and I just can’t wait to read the sequel once it gets released. 🥰🥰
I have to confess I had zero expectations towards this book. When I received my edition in an Owlcrate box I read the blurb and was intrigued, but didn’t expect great things from it. But oh boy was I wrong! I absolutely loved and wholeheartedly enjoyed this book! When I finally picked it up to read it, I knew that it would be part of a series, but honestly, even if I hadn’t, there were a lot of things foreshadowing this fact very early on.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Grief, and Death of parent
haley49's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I loved the atmosphere and characters. They all felt sympathetic and realistic, especially when making frustrating decisions! I really liked the main couple and enjoyed their journey together. They had a beauty and the beast feel that was well-done. That said, this book had parts where I felt like I was missing something and there were a few moments where J was confused. I also wish the secondary characters, particularly Violeta’s brother got more time to shine. Overall, a great read with some surprisingly heart-tugging moments that left me emotional on these characters (Leta and Rowan’s) behalfs. I hated Leta’s sacrifice though! I found myself wishing she died rather than give up her memories! That hurt😭😭
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, and Blood
Moderate: Gore, Self harm, Vomit, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual content and Suicide attempt
laceyc1's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Minor: Child death, Death, Grief, and Death of parent
laura_2209's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Physical abuse, Self harm, Blood, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
caidyn's review against another edition
Just... not for me. I was excited about this book. I agree that the world is lush and interesting, but the writing and dialogue pushed me away.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Self harm, and Blood
Moderate: Grief and Death of parent
caitlincannings's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Self harm, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
anxiousnachos's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
4.0
Maybe closer to a 3.5? I really enjoyed this! I read most of it in one sitting. Monster love interest really is one of my absolute favourite tropes and it is done so fabulously here, Rowan was one of my favourite parts of this book. He wears so many EARRINGS and is BISEXUAL. There’s also creepy lake magic and dark death gods who whisper in your ear yes please sir I will take that.
I do think it lacked a little substance though. At first I thought maybe it’s because I’ve read a lot of gothic adult books recently and so obviously a YA book is going to feel less dark/gory/horrific/intense compared to those. But the more I read, the more I felt there was something more genuinely missing, unrelated to the adult/YA divide. Despite that, I did thoroughly enjoy this book, bisexual monster boyfriends for the win, but it was quite an easy read and lacked a little depth for me.
Content warnings: self harm, child abuse, blood, sex, violence, some really gross vomit scenes, death of parent
I do think it lacked a little substance though. At first I thought maybe it’s because I’ve read a lot of gothic adult books recently and so obviously a YA book is going to feel less dark/gory/horrific/intense compared to those. But the more I read, the more I felt there was something more genuinely missing, unrelated to the adult/YA divide. Despite that, I did thoroughly enjoy this book, bisexual monster boyfriends for the win, but it was quite an easy read and lacked a little depth for me.
Content warnings: self harm, child abuse, blood, sex, violence, some really gross vomit scenes, death of parent
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Self harm, Blood, Vomit, and Death of parent
Moderate: Sexual content and Violence
crystalisreading's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The description, cover, and title combination for Lakesedge caught my attention right away, and I was glad to be granted an advanced copy. The story itself pulled me in right away, with intriguing world building and a strong older sister fighting to keep her younger brother safe in an abusive environment. The magic/ religious system in the story is interesting and cohesive, and the world as described seemed welcoming and pleasant. Well, mostly. At first. Then the magic really started. And the romance. And the drama. And the impulsive and often self-destructive decisions.
Violetta is extremely self-sacrificing when it comes to protecting her loved ones, and not good at caring for herself at all. The more you get to understand the trauma she has been through, the more her behavior makes sense, but it still gets a little tiresome after awhile. I felt like this was very YA, with maximum angst, both familial and romantic. There’s also some sort of love triangle, and the story ends on a cliffhanger. I keep forgetting that “lush” as a book descriptor means all the purple prose describing everything, and while this book wasn’t terrible, I got a little tired of hearing about how everything tastes like ash or burned sugar or poison or whatever, and how there were strings tied from / tightening her heart, etc. And this is very much my own preference, but some of the things these characters, especially Leta, went through, and the losses they endured, just felt like too much. I could see how the writing is gothic fantasy bordering on horror.
I did love the LGBTQ+ rep, as multiple supporting characters had same sex preferences or were bi/pan, and Leta appeared to be demisexual. And while this is wholly a fantasy setting, and Violetta and her brother are fair skinned and red headed, there’s also a fair amount of supporting characters who are described as having darker skin, curly hair, etc. Also, women have a lot of agency in this story, and while most of the people with leadership roles in the story (lords, village leaders, etc) were male, several of the female characters filled important professional roles and all the women were treated with respect. (The characters definitely existed on a gender binary, and there was no non-binary representation that I can remember.
Overall this was an enjoyable, if sometimes slightly redundant and slow read. I finished it in a few days around the autumn holidays. While I’m not sure I’ll bother reading the sequel, I nevertheless appreciate #NetGalley and Macmillan granting me a free electronic advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death and Sexual content
Minor: Child death and Death of parent
taylorjayne's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Blood, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual content and Injury/Injury detail
lost_in_stories's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Self harm and Death of parent
Minor: Suicide attempt